All about Berberine

Overview

What is Berberine?

Alkaloids are natural compounds produced by plants for defense. Berberine (Berberine hydrochloride) is a natural alkaloid compound obtained from the roots, twigs, leaves, barks, and stems of medicinal plants such as berberis shrubs, oregon grape, goldenseal, tree turmeric, and phellodendron.

Facts

Facts about Berberine

• The medicinal uses of Berberine started around 3000 years ago
• From ancient times, Berberine has been used in the traditional Chinese medicines
• The bark stems and the leaves of the plant were used for diverse purposes
• Traditionally, the plant was used for treating inflammations and infections
• Berberine being a yellow compound is frequently used as a dye
• Berberine is available as berberol (a tablet containing Berberine) and berberrubine (a metabolite of Berberine) ¹Facts| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Properties

Properties of Berberine

Antioxidant

• It suppresses the generation of reactive oxygen species causing cell damage.¹⁰Properties| Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov
• It prevents and delays cell damage

Antimicrobial

• It stops and kills the growth of microorganisms also inhibits the toxins released by microbes ²Properties | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov .

Antibacterial

• It stops and kills the bacterial growth.
• Cell wall and membrane breakdown is a component of the mechanism of action.

Anti-inflammatory

• It reduces swelling, pain and redness of the organs due to any endogenous or exogenous changes. ⁶Properties | Researched based study from Nature.com

Antiprotozoal

• Found to be very effective in treating leishmaniasis, malaria and other diseases caused by protozoans (single-celled parasitic organisms)

Functions

Functions of Berberine

• It stimulates the regulatory enzyme ( adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) for cell energy homeostasis(maintaining stability within the body for survival)
• The enzyme is involved in regulating the body’s protein, lipid and glucose metabolism (the body process to convert food into energy)
• Berberine help turn on and off the genes (a region of deoxyribonucleic acid) inside the cells, which protects one against long-term diseases ³Functions | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov ,⁴Functions | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov , ⁵Functions | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov .

Benefits

Benefits of Berberine

Decreases blood sugar

• Berberine decreases sugar in type 2 diabetes patients .
• It increases the effectiveness of the insulin hormone
• It reduces glucose production in the liver
• It reduces carbohydrate breakdown in the digestive tract
• It helps break down the glucose inside the cell ⁷Benefits | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov .

Reduces weight

• Berberine helps reduce abdominal fat
• It prevents the growth of fat cells in the body
• It decreases the body mass index (body fat based on weight and height) ⁸Benefits | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Lowers cholesterol

• It lowers the level of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) that accumulates and collects in blood vessels and decreases the overall cholesterol level in our body ⁹Benefits | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov
• It increases the level of good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein) that helps remove other cholesterol from the blood.
• It reduces the triglycerides(fat) in the blood .
• It lowers the level of apolipoprotein B ¹⁹Benefits | Researched based study from Dovepress.com .

Improves the cardiac (heart) health

• Berberine decreases irregular heartbeat and the other symptoms of heart diseases .
• It decreases the fatality rate in heart failure patients and improved quality of life . ¹⁴Benefits | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Aids digestion

• Improves digestive health .
• Berberine supports the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine and remove harmful bacteria from the intestine ¹¹Benefits | Researched based study from Sciencedirect.com .

Other benefits

Fatty liver

• It reduces fat deposition in the liver

Depression

• It improves the symptoms of depression like sadness, anxiety .

Fight infections

• It decreases the growth of the body’s harmful microbes like a virus, bacteria etc.¹¹Benefits | Researched based study from Sciencedirect.com

Cancer

• It inhibits the growth of various cancers (tumor)
• It also prevents metastasis (spread of tumor to other parts of the body ) ¹²Benefits | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

• Polycystic ovary syndrome is a disease in which the ovaries produce excess male sex hormone testosterone
• Berberine decreases the level of testosterone hormone .
• It reduces waist fat in PCOS individuals ¹³Benefits | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov .

