Mahonia species (M. jaunsarensis Ahrendt, M. nepalensis DC, M. aquifolium Nutt, M. acanthifolia Don, M. borealis Takeda, M. oiwakensis Hayata and M. leschenaultii Takeda)

The genus Mahonia (family: Berberidaceae) is medicinally and economically an important plant species. This genus is widely used to prepare dyes and traditional-modern medicine system for curing various diseases such as diarrhea, blood dysentery, jaundice and skin disorders (i.e., eczema, psoriasis), etc. The species is good source of alkaloid contents (viz. berberine, palmatine and jatrorrhizine), and showed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, hypolipidemic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiarrheal, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, different plant portions (i.e. stem, leaves, fruits) of the species are natural sources of antioxidants and different health promoting compounds. This review is focused to highlight the importance of the species of Mahonia genus, their utilization pattern, biochemical importance and highlighted the research gap area for future research work.