Oregon Grape
Parts Usually Used
Root
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Wild Oregon grape is an evergreen shrub; it has irregular, knotty roots that have brownish bark with yellow wood underneath. The branched stems extend to 3 feet or more and have alternate, pinnate leaves with 5 to 9 leaflets. Ovate or oblong lanceolate, the leathery, sessile leaflets have 10 or more spiny teeth on each side and are glossy dark green on top, pale green underneath.
Yellow flowers bloom in fascicled racemes from April to May. ), more commonly called huckleberries. Oregon grape (B. repens), was used by Native Americans. ” The root was peeled, dried and steeped to check rectal hemorrhage, stomach troubles, and dysentery.
Where Found
Found in mountain areas on wooded slopes below 7000 feet from British Columbia to Idaho and southward to Oregon and California. Native to North America, introduced to Europe as a cultivated plant but has become naturalized there.
Medicinal Properties
Alterative, diuretic, laxative, tonic
Biochemical Information
Alkaloid berberine
Legends, Myths and Stories
There are several varieties of this herb, which appear to have similar properties. Thus, 4 are given here, because of this similarity. This is the Pacific Northwest variety of barberry and was used by the mountain folk of California as a preferred treatment for all chronic degenerative diseases, especially cancer and arthritis. Used in the treatment of anemia, not because of the iron in the plant, but rather its ability to release iron stored in the liver.
Uses
Historically, herbalists employed Oregon grape for complaints involving the liver, kidneys, and digestion, including constipation, jaundice, rheumatism, and arthritis. Traditional sources also recommended it as a blood purifier and for various skin afflictions such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis. Additionally, women in folk traditions took preparations of the plant to encourage the onset of menstruation.
Nineteenth-century herbal texts frequently noted that its applications closely mirrored those of barberry (Berberis vulgaris).
How Sold
Dried herb and extract
Warning
Large doses have a cathartic effect, causing watery diarrhea and abdominal pains. Avoid in pregnancy; a uterine stimulant.
Bibliography
, Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020 The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.
The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974