Barberry

Berberis vulgaris · Berberis aristata · Indian barberry

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Dyslipidemia¹ Type 2 diabetes adjunct² Cardiometabolic risk in type 2 diabetes² Systemic inflammation³ Endothelial function⁴	Pregnancy⁵ Breastfeeding⁵

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris, Berberis aristata) names shrubs whose root, bark, and fruit contain berberine, the main active alkaloid, which acts on glucose and lipid metabolism and on inflammatory signaling^{6, 7}. Typical patients are adults with dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, or type 2 diabetes who seek an adjunct to diet and conventional care².

In one placebo-controlled trial, barberry root extract did not prevent antipsychotic-related metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia. Blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure did not improve versus placebo, and weight gain was greater with the extract⁸. Products listing barberry are mostly liquid extracts and powdered extracts; see Form comparison.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

48 sources, 39 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources