Berberis Vulgaris

The common barberry, a thorny shrub whose root bark homoeopaths link with the kidneys, bladder and liver, and with sharp pains that radiate outwards.

Berberis vulgaris is the common barberry, a thorny shrub native to Europe and western Asia. It has yellow flowers, small, sharply sour red berries that are eaten in many countries, and a bright yellow inner bark. The remedy is made from the bark of the root.

Homoeopaths traditionally turn to it for pain in the kidney region that shoots or radiates to the groin, back or thighs, with burning urination and a reddish, gritty sediment in the urine. It is also associated with gallbladder discomfort, gouty joints and changeable, wandering pains.

• Kidney-area pain
• Burning urination
• Urinary sediment
• Gallbladder discomfort
• Wandering joint pains