Berberine in Pregnancy, Infants and Liver Conditions: Cautions From Official Sources

Read this first

A newborn with yellow skin or eyes needs a clinician, not a herbal remedy. A pregnant or breastfeeding person, or a parent of a baby or child, should ask a clinician or pharmacist before using berberine or any product that contains it. In an emergency call 911 (US). If a child swallowed a supplement, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US); other countries are on Poison Help by country.

What sources we could and could not read

We could read published review abstracts through PubMed. We could not open the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, LiverTox or other government monographs on berberine (the pages were blocked or unavailable), and a web search for official pregnancy statements was not possible. So this page does not quote an official body's advice directly except where a review reports it. Where we found nothing usable we say "Proper evidence not found."

Breastfeeding

Proper evidence not found for berberine specifically (we searched PubMed for berberine with breastfeeding and lactation). A family-medicine review says herbal supplements raise concern about impurities and a lack of study of their effects on breastfed infants. [4]

Newborns, G6PD deficiency and jaundice

Berberine-containing herbs have a documented history in newborn jaundice. A review of Chinese reports found Huang Lian (which contains berberine) used for newborn jaundice in 4 of the centers, and noted that berberine can cause severe acute hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells) in babies with G6PD deficiency. [5] In Singapore, Coptis rhizome was implicated in newborn jaundice and kernicterus in G6PD-deficient babies in 1978, which led to a ban of the herb and berberine. [6] Singapore's Health Sciences Authority later reviewed the evidence and lifted the prohibition. [6] We read this only through a review abstract, so we cannot describe the current Singapore rules.

Take-away: the review's caution about neonates and G6PD deficiency is a reason to ask a pediatrician before giving any berberine product to a baby. [1]

Children and teens

Proper evidence not found for berberine in children or teens in the sources we read. See children and teens.

Liver and kidney conditions

• A meta-analysis of 10 trials (811 people) with fatty liver disease reported lower liver enzymes and only mild gastrointestinal side effects. [7] That describes the studied group, under trial conditions.
• Toxicology reviews list hepatic and renal function among factors that change the risk of toxicity. [2]
• Berberine can raise levels of some medicines, which matters for transplant and liver or kidney patients on several drugs. See side effects and interactions.

Anyone with liver or kidney disease should ask their clinician first. See liver safety and supplements and the overview berberine.