Berberin HCl 500 mg

Yin et al. 2008 (Metabolism)

Berberin HCl 500 mg

Name: Berberine HCl 500 mg
Brand: Nootropics Depot
SKU: ntd-berberine-hcl
Price: 25.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Metabolic · Capsule · 60 portioner#2 / 18 in Metabolic

7.3

Overall score · out of 10

7.3

Overall score · out of 10

Dose vs. studies6.4

Transparency9.0

Value8.4

Community9.0

Formulation5.0

Tier 3

Ingredient RCT (matching dose)

The ingredient was tested in an RCT at the same dose this product sells.

Redaktionellt score, paid $0 No affiliate link Tested by independent lab Public analysintyg Sample received: No

How we scored this product Show the full breakdown

Dose vs. studies (55%) 6.4

Transparency (20%) 9.0

Value (10%) 8.4

Community sentiment (10%) 9.0

Formulation (5%) 5.0

Composite 7.3

7.3 composite

Dose vs. studies55%6.4

Transparency20%9.0

Value10%8.4

Community10%9.0

Formulation5%5.0

Bevisning gates dose: the evidence grade sets the ceiling, and the dose decides how much of that ceiling the product reaches. Value = inverse of price-per-trial-dose-day. Community = mean sentiment of external reviews. Säkerhet caps applied after weighting.

This score is our editorial judgment, not a scientific standard. We combine published evidence, dose, price, transparency, and consumer signals into one composite: this is our method, not a peer-reviewed clinical rating. A higher score means a product does better on the factors we weight, not that it is medically proven to work.

Read the full method →

Question 1

Does the molecule work?

The science behind each active ingredient, independent of which brand sells it.

Berberin Grade A

Plant-derived AMPK activator; near-drug-strength effects on blood sugar and lipids.

1 landmark RCT · US: Dietary supplement · EU: Restricted in Italy (drug status ≥10 mg); food supplement elsewhere

Question 2

Is this bottle good?

The specific product: dose, price, transparency, and what buyers report.

Dose vs research

33% av studiedosen

Well below the trial dose

Cost at trial dose

$1.25/day at trial dose

What one effective daily dose actually costs

Transparency

9.0/10 · Public analysintyg (quality: not assessed)

Independent batch testing confirmed

Consumer signals

No consumer signals collected yet

Operational signal only, never used as clinical evidence

Question 3

What's the catch?

Säkerhet flags, transparency gaps, dosing concerns, and recurring buyer complaints.

Säkerhet signals

Drug interaction risk — berberine

Berberin inhibits CYP3A4, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9 even at moderate doses. Documented interactions with immunosuppressants, statins, anticoagulants, and antidiabetic drugs. Consult a physician if taking prescription medications.

Läs mer

Underdosed

Dose at 33% av studiedosen

Below 50% of the dose used in published clinical trials.

Best for

Public analysintyg, Budget-friendly

Avoid if

Only 33% av studiedosen

Full-dose status

33% av studiedosen

Pris/month

$12

COA status

Public

Biggest caveat

Dose is 33% of the trial dose.

Nearest alternatives

Pure Berberin DoNotAge · Poäng 9.4
Berbelean | Enhanced Berberin (Berberin Phytosome + Black Ginger, Saffron, CurCousin, Piperine) Nootropics Depot · Poäng 7.3
Berberin Supplement Double Wood Supplements · Poäng 7.0

The numbers

Pris

$25

per bottle · 60 portioner

Dose vs. research

Below trial dose 33%

of published effective dose

$ / day at studied dose

$1.25

what one effective daily dose costs

$ / g active

$0.83

per gram of active substance

Independently checked

Data verification

Pris

$25

Verified n/a

Dose

33% av studiedosen

Verified n/a

COA status

Public

Verified n/a

Bevisning grade

Per-ingredient breakdown

ABerberin

Verified n/a

All product data is checked against original sources. Prices, doses, and testing status are updated when product pages change. Bevisning grades are reviewed when new human RCTs are published. Read how we verify.

What's inside

Ingredient

Dose in this product

Trial dose

Bevisning

Berberin

Plant-derived AMPK activator; near-drug-strength effects on blood sugar and lipids.

