The Barberry plant is a natural anti-fungal, anti-microbial compound. The plant has yellow flowers and dark maroon colored leaves. Other varieties of the plant have light green leaves. Barberry is very high in what is called berberry. Berberry is a very powerful antibiotic.

The berry of the barberry plant can be eaten. It is very good for rebuilding red blood cells. By making a tincture of the barberry, you will greatly assist your body following blood loss. However, if you have a history of blood clotting, you should not use barberry, as it has been shown to having a clotting action.

On the topside of the barberry plant you get little bunches of leaves. The small yellow flower appears on the underside of the leaves. When the flowers begin to die back, the berries appear. By early autumn the berries are bright red and ready to gather.

Anti-Microbial Properties

Berberry is a natural anti-microbial. As such, it is very different from antibiotics that are made in a factory. In a factory, the anti-microbes are cookie-cutter made. They have very strict guidelines. They mix measured amounts of various compounds together to make the product.

All of the ingredient are active except for the binder. Every pill that you take should be exactly the same dose as the last pill that you took. This makes it easy for you to work out your dosage.

However, there is a negative side to the uniformity of factory-made antibiotics. The bacteria that you are fighting against can often get strong enough to be inured to the exact same dose every single time. It can learn to get around it. That is why we need stronger and stronger antibiotics; we are making stronger and stronger bacteria by using these antibiotics.

With plant-based antibiotics, however, you have the opposite effect taking place. A plant such as the barberry is a living creature. It is never the same twice. The plant is always changing. Therefore, the antibiotic in the form of the berberry that is in the root of the plant is always different than it was the last time. That means that the dosage is never the same. Your bacteria have to relearn the dose each time you take it.

However, because the plant is constantly changing, the bacteria will never get used to it. There is no way for them to build a tolerance to plant-based antibiotics such as berberry. This makes plant-based antibiotics a superior form of treatment to factory- produced ones.

Barberry has long been used to treat the following conditions:

• Gastrointestinal pain
• Lymphatic problems
• Urinary tract infections
• Respiratory infections
• Hepatitis
• Jaundice
• Diabetes

Barberry also acts as a vasodilator on the blood vessels. It helps the body to produce more nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels to allow for a speedier transportation of nutrients to the cells of the body. In so doing, it helps to control blood pressure.

Barberry is also a very effective external medicine. It can be used to treat ulcers, burns, sores, itchiness, ringworm, and minor cuts and bruises. The berries of the barberry plant are high in Vitamin C.

Colon Cleansing

Barberry root is an effective colon cleanser. It helps the body to secrete bile, which improves the health of the liver and disinfects and cleanses the colon. The septic colon can contain a whole host of bacterial problems. Barberry has the power to address many of these naturally and effectively. A key reason that barberry is so effective in fighting off bad bacteria is that scientists have discovered that berberry has the ability to inhibit the COX-2 enzyme.

In addition to flushing the colon, it is important to address the bacterial problems that often congest in this area. Taking a regular barberry supplement will go a long way toward achieving this result. Barberry includes three key bitter compounds that help in the digestive process. These are berberine, berbamine, and oxyacanthine. Following a meal, these compounds stimulate the digestive process, making for a more effective breakdown of food particles. A study in June, 1999 showed that barberry was also an effective form of treatment for people suffering from psoriasis.

Barberry Dosage

In order to improve digestion, barberry should be taken 20 minutes before a meal, at a dosage of between 2-5 mLs. As a topical lotion, you should apply a cream containing 10% barberry to the affected area 3 times daily. You can also take barberry as a tea infusion by adding 2 grams to a cup of boiling water, two to three times throughout the day.