Pharmacognostic studies on Berberis lyceum Royle, and its importance as a source of raw material for the manufacture of Berberine in Pakistan

Intro: Berberis lycium Royle locally known as rasaunt belongs to the family Berberidaceae. It is an erect, small rigid spiny shrub, about 1-3.5 metres in height with rough and light greyish bark, yellowish orange branched tap roots and violet berries. The plants are distributed throughout the hilly areas of Pakistan, from Baluchistan to Dir, Chitral, Gilgit, Hazara, Murree and Azad Kashmir at an elevation of 900-3,000 metres (4).