Before moving to Oregon this spring, I’d never heard of Oregon grape. This is an evergreen shrub that bears deep blue and purple grapes. The leaves are shiny and the flowers are fragrant — but the true medicinal value of the plant lies beneath the ground.
Native Americans used Oregon grape for both food and medicine. The berries were used in jellies, wines, and soups. The root was crushed and dried for use in remedies for ulcers, heartburn, rheumatism, kidney disorders, skin conditions, and poor appetite!
Early settlers on the western frontier learned of the root from the natives. During the 1800s, Oregon grape root was popular as a medicine. Settlers used the root soaked in beer to treat jaundice and hemorrhaging. Oregon grape tonics appeared on the market in the late 1800s.
The active ingredient that makes Oregon grape root so useful is an alkaloid called berberine. Oregon grape is in the barberry family and originally was in the genus Berberis. It was moved into its own genus — Mahonia — to simplify things for taxonomists. There are more than 500 varieties of barberries and more than 100 varieties of Oregon grape.
Berberine is found in other powerful healing herbs, like goldenseal. Berberine helps promote bile secretions; modern herbalists believe that the alkaloid promotes good liver function, purifies the spleen, and cleans the blood. Oregon grape root is also used in some treatments for skin disorders like acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
Make an infusion of Oregon grape root by steeping a half ounce of dried root in one cup of boiling water; take three tablespoons daily. However, if you have an overactive liver (a condition brought on by overeating or indulging in too much rich food) you should stay away from Oregon grape root — your liver doesn’t need the extra stimulation.
The grapes themselves are high in vitamin C and can be dried, made into preserves, cooked into syrup, or crushed into drinks.