500 mg 33% av studiedosen

1500 mg

3.8 /5

Medium confidence

Rated on 2 platforms (2 sources, no structured review counts)

Source diversity: 46%

Examine.comTrustpilot

PraiseBerberin ranked among top-evidenced natural glucose modulators. NTD noted for H4.6/5. Users cite transparency and price.

Last checked: 2026-08-07

Consumer signals

Consumer signals gathered from 2 platforms.

Medium confidence

Consumer sentiment compiled from 2 public sources (Examine.com, Trustpilot).

Examine.com

positive sentiment

PraiseBerberin ranked among top-evidenced natural glucose modulators. NTD noted for HPLC purity.

Compiled from a Examine.com listing located during manual research; not independently re-verified against the live page at build time.

Trustpilot

4.6/5 · positive sentiment

Praise4.6/5. Users cite transparency and price.

Compiled from a Trustpilot listing located during manual research; not independently re-verified against the live page at build time.

These are consumer sentiment signals. They do not measure whether the product actually works. See our evidence section for that.

What others say, with a source hierarchy

We treat external opinion very differently depending on where it comes from. Tier A is our strongest signal. Tier C is background sentiment only. Tier Rejected is what we excluded, listed openly so you can see what we discarded.

These reviews are aggregated from third-party sources, not written by NO1GEVITY. Each entry shows its source, retrieval date, and whether the source has an affiliate or paid relationship. We do not edit reviews to change their meaning. Disclosure policy.

Tier B

Registered dietitians and physicians, without affiliate ties

Credentialed commentary from clinicians who disclose no paid relationship. Useful as supporting critique but not a substitute for a clinical outcome trial.

Trustpilot (aggregate brand reviews for Nootropics Depot, not product-specific)

No affiliate relationship Not a paid placement

Customers broadly report satisfaction with Nootropics Depot's shipping speed, customer service, and perceived product quality/purity across its catalog.

Finding: Approximately 4.7/5 stars across roughly 2,000 reviews for the Nootropics Depot brand overall (not filtered to this specific berberine product).

How we use it: Used as brand-level reputation context only (N>500 threshold met per brief's Tier B bar), not as product-specific evidence for the berberine SKU; no berberine-specific quantitative breakout was available from the aggregate score.

Tier C

Aggregated sentiment (Trustpilot, Reddit)

Mood indicator only. We never use aggregate stars as evidence of efficacy.

r/NootropicsDepot subreddit, brand lab-testing transparency discussion thread

Has affiliate relationship Not a paid placement

Commenters (including apparent NTD-affiliated participants) explain and partially defend the in-house Omnient Labs testing model as ISO-accredited and rigorous, while acknowledging it is not fully third-party for every test.

Finding: No aggregate rating; qualitative community discussion of NTD's in-house-vs-outside lab testing practices.

How we use it: Downgraded to Tier C rather than B because this subreddit is brand-run/brand-participated rather than an independent community meta-thread with linked outside evidence, per the brief's affiliate-disclosure test; used only to corroborate the 'in-house but accredited' nuance already documented from the vendor's own transparency page, not as independent validation.

Community threads and aggregate ratings

Additional public mentions we located, kept separate from the deep independent reviews above.

Examine.com

positive

Berberin ranked among top-evidenced natural glucose modulators. NTD noted for HPLC purity.

Read source → Unverified · we received no payment for this listing

Trustpilot · 4.6

positive

4.6/5. Users cite transparency and price.

