Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Indian barberry (Berberis aristata), of the Berberidaceae family. Spiny evergreen shrub with three-forked thorns and clusters of yellow flowers and dark berries; native range: temperate Himalaya from Kashmir to Nepal, 2000-3500 m. Globally recognized as daruharidra / darvi in Sanskrit, darhaldi / chitra in Hindi, darhald / rasaut in Urdu, and tree turmeric, Indian barberry in English. The part used is stem and root (and their extract, rasaut). Hard wood vividly yellow beneath the bark, intensely bitter; the thick extract rasaut is dark, glossy and mouth-puckeringly bitter.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
INDIAN BARBERRY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Indian barberry
- Scientific name
- Berberis aristata DC.
- Family
- Berberidaceae
Form
- Part used
- stem and root (and their extract, rasaut)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter · astringent (tikta, kashaya)
- Unani
- bitter · astringent
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- liver · stomach · intestines · skin
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- pittakaphahara, kushtaghna (heals skin disease), krimighna (antimicrobial), lekhana (scraping, reduces fat), vranashodhana-ropana (cleans and heals wounds), a noted netrya (eye remedy) and mild anti-diabetic
- Unani
- mufatteh-e-sudad (deobstruent to the liver), qabiz (astringent), daf-e-yarqan (relieves jaundice), musaffi-e-dam (blood-purifier), a wash for eyes and ulcers
Cautions
- Contraindications
- very dry, vata-depleted states; large doses in pregnancy (berberine is a uterine stimulant)
- Toxicity
- large doses may cause nausea and gastric irritation; the isolated alkaloid is more toxic than the crude drug
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