Berberine has been a part of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years
Medications highlighted in the graphic include: Oral Wegovy - GLP-1 receptor agonist - ~13 to 17% estimated weight loss Wegovy 7.2 mg - Higher-dose injectable GLP-1 - ~20 to 21% estimated weight loss Orforglipron - Oral non-peptide GLP-1 agonist - ~11 to 15% estimated weight loss CagriSema - Amylin analog + GLP-1 agonist - ~20 to 23% estimated weight loss Retatrutide - Triple agonist (GIP, GLP-1, glucagon) - up to ~28 to 29% estimated weight loss Survodutide - Dual agonist (GLP-1, glucagon) - ~15 to 19% estimated weight loss MariTide - GIP antagonist + GLP-1 antibody-drug conjugate - ~18 to 20% estimated weight loss A few important notes for context: The percentages shown are trial-based estimates and vary by dose, duration, and analysis method Timelines reflect best estimates, not guarantees Real-world outcomes will depend on access, tolerability, and individualized care That said, the direction is clear

Importantly, any observed effects appear to be indirect consequences of metabolic improvement rather than direct pharmacological actions on the adrenal glands or HPA axis
Cell 77 , 656668 (2020)
The critical need for production of NADPH, via the pentose phosphate pathway, is especially true in red blood cells because there are no other NADPH-producing reactions in these cells and they are extremely sensitive to oxidative damage