Title:A Critical Review on the Unexplored Therapeutic Treasure of Himalayan Ayurvedic Drug Daruharidra (Berberis Aristata)
Volume: 7
Issue: 3
Author(s): Javed Ahamad*, Raad A Kaskoos, Faraat Ali and Showkat R. Mir
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region,Iraq
Keywords:
Berberis aristata, Berberine, Berberidaceae, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology.
Abstract: Ayurveda captured almost all herbs in its indications for therapeutics from the period of
Vedas. More than 700 plants are discussed elaborately in various classics of Ayurveda of different
periods. Berberis aristata DC (Berberidaceae), an Indian medicinal plant, is an Ayurvedic herb
used since ancient times. It is commonly known as Daruharidra and Daruhaldi. The plant is useful
as an antipyretic, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antihepatotoxic, anti-diabetic, anticancer, antioxidant,
and hypolipidemic agent. Our main objective was to collect information about the active constituents
and major pharmacological actions of B. aristata. The review of the literature included
PubMed and Science Direct searches with ‘Berberis aristata’ and ‘Daruharidra’ as initial keywords.
This review aims to highlight the ethnomedicinal and pharmacological uses of B. aristata,
which will give insights into developing potentially new bioactives from the plant scaffolds. This
review also highlights the phytochemicals isolated from different parts of B. aristata. Daruharidra
is a rich source of chemically novel compounds, such as berberine, and needs elaborate screening
strategies to dwell into the pharmacological effects at the molecular level.