Berberine
Berberine is a chemical found in some plants like European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric. It is a bitter-tasting and yellow-colored chemical. It might help strengthen the heartbeat, which could benefit people with certain heart conditions. It might also kill bacteria, help regulate how the body uses sugar in the blood, and help reduce swelling.
People most commonly use berberine for diabetes, high levels of cholesterol or other fats in the blood, and high blood pressure. It is also used for burns, canker sores, liver disease, and many other conditions but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these uses.
Chemical structure of berberine – not differences from turmeric
Berberine is a plant alkaloid possessing scientifically determined mechanisms of the prevention of the development of atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, as well as cardiovascular complications and cancer.
One study for diabetics used 0.5g twice a day as the dosage. There are a ton of reliable articles if you google “berberine, NIH”.
Effects of berberine on glucose-lipid metabolism, inflammatory factors and insulin resistance in patients with metabolic syndrome were investigated. At 1 month after treatment, levels of fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose, insulin resistance index and blood lipid indexes in both groups were lower than those at 1 week after treatment (P<0.05). At 1 month after treatment, levels of fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose, insulin resistance index and blood lipid indexes in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group during the same period (P<0.05). Moreover, levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in both groups at 1 month after treatment were lower than those at 1 week after treatment (P<0.05), and they were lower in observation group at 1 month after treatment than those in control group during the same period (P<0.05).
Efficacy and Safety of Berberine Alone for Several Metabolic Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials-2021- Berberine can improve obesity and hyperlipidemia by reducing triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and LDL and increasing HDL; reduce insulin resistance to improve type Ⅱ diabetes; and prevent diabetic encephalopathy.
