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Berberine

Berberine supplement: blood sugar, cholesterol, intestinal health...

Name: Berberine
Brand: supersmart
SKU: 0633
Price: 36.00 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.7 (331 reviews)

331 reviewsRead reviews

Berberine HCL: natural extract of Berberis vulgaris for cardiovascular health

Can exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic, hypotensive and hypolipidemic effects.
Has remarkable effects for cardiovascular health.
Standardised to 97% berberine HCL, the highest percentage on the market.

Berberine

Vegan

Gluten-free

Nanoparticle-free

No controversial excipients

Lactose-free

No sweeteners

Complete your selection

Berberine 500mg is a superior quality supplement obtained from common barberry. It contains an exceptionally high level of berberine, a phytonutrient known for its remarkable effects on cardiovascular health and one which has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine.

What is berberine?

Berberine is a substance produced by certain plants such as common barberry (Berberis vulgaris). It is an alkaloid – a “natural, organic compound with a complex molecular structure (heterocyclic), which has marked physiological properties, even at low doses” according to the hypothesis put forward by Winterstein and Trier. It’s a fascinating group of natural products with significant therapeutic potential.

In vitro, this alkaloid can exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic, hypotensive and hypolipidemic effects (1 – 2), its most important property being that of acting as a calcium channel blocker.

Which plants contain berberine? Apart from common barberry, berberine is also found in Mexican prickly poppy, goldenseal, Oregon grape, yellowroot and Berberis aristata, a shrub that grows in the Indian Himalayas.

What are berberine’s mechanisms of action?

Berberine has been widely studied for its properties and physiological effects. The plant from which it is extracted has been traditionally used for thousands of years: reference to the use of Berberis vulgaris for ‘purifying the blood’ has been found on clay tablets in the personal library of the Assyrian Emperor Ashurbanipal, dating back to 650 BC. It was also used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat infections, aid wound-healing and ‘open the mind’.

With an estimated intestinal absorption of between 0.4 and 1%, there are questions surrounding its bioavailability when taken orally, which is considered to be low (7). However, in vivo studies show that distribution of orally-ingested berberine in tissues is much greater than its concentration in blood. It is rapidly transported to the kidneys, muscles, heart, pancreas, liver and fat, where it is metabolised and converted into berberrubine, thalifendine and jatrorrhizine, its main active metabolites (8).

Scientists are currently investigating its mechanisms of action: hundreds of studies evaluating its benefits for cardiovascular health are published each year.

Pharmacokinetic interactions have already been observed when it is co-administered with cyclosporin A (used for treating auto-immune diseases) and metformin (used for reducing insulin-resistance in type 2 diabetes) (9).

Mokhber-Dezfuli N, Saeidnia S, Gohari AR, Kurepaz-Mahmoodabadi M. Phytochemistry and pharmacology of berberis species. Pharmacogn Rev. 2014;8:8.
Bhardwaj D, Kaushik N. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies in genus Berberis. Phytochem Rev. 2012;11:523–542
Mazandarani M, Ghasemi N, Bayat H. The second review and comparison of active ingredients in plant organs of Berberis vulgaris L. J Plant Sci Res. 2013;8:59–17.
Madiseh MR, Heidarian E, Rafieian-kopaei M. Biochemical components of Berberis lycium fruit and its effects on lipid profile in diabetic rats. J HerbMed Pharmacol. 2014;3:1.
Kermanshahi H, Riasi A. Effect of dietary dried Berberis vulgaris fruit and enzyme on some blood parameters of laying hens fed wheat-soybean based diets. Int J Poult Sci. 2006;5:89–93.
Liu YT, Hao HP, Xie HG, et al. 2010. Extensive intestinal first-pass elimination and predominant hepatic distribution of berberine explain its low plasma levels in rats. Drug Metab Dispos 38: 1779–1784.
Chen W, Miao YQ, Fan DJ, et al. 2011. Bioavailability study of berberine and the enhancing effects of TPGS on intestinal absorption in rats. AAPS PharmSciTech 12: 705–711
Tan XS, Ma JY, Feng R, et al. 2013. Tissue distribution of berberine and its metabolites after oral administration in rats. PLoS One 8: e77969.
Imenshahidi M, Hosseinzadeh H. Berberis Vulgaris and berberine:an update review. Phytother Res. 2016;30:1745–1764.
EFSA opinion reference 2010;8(10):1734
EFSA opinion reference 2010;8(10):1747
EFSA opinion reference 2011;9(6):2207
Feng R, Shou JW, Zhao ZX, He CY, Ma C, Huang M, et al. Transforming berberine into its intestine-absorbable form by the gut microbiota. Sci Rep. 2015;5:12155.
Chang, W., Zhang, M., Li, J., Meng, Z., Wei, S., Du, H., et al. 2013. Berberine improves insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes via activation of 5=-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase. Metabolism, 62(8): 1159–1167. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2013.02.007. PMID:23537779
Yun S. Lee, Woo S. Kim,Kang H. Kim, Myung J. Yoon, Hye J. Cho, Yun Shen, Ji-Ming Ye, Chul H. Lee, Won K. Oh, Chul T. Kim, Cordula Hohnen-Behrens, Alison Gosby, Edward W. Kraegen, David E. James, and Jae B. Kim, Berberine, a natural plant product, activates AMP-activated protein kinase with beneficial metabolic effects in diabetic and insulin resistant states, Diabetes, 2006.
Hu, Y., and Davies, G.E. 2010. Berberine inhibits adipogenesis in high-fat dietinduced obesity mice. Fitoterapia, 81(5): 358–366. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2009.10. 010. PMID:19861153.
Zhang, M., Lv, X., Li, J., Meng, Z., Wang, Q., Chang, W., et al. 2012. Sodium caprate augments the hypoglycemic effect of berberine via AMPK in inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 363(1–2): 122–130. doi:10.1016/j. mce.2012.08.006. PMID:22922125.
Ko, B.S., Choi, S.B., Park, S.K., Jang, J.S., Kim, Y.E., and Park, S. 2005. Insulin sensitizing and insulinotropic action of berberine from Cortidis rhizoma. Biol. Pharm. Bull. 28(8): 1431–1437. doi:10.1248/bpb.28.1431. PMID:16079488.
Chang, W., Chen, L., & Hatch, G. M. (2015). Berberine as a therapy for type 2 diabetes and its complications: From mechanism of action to clinical studies. Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 93(5), 479–486. doi:10.1139/bcb-2014-0107.

