Berberis lycium

Royle

Indian Lycium, Indian barberry

Berberidaceae Edible: Fruit, Leaves, Leaves - tea, Flowers Potential hazards — see below 26 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Berberis lycium, called the Indian lycium, Indian barberry, or boxthorn barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae. It is native to mountain slopes of the northwestern part of the Indian Subcontinent. A widespread species, its fruit, called kasmal, is edible and is eaten fresh, cooked, and preserved.

Description

A deciduous shrub. It grows 3 m tall. The stems are slender. There are short spines 25 mm long on the stems. The leaves are oblong or sword shaped and 5 cm long. They are grey-green. Sometimes they have teeth. The flowers are golden yellow. There can be 20 flowers in a cluster. The fruit are black berries with a grey bloom.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Leaves Shoots Edible Uses: Tea Fruit - raw or cooked and made into preserves. Fairly juicy with a nice slightly acid flavour. The fruits are about 8mm long. Leaves and young shoots - cooked. Leaves are a tea substitute.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten raw. They are also used in preserves. The young shoots and leaves are used as a vegetable and for a tea-like drink. The flowers are chewed.

Medicinal Uses

Antibacterial Aperient Cancer Carminative Dysentery Febrifuge Ophthalmic The roots are aperient, carminative, febrifuge and ophthalmic. They are used in the treatment of eye complaints, menorrhagia, chronic diarrhoea and piles. The leaves have been used in the treatment of jaundice. Berberine, universally present in rhizomes of Berberis species, has marked antibacterial effects. Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it is used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery. It should not be used with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) because this nullifies the effects of the berberine. Berberine has also shown antitumour activity.

Known Hazards

Do not use with Glycyrrhiza species (Liquorice) as this negates the berberine's therapeutic effects.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in cold desert in north India. In the Himalayas it grows between 1,400-3,200 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 6-9.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, China, Europe, Himalayas*, India, Nepal, NW India, Pakistan,

Cultivation

Prefers a warm moist loamy soil and light shade but it is by no means fastidious, succeeding in thin, dry and shallow soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. A fairly hardy plant but it suffers some damage in severe winters. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus. Plants can be pruned back quite severely, they resprout well from the base.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, when it should germinate in late winter or early spring. Seed from over-ripe fruit will take longer to germinate, whilst stored seed may require cold stratification and should be sown in a cold frame as early in the year as possible. The seedlings are subject to damping off, so should be kept well ventilated. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame. If growth is sufficient, it can be possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the autumn, but generally it is best to leave them in the cold frame for the winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, preferably with a heel, October/November in a frame.

Other Uses

Dye A yellow dye is obtained from the root. Special Uses Food Forest

Other Information

Fruit are sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 450-500 Berberis species.

Also Known As

Chatroi, Daruhaldi, Kamashal, Kambel, Karai, Kashmal, Kasmal, Kerai, Khemru, Kingor, Kirmora, Kshamal, Kwarey, Lees, Rasaut, Simlu, Sumro, Sunble, Zarch, Zia largay, Zialarge

References (38)

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Amjad, M. S., et al, 2015, Ethnobotanical inventory and folk uses of indigenous plants from Pir Nasoora National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed 2015; 5(3): 234-241

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