Berberine is a plant alkaloid with many powerful and positive effects on the human body. There are many herbs that contain berberine, with the most common ones being barberry, goldenseal, Chinese coptis, Oregon grape, tree turmeric, and phellodendron. Berberine has received a lot of publicity recently for its beneficial effects on blood sugar and possible association with weight loss. But there are many other medicinal benefits that this alkaloid has to offer.
Treating Infections:
Berberine is a very effective antimicrobial substance. As a naturopathic doctor who primarily treats intestinal disorders, this is the way I most often utilize berberine-containing herbs. Berberine has antimicrobial specificity and sensitivity for the bacteria that cause SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), and it is also helpful in treating candida overgrowth, H pylori, and lower intestinal dysbiosis. While many herbal antimicrobials tend to be somewhat caustic and have the potential to irritate the intestinal tract, berberine is typically well-tolerated. Research also suggests that berberine is effective in treating acute intestinal disorders like food poisoning and traveler’s diarrhea (1).
Lowering Inflammation:
Berberine also contains many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Berberine’s effects on inflammatory pathways seem to play a role in why it is so helpful in treating diabetes, liver disorders, kidney disorders, arthritis, autoimmune disease, cancer, and obesity. While berberine seems to work on multiple inflammatory mediators, some of the main ones appear to be TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8, and COX-2 (2).
Lowering Blood Glucose:
According to recent research, berberine seems to help with diabetes also by increasing insulin production and improving insulin sensitivity (3). While I do see some positive effects of berberine supplementation in my diabetic patients, I do find that we also need to strongly modify diet and use a combination of herbal and nutritional formulas to make maximum impact.
Modulates Gut Microbiome:
Research indicates that berberine not only lowers levels of pathogenic bacteria in the gut, but it also seems to increase beneficial bacteria. A 2019 study found that berberine increased the amount of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria in the gut. These types of bacteria are typically low in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and an increase in numbers correlates with better disease control (4). Another study found that berberine increased levels of Bifidobacteria in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (5).
While this is only a short list berberine’s potential health benefits. While berberine tends to be well-tolerated by most patients and has low side-effect potential, we always recommend consulting with your health care provider before starting a new supplement to treat your medical conditions.
Dr. Katie Nuckolls is a naturopathic physician and owner of Thrive GI: Natural Digestive Medicine in Vancouver, Washington. She currently sees patients that live in Washington and Oregon through in-office and telemedicine visits. For more information, visit our contact page or schedule a free 15-minute consultation online.
- Rabbani GH, Butler T, Knight J, et al. Randomized controlled trial of berberine sulfate therapy for diarrhea due to enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae. J Infect Dis. 1987 May;155(5):979-984.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8400273/#:~:text=PMID%3A%2034443321-3
- Och A, Och M, Nowak R, Podgórska D, Podgórski R. Berberine, a Herbal Metabolite in the Metabolic Syndrome: The Risk Factors, Course, and Consequences of the Disease. Molecules. 2022;27(4):1351.
- Zhang W, Xu JH, Yu T, Chen QK. Effects of berberine and metformin on intestinal inflammation and gut microbiome composition in db/db mice. Biomed Pharmacother. (2019) 118:109131. 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109131 [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
- Cao Y, Pan Q, Cai W, Shen F, Chen GY, Xu LM, et al. Modulation of gut microbiota by berberine improves steatohepatitis in high-fat diet-fed BALB/C mice. Arch Iran Med. (2016) 19:197–203. [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]