Oregon grape

Mahonia aquifolium

Also: Berberis aquifolium, Mountain grape, Holly-leaved barberry

CoolingDryingTonifyingTo-watch list

A bright yellow bitter for the liver, gut, and skin.

An evergreen shrub with glossy, holly-like leaves edged in spines, sprays of yellow spring flowers, and dusty blue, sour berries; scrape the root and the wood beneath is vivid yellow with berberine. Oregon grape root stirs a sluggish liver and gut, clears inflamed skin, and fights infection.

Energetics: Cooling, drying, toning
Taste: Very bitter
Family: Berberidaceae (barberry family)
Parts used: Root and stem bark

Medicinal uses 5

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Sluggish liver & digestionTLC
A strong bitter that gets bile flowing and digestion moving.
Rashes & eczemaTLC
Used inside and as a cream for psoriasis; trials of a topical extract showed improvement.
Acne & breakoutsTLC
Clears inflamed, breakout-prone skin, in part through its antimicrobial berberine.
Loose bowelsTLC
Berberine acts against many gut microbes behind infectious diarrhea.
Blood sugar balanceTLC
Its berberine lowers blood sugar; trials of the purified compound found effects close to metformin.

Preparations

Tincture and decoction in short courses, and washes or creams for skin.

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Cautions

Berberine changes how the body handles many medicines; check with your prescriber.
Long continuous use can unsettle the gut flora; take breaks between courses.
Dig roots sparingly and from abundant stands; the berries are a food for wildlife and people.

Sourcing

Oregon grape is on United Plant Savers' to-watch list. It is still common in Northwest woods, so harvest lightly: take a few sections of creeping rhizome from large stands and leave the main plant, or buy cultivated root.

Medication interactions

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyAvoid

Berberine stimulates the uterus and can worsen jaundice in newborns, so it is contraindicated in pregnancy.

BreastfeedingAvoid

Berberine can pass to a nursing baby and raise the risk of jaundice in the newborn weeks.

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Folklore

Meriwether Lewis collected it at the rapids of the Columbia River in 1806. Its sour berries were a food of many Northwest nations, who also made a yellow dye from the bark. Oregon made it the state flower in 1899.

How to grow

A tough, shade-tolerant evergreen for woodland gardens, hardy and drought-tolerant once settled. Take roots from the spreading runners of established plants in autumn.

In the wild

Forests, clearings, and dry slopes from British Columbia to northern California, east into the Rockies.

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