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Plants for a Future has quite a bit of information
regarding the edible use of barberries. They have an edibility rating
system, where 1 is the least edible to 5 being the best. Berberis thunbergii
only has a rating of 2. While many other species have a rating of
3, four species, B. aristata, B. asiatica, B. buxifolia, and B.
darwinii were given a rating of 4. You can view a list of 44 species
of barberry, and 13 species of Mahonia, along with links to indivdual
descriptions here, http://www.pfaf.org/database/search_name.php?ALLNAMES=Berberis.
While many are very tart and used only for
preserves, some of the better fruits are said to be good dried like raisins or
eaten fresh. B. buxifolia, a South American species, can also be used green as a
gooseberry substitute. The biggest drawback to barberry fruits seems to be the
high percentage of seeds present.
While there was no information regarding
nutritional or antioxidant value listed on PFAF, a quick google search turned up
a lot of information. Barberry fruit extracts seem to be widely sold and
promoted as a powerful antioxidant.
Hal
zn 6b TN
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