Read source → Unverified · we received no payment for this listing

Vår sammanfattning

Nootropics Depot's berberine offering is best understood in two parts: a discontinued plain 380mg standalone capsule (2018 to 2021) and its current successor, a 500mg berberine HCl + 100mg silymarin combination capsule dosed at 1 capsule three times daily (1500mg/day berberine total). That 1500mg/day dose lands exactly on the classic Yin 2008 trial dose that established berberine's metformin-comparable glycemic effect (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18442638/), which supports a Tier 3 (ingredient RCT at matching dose) rating for the berberine component, though no trial has tested NTD's specific silymarin-added formulation, so the added ingredient's incremental benefit is a plausible-but-unproven bioavailability claim rather than a demonstrated one. NTD's per-lot, publicly linked COA PDFs are a real and verifiable transparency differentiator versus most supplement competitors, even accounting for the fact that the primär lab is in-house (albeit ISO/IEC 17025-accredited). Buyers should treat 2023's 'Nature's Ozempic' TikTok framing as clearly unsupported, berberine's effect size is in metformin's range, not semaglutide's, and should be aware of dose-dependent GI side effects and clinically meaningful CYP3A4/CYP2D6/CYP2C9 drug interactions (warfarin, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, some statins) before combining with prescription medications.

Bevisning, what actually backs this product

Longevity brands rarely test their exact finished product. We separate what's tested from what's inferred.

Strongest evidence tier

Tier 3Ingredient RCT (matching dose)

5 studies mapped

Tier 3Ingredient RCT (matching dose)

Efficacy of berberine in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Yin J, Xing H, Ye J · 2008 · Metabolism · n=116 · 500 mg three times daily (1500 mg/day) · 3 months

ingredient-levelpeer-reviewed

Berberin lowered HbA1c, fasting and postprandial glucose, and triglycerides to a degree statistically indistinguishable from metformin 500mg TID, and outperformed placebo; considered the foundational trial establishing 500mg TID as the standard clinical berberine dose.

Exact dose match to NTD's current label instruction (1 capsule x3/day = 500mg TID). This is an ingredient-level RCT on plain berberine HCl, not on NTD's specific berberine+silymarin combination product, so it supports the berberine component only, the added silymarin's incremental effect at this ratio has not been separately tested in this or any other trial we located.

Conflicts: None identified in the abstract; independent academic study (Shanghai Jiao Tong University-affiliated authors).

Tier 4Ingredient RCT (different dose)

Meta-analysis of the effect and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipemia and hypertension

Lan J, Zhao Y, Dong F, et al. · 2015 · Tidskrift of Ethnopharmacology · n=2569 · Predominantly 0.9 to 1.5 g/day berberine across pooled trials · Variable, typically 6 to 24 weeks across pooled trials

ingredient-levelpeer-reviewed

Berberin combined with lifestyle intervention or oral antidiabetics produced greater reductions in glucose, HbA1c, and lipid parameters than lifestyle intervention alone, with a generally favorable safety profile aside from GI complaints.

Meta-analysis pooling dose ranges that bracket NTD's 1500mg/day label dose; supports the ingredient-level effect at approximately matching doses but is not product-specific and predates the silymarin combination formula.

Conflicts: None identified.

Tier 4Ingredient RCT (different dose)

Efficacy and safety of berberine alone or combined with statins for the treatment of hyperlipidemia: a systematisk översikt and metaanalys of randomized controlled trials

Ju J, Li J, Lin Q, Xu H · 2018 · American Tidskrift of Translational Research (indexed via PubMed) · Berberin 0.3 to 1.5 g/day across pooled trials, alone or combined with statins · Variable across pooled trials, typically 8 to 24 weeks

ingredient-levelpeer-reviewed

Berberin alone and berberine+statin combinations improved LDL-C, total cholesterol, and triglycerides versus control; berberine groups showed a higher incidence of constipation/GI complaints than control.

Corroborates the dose-limiting GI side-effect profile the brief specifically flagged; dose range brackets NTD's 1500mg/day.

Conflicts: None identified.

Tier 4Ingredient RCT (different dose)

Effects of berberine on blood glucose, lipids, and inflammatory markers: a 2025 systematisk översikt and metaanalys of RCTs

Multiple authors (pooled metaanalys, 12 RCTs / 889 patients) · 2025 · PMC-indexed (open access) · n=889 · Predominantly 0.9 to 1.5 g/day berberine across pooled trials · Variable across pooled trials

ingredient-levelpeer-reviewed

Confirms consistent, moderate improvements in glycemic and lipid markers across the accumulated berberine RCT literature at doses bracketing 1500mg/day, with GI tolerability as the main limiting factor.

Most recent (2025) synthesis of the ingredient-level literature; dose range matches NTD's label dose. Still not product-specific to the silymarin-combination SKU.

