Berberine is an extract from the herb Berberis, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years to treat infections and other conditions.
Recent studies have shown that berberine has many health benefits in addition to being antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial, including being beneficial in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome as well as being effective against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and schizophrenia.
For these reasons, as well as its low cost, berberine may be one of the most promising nutritional supplements available today.
What Is Berberine?
Berberine is a powerful substance found in a variety of plants and herbs. It’s most commonly derived from barberry, though it can also be found in Oregon grape root, goldenseal root, tree turmeric, and many other plants.
While berberine has long been known for its medicinal properties (especially as an antibiotic), modern research has uncovered several other benefits to taking berberine regularly—including weight loss, blood sugar regulation, and cholesterol reduction.
Health Benefits of Berberine
Berberine has been extensively studied for a variety of health-related purposes, including weight loss and glucose control.
Specifically, berberine has been shown to inhibit intestinal glucose absorption, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels.
It’s also been shown to help with dyslipidemia (imbalanced lipid levels), promoting increased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good cholesterol) while reducing triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or bad cholesterol).
In addition, berberine can act as an antioxidant, helping to combat oxidative stress in cells.
Precautions And Side Effects of Berberine
It’s important to keep in mind that berberine isn’t recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people with gallstones, ulcers, intestinal issues, or high blood pressure. Because of its potential to affect blood sugar levels, it may not be safe for those with diabetes either.
Also, while taking berberine doesn’t seem to cause serious side effects in most people who use it as directed, you should talk to your doctor before using it if you have other health conditions (or take other medications).
It’s probably a good idea not to get behind a wheel after taking berberine. It can cause dizziness and fatigue. You should also avoid alcohol while taking berberine.
Where To Buy the Right Kind of Berberine?
Berberine is a natural product derived from several herbs including goldenseal, Oregon grape root, and barberry.
It’s also available in some dietary supplements for healthy intestinal function. Berberine has many uses but is most commonly used as an antimicrobial agent to treat certain types of diarrheas.
However, research suggests that berberine may have additional health benefits in humans. More research on berberine is needed to better understand its safety and effectiveness in humans.
Do not use berberine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding without first talking to your doctor. Do not use other products that contain berberine without first talking to your doctor.
Berberine is a compound found in many plants, including goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis), Oregon grape root (Berberis aquifolium), and barberry (Berberis vulgaris). It also occurs naturally in some foods like cherries.
Berberine has been used for centuries to treat various ailments. Modern research suggests that berberine may be effective against bacterial diarrhea; however, its safety and effectiveness have not been determined.
It’s not known if berberine is safe or effective for treating any other conditions. Use caution when taking any herbal supplement without first talking to your doctor.
Recommended Dosage for Different Needs
The dosage for berberine may vary depending on what you are using it for. For example, if you are taking it to lose weight, you should aim to take between 500mg and 2,000mg per day in divided doses.
If you are taking it for diabetes or blood sugar regulation, a smaller amount of 500mg-1g may be beneficial. If you have been diagnosed with kidney disease or damaged kidney function, avoid berberine and only seek treatment from your doctor.
Taking large amounts of berberine can result in damage to your kidneys and increase your risk of experiencing serious side effects.
How Does It Compare to Other Supplements?
Berberine has been tested against many other supplements and shows positive results in lowering cholesterol, increasing insulin sensitivity, and more. Berberine seems to work by inhibiting a protein called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
When you eat sugar, your blood sugar levels spike. GLP-1 is released from your intestines after eating sugar, which signals to your brain that you are full. The problem with GLP-1 is that it only lasts for about 30 minutes after eating.
This means that by 60 minutes after consuming food (assuming no snacking), your brain thinks you’re still hungry because it hasn’t received a signal of fullness yet.
Are there any side effects?
In some rare cases, there have been reports of diarrhea or nausea but these side effects usually do not persist. Most people do not report any negative side effects from taking berberine.
For those who are allergic to plants that belong to Berberinateae, there could be some difficulty in consuming berberine.
Allergic reactions may result in nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath among other symptoms. If you suspect an allergic reaction is happening, seek medical attention immediately.
Otherwise taking a small dose of berberine may help maintain normal cholesterol levels by reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels but it will also lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels as well.
Taking less than 3 grams a day of berberine is considered safe and will likely have few side effects if any.
In fact, at doses of up to 9 grams per day for up to 6 months, there were no negative side effects reported.
At higher doses more side effects were observed but many were not harmful or serious. There may be some cases where patients had allergic reactions while taking berberine that resulted in nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath among other symptoms, but these reactions are rare.
If you suspect an allergic reaction is happening, seek medical attention immediately as it can be dangerous if left untreated.