Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium): Traditional Uses & Safety

At a glance

Botanical name: Mahonia aquifolium
Family: Berberidaceae
Part used: Root, Root Bark
Taste: Bitter
Temperature: Cold
Moisture: Dry

No pre-1900 source found for this reading.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Avoid — berberine excreted in milk

While breastfeeding

Contraindicated during breastfeeding — berberine transfers and neonatal risk.

For children

Avoid under 2 (jaundice risk); caution under 12

Cautions

Avoid long-term unsupervised; caution in liver disease (berberine); avoid with jaundice

General contraindications

Avoid — berberine may cause neonatal jaundice

Stewardship

Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is a Pacific Northwest native; root is medicinal. Stewardship: often substituted for Goldenseal — but still a wild plant; prefer cultivated or truly sustainable harvest.

In the traditional record

Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium / Berberis aquifolium) — used by Pacific Northwest indigenous peoples (Salish, Nlaka'pamux, Blackfoot) as a bitter alterative for digestive and skin complaints; introduced to Eclectic clinical practice in the late 19th century as a substitute and ally for Goldenseal.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.