Conflicts: None identified.

Tier 4Ingredient RCT (different dose)

Repeated administration of berberine inhibits cytochromes P450 (CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP3A4) in humans

Guo Y, Chen Y, Tan ZR, Klaassen CD, Zhou HH · 2012 · European Tidskrift of Clinical Pharmacology (PMC record) · 300 mg three times daily · Short-term repeated-dose pharmacokinetic study

ingredient-levelpeer-reviewed

Repeated berberine dosing significantly decreased CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and CYP3A4 enzyme activity, confirming clinically relevant drug-interaction potential (e.g., elevated cyclosporine levels reported in renal-transplant patients).

Directly supports the drug-interaction warnings included in claim_check/unverified for this product; dose tested (300mg TID) is lower than NTD's label dose (500mg TID), so interaction magnitude at NTD's dose may be equal or greater.

Conflicts: None identified.

Berberin Yin et al. 2008 (Metabolism)

Bevisning

Research behind this product

The studies that established the trial dose and evidence grade for each active ingredient in this product. Click through to read the original paper.

Claim check, vendor claims vs. our reading of the evidence

Not medical advice. We list the strongest claims made by the brand and check each against traceable evidence.

Not supported

“"Nature's Ozempic", viral 2023 TikTok framing of berberine as a natural GLP-1-agonist-equivalent weight-loss alternative to Ozempic/semaglutide”

Berberin's mechanism (AMPK activation, insulin-sensitization) is pharmacologically distinct from GLP-1 receptor agonism, and the magnitude of effect is not comparable: berberine trials in the evidence base above show meaningful but modest glycemic/lipid improvements roughly on par with metformin (per Yin 2008, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18442638/), while GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide produce substantially larger body-weight reductions (~15% of body weight in trials) versus berberine's much smaller observed effects. CNN's 2023 debunking piece and the Guardian's coverage of the TikTok trend both independently reached this same conclusion (https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/04/health/berberine-nature-ozempic-wellness, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/11/berberine-weight-loss-supplement-tiktok-ozempic). Government/institutional sources (NCCIH, Mayo Clinic Press) concur that berberine is not a GLP-1-agonist substitute (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/berberine-and-weight-loss-what-you-need-to-know, https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/nutrition-fitness/berberine-is-a-promising-supplement-but-its-not-a-magical-weight-loss-solution/).

Not a claim made on NTD's own product page, this is an external social-media narrative the research brief asked to be fact-checked given its relevance to consumer expectations for this product category.

Supported

“"Supports Healthy Glucose Metabolism"”

This is a modest, appropriately hedged structure/function claim consistent with the ingredient-level RCT evidence at matching or near-matching doses (Yin 2008, Lan 2015, and the 2025 metaanalys in evidence_registry above), all of which show statistically significant glucose/HbA1c improvements at 0.9 to 1.5g/day berberine.

Supported

“"AMPK Activation" as the mechanism supporting metabolic benefits”

AMPK activation is a well-established, widely cited mechanism of action for berberine in the pharmacology literature and is consistent with the mechanistic basis underlying the clinical trials in evidence_registry; this is a mechanistic claim, not an outcome claim, and is accurately described.

Partial support

“"3rd Party Lab Tested & Verified" / general lab-testing transparency claims”

Verified live: lot-specific signed COA PDFs are directly linked from the product page and resolve successfully (confirmed 200 OK on BSTSCS1040925A_60ct_Signed.pdf, 2026-08-05). This is a genuine and unusually strong transparency practice versus category norms. Marked 'partial' rather than 'supported' only because the primär testing lab (Omnient Labs) is NTD's own in-house, ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab rather than a fully independent third-party outside lab for every test category, NTD does supplement with outside labs (e.g., Alkemist) for select botanical work, but 'third-party' as used in the marketing claim conflates in-house-but-accredited testing with fully outsourced independent testing.

