Barberries (Zarishk) زرشک سیاہ

Overview

Berberis is a group of small berries, sweet and sour in taste.
The tropics of Asia, South America, and Africa distribute the species.
Several species of Berberis are known to have food value.

Benefits

• Barberry has been used to treat candida (yeast) infections of the skin or vagina, as well as inflammation and infection of the urinary, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tracts (sore throat, nasal congestion, sinusitis, and bronchitis.
• Doctors recommend using barberry in combination with regular antibiotic medication to treat bacterial diarrhea.
• he berberine compound found in barberry plants can help improve cholesterol levels as it may lessen low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides.
• LDL cholesterol can damage artery walls.
• Your blood contains triglycerides.
• Erberine may help improve the health of those with congestive heart failure, a condition in which your heart muscle does not pump enough blood.
• Berberine, found in barberries, may be effective in treating diarrhea.
• Berberine seems to slightly reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
• The results of one pilot study on 84 patients published in 2008 suggest that taking 500 mg of berberine two to three times a day for up to three months might control blood sugar as effectively as metformin, the first-line drug for type 2 diabetes.

Side Effects

Most people can safely consume barberries, but large amounts or high supplemental doses can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.

How To Consume

You can eat barberries raw, in jam, or as a component of rice dishes and salads.
You can juice them or use them to make tea.
Supplemental forms of barberry include dried capsules, liquid extracts, and ointments or gels made from whole berries or berberine extract.

Nutritional Value

1/4-cup (28-gram) serving of dried barberries contains:

Calories: 89
Protein: 1 gram
Fat: 1 gram
Carbs: 18 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Vitamin C: 213% of the Daily Value (DV)
Iron: 15% of the DV