Berberine and turmeric

Berberine and turmeric are different compounds from different plants, and no trial has tested them taken together. Berberine is an alkaloid found in barberry, goldenseal and Oregon grape; turmeric's active compound is curcumin, a completely different class of molecule. Turmeric does not contain berberine, and pairing the two supplements is untested as a combination, even though each has its own separate research base.

Is berberine in turmeric?

No. Berberine and curcumin are unrelated compounds. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid found in the bark and root of plants like Berberis species, goldenseal and Oregon grape. Curcumin is a polyphenol found in the turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa). They're grouped together in marketing because both are studied for metabolic health, not because one contains the other.

What each has been studied for, separately

Berberine's largest body of research is in adults with type 2 diabetes or dyslipidemia, at doses of 900 mg to 1.5 g a day for one to three months — well above the 73 mg our own capsule provides. See berberine benefits: what's established and what isn't for what those trials measured and found, including the null results.

Turmeric's research centers on curcumin, its most-studied compound, which has low natural absorption on its own. See turmeric benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for what curcumin trials have found and at what doses.

Why people pair them, and what's untested

Both are sold as metabolic-support ingredients, so combination products and stacks pairing berberine with turmeric are common. No published trial has given people berberine and turmeric together and measured what the combination does, so anything said about the pair specifically is extrapolated from the two separate research bases above, not a tested result. Both compounds are also processed by the same liver enzyme, CYP3A4, among others — a documented interaction pathway for berberine, and a mechanism curcumin affects as well — which is a reason to mention any supplement combination to a doctor if you also take a prescription medication, rather than a reason for concern about the pairing on its own.

Questions people ask

Can you take berberine and turmeric together?

There's no published trial of the combination and no documented case of a problem from taking both. Each has its own separate safety profile — see berberine side effects and who should not take turmeric — and if you take a prescription medication, ask a doctor before adding either.

Is it safe to take berberine and turmeric together?

Nothing in the separate research on each ingredient documents a problem from combining them, but "untested" and "confirmed safe together" aren't the same thing. Ask a doctor before combining either with a blood thinner, diabetes medication, or anything with a narrow safe-dose range.

Does turmeric contain berberine?

No. They're different compounds from different plants, described above.

Our product

Electric Tiger Berberine is 800 mg of berberine HCl extract, standardized to 8%, for about 73 mg of berberine per two-capsule serving — the ingredient discussed above, on its own. Full label here.

Related reading: what is berberine, berberine and medications: what to check, and how to choose a good berberine.