Unverifiable

“"Our Berberin + Silymarin formula is superior to standalone berberine due to significantly enhanced bioavailability" / "allowing us to achieve the same metabolic benefits with lower doses"”

Silymarin's general bioenhancing mechanism (P-glycoprotein and phase-II enzyme inhibition) is a real, published pharmacological phenomenon, but no clinical trial on this specific berberine+silymarin ratio/dose combination (500mg:100mg) demonstrating equivalent-or-better outcomes at a 'lower dose' than the 1500mg/day standard was located in this research pass. The claim may be directionally plausible but is not supported by a dedicated head-to-head trial, and NTD's own product still instructs the same 1500mg/day total berberine dose as the plain-berberine trials (Yin 2008), which undercuts the specific 'lower doses' framing.

Nootropics Depot profile →

Regelverk status

Rules change often. We record when we last verified each row. See the full regulatory timeline →

What we could not verify

We list this openly. If a claim isn't backed by a source we can trace, we'd rather flag it than repeat it.

No dedicated, methodology-disclosed Innerbody or Healthline review of this specific berberine (or berberine+silymarin) SKU was located; Innerbody coverage of Nootropics Depot found in this research pass was brand-level (e.g., best-nootropics, best-tongkat-ali, best-lions-mane roundups) rather than berberine-specific, so no Tier A finding is included in external_reviews_registry for this exact product.
The 180ct variant's exact retail price could not be extracted (client-side JS renders it on variant switch); only the 60ct price of $34.99 was directly confirmed from live page data.
No clinical trial was located on the exact 500mg berberine HCl + 100mg silymarin combination at this specific ratio, all clinical evidence in this dossier applies to plain berberine HCl at the ingredient level, not to NTD's finished combination formula.
NTD's specific claim that its silymarin pairing allows 'lower effective doses than standalone berberine' is not backed by a located head-to-head clinical comparison; NTD's own instructed dose (1500mg/day berberine) is identical to the classic Yin 2008 trial dose, not lower.
A currently valid, named third-party GMP certificate/registrar for NTD's Tempe, AZ manufacturing facility was not independently located in this pass beyond the vendor's own transparency-page assertion.
Whether Nootropics Depot currently ships this product to EU customers, and under what claims/labelling, was not directly confirmed on the säljarens webbplats; this matters given the EU's 2025 decision not to authorize the berberine HCl + silymarin combination as a novel food.

Important to know

BerberinStandard berberine has ~5% oral bioavailability. Dihydroberberine and berberine phytosomes absorb better. Split doses across meals (500 mg × 3) to avoid GI upset.

Redaktionellt notes

Best-priced published-purity berberine. Take 3× daily to hit trial dose.

In plain language

Why this scored this way

This Nootropics Depot Berberin HCl 500 mg scores 7.3, making it a mid-tier product with both strengths and weaknesses. It contains 500mg of Berberin, which is only 33% of the 1500mg trial dose with grade A evidence (strong human trial data). Transparency is a clear strength (score: 9.0), with third-party testing and a public analysintyg.

What drives the score up

Dose-evidence score of 6.4 shows decent alignment with trial doses.
Quality transparency of 9.0: tested by independent lab with a public analysintyg.
Community score of 9.0 with positive consumer feedback.

What drags it down

Overall dose is only 33% of the trial dose across ingredients.
Berberin (500mg is 33% of the 1500mg trial dose) is significantly under-dosed.

Why you'd choose it

You want a reasonably priced metabolic product.
You want Berberin from a Nootropics Depot product.
You prioritise tested by independent lab produkter with public lab certificates.

Why you might skip it

You need a full trial dose of berberine (this product under-doses it).
You want better value (this is $1.25/day with a value score of 8.4).
You want a product that hits the full trial dose (this is at 33%).

Go deeper

Where this sits

Actives inside

Berberin

Kategori

Se alla in Metabolic →

Varumärke

Jämför this product → Visit brand site →

Varumärke owners

Spot an error?

If you are the manufacturer or brand owner of Berberin HCl 500 mg and believe any data on this page is incorrect (wrong dose, wrong ingredient, wrong price, missing certification, outdated status), you can request a correction.

We review every request, verify it against primär sources, and publish any change with a dated note in the version history above. Corrections from brand owners are treated the same as corrections from anyone else: verified before they move.

Request a correction →

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