Advances on berberine in the control of metabolic syndrome and cardio/cerebrovascular disease

Metabolic syndrome is a pathological condition of abnormal accumulation of diverse metabolic ingredients. Most abnormal metabolic ingredients have a close relation with hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hyperinsulinemia. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Chinese medicinal herbs such as Coptidis rhizome. In recent years it was reported to have beneficial effects on the metabolic disorders of diabetes.