Anyone interested in berberine should read this excellent Examine article about the stuff:
http://examine.com/s...e/#summary_full
It seems to act like a stimulant as the study posted above suggests. But, an odd stimulant. The way I noticed the effect seems unusual. I maybe noticed a very mild stimulant effect during the day, but had no trouble getting to sleep and sleeping most of the night.I'm guessing the half-life is too long to prevent the insomnia by only taking it early in the day. I plan to take it again at a much lower dose and see how it goes.
The half-life is 3 to 4 hours. And yes, I think most people find it a bit stimulating and it's best not to take in the evening for those of us who have the least bit of trouble with sleep. A lot of the herbal "stimulants" are useful in regulating sleep-wake cycles through adaptogenic means, such as regulation of hormones, especially cortisol. It's common for people in modern times, with our evolutionarily maladaptive lifestyles and drug/alcohol use, to have whacked out cortisol levels that are too high at some times, too low at others, and too fast to rise and fall. The adaptogens help level that effect, so rhodiola (which you mentioned as having similar effect) would fall into that category as it is known as one of the quintessential adaptogens.
I've been on 200mg berberine (berbercap) twice a day for almost a month for an infection, and while I was happy to learn of the possible mental health benefits, I haven't noticed a thing.
That's a very low dose, and berberine is ineffective at entering the bloodstream unless taken with a p-glycoprotein inhibitor. P-gp is involved in the transport and inhibition of substances through the gut and into the blood. There are many p-gp inhibitors among herbal medicines, while other substances may be substrates of p-gp that need it to be present as a transporter or may need it to be inhibited in order to be absorbed efficiently, and still other compounds that are p-gp enhancers (releasers?) I list a few good p-gp inhibitors below. Keep in mind, berberine needs p-gp to be inhibited, and in a twist of good fortune it happens that many herbal inhibitors exhibit complementary effects with berberine for other purposes.
Will Block advocates it over Metformin for the glucose impact. -
http://www.life-enha...ate.asp?ID=2439My original reason for taking berberine was to prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes. I created the following formula:
Serving size = 2 capsules, amount per serving:
300 mg berberine (for hypoglycemic effect and more)
200 mg fenugreek 50% extract (hypoglycemic effect and more)
130 mg jiaogulan 4:1 extract (a trivial amount but jiaogulan is higher in ginsenosides than panax ginseng)
150 mg cayenne (p-glycoprotein inhibitor, aids in absorption of many substances, hypoglycemic effect)
120 mg schisandra 9% extract (p-glycoprotein inhibitor, potent adaptogen)
170 mg Green tea extract 50% EGCG (p-gp inhibitor, hypoglycemic effect, many other benefits)
160 mg Alpha-lipoic acid (potent mitochondrial antioxidant, helps offset a potential effect of berberine)
I've been taking this for about a year, and so have my roommate and my sister. It's a very useful blend for the blood sugar effect and for a slight mood lift along with helping generate sustained energy levels for a several hours. Nothing overwhelming but we're all sold on it. Doses are all on the low-safe side, it would probably be fine to take 3 capsules up to 3 times a day.
My biggest concern about berberine is its reputation as a bacteriocidal maniac. It worries me that I could be damaging the balance of my intestinal bacteria by taking berberine every day before breakfast and lunch, that it could be interfering with proper digestion and intestinal health. If anyone has an opinion on this, or a good reference for more discussion, I'd welcome it.
Edited by deeptrance, 08 June 2013 - 08:58 PM.