Review of berberine use for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus & students’ survey

Introduction: Berberine is a naturally occurring alkaloid substance that can be extracted from various plants and can be found in medicinal herbs. The goal of this study is to conduct a literature review of the clinical use of berberine and assess the knowledge and opinion of pharmacy students on its beneficial effect as a blood sugar-reducing supplement.
Methodology: An online survey was developed and sent to 42 students with a 100% response rate. The focal point of the remaining 15 questions was based on knowledge and perceptions regarding Berberine. 
Results: A total of 42 individuals participated in the survey.  The majority of the participants were female (64.29%); between 24- 26 years old age range (40.48%); live in the DMV area where the study was conducted (42.86%). When asked about work experience, 50% of those who took the survey answered full-time, and 16 (38.10%) worked part-time. The majority (61.9%) indicated high knowledge about feeling comfortable with the beneficial use of berberine in reducing blood sugar. However, their overall knowledge score was 59.5% which is much less than the passing score set at 70%. When looking at how comfortable participants were regarding dietary supplements, the majority (n=25; 59.5%) were positive in their comfort. But only a third of participants (n=14; 33.3%) had the opportunity to interact with patients to discuss dietary supplements. Interestingly, more than two-thirds (n=29; 69%) of participants had taken supplements in the past for various personal reasons and the majority (n=28; 66.7%) of participants responded that they are currently taking supplements including vitamins. However, because of the low number of participants as a limitation of this study, a larger study with students in the medical field is recommended as a future plan.
Conclusion: Overall, students showed a low level of knowledge despite their high opinion. The study shows the need to expose students more to dietary and herbal supplements during their pharmacy program. This would allow them to meet their patients’ needs upon graduation particularly if they chose to practice in a community pharmacy setting.