Verdict
Not enough evidence
Berberine is safe to take.
1 source: 1 partly
By Arun AgrahriLast reviewed
Short answer
It depends on why you take it. Berberine is used in the clinic to bring LDL down, and as an AMPK activator, but human longevity data is thin. The biggest risk: it lowers blood sugar hard enough to cause hypoglycemia.
Berberine is worth taking.
The verdict on Berberine overall. 2 sources: 2 partly
positive partly neutral negative Each researcher and each study counts once per claim, however often they come up.
Berberine is safe to take.
1 source: 1 partly. Fewer than 3 sources so far.
Researchers say
1 partly
Andrew Huberman, on Huberman Lab, at 1:46:28
Partly Video · Opinion
Open the tape at 1:46:28 →“I would say, be very cautious about ingesting Berberine on an empty stomach,”
Studies show
No study counted yet.
Andrew Huberman, on Huberman Lab, at 1:46:28 Video · partly · Opinion
“I would say, be very cautious about ingesting Berberine on an empty stomach,”
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Whether berberine is safe depends on why you take it. Peter Attia uses it in the clinic as a weak PCSK9 inhibitor to bring LDL down, and he calls it a weak AMPK activator. When the target is blood sugar, he reaches for metformin instead.
David Sinclair, on his own show, says he took berberine before he had access to metformin and that his lab started work on it. In his account it boosts the body's energy use the way AMPK and metformin do. It is also used as an herbal antimicrobial for a gut in dysbiosis.
Human longevity data is thin, which is why Andrew Huberman leaves it alone himself. He also flags the risk of a blood sugar crash.
Berberine drops blood sugar hard, which can tip into hypoglycemia. It upsets the gut. It blocks CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, two liver enzymes, so it can change how other drugs clear. Do not take it in pregnancy, and know that long-term safety data is thin.
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