Want to learn how to use barberries at home to make juice, decoction, tea, and natural skin care? Continue reading and find out.
Barberries (Berberis vulgaris) are the berries of a spiny bush that grows at the edge of the forests and is native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. These wild berries and ready for harvesting from October to January when they are fully ripe and have remarkable healing properties. Nowadays, medical studies recognize the special therapeutic value of barberries, recommending their use to prevent and combat liver conditions, urinary infections, metabolic syndrome, hemorrhoids, and rheumatism.
In This Article You Will Find:
How to Use Barberries at Home
1. How to Make Barberry Juice
Wash the well-ripened and freshly-harvested barberries, drain and then juice them with a slow juicer. Pour the fresh juice into an enameled or ceramic pot and heat it up over medium to low heat, until it reaches a temperature of 80°C/176°F. Pour immediately into glass bottles, cover with lids without sealing them, and sterilize the bottles in a large pot in a steam bath for 20 minutes. Remove the bottles from the pot, seal the lids, and keep them in dark and cool places for three to four months. Have one spoonful of barberry juice mixed with one spoonful of raw honey, three times a day, before the main meals for its anti-inflammatory, choleretic, and diuretic properties.
Berberry juice is also an amazing natural remedy for fever, cough, and headaches caused by cold or flu, in which case you can have two tablespoons of juice in a cup of warm linden tea, twice a day until the symptoms subside.
2. Barberry Decoction Uses
- Gallbladder Tonic. Pour half a liter (2 cups) of water over 40 grams of crushed barberries, bring to a boil, and simmer for half an hour. Strain the decoction and top it up with boiling water, to reach the initial volume (of half a liter). Drink 50 ml of barberry decoction, three times a day, before the main meals for two weeks. Pause for two months and resume if needed.
- Cold and Flu. Simmer 10 grams of dried barberries and 50 grams of rose hips in a liter of water for two hours, on low heat. Drink one cup of this warm and healing decoction a day, for seven days. Sweeten with a teaspoon of raw honey, if you want.
3. Barberry Tea Uses
- Arthritis. Pour half a liter (2 cups) of boiling water over 20 grams of barberries, cover, and steep for 24 hours. Drink the entire quantity of barberry tea during the day, with small sips. This is a 10-day treatment, pause for two weeks and resume if necessary.
- Strengthen Hair. Pour a liter (4 cups) of boiling water over a handful of barberries, cover, and steep for about 45 minutes, then strain. Rinse your hair with this warm infusion after every wash, for two months. This is a natural remedy for frail and fragile hair
Barberry Skin Mask for Aging Skin
Combine well a small apple, finely grated, four spoons of finely crushed barberries, one tablespoon of flour, and one tablespoon of heavy cream. Apply the paste on your face for 15 minutes. During this time, lie down on the bed to relax. For best results, rinse the skin mask off with a warm chamomile or green tea infusion, but you can use warm water instead. Apply the barberry skin mask once a week for four months to see any results. In addition to its skin rejuvenation properties, this mask is also amazing for acne-prone skin.
Barberry Side Effects
Barberries can only be eaten or used to make juice or natural remedies when ripe. Unripe barberries contain certain alkaloids that, in large doses, can be even poisonous! Barberries are not recommended for children under 12 years of age, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.
Read Also: How to Make Barberry Root Tincture
The therapeutic properties of barberries have been known for thousands of years. In ancient Greece, for example, these berries were used to purify the blood, while in Tibetan monasteries it was believed that barberry extract prolongs youth. If you’ve enjoyed learning how to use barberries at home to make juice, teas, decoctions, and more, please share this article. Stay healthy, naturally!
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