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Because Berberis aristata is in the early stages of being researched, there is no current information about its safety in medicinal doses for adults. Anecdotally, the plant and all of its parts are described as safe.
However, there are two groups that should stay away from Berberis aristate,
Infants: Infants and young children should never be given Berberis aristata because it contains berberine, a chemical that can cause brain damage. This damage, called kernicterus, can occur because the berberine blocks the liver the from removing the chemical bilirubin, thus causing jaundice. Kernicterus can occur because of sever cases of jaundice.
Pregnant and nursing mothers: Doctors recommend that pregnant and nursing mothers stay away from Berberis aristata as well, since it could transfer to the fetus or infant. As mentioned above the chemical berberine is dangerous for young children and infants because it can cause cases of severe jaundice and brain damage. Berberine can transfer through the placenta and in breast milk. So, pregnant and nursing mothers should ensure that they do not consume any part of this plant.
Berberis aristata can interact with certain medications as well. You should not take Berberis aristata with Cyclosporine (Neoral or Sandimmune) because this could cause a build-up of the medication in the body, which can cause a wide variety of side effects.
Additionally, people should be careful when taking Berberis aristata with medications that are changed by the liver, such as lovastatin (Mevacor), clarithromycin (Biaxin), indinavir (Crixivan), or sildenafil (Viagra). Berberis aristata interacts with the way the liver breaks down certain materials, and so the combination of these drugs could cause a variety of negative side effects.
As always, consult your doctor before beginning any new drug or treatment plan. *
