Berberine Hydrochloride (BH) Is A Powerful Supplement With Many Benefits
It is well known that the human body needs certain substances to function properly. These substances are called essential nutrients. They cannot be produced by our bodies, but they must come from outside sources like food or supplements.
Essential nutrients have many benefits for us humans. For example, vitamin B12 is necessary for proper functioning of our nervous system. Vitamin D helps maintain healthy bones and teeth. Some essential fatty acids are needed for normal brain development and immune system function. Other essential nutrients include calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium and iodine.
There are some essential vitamins that cannot be synthesized by our bodies either. These vitamins are called non-essential vitamins. Non-essential vitamins do not play any role in maintaining health.
They just provide additional nutrition without having any other functions in the body. In fact, they can be toxic in large amounts. The two most prominent non-essential vitamins are vitamin A and vitamin D.
Of the essential nutrients, one of the most important ones is a class of chemicals called terpenoids. Terpenoids are very powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that prevent cell damage from free radicals.
Without antioxidants, our cells will age faster and have a higher chance of mutation, leading to cancer (among other things).
Of all the antioxidants, the most important are what are known as Cassianic Acids. Cassianic acids prevent oxidative damage to things like our cell membranes and nucleus. Without Cassainic Acids, our cells would age extremely fast and undergo a lot of mutations, causing cancer and other serious diseases.
There is one terpenoid, however, that is head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to providing these benefits. This terpenoid is called berberine.
It was first discovered in Gold Thread, a plant native to the western United States. It can also be found in Oregon Grape, a common plant throughout the US and Canada.
After its discovery, it was found that the supplement could be extracted from many other plants as well. It is now commonly found in goldenseal, barberry, tree turmeric and palo santo. Most supplement manufacturers get their berberine from palo santo, as it is the cheapest and has the same chemical makeup as that of goldenseal.
Cassainic acids are an important part of our diet. They help in preventing all sorts of diseases, including cancer. They also help in preventing cell aging and oxidative stress.
However, Cassainic Acids are from a very large group of chemicals called terpenoids. While most of these don’t have much use to us, some can be harmful, even if they are antioxidants. Others can just be beneficial in smaller dosages.
For example, Alpha-Pinene is a commonly known terpenoid. It is the main ingredient in pine tree oil and accounts for its distinctive smell. It is an antioxidant, and can be helpful in treating asthma, hay fever and other respiratory issues.
However, it can also be harmful if over-consumed. In large amounts, it can cause medication issues due to its anti-coagulant properties.
Another terpenoid is called limonene. It is the main active ingredient in citrus fruits. It is an antioxidant as well as a derivitive of the already mentioned Alpha-Pinene.
However, its effects pale in comparison to that of berberine.
While Cassainic Acids are a very broad group of chemicals with many differing effects, one thing they do have in common is their ability to prevent and treat cancer. They can also slow down the aging process and prevent various diseases.
This property is not very well known, due to the fact that Cassainic Acids are a broad group of chemicals with many differing effects.
Even less known is the property berberine has of specifically targeting and killing cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone.
The chemical works by activating AMP-activated protein kinase, more commonly referred to as just AMPK.
AMPK is an enzyme that plays a huge role in the functioning of cells. It is responsible for regulating metabolism, which is the process of converting energy from food into adenosine triphosphate, better known as ATP.
ATP is the main source of cellular energy, so the more of it you have, the more energy you have. The less you have, the weaker you are.
Now, if you have more AMPK, your cells are able to produce more ATP. This means that you have more energy and are fitter. If you have less AMPK, then the opposite is true.
It also plays a huge role in the regulation of insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar levels in the blood.
When your cells have lots of ATP, they are more sensitive to insulin. This means that they need less of it to do the same job. Your sensitivity towards it decreases, as does the amount of the hormone itself.
However, when AMPK is activated, your cells require more insulin to be able to get the amount of energy that it wants. This is very useful for people with diabetes, as it allows them to have better control over their blood sugar levels.
Now, let’s take a step back and look at what we have. We now know that AMPK can greatly increase the amount of ATP in our cells, giving us lots of energy. We also know that it can increase the insulin sensitivity of our cells, allowing them to get the energy they need with less of the hormone.
This is not all AMPK can do. It also prevents the formation of fat cells, or adipocytes. You may have heard people talk about how exercise can prevent a person from gaining weight.
This is because exercise causes your muscles to grow and demand more energy, so your body obliges by producing more ATP to fuel them.
