Common Barberry

Etymology
The scientific name Berberis comes from the Arabic word berberi, meaning “shell,” referring to the shape of the flower petals. The plant uses a clever trick for pollination: when a bee enters the flower to gather nectar, it triggers the stamens to snap inward, depositing pollen on the bee, which will then carry it to the next flower.

Habitat and Distribution
The Common Barberry belongs to the Berberidaceae family. It grows throughout most of Europe and western Asia, from Turkey to Afghanistan. It thrives in hedgerows, open woodlands, hillsides, and slopes, adapting to most soils. It tolerates both sun and partial shade. In Switzerland, it grows naturally at forest edges, in dry oak and pine forests, and on vineyards up to 2,500 meters.

Ecological Value
In March and April, the shrub produces bright yellow, delicately scented flower clusters on thorny branches. It attracts bees and butterflies, which also use it for egg-laying and as caterpillar food. From September through winter, it produces striking scarlet-red berries in long clusters, which often remain on the shrub after the leaves fall. These berries are an important food source for birds, and the thorny branches provide them with shelter. The plant’s wood and roots are also a vibrant yellow-orange inside – the same color as its flowers.

Culinary and Medicinal Value
The sour berries are refreshing and used to make jellies, preserves, and syrups. In Persian cuisine, they are cooked with sugar and oil to season meat and rice dishes. Traditionally, the plant has also been used for dyeing: its bark and roots produce a light yellow dye for wool, cotton, and silk.
Root extracts are used to treat liver and gallbladder issues, loss of appetite, and constipation due to liver deficiency, as well as dry skin. Jams and juices from the ripe berries stimulate appetite. In homeopathy, diluted root extracts are used to support treatment of kidney pelvis inflammation, hemorrhoids, and rheumatic conditions.
Thanks to its high vitamin C content, Common Barberry is considered an excellent anti-aging plant. Vitamin C supports collagen formation – essential for the health of skin, joints, tendons, and blood vessels.

Sources :
https://www.walaarzneimittel.ch/fr/lexique-des-plantes-medicinales-a-z/epine-vinette.html
https://www.tela-botanica.org/bdtfx-nn-9456-synthese
https://www.pfyn-finges.ch/fr/missions-du-parc-naturel/preserver-et-maintenir/passez-a-laction/arbustes-indigenes/epine-vinette-57575