Does it get any better than Berberine?

What is Berberine?

Berberine is an alkaloid found in many species of the plant genus Berberis, as well as shrubs and trees in the poppy and cork families. Berberine has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, where it was used to treat various ailments.

Showing impressive clinical applications for:

  • Hypertension (1)
  • Blood sugar control (2)
  • Cholesterol (3)
  • Diabetes (4)
  • PCOS (5)
  • Obesity (6)
  • Cancer (7)
  • Depression (8)
  • Antioxidant & anti-inflammatory (9)
  • Fatty Liver (10)
  • Infections (11)
  • Heart Faliure (12)

How Does it work?

Berberine activates an enzyme inside the cells called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (13). AMPK is also referred to as the “metabolic master switch” (14). This enzyme is found in the cells of the brain, heart, liver, kidney and muscle. AMPK plays a major role in regulating metabolism.(15)(16)

Low AMPK activity leads to:

  • Accelerated ageing
  • Inflammation
  • Insulin resistance
  • Increased belly fat
  • Dysglycemia
  • Raised cholesterol
  • High triglycerides
  • Obesity
  • Possible diabetes
  • Mitochondrial insufficiency & dysfunction
  • Neurodegeneration

Dosage:

A common dosage recommendation is 500 mg, 3 times per day, half an hour before meals. Berberine may cause digestive side effects in some people. Start on one a day and slowly build up to 3 times per day.

Berberine has a great safety profile. The main side effects are related to digestion, such as cramping, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation and stomach pain. (17)

If you have a medical condition or you are on any medications, then speak to your doctor before taking it. Do not use during pregnancy or lactation

Berberine

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References

(1)Flora Affuso, Valentina Mercurio, Valeria Fazio, and Serafino Fazio. Cardiovascular and metabolic effects of Berberine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2999047/

(2) Pang B1, Zhao LH2, Zhou Q3, Zhao TY1, Wang H1, Gu CJ1, Tong XL1. Application of berberine on treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25861268

(3)Dong H1, Zhao Y, Zhao L, Lu F. The effects of berberine on blood lipids: a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512497

(4)Chang W1, Chen L2, Hatch GM1,3. Berberine as a therapy for type 2 diabetes and its complications: From mechanism of action to clinical studies.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25607236

(5)Wei W1, Zhao H, Wang A, Sui M, Liang K, Deng H, Ma Y, Zhang Y, Zhang H, Guan Y. A clinical study on the short-term effect of berberine in comparison to metformin on the metabolic characteristics of women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22019891

(6)Jing Yang, 1 Jinhua Yin, 1 , 2 Hongfei Gao, 1 Linxin Xu, 1 , 2 Yan Wang, 1 Lu Xu, 2 and Ming Li 2. Berberine Improves Insulin Sensitivity by Inhibiting Fat Store and Adjusting Adipokines Profile in Human Preadipocytes and Metabolic Syndrome Patients.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310165/

 (7) Sun, Yiyia; Xun, Kelib; Wang, Yitaoc; Chen, Xiupingc. A systematic review of the anticancer properties of berberine, a natural product from Chinese herbs.

https://journals.lww.com/anti-cancerdrugs/Abstract/2009/10000/A_systematic_review_of_the_anticancer_properties.1.aspx

(8)Kulkarni SK1, Dhir A. On the mechanism of antidepressant-like action of berberine chloride.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18585703

(9)Lou T1, Zhang Z, Xi Z, Liu K, Li L, Liu B, Huang F. Berberine inhibits inflammatory response and ameliorates insulin resistance in hepatocytes.Lou T1, Zhang Z, Xi Z, Liu K, Li L, Liu B, Huang F.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21110076

(10)Yang Liu,1 Li Zhang,1 Haiyan Song,1 and Guang Ji1,2 Update on Berberine in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/308134/

(11)Cernáková M1, Kostálová D. Antimicrobial activity of berberine–a constituent of Mahonia aquifolium.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12422513

(12)Zeng XH1, Zeng XJ, Li YY. Efficacy and safety of berberine for congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12860219

(13)Yun S. Lee12, Woo S. Kim12, Kang H. Kim12, Myung J. Yoon1, Hye J. Cho1, Yun Shen34, Ji-Ming Ye3, Chul H. Lee5, Won K. Oh5, Chul T. Kim5, Cordula Hohnen-Behrens3, Alison Gosby3, Edward W. Kraegen3, David E. James3 and Jae B. Kim12 Berberine, a Natural Plant Product, Activates AMP-Activated Protein Kinase With Beneficial Metabolic Effects in Diabetic and Insulin-Resistant States

https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/55/8/2256.full

(14) Winder WW1, Hardie DG. AMP-activated protein kinase, a metabolic master switch: possible roles in type 2 diabetes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10409121

(15) Stapleton D1, Mitchelhill KI, Gao G, Widmer J, Michell BJ, Teh T, House CM, Fernandez CS, Cox T, Witters LA, Kemp BE. Mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase subfamily.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8557660

(16) Mhairi C. Towler  and D. Grahame Hardie. AMP-Activated Protein Kinase in Metabolic Control and Insulin Signaling

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.res.0000256090.42690.05

(17)Yin J1, Xing H, Ye J. Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18442638

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