Bayberry
Myrica rubra
Chinese bayberry (yangmei), a red fruit grown in China for over 2,000 years. Parts of the tree have been used as folk medicine, but research is limited to the lab and animals.
What is Bayberry?
- Plant family
- Myricaceae, the bayberry family
- Parts used
- The fruit; other parts of the tree are used in folk medicine
- Where it grows
- China and other Asian countries
- Genus
- Myrica
- Species
- rubra
Also called
Chinese Bayberry, Red Bayberry
Traditional names
Yangmei
Traditionally used for
- Fruit
- Folk medicine (traditional)
Traditionally described as
- Antioxidant (in lab studies)
Traditions that use it
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Grown in China for more than 2,000 years; different parts of the tree have been used as folk medicines.
What does the research say?
Traditional use
These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.
Chinese bayberry is a fruit tree from China and other Asian countries that has been grown in China for more than 2,000 years. Its fruit is prized for its colour and flavour, and different parts of the tree have been used as folk medicines.[1]
Plants in the bayberry group have been used as food, as medicine and to make natural dyes.[2]
Laboratory & animal research
Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.
The fruit is rich in a red pigment called cyanidin-3-glucoside, an antioxidant. In lab and animal studies, bayberry extracts showed effects against inflammation, allergy, diabetes, cancer, bacterial infection and diarrhea. These haven't been confirmed in people.[1]
A 2026 review found that only a few studies have measured the nutrients and plant compounds in bayberry fruits and leaves, and that results vary a lot between species and even within one species.[2]
Sources
- [1] Biological activities of extracts from Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc.): a review · DOI: 10.1007/s11130-013-0349-xPeer-reviewed study
- [2] Phytochemical, Nutritional and Physicochemical Characteristics of Fruits and Leaves from the Myrica L. Genus: A Systematic Review · DOI: 10.3390/ijms27188237Review or clinical trial
This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.