There is a medicine called "Ten Merits"

A few days ago, the People's Daily published a report titled "'Disappeared' for more than 80 years! China's endemic species 'Shunning Berberis' reappeared in Longling, Yunnan."

Barberry? Seeing this name, you may have many questions in your mind: How to pronounce the word "barberry"? What kind of plant is barberry? Is it common? What is its use? Let's explore them one by one!

Shunning Berberis: Twists and turns

Shunning barberry is a species of Berberis, Ranunculales, Berberaceae, Dicotyledonous plants. Berberis is a shrub or perennial herb, with 11 genera and about 320 species in China. Berberis is a deciduous or evergreen shrub, with more than 250 species in China, and its main production areas are located in the west and southwest.

Berberis shunningensis, a species endemic to China, photographed by Ding Hongbo

Image source: See watermark

In September this year, a scientific expedition team from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered Berberis shunningensis while conducting a basic survey of wild plant resources in the Xiaoheishan Provincial Nature Reserve in Longling, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province.

The species of Shunning Berberis was first collected by Chinese plant taxonomist Mr. Yu Dejun in Shunning County, Yunnan Province in 1938. In 1942, it was named a variant of Sikkim Berberis by British Berberis expert Arendt. In 2020, it was renamed Shunning Berberis.

Although the name has changed twice, there has been no report of this species in the past 83 years. Since its discovery, only 6 type specimens have survived, which are placed in the herbarium of Edinburgh Botanic Gardens (primary type), the herbarium of Arnold Arboretum in the United States, the herbarium of Kunming Institute of Botany, and the herbarium of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The holotype specimen of Berberis shunningensis deposited in the herbarium of Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, UK

This rediscovery means that this species is not extinct and is still thriving in the world.

Shunning Xiaober's celebrity relatives

Although Shunning Berberis is not well-known, its relatives are numerous and common. There are more than 320 species of Berberidaceae in China, among which there are many star plants, such as: Euonymus japonicus, Broad-leaved Euonymus japonicus, Phellodendron chinense, Epimedium brevicornum, etc.

Japanese barberry, native to Japan, is also a common garden plant on the roadside in Shanghai. Why use Japanese barberry? Because its leaves and young branches are purple-red all year round, and the flowers are also more beautiful, and the flowering period is around April.

Japanese Berberis

Photographed by Qin Xiangkun in Shanghai

The "Berberis" of Medicine

Many plants in the Berberidaceae family have medicinal value, especially the one called "Ten Great Merits":

Ten major achievements

Mahonia fortunei is a plant of the genus Mahonia in the Berberidaceae family. It is a famous Chinese medicinal plant, also known as fine-leaved Mahonia, Mahonia wood, Rhizoma Coptis chinensis, and Scutellaria baicalensis. It grows under forests and bushes on hillsides at an altitude of 350-2000 meters or in relatively shady and moist places. It is shade-growing and reproduces by seeds.

Ten major achievements

Image source: wiki

The ten great merits are indeed very great! It is known as a "natural medicine" and a "green medicine". Its main active ingredient is berberine, which is clinically used to treat typhoid fever, acute tonsillitis, bacterial dysentery and tuberculosis.

Berberine Hydrochloride Tablets

Berberine contained in Mahonia can inhibit the expression of cyclooxygenase in colon cancer cells, thereby inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins, promoting apoptosis of tumor cells, and finally achieving anti-tumor effects. In addition, berberine also has certain development potential in the treatment of leukemia.

Plants like the Great Merlon have both high ornamental and medicinal value are rare. In order to express their love for it, and because "ten" means perfection in my country, it was named "Great Merlon".

Broadleaf Mahonia

Mahonia bealei is also a plant of the genus Mahonia in the Berberidaceae family. People often confuse it with Mahonia bealei, but in fact, the method to distinguish them is very simple.

Broadleaf Mahonia

Photo taken by Wang Xiaojuan in Shanghai

The broad-leaved Euonymus not only has wider leaves than the Euonymus, but also has very different flowering and fruiting periods, as well as fruit shape and color:

The berries of Mahonia are oval, about 1.5 cm long, 1-1.2 cm in diameter, dark blue, and covered with white powder. The flowering period is from September to January of the following year, and the fruiting period is from March to May.

