6 Unique Benefits of Berberine

You might be hearing about “Berberine” a lot lately. However, it’s nothing new. Functional medicine has known about the benefits of berberine for decades. Eastern medicine speaks of the benefits of berberine for metabolic health and treatment for chronic disease. 

In fact, many believe that berberine is one of the most effective natural compounds in Eastern medicine. The benefits of berberine include promoting healthy blood pressure and supporting blood glucose and cholesterol levels. (1) Read on to learn more about the benefits of berberine. But first, let’s find out exactly what berberine is. 

What Is Berberine?

Berberine is an alkaloid. This means it’s a naturally occurring organic compound. It’s found in plants such as European barberry,  goldenseal, Oregon grape, and Phellodendron. 

This potent herb has a yellow color and is often used as a dye. As I stated before, it’s nothing new. Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine have known of the benefits of berberine for thousands of years. They’ve used it to tackle everything from digestive issues to infections. Conventional medicine has confirmed berberine’s benefits for many health issues. (2)

After you swallow berberine, it’s broken down in your digestive tract. From there, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream, where it hitches a ride on your cells by binding to them.  

One of berberine’s immediate actions is that it “turns on your metabolism” by activating the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) enzyme. The AMPK enzyme regulates your metabolism. (3) That is why Berberine has entered the spotlight. I’ll discuss this in more detail later. 

However, berberine’s benefits do not end with your metabolism. Read on to learn about the six unique benefits of berberine and why you may want to include it in your wellness routine.  

Benefits of Berberine

Now that you know what berberine is, let’s explore the health benefits of berberine. From keeping your blood sugar in check to potentially snuffing out cancer, berberine shows promise in several key areas. Scientists are excited about berberine’s potential. I think you’ll agree that this versatile herb could make a great addition to your wellness routine. 

1. Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

Do you struggle with rollercoaster-like blood sugar levels? Berberine might be just the thing you need! This yellow herb has a knack for helping your body control blood sugar levels. 

Here’s how it works: berberine teaches your cells to respond better to insulin — the hormone that manages blood sugar. When your cells are more sensitive to insulin, it’s easier to keep blood sugar levels steady. 

Another impressive way berberine works is by giving your metabolism a gentle boost. It does this through AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) activation. AMPK is like the body’s energy control switch. This allows your body to use sugar for energy instead of letting it build up in the blood. 

This offers a huge benefit for those with type-2 diabetes and prediabetes. (4) Along with diet and exercise, berberine can be an ally to people with these conditions. Studies have shown that people taking berberine often see improvements in their blood sugar control. In fact, its effects can be compared to certain diabetes medications for lowering blood glucose levels. 

2. Promotes Heart Health

Berberine doesn’t only help with blood sugar. It can be your ticker’s best friend! This compound does not disappoint when it comes to heart health. 

To begin, berberine can have positive effects on your cholesterol. It has been shown to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. (5) These two troublemakers can clog up your arteries. Not good!

Berberine may also help your blood vessels to relax and function better. This means it can keep your blood pressure under control. This is good news for your cardiovascular system. Plus, berberine has a positive impact on endothelial function. The endothelium is the thin layer lining our blood vessels. You want to keep it healthy for smooth blood flow and overall cardiovascular health. 

By improving these three factors — LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure — you may have reduced your risk of heart disease and stroke. These three factors can wreak havoc on your cardiovascular system. Studies have linked berberine to cardiovascular health improvements. (6)

3. Assists in Weight Management

If you’re looking to drop a few pounds, berberine just may be your handy assistant! In fact, this is one of the main reasons berberine has been so publicized lately. It’s even been called “nature’s Ozempic.”

Berberine influences how your body regulates fat. In other words, it doesn’t just help with weight loss. It also targets fat in a way that supports a healthier body composition overall. One study showed that berberine supplementation significantly reduced the waist circumference and BMI (body mass index) of study participants. (7) 

You may wonder how this little herb does all this. It has everything to do with AMPK activation. I mentioned earlier that this was the “energy controller” for blood sugar. Well, it also boosts your metabolism by telling your body to use stored fat for energy. In addition, it may stimulate thermogenesis — your body’s way of burning calories to produce heat. And, of course, these things can all lead to weight loss.  

The best part is that berberine’s effects on weight can be even stronger when paired with regular exercise and a balanced diet. Synergy for the weight loss win! It doesn’t replace healthy lifestyle choices. However, it can give you the little push you need. 

4. Supports Gut Health and Digestion

Berberine can play a role in keeping your gut happy and running like a well-oiled machine. It does this in several ways. 

