• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.102-106
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• 2001

Berberis aristata (family Berberidaceae), known as 'Daruharidra' in Ayurvedic system of medicine, is an important medicinal plant used extensively for treating a variety of ailments in various systems of indigenous medicine. Being an important medicinal plant it is being adulterated and in the absence of any pharmacognostic information it is very difficult to check the adulteration. The present study was therefore, carried out to provide the requisite pharmacognostic details. Morphological, anatomical and phytochemical aspects of B. aristata were carried out. Diagnostic features of B. aristata root were identified and characterized from the above investigations and presented in the present communication. Some of the diagnostic features of the root drug noted from the anatomical study are patches of pericyclic fibre, pitted sclerieds, berberine containing cells and heterocyclic medullary rays. HPTLC analysis showed three distinct bands of which berberine was identified as the major constituents. The $R_f$. value of other bands was also calculated.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.60-65
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• 2009

Berberis is an important medicinal plant, of the family Berberidaceae. Different Berberis species and their parts are very common in herbal drug markets of India and world over as an adulterant/substitute to 'Daruharidra' i.e. B. aristata DC. Antimicrobial activity of 50% hydroalcoholic extracts of stem of four Berberis species viz. B. aristata DC., B. asiatica Roxb. ex DC., B. chitria Lindl. and B. lycium Royle and the isolated alkaloid berberine were tested against eleven bacterial and eight fungal strains. The extracts with the strongest antibacterial activity was obtained from B. lycium followed by B. aristata, B. asiatica and B. chitria. Based on these results it is possible to conclude that the hydroalcoholic extract and alkaloid (berberine) has stronger and broader spectrum against bacterial strains as compared to fungal strains. The result obtained in the present study authenticates and support the use of these plants in folklore medicine for treatment of various infectious diseases caused by the bacterial pathogens. However, an attempt has been made to explore the possibilities of utilizing stem part rather than roots of these species with the aim to conserve this species which is over exploited due to diverse use of its root. These findings will stimulate the search for novel, natural products as new antibacterial/antifungal agents which may be useful to pharmaceutical industries.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.192-195
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• 2008

The effect of aqueous and alcoholic extract of roots of Berberis aristata was studied on the spontaneous movements of the whole worm (w.w) preparation and nerve muscle (n.m) complex of cattle filarial parasite Setaria cervi and on the survival of microfilariae. Only aqueous extract could inhibit the spontaneous movements of S. cervi, characterized by initial stimulation followed by reversible paralysis. The concentration required to produce similar effect on n.m complex was less as compared to the w.w. The lethal concentration 50 and lethal concentration 90 for aqueous extract were 48 ng/ml and 65 ng/ml.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2007

Berberis tinctoria (Berberidaceae), commonly known as Nilgiri Barberry is a common allied species to B. aristata, used in India Traditional Systems of Medicine by the name of 'Daruharidra' for skin disease, jaundice, affection of eyes, and rheumatism. Keeping this in view, in the present study attempts have been made to identify marker characters of B. tinctoria. Some of the diagnostic features of the root are patches of pericyclic fibre, pitted sclerieds, crystals, berberine containing cells and heterocyclic medullary rays. Besides, the physicochemical characters such as total ash; acid insoluble ash; alcohol and water soluble extractive; tannins; sugar and starch percentages has also shown some variations. The percentage of berberine as berberine hydrochloride was also calculated through HPTLC densitometric method and it was found almost similar to B. aristata, B. asiatica and B. chitria i.e. 3.36%. Thus it can be explored as a possible source of substitute to B.aristata.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.19-23
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• 2006

Berberis chitria (family Berberidaceae) has a close affinity with B. aristata, used in traditional systems of medicine as a drug 'Daruharidra' for skin disease, jaundice, affection of eyes, and rheumatism. Keeping this in view, in the present study attempts have been made to identify marker characters of B. chitria in order to differentiate the two species. Some of the diagnostic features of the root are patches of pericyclic fibre, pitted sclerieds and berberine containing cells and heterocyclic medullary rays. Besides, the physicochemical characters such as total ash; acid insoluble ash; alcohol and water soluble extractive; tannins; sugar and starch percentages has shown variations. The percentage of berberine as berberine hydrochloride was also calculated through HPTLC densitometric method and it was found little higher than B. aristata and B. asiatica i.e. 3.16%. Thus, this species can be utilized as a possible substitute to Daruharidra.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.370-381
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• 2018

Bioactive natural compounds, isolated from fungal endophytes, play a promising role in the search for novel drugs. They are an inspiring source for researchers due to their enormous structural diversity and complexity. During the present study fungal endophytes were isolated from a well-known medicinal shrub, Berberis aristata DC. and were explored for their antagonistic and antioxidant potential. B. aristata, an important medicinal shrub with remarkable pharmacological properties, is native to Northern Himalayan region. A total of 131 endophytic fungal isolates belonging to eighteen species and nine genera were obtained from three hundred and thirty surface sterilized segments of different tissues of B. aristata. The isolated fungi were classified on the basis of morphological and molecular analysis. Diversity and species richness was found to be higher in leaf tissues as compared to root and stem. Antibacterial activity demonstrated that the crude ethyl acetate extract of 80% isolates exhibited significant results against one or more bacterial pathogens. Ethyl acetate extract of Alternaria macrospora was found to have potential antibacterial activity. Significant antioxidant activity was also found in crude ethyl acetate extracts of Alternaria alternata and Aspergillus flavus. Similarly, antagonistic activity of the fungal endophytes revealed that all antagonists possessed inhibition potential against more than one fungal pathogen. This study is an important step towards tapping endophytic fungal diversity for bioactive metabolites which could be a step forward towards development of novel therapeutic agents.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.184-190
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• 2010

Berberis lycium (family Berberidaceae) has a close affinity with B. aristata, used in India Traditional Systems of Medicine as a drug 'Daruharidra' for skin disease, jaundice, affection of eyes, and rheumatism. Various species of Berberis are being sold in India herbal drug market. During the market surveillance of different herbal drug markets of India, it was observed that almost all the markets either comprise of Berberis lycium or Berberis asiatica. Keeping this in view, in the present study attempts have been made to identify marker characters of this potent species.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2015

Forest disturbance sometime considered as a tool of management as it believed that mid level disturbance constructs better micro-climatic conditions which ultimately boost up the plant diversity. The effect of different levels of disturbance on species composition and regeneration is very important. Present attempt was carried out in a temperate evergreen oak forest which was under various degree of disturbance. The study area is one of the large ranges of oak forest in Garhwal Himalaya and compensating various types of daily needs of local people. On the basis of IVI values Quercus leucotrichophora holds first position in all the disturbance zones whereas Myrica esculenta upgraded it's rank in highly disturbed zone and showed less impacted species by disturbance. Berberis aristata and Eupatorium adenophorum in shrub layer and Anaphalis adnata and Bidens pilosa in herb layer were found as disturbance friendly species because they attained higher rank in highly disturbed zone whereas Caryopteris foetida was found disturbance-sensitive in shrub layer. The banj oak regenerated well under mid disturbance as compared to no and high degree of disturbance and a sharp downfall in the species diversity was recorded with increasing magnitude of disturbance. Density-diameter curves showed a reverse trend of lower density in higher girth classes. The results of the study should be useful for the forest management strategies.