Common mahonia (Mahonia aquifolium) is a mildly poisonous plant in the barberry and sourthorn family (Berberidaceae). The genus name Mahonia is due to the American botanist and horticulturist Bernard MacMahon (1775 to 1816).
Occurrence and cultivation of the common mahonia.
The bright golden-yellow flowers grow arranged in dense panicles of five to eight centimeters, each bearing six flowers. Flowering time is from early April to late May with an abundant supply of nectar and pollen. The genus Mahonia lists 100 different species that come from East Asia, the Himalayas, and North and Central America. The common mahonia is native to Pacific and western North America and is also known as the ornamental barberry and the thorny barberry. In Europe, barberry often grows as feral stands in forests. The common mahonia is a multistemmed small shrub that grows upright and broadly bushy a meter in height. The leaf arrangement is alternate and compound and the leaf shape is pinnate. The bright golden yellow flowers grow arranged in dense five to eight inch panicles, each bearing six flowers. Flowering occurs from early April to late May with an abundant supply of nectar and pollen. The evergreen leaves can grow up to twenty centimeters long, and the leaflets usually record a length of 3.5 to 8 centimeters. They are ovate to elliptical in shape. Their color varies from dark green glossy to light green on the underside. The leaf edges are wavy and have spiny teeth on each of five to nineteen. In fall and winter, this small shrub is beautiful to look at with its purple to purplish brown coloration. The common mahonia bears elliptical purple-black and light blue frosted fruits that grow up to an inch in size. Mahonia aquifolium prefers sunny to shady places and is very adaptable, growing in both dry and moist and nutritious soil. The barberry plant is hardy as a deep rooter, as it is frost and smoke hardy as well as cut resistant, withstands root pressure, tolerates urban climates and also grows on acidic and slightly alkaline substrates less suitable for plants. As an ornamental plant it grows in parks, hedges and gardens. Since the evergreen mahonia is attractive all year round, it is also popular in the field of area planting. Due to its slow growth, this undemanding hedge plant is low-maintenance and rarely requires pruning.
Effect and application
The collection period of the spherical and pea-sized fruits, as well as the bark and roots, lasts from August to December. Mahonia bark should not be injured, because in this case alkaloids are lost during washing. The roots are cleaned in cold water and used as small cut pieces in dried state. To obtain berberine hydrochloride, which occurs naturally in barberry, the roots are extracted by a chemical process using dilute sulfuric acid. The fruits, roots, and barks have antibacterial, blood purifying, tonic, and diuretic effects due to their berberis alkaloids and bitter compounds. They have a broad activity against fungi, bacteria and amoebae, as they react with DNA (intercalation), induce cell death and prevent the growth of various enzymes. Furthermore, they have an inhibitory effect on proliferation. For this reason, Mahonia aquifolium is popularly used in infectious diseases. The alkaloids contain the active substances protoberberine and isoquinoline alkaloids (up to 13%), including berberine (main ingredient), jatrorrhizine, columbamine, and palmatine. Mahonia root is effective for dyspepsia, diarrhea, fever, biliary and skin disorders, and urinary tract infections. The edible berries have an alkaloid content of 0.5 percent and are used to make fruit wines and jams. In homeopathy Mahohnia aquifolium is used in the form of globules. These are used for loss of appetite, inflammation of joints, rheumatism, gout, bladder stones, states of exhaustion, back pain, heartburn, psoriasis, kidney stones, kidney gravel, kidney inflammation, hemorrhoids. The positive effect of barberry herb is proven by studies in herbal medicine. However, the most common use of the pretty North American is in the field of skin diseases in the form of ointments.For Mahonia ointments, the normally poisonous bark is used as a starting material and medicinal plant extract. In a complex process, an extract dried from the bark of the shrub is produced in a gentle manner. This bark extract, consisting of yellowish, glittering crystals, is mixed with the liquid ingredients of Mahonia cream, giving it its typical rich yellow color, reminiscent of the floral splendor of the shrub.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
As a medicinal plant, The Stinging-leaved is not readily used because all parts of the plant, especially the root and stem bark are poisonous to humans. In the past, Mahonia bark was used as a tincture for skin rashes and digestive disorders. Nowadays, its mutagenic effect is well known. For this reason, it is no longer used in its pure form as a tincture, but exclusively in the form of professionally dosed ointments containing a 10 percent tincture of Mahonia bark and as a harmless remedy in homeopathy. The use of unprocessed berberis constituents can have hereditary and cancer-promoting effects due to its high content of natural berberine. Therefore, the use of plant extracts containing berberine in pure form should be discouraged. Mahonia root extracts and dried barberry bark are available in pharmacies. Planting this thorny plant as a bee pasture is also recommended for ecological reasons, as the rich yellow pinnate flowers offer bees rich food. The dark blue fruits before their further processing are slightly poisonous and can be confused with blueberries. Therefore, they should not get into the hands of children, as they can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Common mahonia is used exclusively in ointment form and in homeopathy because of its toxic constituents, since no clinical studies are available in conventional medicine, and mahonia and barberry are classified as negative by Commission E.
