Dihydroberberine

What Is Dihydroberberine?

Berberine is the bright yellow alkaloid that colors barberry root. Dihydroberberine is the same molecule carrying two more hydrogens, which turns its permanently charged nitrogen into a neutral one. This one is GlucoVantage®, made from the root of Berberis aristata, the Indian barberry.

How It Works in the Body

Charge is the whole difference. Berberine carries a fixed positive charge, and charge is what a fatty cell membrane resists. Take on those two hydrogens and the charge is gone. An uncharged molecule moves through a membrane more easily than a charged one.

Bacteria in the gut carry out the same change on swallowed berberine. Dihydroberberine is unstable to air and in tissue: it gives the hydrogens back and becomes berberine again.

What It Supports

• Glucose metabolism: Berberine supports glucose metabolism already in the normal range.
• The reduced form: Dihydroberberine is berberine plus two hydrogens, the same form gut bacteria make from berberine.
• A traditional bark: The root and stem bark of Berberis aristata, daruharidra in Sanskrit, has a long record in Ayurvedic practice.
• One named compound: There is a single active, 200 mg per serving, with nothing else added.
• A plant color: Berberine-bearing wood is yellow enough that it was once used to dye wool and leather.

Who It May Suit

People who want the reduced form specifically, as one named compound rather than a botanical blend. A serving is one capsule, hypromellose with rice flour, so vegetarian and vegan eating are both covered.

Good To Know

This one asks for more caution than most botanicals. Talk with your healthcare provider before use if you take any prescription medicine: berberine blocks CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, the liver enzyme and the gut transporter that clear a large share of what is prescribed, so other drug levels in your blood can climb. Do not use it if you are pregnant or nursing, since berberine reaches the infant and can displace bilirubin.