This article is from "Nankai Sun Pharmacist", which is used for medical science popularization for reference. Berberine, also known as berberine hydrochloride, is an alkaloid extracted from Chinese medicinal materials such as Phellodendron chinensis, Coptis chinensis or three needles, which has antibacterial effect and has a certain effect on intestinal infections caused by dysentery bacillus and Escherichia coli, and can be used clinically for intestinal infections such as gastroenteritis and dysentery.
In recent years, some studies have found that berberine not only has antibacterial effects, but also lowers blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar, and arrhythmiasToday, Pharmacist Sun will talk about this problem in detail for you:
1.Lowering blood lipids: Clinical studies have shown that oral berberine can reduce total cholesterol (TC), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG), and can increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), other studies have shown that berberine combined with atorvastatin can reduce the cardiovascular risk of hyperlipidemia patients, and can protect the liver, reduce the incidence of atorvastatin liver adverse reactions, berberine's lipid-lowering mechanism is different from statin, it is achieved by stabilizing low-density lipoprotein receptor mRNA, so it seems that berberine's lipid-lowering effect is more certain, patients can take it under the guidance of a doctor, and do not take it by themselves。
2.Lowering blood pressure: Pharmacological studies have confirmed that berberine can inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity, slow down acetylcholine metabolism, and improve acetylcholine effect, thereby promoting vasodilation and lowering blood pressure, however, whether berberine's antihypertensive effect is stable, whether it has a protective effect on target organs, and whether it can prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, these have not been confirmed, and guidelines and textbooks at home and abroad do not recommend berberine ** hypertension, therefore, it is not recommended to use berberine ** hypertension at present.
3.Hypoglycemia: Studies have confirmed that berberine can improve insulin resistance, increase insulin receptor expression, promote glucose transport, has hypoglycemic effect, helps to reduce fasting blood glucose, and the efficacy of reducing postprandial blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin is uncertain, may be effective for type 2 diabetes, almost ineffective for type 1 diabetes, no hypoglycemia and other serious complications, therefore, the effect of berberine ** diabetes is unclear and is not recommended for **diabetes.
4.**Arrhythmia: Berberine can prolong the time course of action potential, has an anti-arrhythmic effect, belongs to the class of anti-arrhythmic drugs, for ventricular premature contractions, congestive heart failure and arrhythmias caused by coronary heart disease have a certain curative effect, however, although berberine can ** anti-arrhythmia, but can also lead to arrhythmia, clinically also cause sinus tachycardia, atrioventricular block and other serious arrhythmia reports, therefore, although berberine is effective for arrhythmia, but the risk is greater, not recommended.
Berberine is an over-the-counter drug, which can be bought in pharmacies, and its drug safety is worthy of our attention
1.Gastrointestinal reactions: berberine can directly stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, common nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal discomfort, loose stools or diarrhea and other gastrointestinal reactions, once appeared, the dose of the drug should be reduced or stopped, in addition, berberine has an antibacterial effect, can destroy the balance of intestinal flora, cause flora disorders, lead to constipation, can be taken under the guidance of a doctor live bacterial preparations, regulate intestinal flora, improve constipation.
2.Liver damage: berberine can cause elevated serum aminotransferases, and the drug can generally return to normal after discontinuation, and once there are symptoms of liver damage such as soy sauce colored urine, loss of appetite, pain and discomfort in the right upper abdomen, fatigue, jaundice, etc., the drug should be stopped and sought medical attention in time.
3.Allergic reactions: common rashes, drug fever, etc., once they appear, stop the drug immediately, and patients with a history of drug allergy should use berberine with caution.
4.Granulocytopenia: Berberine has antibacterial effect, which can cause granulocytopenia, and generally can return to normal on its own when the drug is stopped.
5.Hemolytic anemia: Berberine can cause hemolysis of red blood cells in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, resulting in hemolytic anemia, so berberine should be contraindicated in patients with a history of hemolytic anemia and fava bean disease.
6.Severe arrhythmia: berberine belongs to the class of anti-arrhythmic drugs, can ** arrhythmia, can also cause arrhythmia, clinical ventricular premature contractions, atrioventricular block, atrial fibrillation, and even cardiac arrest reported, once tachycardia, palpitations, chest tightness, shortness of breath and other symptoms appear in the process of medication, should be stopped in time to seek medical attention, patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, especially a history of arrhythmia should be cautious with berberine.