oregon grape root benefits, oregon grape side effects
oregon grape facts [oregon grape scientific name: Mahonia aquifolium, Berberis aquifolium]
Oregon grape facts - Oregon grape root extract
Oregon-grape (scientific name: Mahonia aquifolium, Berberidaceae) is an evergreen shrub related to the
barberry. Some people place Mahonia in the barberry genus, Berberis, however, the Oregon-grape is
not related to true grapes. Oregon-grape gets its name from the purple clusters of berries. Traditionally,
roots and bark of Oregon Grape is believed to benefit skin diseases, such as psoriasis, fungal infections,
eczema and acne [1-11]. Oregon grape plant extracts are also believed to benefit gastritis, fever,
hemorrhage, jaundice, gall bladder disease, and cancer. In this article, we review interesting facts or
research findings on berberine and Oregon grape.

Oregon grape benefits

Oregon grape benefits - Cholesterol-lowering
Berberine (a chemical extracted from oregon grape) may help prevent heart disease, as it may lower total
cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL, bad cholesterol), and triglyceride levels. [A1] Kong W. et al,
Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Beijing, China, administrated 32 hypercholesterolemic patients with
berberine for 3 months orally. They found that the serum cholesterol was reduced by 29%, triglycerides
by 35% and LDL-cholesterol by 25%. They also identified the 5' proximal section of the LDLR mRNA 3'
untranslated region responsible for the regulatory effect of berberine in cell culture studies.  [A2]

Oregon grape benefits - Liver Protection
Moga MM at Indiana University School of Medicine, IN, considers that Oregon grape may reduce
gallbladder inflammation and relieve liver congestion. [A3] Wang F et al at Tongji Medical College of
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, observed that berberine has inhibitory effects
on potassium and calcium currents in isolated rat hepatocytes, which may provide hepato-protection. [A4]

Oregon grape benefits - Antimicrobial / Antifungal Activities
Dattner AM at Integrative Medicine and Dermatology, NY, suggests that Oregon grape root has
synergistic antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and bile-stimulating properties which make the crude extract
useful in acne. [A5]

As early as 1994, McCutcheon AR et al found that Mahonia aquifolium roots had anti-fungal properties
(against nine fungal species). [A6] Later, Slobodnikova L et al, Comenius University, Slovakia, tested the
crude extract of oregon grape (Pursh) Nutt. stem bark and its two main protoberberine alkaloids,
berberine and jatrorrhizine for their in vitro antimicrobial activity with 20 strains of coagulase-negative
staphylococci and 20 strains of Propionibacterium acne and 20 strains of Candida sp. The results
indicated a rational basis for the traditional use of oregon grape for localized skin and mucosal infection
therapy or supportive therapy of the related diseases [A7] Vollekova A et al, at Slovak Postgraduate
Academy of Medicine, Slovakia, found that Jatrorrhizine (compared to berberine and palmatine) to be the
most effective against all fungal species that they tested. [A8] While, Cernakova M et al, Slovak University
of Technology, Slovakia, tested the antimicrobial activity of berberine against 17 microorganisms. They
found the sensitivity decreasing as follows: S. aureus > P. aeruginosa S (sensitive) > E. coli S > P.
aeruginosa R (resistant) > E. coli R > B. subtilis > Z. ramigera > C. albicans > S. cerevisiae > A. pullulans
B (black) > A. pullulans W (white) > T. viride Br (brown) > M. gypseum > A. niger > F. nivale > P.
chrysogenum > T. viride G (green). [A9]

Oregon grape benefits - antimutagenic /anticarcinogenic / anticancer activity
Cernakova M et al, Slovak Technical University, Slovak Republic, evaluated the protection of crude
Mahonia extracts on chloroplast DNA against acridine orange (a mutagen) using Euglena gracilis as an
eukaryotic test model. They found the  concentration-dependent inhibitory effect of both
bis-benzylisoquinoline and protoberberine alkaloid fractions against the acridine orange- induced
chloroplast mutagenesis of E. gracilis. At very low dose, berberine elicited a remarkable suppression of
the acridine orange -induced mutagenicity. [A10]

Oregon grape benefits - anti-oxidative effects and use in psoriasis
Muller K et al, Universitat Regensburg, Germany, found that the extract of the bark of Mahonia aquifolium
had anti-oxidant properties. The findings were based on their efficacy in inhibition of lipid peroxidation.
[A11]

Misik V et al considered that products of lipoxygenase metabolism play a role in the pathogenesis of
psoriasis. They isolated four protoberberine alkaloids, berberine, oxyberberine, jatrorrhizine,
columbamine, and two aporphine alkaloids, magnoflorine, and corytuberine and they tested these
chemicals for lipoxygenase inhibition. Oxyberberine, corytuberine, and columbamine were more potent
than berberine and magnoflorine in lipoxygenase inhibition. They also found a linear correlation between
lipoxygenase inhibition and lipid antioxidant properties of these compounds. They thought that the
mechanism of lipoxygenase inhibition by these alkaloids might be linked to the inhibition of lipid
hydroperoxide substrate accumulation and this lipoxygenase inhibition is related to its effect on psoriasis.
[A12]

