Anti-inflammatory
Antibacterial
Immune enhancing
Lowers cholesterol
Lowers oxidative stress
Helps in losing body fat
Slows down aging
Suppress’ chemical induced carcinogenesis
Like Resveratrol, Berberine is one of the few compounds known to activate AMPK.
(AMPK) adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase AMPK is an enzyme inside your body’s cells. It’s sometimes called a “metabolic master switch” because it plays an important role in regulating metabolism.
Berberine is a golden yellow alkaloid taken from the roots and stems of plants such as Indian Barberry and Oregon Grape. These berberine-containing plants have been used throughout the world dating back over 3,000 years.
Berberine is effective against a wide variety of organisms including a large variety of bacteria, parasites, yeasts, protozoa, and fungi.
Berberine is a natural isoquinoline alkaloid. Numerous studies have revealed that berberine exhibits anticancer activity, however the mechanisms underlying this effect remain elusive.
Berberine also appears to have various positive effects on the heart and the cardiovascular system as a whole. Activated AMPK located in liver cells causes an inhibition of cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis. This change is also linked to a lowering of low-density lipoproteins (“bad” cholesterol) and raising of high-density lipoproteins (“good” cholesterol). Additionally, berberine can lower the levels of LDL by stimulating the synthesis of LDL receptors, which are responsible for removing LDL from the blood. The activation of AMPK induced by berberine also appears to inhibit the synthesis of lipids and lower triglyceride levels, which is useful for individuals who are attempting to lose weight.
In one study, reperfusion (oxidative stress) was induced in rats who had been pre-treated with berberine. The rats treated with berberine displayed significantly less heart damage than those who had not been treated.[13] One study conducted on 24 overweight or obese subjects concluded that berberine was able to reduce blood pressure significantly more than placebo. [14] These effects of berberine—the inhibition of LDL cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis, increase in HDL cholesterol, decrease in lipid production, protection from oxidative stress, and the decrease in blood pressure
Anti-aging & Anti-cancer
Besides telomerase inhibition, berberine has also been found to suppress the growth of a wide variety of tumor cells[17][18], including breast cancer,[19] leukemia[20], melanoma,[21] epidermoid carcinoma, hepatoma[22], pancreatic cancer[23], oral carcinoma, tongue carcinoma[24], glioblastoma, neuroblastoma[25], prostate[26][27][28] and gastric carcinoma.
Absorbtion is slow by berberine. due to poor intestinal uptake rate, berberine may cause cramping and diarrhea; for this reason, berberine should probably be taken in small doses throughout the day.