If you take prescription medication and you're looking at a supplement with berberine, check with your doctor first. Berberine changes how the body handles a number of drugs, and it can add to the effect of glucose-lowering medicines. Bring the tin to your next appointment and ask.
The berberine and cyclosporine trial
Berberine inhibits several drug-metabolising enzymes. In a randomized controlled trial in kidney transplant recipients, it raised blood levels of the drug cyclosporine by about 29% (Wu et al., Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 2005, PMID 16133554). That's one drug in one group of patients, so it can't tell you how berberine behaves with every medication. It does show that berberine can shift a drug's level in the blood.
Berberine is also poorly absorbed. Oral berberine had under 1% bioavailability in animal pharmacokinetic work (Khoshandam et al., Phytother Res, 2022, PMID 36221815). Even so, it raised cyclosporine levels in the transplant trial. For what berberine has been studied for, see berberine and CRP: what the inflammation research shows.
Berberine and blood sugar medication
If you manage blood sugar with medication, raise this one first. Berberine can add to the effect of glucose-lowering medicines, so the person who prescribes yours should review the combination before you start. Don't take berberine during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Black pepper extract and absorption
Daily Detox® also has 5 mg of BioPerine black pepper extract. Piperine increases absorption of other things swallowed with it, including medication, in a study of the drugs propranolol and theophylline in healthy volunteers (Bano et al., Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 1991, PMID 1815977). The formula pairs it with curcumin, a pairing that comes from a study using 20 mg of piperine with 2,000 mg of curcumin (Shoba et al., Planta Med, 1998, PMID 9619120). No human study exists for the Daily Detox® ratio.
Other ingredients to mention
Curcumin, quercetin and bromelain, all in Daily Detox®, each carry bleeding-risk signals. Berberine is not on that list. If you take a blood thinner, mention those three by name.
Turmeric products have also been linked to liver injury in a small number of reported cases (Halegoua-DeMarzio et al., Am J Med, 2023, PMID 36252717). If you have a liver condition, that belongs in the conversation too.
What to bring to your appointment
- A list of every prescription you take, especially glucose-lowering medicine, cyclosporine or a blood thinner.
- The tin. Daily Detox® prints every dose with no proprietary blend, including 400 mg of berberine HCl, so your doctor can see exactly what's in it.
- Whether you're pregnant, nursing, under 18, or living with a known medical condition. The label asks all of those groups to talk to a physician first.
Human berberine trials generally used 900 to 1,500 mg a day, so 400 mg is below that range. The research here doesn't tell you how 400 mg would affect any particular drug. That's for your doctor to weigh. If you take urate-lowering medication for gout, keep taking it.
Frequently asked questions
What did the berberine and cyclosporine study find?
In kidney transplant recipients, berberine raised blood levels of cyclosporine by about 29% (Wu et al., Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 2005, PMID 16133554).
Can I take berberine with blood sugar medication?
Ask your prescriber first. Berberine can add to the effect of glucose-lowering medicines.
Does black pepper extract interact with drugs?
It increases absorption of other things taken with it, including medication (Bano et al., Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 1991, PMID 1815977).
How much berberine is in Daily Detox®?
400 mg of berberine HCl, a plant alkaloid long used in traditional herbal preparations. The dose is printed on the tin.
Should I stop my gout medication if I start a supplement?
No. If you take urate-lowering medication for gout, keep taking it, and don't change any prescription without your doctor.
See the full label
Daily Detox® prints every dose on the tin, eight actives and no proprietary blend, so you can check each one against the research above. Read the Daily Detox® label.
Before you start any supplement: talk to your doctor, especially if you take prescription medication, are pregnant or nursing, or live with a medical condition. If you take urate-lowering medication for gout, keep taking it.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.