Photo by Victoria Strukovskaya on Unsplash
Berberine can reduce inflammation
Berberine is a chemical found in several plants including European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree tumeric. A study back in 2019 showed that it may be useful to fight inflammation [1]. The authors reviewed five studies and found that giving berberine could reduce CRP levels (C-reactive protein, a chemical that increases when there is inflammation). They concluded, “This meta-analysis showed berberine supplementation may ameliorate the state of chronic inflammation. Patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes are two important groups which may benefit from berberine supplementation. Further well-designed investigations with larger samples are needed to ascertain the long-term effects of berberine on chronic inflammation.”
More recent studies
More recent meta-analyses show that berberine supplementation is linked with reductions in key inflammatory biomarkers such as IL-6, TNF-α and CRP, along with improvements in insulin resistance, fasting glucose and liver-metabolic markers in conditions like metabolic syndrome and NAFLD. For example, one umbrella meta-analysis found significant lowering of CRP and insulin across dozens of trials.
