Berberine

[DarronH]

HI )
Could I ask for a little help about Berberine root and using it to help with type2!

I tried ringing my GP and was just roadblocked by the receptionst. I just want to know if taking this will help with reducing blood suger and lowing cholesterol?
I am also taking a small amount of cinnamon in my first coffee each morning.

Has anyone tried it, any feedback would be great.

Many thanks
Darron

 

[harbottle]

You're better to go for lifestyle changes than supplements, even though there may be a few studies into their effects.
Lifestyle changes can be more effective than most of the approved anti-diabetic medications. But it depends on your circumstances, really.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

But, @DarronH, there is some very recent guidance from the NHS on berberine. See:

The Best Time to Take Berberine for Blood Sugar: A Comprehensive Guide · Customer Self-Service

I haven't read this but I would anticipate that your GP would be unlikely to know anything more and I wouldn't really expect any GP to have this document at their fingertips. While I know that having GP reception staff "roadblocking" is really frustrating, it does seem that universally GP Surgeries are overloaded and thus getting immediate answers to such a specialised question is inevitably going to be difficult.

In your previous post about ketones, which I only speed read, I couldn't glean what your HbA1c was at diagnosis, nor what it now is after the various measures you have already taken with diet changes and other responses you talked about in Jun '24. Also a couple of responders then, hinted at the possibility of your diagnosis being incorrect and perhaps you might actually be T1. Was that ever followed up?

Right now, we have some insight into your diabetes, but not really enough to sensibly offer better thoughts. We are not medically qualified (or those that might be are not offering medical advice specifically to you). But there is a wealth of knowledge here in the forum which could be more useful to you in the wider scheme of BG management - even if we are not particularly helpful about berberine.

 

[Pam123]

My husband has been taking it for over 4 years now, he has also had better blood pressure readings it used to be in the 140 over 80 now he has a steady 120 over 60 he started taking it as part of his Cancer arsenal but also has T2 but no longer needs meds

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Are you taking any other medications @DarronH ?

It might be worth asking the qualified pharmacist at your high st chemists (not just the counter staff). A pharmacist would probably know any potentially worrying reactions between herbal / natural supplements and prescription meds better than a GP?

Because just because something is naturally derived, doesn’t mean it can’t interact negatively with medicines (eg you are supposed to avoid grapefruit with some meds).

It’s a topic which comes up from time to time. I’ve not looked into Berberine recently, but last time I did the published evidence didn’t look very strong, so I wouldn’t expect much effect. I think if it was more promising Pharma would have isolated and concentrated the active ingredient and made a med with it (like they did with aspirin)

 

[JimmyBlue]

@Proud to be erratic that webpage you linked to is not a valid one for the NHS. The page looks like a sneaky inset into the NHSBA website outside of the primary site structure. The page is littered with hidden and visible links to ghnews.org and when clicked take you to a site pushing glycogen capsules to manage blood glucose.

 

[Tdm]

Thats not the nhsbsa website - wrong format

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’ve taken the liberty of removing that link @Proud to be erratic - as it looks as if it may not be quite right and the site may have been hacked?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Ah OK! I’ve worked it out. That bit of the NHSBA website is some sort of support forum which has been mercilessly spammed.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Thank you @JimmyBlue and @Tdm, glad I didn't get bogged down in reading the detail.

I’ve taken the liberty of removing that link @Proud to be erratic - as it looks as if it may not be quite right and the site may have been hacked?

Thanks. I just did a simple Google search, I was curious to know what the NHS had to say on the topic of Berberine. Hence forwarding the link I found. Just goes to show one must never be off guard!

I was in London on Monday, travelling on my Senior's Rail Card and got home without it! I hindsight something weird did occur while inside a crowded Bakerloo tube carriage, but at the time I gave the matter little thought. My guard was down. Just hope there isn't a 3rd event in the offing.