Several recent studies seem to suggest that berberine slows down the ageing process. Of course the quality of the formula the individual person is using is crucial in achieving the same results as those indicated in the studies. We generally recommend formulas that have the berberine ashes together with the main ingredient.
Below are excerpts from one such study.
The authors describe in the abstract to their work that:
Berberine (BRB), a natural alkaloid, has a long history of medicinal use in both Ayurvedic and old Chinese medicine. Recently, available as a dietary supplement, Berberine is reported to have application in treatment of variety diseases. The authors tested whether Berberine can affect premature, stress-induced cellular ageing. All the markers of senescence were distinctly diminished, in a concentration-dependent manner, by Berberine. In view of the evidence that BRB localizes in mitochondria, inhibits respiratory electron chain and activates AMPK, the observed attenuation of the replication stress-induced cellular senescence most likely is mediated by AMPK that leads to inhibition of mTOR signaling. The present findings reveal that: (a) in cells induced to senescence BRB exhibits gero-suppressive properties by means of mTOR/S6 inhibition; (b) in parallel, BRB reduces the level of constitutive DNA damage response, previously shown to report oxidative DNA damage by endogenous ROS; (c) there appears to a causal linkage between the (a) and (b) activities; (d) the in vitro model of premature stress-induced senescence can be used to assess effectiveness of potential gero-suppressive agents targeting mTOR/S6 and ROS signaling; (e) since most of the reported beneficial effects of BRB are in age-relate diseases, it is likely that gero-suppression is the primary activity of this traditional medicine. Zhao et al, Berberine suppresses gero-conversion from cell cycle arrest to senescence, Aging, Volume 5, Issue 8, 2013, Pages 623-636