The berries of the broad-leaved Mahonia are spherical, 4-6 mm in diameter, purple-black, and covered with white powder. The flowering period is from July to September, and the fruiting period is from September to November.

The medicinal value of the broad-leaved magnolia is not as good as that of the magnolia, but its ornamental value is greater. This species has been widely cultivated in Japan, Mexico, warm areas of the United States, and Europe.

Yellow calamus

Berberis amurensis, also known as Berberis amurensis and Berberis chinensis, is a plant of the Berberidaceae family and a close relative of Berberis shunningensis. It is native to Heilongjiang, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia in northern China, and is also distributed in Japan, Korea, and Russia (Siberia).

Yellow calamus

Image source: meipian

Yellow calamus grows in mountain thickets, valleys, forest edges, sparse forests, streams or rocks. It is 1100-2850 meters above sea level. It has gradually become an ornamental tree species for garden greening through artificial planting and introduction and domestication.

Its root bark and stem bark contain berberine, which is used for medicinal purposes. It has the functions of clearing away heat and dampness, purging fire and detoxifying. It is mainly used to treat dysentery, jaundice, leucorrhea, joint swelling and pain, mouth sores, impetigo, etc. It can be used as a substitute for Coptis chinensis.

The medicinal value of yellow reed wood was recognized and developed in ancient my country. The Chinese Materia Medica records that it tastes bitter and cold, can clear away heat and dampness, and detoxify. Scientific research shows that the content of berberine hydrochloride in fresh yellow reed wood roots is 2.6%.

Epimedium

Epimedium brevicornu is a plant of the genus Epimedium in the Berberidaceae family. It is native to Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, and Sichuan. It grows under forests, in bushes by ditches, or in the shade and wet places on hillsides at an altitude of 650-3500 meters.

The name of Epimedium is so strange, could it be related to sheep? According to legend, after eating this grass, sheep can mate dozens of times a day without dying. And because this grass is similar to bean leaves, bean leaves are called huo, so it is called "Epimedium".

This little grass really doesn’t look special:

Epimedium

Image source: china.guidechem.com

However, one should not judge an herb by its appearance. Due to its powerful and unique effects, the use and pharmacological research of Epimedium has been popular both at home and abroad for a long time.

Epimedium is a commonly used Chinese medicine in my country. The whole plant is used for medicinal purposes. It is also called Xianlingpi. It is a common yang-tonifying Chinese medicine used to treat kidney deficiency, impotence, weakness of waist and knees, osteoporosis, etc. It is also very effective in anti-tumor, delaying aging, regulating immune regulation, and repairing bone defects. Thanks to the lamb for introducing such a good medicine to us humans.

How about it? The celebrity relatives of Shunning Berberis are pretty good, right? There are many species of medicinal plants in the Berberidaceae family, and I believe Shunning Berberis also has many hidden secrets waiting for us to discover.

— References —

1. Liu Yuanyuan, Yi Chunxia, ​​Xie Saihua, Liu Linjuan. 2019. Research progress on clinical application of Mahonia laurel[J]. Clinical Rational Drug Use. 12(9A): 180-181.

2. Fan Ruifeng, Li Hongtao, Kuang Hongying, Li Wei. 2019. Pharmacognosy of Phellodendron chinense and determination of berberine hydrochloride content[J]. Lishizhen Traditional Chinese Medicine. 30 (9): 2074-2075.

3. Zhang Chenglong, Liu Aifeng, Zhang Chao, Zhang Xiaoyu, Li Yuandong, Zhang Juntao, Li Qi, Fan Fangyang. 2021. Research status and hot spots of Epimedium based on bibliometrics[J]. Drug Evaluation Research. 44(10): 2242-2251.

Scientific review: Professor Wang Xiaojuan, Natural History Research Center, Shanghai Natural History Museum

Edit: One week

The article is owned by Shanghai Natural History Museum