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BerberinEvidence & Dosage

Glucose, lipids, AMPK and GI tolerability data

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
1,000
With abstract
49
Meta / Systematic / RCT
135
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1960–2026

Berberin in the context of Longevity

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Top studies on Berberin

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins.

    Nat Med2004Clinical Trial200 influential citations

    We identify berberine (BBR), a compound isolated from a Chinese herb, as a new cholesterol-lowering drug. Oral administration of BBR in 32 hypercholesterolemic patients for 3 months reduced serum cholesterol by 29%, triglycerides by 35%…

  2. Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    Metabolism2008n=84rct160 influential citations

    Berberine has been shown to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo. This pilot study was to determine the efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. In study A, 36 adults…

  3. Meta-analysis of the effect and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipemia and hypertension.

    J Ethnopharmacol2015n=256meta133 influential citations

    ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Berberine, extracted from Coptis Root and Phellodendron Chinese, has been frequently used for the adjuvant treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in China. Safety and…

  4. Treatment of type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia with the natural plant alkaloid berberine.

    J Clin Endocrinol Metab2008n=116rct119 influential citations

    CONTEXT: Berberine, a natural plant alkaloid, is usually used as an antibiotic drug. The potential glucose-lowering effect of berberine was noted when it was used for diarrhea in diabetic patients. In vitro and in vivo studies have then…

  5. Berberine and health outcomes: An umbrella review.

    Phytother Res2023n=11systematic103 influential citations

    Berberine is a plant extract widely used in clinical practice. This review aimed to summarize and to grade the available evidence on the association between berberine consumption and health-related outcomes. The PubMed, Cochrane Library,…

  6. The clinical efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

    J Transl Med2024n=811Meta-Analysis103 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, emerging as a significant health issue on a global scale. Berberine exhibits potential for treating NAFLD, but clinical evidence…

  7. Berberine lowers blood glucose in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients through increasing insulin receptor expression.

    Metabolism2010rct93 influential citations

    Our previous work demonstrated that berberine (BBR) increases insulin receptor (InsR) expression and improves glucose utility both in vitro and in animal models. Here, we study the InsR-up-regulating and glucose-lowering activities of BBR…

  8. Combined berberine and probiotic treatment as an effective regimen for improving postprandial hyperlipidemia in type 2 diabetes patients: a double blinded placebo controlled randomized study.

    Gut Microbes2022n=365rct86 influential citations

    Non-fasting lipidemia (nFL), mainly contributed by postprandial lipidemia (PL), has recently been recognized as an important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk as fasting lipidemia (FL). PL serves as a common feature of dyslipidemia in Type…

  9. Berberine Ursodeoxycholate for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

    JAMA Netw Open2025n=113rct83 influential citations

    IMPORTANCE: Few of the available therapies for type 2 diabetes (T2D) comprehensively address disease burden beyond glycemic control. Examining whether berberine ursodeoxycholate (HTD1801), a first-in-class gut-liver anti-inflammatory…

  10. A systematic review of the anticancer properties of berberine, a natural product from Chinese herbs.

    Anticancer Drugs2009Systematic Review79 influential citations

    Natural products represent a rich reservoir of potential small chemical molecules exhibiting antiproliferation and anticancer properties. An example is berberine, a protoberberine alkaloid widely distributed in medical plants used in…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Berberine (Not stated in excerpt; metformin comparator dose 0.5 g t.i.d.) • Berberine (alone or combined with lifestyle intervention/oral hypoglycemics/oral lipid-lowering drugs/oral hypotensor) (Not reported)
Are there safety considerations for Berberin?
• 20 (34.5%) patients had transient gastrointestinal adverse effects. • No functional liver damage was observed. • No functional kidney damage was observed. • No serious adverse reactions were reported across 27 trials.

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