Berberine is found in several plants including European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric.
Berberine is reported to have anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidant properties and immune enhancing properties.
One study evaluated berberine in patients with irritable bowel disease of the diarrhea subtype with promising results.
Another study reported berberine reduced inflammation in patients with heart disease after just 30 days.
Another study described below evaluated berberine for lowering cholesterol in patients after just 3 months and was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Berberine lowers cholesterol by increasing the amount of LDL receptor on the liver cells. When this happens LDL that is floating in the blood can be removed from the blood stream and broken down.
The mechanism of berberine is different from statin drugs which can help avoid the side effects commonly associated with statin drugs.
Here are the study details:
– 91 human patients with high cholesterol were enrolled in the study; 63 were administered berberine while 28 took placebo.
– 500 mg of Berberine was taken two times daily (total daily dose was 1000 mg)
Here are the results of berberine lowering cholesterol:
| Berberine | Placebo | ||
| Cholesterol | Before | 228 (± 27) | 235 (± 23) |
| After | 162 (± 34) | 232 (± 30) | |
| Triglyceride | Before | 204 (± 159 | 195 (± 70) |
| After | 133 (± 80 | 186 (± 80) | |
| HDL-c | Before | 42 (± 12) | 46 (± 16) |
| After | 43 (± 12) | 46 (± 16) | |
| LDL-c | Before | 123 (± 27) | 143 (± 27) |
| After | 93 (± 23) | 143 (± 31) |
Take away message:
Berberine lowered total cholesterol by 29%, LDL cholesterol by 25% and triglycerides by 35% after 3 months in this clinical trial. No change were observed with HDL, often called the ‘good cholesterol’. Another study described here using hesperidin has been shown to increase HDL. Also, an analysis of liver enzymes did not reveal any side effects on liver function. This is important because statins can be toxic to the liver.
In fact, based on the liver enzymes an improvement was actually observed in patients with berberine. If you are looking for a natural alternative to statins you should consider Berberine in addition to diet and exercise.
Reference: Kong et al. Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins. Nature Medicine. 2004; Volume 10 (Issue 12): Pages 1344-51.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Cholesterol, Clinical Trials, Dietary Supplements, Liver, Plant Medicine