Berberine is one of the most versatile nutritional supplements known to man, recognized for its wide range of health benefits that include treating metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and inflammation, among other conditions. That's not all that separates berberine from the usual crowd of supplements. It is a bioactive compound that can be sourced from the roots, rhizomes, stems, and bark of not just one type of herb, but several, to include barberry, Oregon grape, goldthread, goldenseal, and phellodendron, per stayhealthyways.com.
As Potent as Prescription Medication
On top of everything else, berberine has shown itself as capable as prescription medication in some respects, such as serving as an antimicrobial effective in boosting the ability of prescription antibiotics to treat bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Similarly, per articles.mercola.com, studies have shown that berberine functions as well as the popular prescription drug metformin in regulating blood sugar levels, yet without the life-threatening side effects typical of other diabetic medications.Berberine: A Long History
As a supplement that has proved itself worthy of keeping pace with modern medicine, berberine does a bang-up job of hiding its age, at least if you count the number of years it has been in use in medical treatments. It has been a medical mainstay dating back some 3,000 years to China and India, where, as a natural alkaloid, it was first used in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, respectively. As an alkaloid, berberine belongs to a class of organic compounds originating in plants comprised predominantly of basic nitrogen atoms that produce definitive physiological actions on humans, per articles.mercola.com. And there's plenty of research in existence that backs up berberine's robust effectiveness in working to keep us healthy or make us healthier, whatever the need might be.Berberine's Many Benefits
Best known for its robust attributes in dealing with diabetes and bacterial infections, berberine covers a multitude of benefits in other areas of health as well. Let's go over some of them:- Lung Health. Chalk this attribute up to berberine's anti-inflammatory properties, as evidenced by its capacity to damper the effect of acute lung inflammation caused by cigarette smoke.
- Diabetes. Per drweil.com, research has shown that 500 milligrams of berberine taken two to three times a day for up to three months can help regulate blood sugar in much the same manner that the diabetic drugs metformin or Rosiglitazone can do. Also, per draxe.com, a published study showed that berberine can enhance insulin insensitivity by adjusting adipokine secretion.
- Gastrointestinal Health. Research and studies, per stayhealthyways.com, have shown berberine able to alleviate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms as well as infectious gastritis. It also has been singled out for treating diarrhea caused by food poisoning.
- Antimicrobial Properties. Superbugs, also known as bacteria that have grown resistant to multiple antibiotic drugs, entail a significant problem in modern medical treatments, although berberine added to any such treatments have helped bolster the effectiveness of antibiotics.
- Obesity. It's all about an enzyme found in the body's cells known as AMPK, which is short for adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, per draxe.com. AMPK serves a key role in regulating our metabolism, with berberine one of the few compounds known to activate AMPK, which in turn sets in motion the burning of fat in the mitochondria.
- Heart Health. Berberine's ability to help keep blood sugar levels in check and chip away at obesity can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Additionally, the plant-based compound can promote the body's release of nitric oxide, which is a signaling molecule that acts to relax the arteries, enhance blood flow, lower blood pressure, and guard against arteriosclerosis, per draxe.com. To top it off, berberine can also help lower bad cholesterol levels.
- Alzheimer's Disease. Among the ways in which berberine can allegedly guard against neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, is by bolstering neuroprotective factors/pathways that counteract neurodegeneration, per draxe.com.
- PCOS. This is a hormonal condition, which can become a chronic disorder, that involves the unhealthy enlargement of ovaries accompanied by the formation of small cysts along the outer edges. Berberine has shown itself able to treat the various problems caused by PCOS, to include issues with fertility, cholesterol, and diabetes affiliated with obesity – which otherwise would have to be treated with separate medications for each.