Recent advances on Berberis aristata emphasizing berberine alkaloid including phytochemistry, pharmacology and drug delivery system

Abstract The use of medicinal plants is an age-old tradition and recent progress in modern therapeutics has stimulated the use of natural products worldwide for diverse ailments and diseases. Ethnomedicinal values of plant form the ground of “Herbal Drug Industry” and “Green Medicines”. Berberis aristata (B. aristrata) also known as “Daruharidra”, native to the Himalayan region is an important medicinal plant used since ancient times for treating a variety of diseases such as splenomegaly, malaria, jaundice, rheumatism, conjunctivitis, and others. Scientific evidence suggests that it is its versatile biological functions that support its traditional use in the Orient. An extensive search in electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Sciences and Science Direct) was used to identify the phytochemical studies of Berberine. Berberine is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, which occurs as an active constituent in B. aristata as well as various other medicinal plants that have an array of pharmacological properties. This review aims to highlight the morphology, distribution, phytochemistry, synthesis, chemical reactions, nanoformulation and important pharmacological properties of B. aristata. It also gives insights into developing further bioactive compounds from the plant scaffolds or additional pleiotropic role with special emphasis on metabolites isolated from Berberis used in the treatment of life-threatening disorders including cancers, heart diseases and diabetes mellitus.