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Berberine

Herboral · inferred

Plant alkaloid with potent effects on glucose and lipid metabolism, comparable to metformin in some studies. Very low oral bioavailability (~0.4%). Best taken in divided doses.

Projected serum levels — 500 mg, once daily

Berberine
Berberine modeled serum levels, 500 mg once daily over 15 days Population-based pharmacokinetic estimate. Steady state reached after approximately 11 days. 0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule ≈ steady state · day 11
Berberine modeled serum levels with a loading dose of 1.5k mg, then 500 mg once daily The first dose is larger so levels approach steady state faster. 0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule

Maintenance schedule: 500 mg once daily (oral).

Loading schedule: 1.5k mg on day 1, then 500 mg once daily — reaching therapeutic levels sooner.

Modeled steady state after ~11 days: peak ≈ 0.17 mg, trough ≈ 0.15 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 500 mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.

Key facts

Category
Herb
Route modeled
Oral
Model confidence
inferred
Half-life
1.2 h
Common dose
500 mg
Suggested maximum
1.5k mg/day
Reference dose range
250–1.5k mg (single dose)
Suggested cadence
once daily
Validated against
400 mg oral — Cmax 0.000 mg/L at 8 h

Documented interactions

  • danger
    4-MMC (Mephedrone) + Berberine CYP inhibition

    Berberine reversible_inhibitor of CYP2D6 predicted to change 4-MMC (Mephedrone) AUC by ~2.27x

  • danger
    6-APB (Benzofury / 6-(2-aminopropyl)benzofuran) + Berberine CYP inhibition

    Berberine reversible_inhibitor of CYP2D6 predicted to change 6-APB (Benzofury / 6-(2-aminopropyl)benzofuran) AUC by ~3.33x

  • danger
    7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) + Berberine CYP inhibition

    Berberine reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) AUC by ~2.20x

  • danger
    Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) + Berberine CYP inhibition

    Berberine reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) AUC by ~3.33x

  • danger
    Alprazolam (Xanax) + Berberine CYP inhibition

    Berberine reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Alprazolam (Xanax) AUC by ~3.33x

  • danger
    Amlodipine (Norvasc) + Berberine CYP inhibition

    Berberine reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Amlodipine (Norvasc) AUC by ~3.33x

Serum checks 368 modeled interaction pairings for berberine across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.

Research behind this entry

  1. Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus Yin J et al. · Metabolism, 2008 DOI

    Landmark RCT found berberine (500 mg 3x/day) lowered HbA1c by 2% and fasting glucose by 35%, with efficacy comparable to metformin in type 2 diabetic patients.

  2. Berberine is a novel cholesterol-lowering drug working through a unique mechanism distinct from statins Kong W et al. · Nature Medicine, 2004 DOI

    Groundbreaking study showing berberine reduces cholesterol by upregulating LDL receptor expression through a post-transcriptional mechanism distinct from statins.

2 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.