I Tried "Nature's Ozempic" and This Is What Happened

Rachel Rose is a social media influencer who shares weight loss advice. In one of her viral videos, she details how she lost weight fast by taking berberine, AKA "nature's Ozempic."  In the video, she explains that all of a sudden, people started commenting about how lean she looked, and she didn't think she did anything differently. "I myself noticed that my midsection was more defined and much leaner than it's ever been. Now I work out, and I eat pretty healthy, but I was surprised to see my results, and I was racking my mind, 'Okay, what have I changed? What's different?' And that's when I realized at that time that it had been about three months since I started taking berberine," she says. "In this video, I'm gonna share with you what berberine is, the benefits, what my experience has been, potential side effects you should be aware of, and tips," she says.

What Is Berberine

So what is berberine? "People call it nature's ozempic, but it's more like nature's Metformin. Metformin is a commonly prescribed medication to help treat things like PCOS and type two diabetes. It improves insulin sensitivity and helps manage blood sugar. That's what metformin does," she says in the video.

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Berberine Is a Natural Compound

"Berberine is quite similar, but it's a natural compound that can be extracted from several plants. For instance, turmeric, barberry, and Oregon grape are some of the things I've never heard of. But anyway, berberine can be extracted from some of these plants. Berberine has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine and ayurvedic medicine," she says.

How Does Berberine Work

How does berberine work? "One of the main actions is that it activates an enzyme called AMPK, which stands for activated protein kinase. And AMPK plays a key role in regulating metabolism and energy levels," says Rachel. "Studies show that berberine can decrease insulin resistance, help your body break down sugar in your cells, and increase beneficial bacteria in your gut. And, of course, there's more, but those are the big ones. Preliminary studies suggest that berberine may have benefits against depression, cancer and infections, fatty liver, and heart failure as it's a potent antioxidant and it's anti-inflammatory."

Here Are the Benefits/Positive Side Effects

"So, what has my experience been? I've had no side effects, and I'm going to share with you what some of those side effects could be," she says. "Experiences others have had include reduced bloating with Berberine; it helps with PCOS," she says. "It helps stabilize blood sugar, which you're basically stabilizing your cravings. It's helped with weight loss, of course, improved cholesterol and then even energy levels people have shared."

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Here Are the Negative Side Effects

"But then, on the other hand, some people have experienced bad side effects including nausea, gas, bowel distress, so constipation or the opposite of constipation. But everybody is so different, and that's why a lot of times with supplements, you know, what may work for me, what may work for you may not work, you know, for the other person," she explains.

Here Are Her Tips

"I'm sharing my experience as a study of one, but then in my research, coming across what other people have noticed too and then what's been cited as benefits," she says, moving on to the tips. "If you decide if you've done your own research, these are some tips you're gonna wanna be aware of."

Choose Your Brand Carefully

"First of all, be selective with your brand. I've noticed in some forms. People would say that they started with one brand, and it worked for them. They went to a cheaper one, but it didn't work. And then they went back to, you know, the original brand they went to. I am a big believer in the Thorne supplement brand. You know, when I purchase a product, it's pretty reasonably priced, and I just know that I'm getting what I pay for. So I've been taking Thorne this whole time."

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Take 500 MG Before Your Meal

"It's recommended to take 500 milligrams before your meal. And when I first started taking this, because it wasn't detailed on the Thorne label, it wasn't detailed to take it before my meal, I was actually taking it with or after my meal as I do with other supplements, and it still worked, but you're probably going to get better results by taking it before your meal."

Consult with Your Doctor

"And then the other very important tip, and I know with any supplement we're like, consult with your doctor first. But especially with this one, and especially if you're on medications, you definitely want to connect with your doctor first before combining it with medications and just making sure that it's a right fit for you if you have any other things that you have to be careful about."

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She Recommends It to Her Friends

"So that is my no-frills rundown on Berberine. "When my friends are looking at what they can do to lose some, maybe, some extra weight that they've added on, this is one of the things I get so excited to talk about," she says. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 20 Incredible Ozempic Success Stories of All Time.