[Sca-cooks] Barberries

[Terry Decker]

Berberis vulgaris, the common barberry.  The lower bark was used in making
medicine.

Now, watch out, the term barberry is used to encompass a wide range of
plants in the genera Berberis and Mahonia.  To make matters more fun, modern
barberry extract actually comes from the Mahonia, whose rhizomes have a
higher concentration of the active ingredient than plants in the Berberis.

Bear

>Does anyone know what barberries were in period?  Are they the berries from
>the barberry bush that we see in everyone's front lawn?  Or are they
something
>different?
>
>Grace