However, this only works up to a certain point. If you continue to eat an unhealthy amount of food, then your body will simply have far too much energy for it to deal with. This is when it starts converting the excess into fat cells and other such structures.
This is where AMPK comes in again. It prevents the formation of fat cells, so you can eat more without having to worry about putting on weight due to it being stored in your fat cells.
AMPK also prevents you from losing muscle, which is beneficial as muscles consume more energy than fat. The more muscle you have, the more energy your body uses and the more fat it burns.
Because of all this, AMPK is one of the most beneficial things that a person could activate in their body.
Due to all this, berberine and many other plants that contain it are a great preventative measure against diabetes and cancer. It increases your ATP, decreases your sensitivity to insulin, prevents the formation of fat cells and prevents muscles from being converted into fat.
Now, some of you may be thinking that this is all well and good for people that want to prevent diabetes and cancer, but what about people that already have it? Can berberine help them as well?
The answer is yes.
Many studies have shown that berberine can be used to great effect in type 2 diabetics. It helps bring down blood sugar, insulin and many other diabetic markers.
It also reduces the number of fat cells in the abdomen, known as visceral fat, while increasing the size of your muscles. This will greatly improve their health and insulin sensitivity.
This is also beneficial for people that do not have type 2 diabetes but are still obese or have a high BMI, as it will prevent the onset of the disease.
With all this in mind, it is easy to see that berberine is an amazing supplement, and one that you should consider taking to ensure great health.
Getting the berberine that you need to ensure great health is easy enough. You can simply go to your local supplement store and buy the standard dosage of 500mg or you can opt for a higher dosage and take 1-2 grams a day.
While this is an incredibly cheap supplement, some people may not be able to afford it. If this is the case then you can always look for a supplier online and buy in bulk to bring the price per gram down.
If you’re lucky, you may even be able to find it growing in your backyard, though this is rare.
Now that we’ve gone through what berberine is and why you should use it, let’s go through how to use it to get the best results.
What is the best way to take berberine?
There is no concrete evidence as to what the best way to take berberine is. This means that you can, for the most part, do whatever you want, though there are still some precautions you should take.
As we all know, different forms of supplements and medication come in a few common ways of consumption. We have tablets, capsules, liquids, powders and raw herbs.
For berberine, the best way to take it seems to be in a liquid tincture, that way it gets absorbed the fastest into your system.
You can either buy a pre-made berberine tincture or you can make your own. To make your own all you need is 100-200mg of berberine and 20% alcohol, which you can get from any store that sells it or you can just use vodka.
Make sure the berberine dissolves completely and that the final product is kept in a dark glass container.
You can also take it in capsule form, though you will need to ensure that the capsules are vegetarian as berberine can be dissolved using animal based gelatin.
While it may not have been proven what is the best way to take it, one thing that has been proven is that taking it with food decreases its rate of absorption. So make sure you take it on an empty stomach.
So now you know what berberine is, why you should take it and how to take it, let’s discuss what the best way to integrate it into your life is.
How to use berberine for maximum results
Now we’ve briefly touched upon this before, but let’s go through it in a little more detail.
When considering what to stack berberine with, the first thing you should do is look at your diet.
Are you eating enough vegetables and fiber or are you living on a diet heavy in meat and dairy?
If you’re not getting enough vegetables and fiber into your diet, then taking berberine might be a little redundant as it targets the same issues. Instead, focus on upping your vegetable and fiber intake.
Now, if you are getting enough fiber and vegetables then berberine could be exactly what you need to bring your microbiome back into shape.
Due to all of the amazing benefits that berberine has, combined with the cheap price tag, there is no reason not to buy it and start taking it today.
The only ones who should not be taking it are those that are pregnant or nursing as there hasn’t been enough studies conducted to prove whether it is fit for pregnancy and nursing.
If you’re ready to take your health to the next level then start using berberine today and reap all of the amazing benefits that it can provide.
You may be wondering what the best place is to buy berberine supplements and the answer to that question really depends on where you live and how much you’re looking to spend.
If you’re in the US, then your best bet is to buy it on Amazon as you have a wide range of different choices and they are all quite cheap.
However, if you’re not in the US and you’re looking to buy berberine online then I’d advise you to only buy from a reliable source as there have been fake supplements sold before.
My personal favorite, and the one that I take is this berberine 500mg supplement by Biosil. It’s made by a highly reputable company and you can buy it on their website here.
So, if you’re looking to start taking this supplement yourself or you’re looking for a great gift for a health nut in your life, then berberine is definitely the way to go.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
If you have any questions then please leave them in the comments section below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
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