Hint: it’s not actually a type of grape!
When you hear the word “grape”, you immediately think of delicious wine, fruit salads, grape desserts, or dark grape juice. There are so many delicious things you can do with grapes, but you’ll find that the Oregon grape is actually a berry rather than a grape.
The root of the Oregon grape plant has been used as a medicinal remedy for centuries, and you’ll find that there are many things that make the Oregon grape a useful thing to have around.
Health Benefits of the Oregon Grape
- Treat Candida Infections — The herb has long been used as a treatment for candidiasis, an infection of the candida yeast. It contains an alkaloid called berberine, which has antifungal and antibiotic properties.
- Heal Eye infections — Traditional remedies for eye infections like conjunctivitis and blepharitis have often included Oregon grape, thanks to the berberine that acts as an antibacterial agent to deal with the infection.
- Deal with Diarrhea — Loose stool has often been treated with Oregon grape, as the antibacterial properties of the root can help to deal with the infections causing the diarrhea.
- Soothe Stomach pains — If you are suffering from heartburn, indigestion, and low acidity in your stomach, you may want to use Oregon grape. The root has been known to relieve intestinal spasms and stimulate healthy digestive function.
- Kill parasites — Oregon grape has anti-parasite properties that make it effective at killing off a number of parasites.
READ MORE: Health Benefits of Grapes
- Treat UTIs — Thanks to berberine, the alkaloid that works as an antibacterial agent, you can stop bacteria from sticking to the wall of your urinary bladder and thereby treat urinary tract infections.
- Treat psoriasis — If you’re worried about your skin, you can try Oregon grape to treat your psoriasis. The remedy has proven effective at dealing with the swelling and reddening of your skin caused by the problem.
- Deal with infections — For those suffering from a number of infections–viral, bacterial, and fungal–using the Oregon grape root as a treatment can help to kill off the pathogens that are causing the infection.
- Promote waste excretion — Oregon grape is a natural diuretic, meaning it will help you to urinate more often.
- Cause expectoration — If you are suffering from mucus in your lungs, you may want to try some Oregon grape. It is a known expectorant, and it can help you to clear the mucus.
One very important thing to remember about these benefits listed above is that they are all “traditional” benefits of the Oregon grape. None of them have been tested in clinical studies, but the Oregon grape has been used in herbal and medicinal remedies for many years and proven effective. Using the root for the purposes above MAY help to relieve the problem, but not as effectively as medications.
The good thing about Oregon grape is that it’s available nearly everywhere in the United States. The plant grows abundant in many regions of the country, so it’s easy to get your hands on it.
To benefit from the plant’s medicinal and herbal properties, you should brew it into a tea rather than consuming it in its natural root form. You can also make it into a tincture, which will provide you with the benefits of the root without all the bitter flavor of an Oregon grape root tea. There are also Oregon grape root supplements sold in a number of health stores around the country.
