Vol. 7, Issue 10 (2018)

Author(s):
Surender Verma and Deepika Sharma

Abstract:
Herbal drug have always been the centre of attraction for the treatment and prevention of various diseases and for the maintenance of healthy lifestyle. Bioactive compounds derived from natural products have been used for the treatment of ailments for thousands of years. Berberine is one such drug which is obtained from various plant sources which has gained massive attention as a therapeutic agent against numerous diseases like hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity, fatty liver diseases, and coronary artery disease. But it feels very hard to reach these drugs to the commercial level due to the low solubility and bioavailability problems. Interestingly, herbal drugs offer several advantages over the allopathic system due to the avoidance of severe side effects and toxicity. Recently, advanced techniques have been investigated to enhance the bioavailability of such drugs. In this review, we have summarized the facts about berberine along with the problems associated with its bioavailability and approaches to overcome these problems.