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.
Berberine is generally safe and well-tolerated and does not cause severe kidney or liver injuries when taken for at least three months. However, some patients may experience nausea and vomiting, which can be corrected when you stop taking the supplement.
How long should I take berberine? Continual use of berberine can impact cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in the liver which may affect drug-to-drug interactions. Therefore, it's recommended to use it in a pulsed 8-week cycle with two to four weeks off, then starting again if symptoms have not resolved.
Typical side effects for a healthy individual with no medical conditions may include diarrhea, constipation, gas and upset stomach. Berberine can cross the placenta and may cause harm to the fetus. Kernicterus, a type of brain damage, has developed in newborn infants exposed to it.
In some people, supplementation with berberine has been reported to cause gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, and stomach pain. Due to its ability to reduce blood sugar, berberine may increase the risk for hypoglycemia in high doses.
Despite wide scale use as an herbal supplement, berberine has not been linked to published instances of clinically apparent liver injury.
Constipation. Gas. Upset stomach. Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels (This can happen especially if other blood sugar lowering medications are being taken in addition to berberine, explains Davis.)
The toxicity of pure compound is greater than the toxicity of plant extract or plant extract fractions. 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.
Research suggests that berberine could be a promising treatment for several conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. However, more research is needed to show that it is safe to use as a treatment option. Berberine is a natural remedy that could be as powerful as some prescription drugs.
Berberine can induce cell death of harmful intestinal bacteria and increase the number and species of beneficial bacteria (Habtemariam, 2020).
This study showed that berberine, a natural drug with low oral availability, significantly ameliorated chronic kidney disease by altering the composition of the gut microbiota and inhibiting the production of gut-derived uremic toxins, including p-cresol.
Emerging research suggests that berberine is beneficial for balancing hormones, especially when it comes to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Berberine provides numerous benefits for women living with PCOS, including improved fertility, weight loss, and reduced inflammation.
Berberine has great potential in treatment of insomnia and might have better clinical significance.
Berberine slows signs of aging in heart cells, including decreasing cellular senescence – a critical state where cells can no longer divide and multiply (proliferate). Many beneficial effects of berberine require klotho, an anti-aging protein associated with extending lifespan and mitigating age-related diseases.
Recent evidence suggests that berberine inhibits the production of neuroinflammation, oxidative, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. These effects can further reduce neuron damage and apoptosis.
The standard berberine dosage is 900 to 2,000 mg per day, spread out over three or four doses. “I recommend taking it about 10 to 20 minutes before meals, so that it will have maximum effect,” Dr. Blum says. “For gut treatment, I usually recommend using it for 30 to 60 days.
Bodybuilding. The benefits of this in-demand plant-based ingredient offer results-driven rewards when it comes to exercise and performance. By altering the way the body metabolises fat, it's been shown that Berberine also improves the uptake of glucose into cells which means a boost to energy production.
Recent research has shown that berberine has an effect of protecting heart failure, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, arrhythmias, and platelet aggregation.
Overall, these data indicate that BBR inhibits pancreatic cancer cell viability through a mechanism that likely involves mitochondrial damage leading to decreased citrate metabolism and disruption of fatty acid biosynthesis, which has an important role in the proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells.
[12], berberine can promote the excretion of cholesterol from liver to bile and, as a result, blood lipid can be reduced.
5 Berberine Alleviates Liver Fibrosis by Modifying Lipid Metabolism. Pharmacological and clinical evidence has clearly demonstrated the efficacy of BBR in the treatment of metabolic diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hyperlipidaemia.
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.
In conclusion, berberine combined with methimazole treatment may modulate the expression of metabolic pathways in the gut microbiota of hyperthyroid patients and contribute to the restoration of normal thyroid function in patients with GD.