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berberine

American  
[bur-buh-reen] / ˈbɜr bəˌrin /

noun

Pharmacology.
  1. a white or yellow, crystalline, water-soluble alkaloid, C 20 H 19 NO 5 , derived from barberry or goldenseal, used as an antipyrotic, antibacterial, and stomachic.


berberine British  
/ ˈbɜːbəˌriːn /

noun

  1. a yellow bitter-tasting alkaloid obtained from barberry and other plants and used medicinally, esp in tonics. Formula: C 20 H 19 NO 5

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of berberine

1860–65; < New Latin Berber ( is ) ( see berberidaceous) + -ine 1

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

He added many supplements have “antibacterial properties,” like garlic, peppermint, berberine and probiotics, which could treat bacterial overgrowth, but don't have the scientific evidence to support them.

From Salon Feb. 3, 2024

That includes berberine, which has been dubbed “nature’s own Ozempic.”

From Scientific American Sep. 15, 2023

Berberine acts as a “perpetrator,” Hopp said, meaning that when you take certain drugs alongside berberine, you effectively get a higher concentration of the drugs in your blood.

From Seattle Times Jun. 12, 2023

Those antimicrobial perks may play a role in how berberine could alleviate gastrointestinal complaints.

From Seattle Times Jun. 12, 2023

It differs from paricine in its proportion of hydrogen, and from berberine in containing more carbon.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Jerome Beers Thomas

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