One year later, Bezakova L et al, J. A. Comenius University, Slovakia found a similar result from their
studies on Lipoxygenase inhibition and antioxidant properties of bisbenzylisoqunoline alkaloids. [A13]

Oregon grape benefits - relaxant properties
In 1994, Sotnikova R et al, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava  reported that  The extract from roots
of Mahonia aquifolium as well as berbamine and oxyacanthine relaxed K(+)-precontracted rat aortal
rings. The relaxation could not inhibited by denudation of the endothelium or by premedication of the
aortas with indomethacin, methylene blue or propranolol.  [A14]

Later on, Sotnikova R et al, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak Republic, studied the effect of four
aporphine alkaloids, corytuberine, magnoflorine, isothebaine and isocorydine, on the isolated rat aorta.
Corytuberine and magnoflorine showed little effect as relaxants in KCl- and noradrenaline-induced
contractions. They did not inhibit the phenylephrine concentration-response curve. While, isothebaine
and isocorydine showed relaxant properties in the rat aorta. They relaxed the contractions induced by
noradrenaline to a greater extent than those induced by KCl and they also inhibited the
noradrenaline-induced contraction in calcium-free solution. [A15]
References
1.   Wiesenauer M, Ldtke R. Mahonia aquifolium in patients with Psoriasis vulgaris – an intraindividual study. Phytomedicine. 1996;3:231–235.
2.   Gieler U, von der Weth A, Heger M. Mahonia aquifolium—a new type of topical treatment for psoriasis. J Dermatol Treat. 1995;6:31–34. 3.   
Augustin M, Andrees U, Grimme H, et al. Effects of Mahonia aquifolium ointment on the expression of adhesion, proliferation, and activation
markers in the skin of patients with psoriasis. Forsch Komplementrmed. 1999;6(suppl 2):19–21. 4.   McCutcheon AR, Ellis SM, Hancock REW, et
al. Antifungal screening of medicinal plants of British Columbian native peoples. J Ethnopharmacol. 1994;44:157–169. 5.   Galle K, Mller-Jakic
B, Proebstle A, et al. Analytical and pharmacological studies on Mahonia aquifolium. Phytomedicine. 1994;1:59–62. 6.   Mller K, Ziereis K. The
antipsoriatic Mahonia aquifolium and its active constituents; I. Pro- and antioxidant properties and inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase. Planta Med. 1994;
60:421–424. 7.   Wiesenauer M, Ldtke R. Mahonia aquifolium in patients with Psoriasis vulgaris – an intraindividual study. Phytomedicine. 1996;
3:231–235. 8.   Augustin M, Andrees U, Grimme H, et al. Effects of Mahonia aquifolium ointment on the expression of adhesion, proliferation,
and activation markers in the skin of patients with psoriasis. Forsch Komplementrmed. 1999;6(suppl 2):19–21. 9.   Gieler U, von der Weth A, Heger
M. Mahonia aquifolium – a new type of topical treatment for psoriasis. J Dermatol Treat. 1995;6:31–34. 10.   Galle K, Mller-Jakic B, Proebstle
A, et al. Analytical and pharmacological studies on Mahonia aquifolium. Phytomedicine. 1994;1:59–62. 11.   Mller K, Ziereis K. The
antipsoriatic Mahonia aquifolium and its active constituents; I. Pro- and antioxidant properties and inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase. Planta Med. 1994;
60:421–424. [A1] Nature Medicine (online publication: November 7, 2004 [A2] Nat Med. 2004 Dec;10(12):1344-51. Epub 2004 Dec.] [A3]
Alternative treatment of gallbladder disease, Med Hypotheses. 2003 Jan;60(1):143-7 [A4] World J Gastroenterol. 2004 Oct 1;10(19):2842-5] [A5]
From medical herbalism to phytotherapy in dermatology: back to the future. Dermatol Ther. 2003;16(2):106-13 [A6] J Ethnopharmacol. 1994 Dec;
44(3):157-69]. [A7] Phytother Res. 2004 Aug;18(8):674-6] [A8] Phytother Res. 2003 Aug;17(7):834-7] [A9] Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2002;47(4):375-
8] [A10] BMC Complement Altern Med. 2002 Feb 19;2(1):2][A11] Planta Med. 1994 Oct;60(5):421-4]. [A12] Planta Med. 1995 Aug;61(4):372-3]
[A13] Pharmazie. 1996 Oct;51(10):758-61] [A14] Gen Pharmacol. 1994 Nov;25(7):1405-10] [A15] Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 1997 Nov;19
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