The recommended dosage of berberine is 500 mg three times a day. It should be taken half an hour before meals. It does not cause severe side effects, so taking it on an empty stomach should be ok. But be careful, as it can cause some stomach problems.
The standard dose of berberine is 900-2,000mg a day, divided into three to four doses. Berberine should be taken with a meal, or shortly after, to take advantage of the blood glucose and lipid spike associated with eating. Too much berberine at once can result in stomach upset, cramping, and diarrhea.
For diabetes and blood sugar support, the recommended dose is 500 mg two or three times a day. It's important to spread your dose out throughout the day because berberine has a short half-life in the body and taking it all at once might rob you of the full benefits. Make sure to take berberine prior to or with a meal.
Sodium caprate was able to promote the absorption of berberine significantly at various intestinal segments (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01; Fig. 2). The absorption of berberine increased approximately about 1.5–5.2-fold, when berberine was co-incubated with sodium caprate for 90 min at concentrations of 0.2% (w/v).
Taking berberine along with medications that lower blood pressure might cause blood pressure to go too low. Monitor your blood pressure closely. Berberine might slow blood clotting. Taking berberine along with medications that also slow blood clotting might increase the risk of bruising and bleeding.
Sedative medications (CNS depressants) interacts with BERBERINE. Berberine might cause sleepiness and slowed breathing. Some medications, called sedatives, can also cause sleepiness and slowed breathing. Taking berberine with sedative medications might cause breathing problems and/or too much sleepiness.
Depending on how healthy a patient's liver is, berberine's beneficial effects can persist for as long as 20 hours, meaning that a once-per-day dosing schedule is sufficient for most patients.
The mechanism for berberine extract is very unclear. For decades it has been a well-researched herbal treatment for intestinal infections, like Giardia, but it came with the warning to avoid long-term use due to the potential undesirable and antimicrobial effect in the gut.
The effects of berberine are not immediately felt if you take it for only a few days. Instead, taking it for more extended periods is necessary to see its effects. Some studies suggest that berberine's effects can be seen when taking supplements for at least three months.
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) notes that berberine supplements are available as supplements or capsules. They add that many studies suggest taking 900–1,500 mg per day, but most people take 500 mg three times per day.
Taking berberine supplements regularly appears to lower total cholesterol, “bad” cholesterol, and triglycerides in people with high cholesterol. It works differently from today's standard cholesterol medications, so it may help treat people who are resistant to other cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Berberine has great potential in treatment of insomnia and might have better clinical significance.
“There is not yet enough evidence to suggest that taking berberine daily long term is safe,” says Davis. MedlinePlus, for example, states that it's been safely used when taken for up to six months (in doses up to 1.5 g daily). That's why it's so important to get your doctor's input.
It has been used throughout history in Traditional Chinese Medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal infections in humans, such as bacterial diarrhea, notably due to antibacterial properties. Berberine has been shown to promote epithelial barrier integrity and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects (1, 2).
[12], berberine can promote the excretion of cholesterol from liver to bile and, as a result, blood lipid can be reduced.
Another 2022 study credits a combination berberine-cinnamon therapeutic with offering hepatoprotective effects. It is thought to work by reducing oxidative stress and increasing antioxidant status after exposure to a fungus that appears on some crops and is known to pose health hazards to both animals and humans.
The sub-acute concentrations of berberine lead to altered liver function, gastric troubles, hepato and hematotoxicity, hemorrhagic inflammatory consequences, damage to immune cells and induced apoptosis.
Berberine can induce cell death of harmful intestinal bacteria and increase the number and species of beneficial bacteria (Habtemariam, 2020).
Caffeine is also a planar molecule which may interfere with the effectiveness of anti-cancer intercalating agents such as berberine by directly binding with the drug and preventing it from targeting the DNA of cancer cells.
THE MOST BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE & EFFECTIVE FORM OF BERBERINE: SoActive Berberine is a Berberine phytosome that has been clinically shown to be optimally absorbed and utilized within the body.
Berberine exerts its hepato- and nephroprotective effects via its antioxidant potential by scavenging the free radicals and chelating iron through binding to iron and reducing the concentration of the catalyzing iron in lipid peroxidation.
Findings revealed that treatment of 300 mg of Berberine three times a day for 12 weeks resulted in a significant reduction of 5.2 cm in waist circumference. Berberine has the potential to reduce belly fat after 12 weeks of treatment. Significantly, all participants did not change their lifestyle during the study.
But berberine improves how cells respond to insulin (insulin sensitivity), promoting better movement of glucose into cells (glucose uptake). It also impacts how glucose gets used. Once your cells have their glucose, you feel less hungry, so you eat less.