Can help treat diarrhea

For generations, barberries have been used to alleviate diarrhea. This is most likely due to their high berberine concentration, which helps slow the passage of stools through your gut by inhibiting specific receptors, avoiding diarrhea. In fact, one of the earliest human investigations on berberine discovered that it alleviated diarrhea caused by bacterial illnesses, including E. coli.

Furthermore, a study of 196 people with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) found that consuming 800 mg of berberine hydrochloride per day reduced the frequency of diarrhea and the urgent need to defecate when compared to a placebo. While these findings are intriguing, the further human study is required to better understand how berberine and barberries may aid in the treatment of diarrhea.