Berberine
Studied for: Insulin Resistance · Cardiovascular mortality · Hypercholesterolemia · Inflammation · Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Insulin Resistance
What the research found
Demonstrated efficacy in type 2 diabetes and PCOS. Clinical studies show it lowers fasting blood glucose, post-meal blood sugar spikes, fasting insulin, and HbA1c levels. In some research trials, its glucose-lowering effects have been compared to the prescription drug metformin. Activates AMPK: It turns on an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which acts as the body's main metabolic switch to help cells take in glucose.
Dose used in studies
500-1500mg
Side effects reported
mild gastrointestinal effects, can affect the metabolism of conventional pharmaceuticals by inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 hepatic enzymes
References
Bellavite2023, Dubey2024, Zhang2025
Cardiovascular mortality
What the research found
Alone significantly reduced National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and intima-media thickness (IMT) levels than routine therapy. Anti-arrhythmic activity reduces the frequency and complexity of ventricular premature complexes in ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy
Dose used in studies
500-1500mg
Side effects reported
mild gastrointestinal effects, can affect the metabolism of conventional pharmaceuticals by inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 hepatic enzymes
References
Zeng2003, Cai2021, Zamani2022, Feng2019
Hypercholesterolemia
What the research found
Doses of 1000 to 1500 mg/day lower LDL-C by 10% to 25%. Berberine exerts a dual mechanism by prolonging the half-life of hepatic LDL receptors (via extracellular signal-regulated kinase-dependent stabilization of LDLR mRNA) and decreasing PCSK9 expression.
Dose used in studies
500-1500mg
Side effects reported
mild gastrointestinal effects, can affect the metabolism of conventional pharmaceuticals by inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 hepatic enzymes
References
Ge2024, D'Addato2017
Inflammation
What the research found
Berberine reduces inflammation by suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting key signaling pathways like NF-κB and MAPK, and modulating immune cell activity. Clinical studies show berberine significantly decreases circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Dose used in studies
500-1500mg
Side effects reported
mild gastrointestinal effects, can affect the metabolism of conventional pharmaceuticals by inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 hepatic enzymes
References
Lu2022
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
What the research found
Berberine helps improve symptoms of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) by reducing stool frequency, decreasing abdominal pain, and modulating gut inflammation
Dose used in studies
500-1500mg
Side effects reported
mild gastrointestinal effects, can affect the metabolism of conventional pharmaceuticals by inhibitory effect on CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 hepatic enzymes
References
Yu2019
Not medical advice
Trials are run on specific people, for specific reasons, over a set period. Your medications, conditions and bloodwork can change what is safe for you. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before starting.