Barberry Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is a spiny deciduous shrub of the barberry family, Berberidaceae, native to central and southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, and once planted so widely in New England hedges that it naturalized across the northeastern United States. It grows 1 to 3 meters with arching grey stems armed with three-pronged spines, small oval leaves with fine spiny teeth, and drooping clusters of yellow flowers in late spring. The oblong scarlet berries are sharply sour and are dried as zereshk for Persian rice dishes. The roots and inner bark are bright yellow throughout, colored by the alkaloid berberine. We extract the dried root bark.