Side effects

Side effects of Berberine

In Pregnant women

• A pregnant woman should refrain from taking Berberine
• It can cross the placenta and cause fetal harm (Like brain damage) .

In Nursing mothers

• Nursing mothers should not take Berberine
• Berberine might be transferred to the newborn through breast milk, potentially harming the baby.

Infants (0 to 1 year age) with high bilirubin

• Old RBCs (red blood cells) breakdown lead to bilirubin (yellow substance) production in the liver, which the liver naturally removes.
• Berberine slows the liver’s bilirubin removal process
• It can cause brain troubles ¹⁶Side effects | Researched based study from Sciencedirect.com .

Other side effects are

• Digestion Problem ¹⁷Side effects | Researched based study from Wiley.com
• Difficulty in clearing bowels (constipation)
• Diarrhea( watery stool)
• Gassy stomach(bloating)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Enlarged liver
• Stomach ulcers
• Reduced white blood cell count in the blood
• Muscle trembling

With very slight and infrequent side effects that were common among those taking a placebo, berberine has shown to be well tolerated. ¹⁵Side effects | Researched based study from Nlm.nih.gov

Dosage

Dosage of Berberine

• The dose of Berberine is 500mg thrice daily before meals
• The person taking medication for other health conditions, such as diabetes, must consult a physician before consuming Berberine..

Oral intake

• It is safe for adults for oral consumption. A daily consumption of 1.5 gms for six months has yielded safe results.

For application to the skin

• Berberine is quite safe for skin usage among adults of all ages .

Interactions

Interactions of Berberine

Severe interactions

Cyclosporine

• It is an immunosuppressive (reduces immune response) drug to prevent transplant rejection.
• Berberine and cyclosporine took together slows the cyclosporine drug breakage and increases the side effect of the drug .

Moderate interaction

Anticoagulants (blood thinning medicine)

• Anticoagulants and Berberine both lowers the blood clotting process . ¹⁸Interactions | Researched based study from Medlineplus.gov
• Berberine and anticoagulants, when taken together increases bleeding risks .

Antidiabetic medicine

• Antidiabetic and Berberine both the drugs reduce the blood sugar level . ¹⁸Interactions | Researched based study from Medlineplus.gov
• So, taking both Berberine and antidiabetic drugs together causes a severe decrease in the blood sugar level and can lead to lightheadedness and fainting .
• For instance, eating berberine two hours before taking Metformin can significantly lower blood sugar levels.

Antidepressant medicines

• Both antidepressant medicines and Berberine induce sleepiness and slow breathing.
• Consuming both together causes excessive sleeping and breathing problem .

Antihypertensive medicine

• Antihypertensive medicine reduces the blood pressure and Berberine also known to decreases the blood pressure
• So, consuming Berberine with antihypertensive medicine can further lower blood pressure.

Tacrolimus

• The liver helps with tacrolimus removal from the body
• Berberine makes the tacrolimus removal process slower and it increases the side effects of tacrolimus .

Midazolam

• Berberine slows the midazolam removal process and increases the side effects of midazolam. ¹⁸Interactions | Researched based study from Medlineplus.gov

Losartan

• The liver helps in the activation of losartan
• Berberine hampers the losartan activation in the liver and decreases the medicine’s effect .¹⁸Interactions | Researched based study from Medlineplus.gov

Pentobarbital

• Pentobarbital is a medicine to treat sleeplessness Berberine also known to induces sleep
• Taking two together enhances sleepiness in individuals .

Dextromethorphan

• Berberine slows the dextromethorphan removal from the body ,so the drug stays longer in the body and increases the chances of side effects of the drug. ¹⁸Interactions | Researched based study from Medlineplus.gov

Key Takeaways

• Berberine is an alkaloid compound with various health benefits, such as weight loss and reduced sugar and cholesterol levels.
• Berberine supplements are commercially available and can be procured online.
• It is always recommendable to consult a health care professional before consuming Berberine or its supplements.