Berberine
Berberine is found in plants such as european barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric.
Berberine is most commonly taken by mouth in order to avoid/sooth diabetes, lower cholesterol, and normalize blood pressure.
Also can be used as a topical treatment. Just apply berberine directly to the skin to treat skin burns and cancer sores.
How does it work?
Berberine might increase heartbeat, therefore help people with certain heart conditions.
Berberine might also help regulate body blood usage, which might help people with diabetes.
Berberine might also be able to kill bacteria and reduce swelling.
Berberine Uses & Effectiveness?
Possibly Effective for:
Canker sores. A berberine topical gel can reduce pain, redness, oozing, and the size of ulcers in people with canker sores.
Diabetes. Berberine seems to slightly lower blood sugar levels. Moreover, some early research suggests that the intake of 500 mg of berberine 2-3 times daily for up to 3 months might control blood sugar as effectively as metformin or rosiglitazone.
High cholesterol. Lowers cholesterol levels. Intake: 500 mg of berberine twice daily for 3 months to reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in people with high cholesterol.
High blood pressure. The intake of 0.9 grams of berberine per day along with the blood pressure-lowering drug amlodipine reduces systolic blood pressure (the top number) and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) better than taking amlodipine alone in people with high blood pressure.
Ovary disorder / polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). As per earlier research, berberine can lower blood sugar, normalize cholesterol and triglyceride levels, reduce testosterone levels, and lower waist-to-hip ratio in women with PCOS. For women with PCOS, the drug metformin is prescribed to prevent diabetes development. Some research shows that berberine can lower blood sugar levels similar to metformin, but berberine seems to improve cholesterol levels even more effectively.