What is in Berberine

Berberine

Alkaloid

Berberis vulgaris extract

Plant

Any questions?

From where is berberine sourced? How is it produced?

Plants from the Berberis genus grow in all the world’s semi-tropical regions. That’s why berberine is such an integral part of the major systems of traditional medicine, such as Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.

Our berberine supplement is obtained from Berberis vulgaris (common barberry) which grows predominantly in Iran, the world’s largest producer with 11,000 hectares of cultivation. Various parts of the plant are suitable for therapeutic use, namely the bark, the root and the stem, though it’s the dried barberries which are most commonly-used (3 – 4). It has been judged completely safe for human use by the American FDA (5).

Barberry contains other alkaloids such as oxyacanthine, berbamine, bervulcine and columbamine, but it’s berberine which attracts most interest among the scientific community. That’s why we’ve chosen to enrich our natural extract with berberine (guaranteed to contain 97% active principles).

Why is Supersmart’s berberine HCL more expensive than other supplements?

The Berberis vulgaris extract offered by Supersmart is standardised to 97% berberine, the highest percentage available to buy on the market. It contains nothing else apart from natural acacia fibre and rice flour, completely safe, natural-source excipients. It represents a considerable technical achievement as producing berberine in a capsule is not easy.

What can I take alongside berberine HCL?

There are several supplements available to buy at Supersmart which may be of interest for helping to prevent high blood sugar and improve cardiovascular health.

For example, the compounds in the formulation Carbo Defense™ can help control carbohydrate metabolism, primarily by reducing the absorption of sugars in the small intestine.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), sold in supplement form as Super DHA, helps maintain normal triglyceride levels (10).
PectaSol® (a natural concentrate of lemon pectins) helps reduce post-prandial increases in blood sugar (when taken with meals at a dose of at least 10g) (11).
Beta 1.3/1.6 Glucan, a natural substance obtained from yeast cell walls, helps maintain optimal cholesterol levels (12).

And if you like taking phytonutrients, you also have a number of options:

Apple Polyphenols, a concentrate of apple polyphenols.
A broccoli extract standardized in sulforaphane glucosinolate.
Olive Leaf Extract, a ‘Mediterranean’ formulation with a triple action against cholesterol and triglycerides.
Double Pomegranate, a pomegranate-based supplement with high antioxidant potency.

What dose of berberine should I take?

The therapeutic dose used in the majority of clinical studies is between 200mg and 500mg, two to three times a day. Supersmart’s berberine comes in 500mg vegetarian capsules, to be taken just before meals, at these same intervals.

If you find swallowing capsules hard, there’s nothing to prevent you from breaking open the capsules and diluting the contents in a glass of water, fruit juice or yoghurt. Berberine is actually converted by oral flora into dihydroberberine, which may be absorbed better in the gut (13).

Updated: April 2018

Note: this product should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. It’s important to follow the guidelines on how to take it and the recommended dose, and to use it by the ‘best before’ date. It is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or for children under 15. Keep out of children’s reach. Store in a cool, dry place.

What are the capsules in this product made of?

This product’s capsules are made of pullulan, a natural polysaccharide obtained by fermenting tapioca or corn. Pullulan contains no animal ingredients and provides an excellent barrier to oxygen, helping to preserve the integrity of the capsule’s ingredients. It is also an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic materials.

Reviews

4,7

This product is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
There are 331 reviews

79%

16%

Excellent 331 Reviews

Harold Goodman

september 23 2023

You be so good supersmart. You got the vits that we need. :)

Jacobs Ingrid

april 3 2023

a ma connaisance le meilleur regulateur du taux de glycemie disponible

Gerard Laurence

march 25 2023

I use Berberine since approximately 10 years now to control the level of sugar in my blood and it works allright...

Jean-marc

march 11 2023

avis médical favorable

Valarcher Andre

january 17 2023

no comment !

Daily dose : 2 capsules Number of doses per box : 30	Amount per dose
Berberine (from 1040 mg Berberis vulgaris extract standardised to 97 % berberine)	1 000 mg
Other ingredients : acacia gum, calcium carbonate, fatty acids, tricalcium phosphate.

Berberine

Berberine supplement: blood sugar, cholesterol, intestinal health...

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What is berberine?

What are berberine’s mechanisms of action?

What is in Berberine

Any questions?

Reviews

4,7