Oregon Grape

Oregon Grape

Other Names : Barberry, Berberis aquifolium, Berberis nervosa, Berberis repens, Berberis sonnei, Blue Barberry, Creeping Barberry, Holly Barberry, Holly-Leaved Berberis, Holly Mahonia, Mahonia, Mahonia aquifolium, Mahonia diversifolia, Mahonia Faux Houx, Mahonia à Feuilles de Houx, Mahonia nervosa, Mahonia repens, Mahonie, Mountain-Grape, Oregon Barberry, Oregon-Grape, Oregon Grape-Holly, Scraperoot, Trailing Mahonia, Uva de Oregon, Vigne de l’Oregon, Water-Holly.
Oregon grape is a plant. The root and root-like stem (rhizome) are used to make medicine.

Special Precautions of Oregon Grape

• An Oregon grape cream seems to be safe for most people when applied to the skin. It can cause some side effects such as itching, burning, irritation, and allergic reactions.
• There is not enough information to know if Oregon grape is safe when taken by mouth in medicinal amounts.
• Pregnancy and breast -feeding: It’s UNSAFE to use Oregon grape if you are pregnant. One of the chemicals in Oregon grape, berberine, may cross the placenta and might cause harm to the fetus. Brain damage (kernicterus) has been reported in newborn infants exposed to berberine. Berberine can also be transferred to the infant through breast milk. So, it’s also UNSAFE to use Oregon grape if you are breast-feeding.
• Children: It’s UNSAFE to give Oregon grape to children, especially newborns. The berberine in Oregon grape can cause brain damage (kernicterus) in newborns, particularly premature newborns who have jaundice . Jaundice is a condition in which there is yellowing of the eyes and skin caused by bile pigments in the blood. It can happen in newborns who have a different blood type than their mother.
• Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune) interacts with Oregon Grape
• Medications changed by the liver (Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) substrates) interacts with Oregon Grape

The benefits of Oregon Grape are

• Psoriasis. Some evidence suggests that applying a specific 10% Oregon grape extract cream (Relieva, Apollo Pharmaceutical) can reduce the severity of psoriasis and improve quality of life for people who have psoriasis. It might be as effective as the medicationcalcipotriene (Dovonex) cream for some people.
• atopic dermatitis
• Eczema : An ointment containing a combination of Oregon grape and the herbs gotu kola and Viola tricolor may help treat some cases of eczema, according to a study published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics in 2007.
• Acne
• Stomach Ulcers.
• Heartburn.
• Stomach upset.
• Due to the high alkaloid berberine content of the Oregon Grape it is used to stimulate the flow of bile to loosen compact stools to relieve constipation, hemorrhoids and other gall bladder diseases.
• The anti-cancer properties of this herbal remedy are also being researched on, especially cancer that occurs in a person’s gastro intestinal tract.
• Cervical Cancer : berberine could be useful for treating cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV. By blocking the expression of cancer-related proteins and transcription factors in HPV-infected cervical cells, berberine targets both viral and patient factors that contribute to cervical cancer’s development and grow.