Berberine can help your gut microbiota stay in balance. It acts like a security guard — letting in the good guys while bouncing out the bad ones. It can do this because of its antimicrobial properties. 

Berberine can positively affect those suffering from SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). Picture your microbiome as a rainforest, with many species living harmoniously. Most of your gut bacteria live in your large intestine and colon. Here, they help break down food, synthesize vitamins, and eliminate waste. 

Medications or a poor diet can cause your rainforest to become unbalanced. When the rainforest becomes unbalanced, the bacteria normally found in the large intestine and colon overgrow and colonize in your small intestine. This leads to SIBO symptoms, including increased hydrogen and methane gas production. 

Here’s where Berberine can help. Berberine — being an alkaloid — has nitrogen. Nitrogen cancels out hydrogen and methane. Say goodbye to painful bloating! Berberine also works to kill harmful bacteria. It does this by disrupting the biofilm created from bacteria overgrowth. 

It not only kills bad bacteria but also promotes beneficial flora in your gut. (8) This one-two punch can keep your digestion running smoothly. It also improves the integrity of your gut lining. This means that you’ll have better absorption of nutrients and a stronger protective barrier against potential irritants. (9) Kind of like your own intestinal defense shield. 

5. Supports Healthy Inflammatory Response 

Think of inflammation like a small fire in your body. When controlled, it can help your body heal and fend off attackers. However, if allowed to get out of control, it can cause serious damage to organs and tissues. Guess what can help manage inflammation? That’s right — berberine!

Inflammation is a key contributor to conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Berberine can reduce chronic inflammation. It turns down your body’s inflammatory alarm system by inhibiting cytokines. These are proteins that signal your immune cells to trigger and increase inflammation. 

In addition to inflammation, oxidative stress also contributes to certain diseases and aging. Thankfully, berberine has an answer to this. Due to its antioxidant effects, it can neutralize free radicals which cause oxidative stress. (10)

This is good news for those suffering from autoimmune diseases and arthritis. These are two conditions that are very much linked to inflammation. Berberine can be another tool in your toolbox for optimal health.  

6. Potential Cancer-fighting Properties

As if the previous five benefits weren’t enough, berberine has yet another amazing potential advantage. This herb could also be used to help fight cancer. I told you this compound was pretty special. Berberine has a few tricks up its sleeve as far as cancer goes:

• It hunts down and kills free radicals. Free radicals can damage DNA, which can lead to cancer. Berberine helps to reduce them.

• Berberine can make cancer cells kill themselves. Seriously! It’s known as “cellular suicide”. This process is called apoptosis — it’s not a bad thing when it comes to cancer cells!

• It may slow down the cancer cell division process. Cancer cells LOVE to multiply, and berberine may slow down that process. 

• Berberine may help to slow down or stop the process of angiogenesis. This means it could stop tumors from growing their own blood supply. This is how tumors grow and spread. (11)

There have been many studies on the benefits of berberine for cancer. It can inhibit breast cancer cells and even increase the anti-cancer effect of tamoxifen in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. (12) It has even shown anti-tumor effects against prostate cancer. (13)

How To Get More Berberine Into Your Diet

You’ve learned plenty about the benefits of berberine from it’s weight management properties to it’s disease preventing abilities. But how can you incorporate it into your diet and your wellness routine?

It can be difficult sometimes to get the recommended amount of any nutrient through food alone. Thankfully, there are supplements available for just about anything. Berberine is one of the key ingredients in my supplement Microb-ClearⓇ. Eighty percent of your immune system is in your gut. And as you learned earlier, berberine can help your gut microbiota stay in balance. Microb-ClearⓇ can help you support an optimal microbiome and gut health. This is a convenient way to get a consistent dose. 

Berberine is found in Barbaries, Oregon Grape, and Goldenseal plants. These aren’t the typical plants you’d have in your kitchen. However, you could consume berberine through teas made of these plants. Brew it up just like you would any other tea. You could add a drop of stevia or a squeeze of lemon to soften the bitter taste. 

It’s best to take berberine with a meal as it is often better tolerated that way. In addition, this could help to soften the spike in blood sugar after eating. 

The Final Word on the Benefits of Berberine

It’s clear that berberine has a multitude of benefits for your body. Conventional medicine is finally catching up to what functional medicine has known for years. The benefits of berberine make this potent alkaloid a valuable tool to support gut and heart health, weight management and even cancer prevention. That’s why I included berberine when formulating Microb-Clear®. I wanted to create a favorable environment for beneficial probiotics in the gut. Berberine can support a healthy gut — which is key to a well-functioning body. Embrace the potential of this wonderful herb!