The Types of Berberis Growing in Anatolian Geography and Traditional Uses

The Berberidaceae family, represented by 12 genera and 200 species in the form of perennial herbaceous or shrub, is distributed in the Northern hemisphere. There are four types in Turkey; Berberis vulgaris, Berberis integerrima, Berberis crataegiana, Berberis cretica. The distribution areas of the species in our country differ from each other. Berberis species are used for dying wool and yarn due to the berberine in its woody parts which gives the yellow color in traditional uses. The root, bark, fruit and leaves, which contain phenolic compounds, alkaloids, flavonids are used for treatment of antipyretic, colds, rheumatic complaints, eye diseases, digestive and respiratory tract relievers and diabetes. The ripe berries are consumed as jam, marmalade, syrup and dried fruit as a snack. In this paper, the morphological characteristics of Berberis species, active ingredients, traditional uses in Anatolia are detail given