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Berberine — a compound found in several plants, including goldenseal, barberry, Oregon grape, and tree turmeric — has been part of traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and may have antineoplastic properties.
To test whether it can prevent recurrence of colorectal adenomas, investigators in China randomized more than 1100 patients who had undergone colonoscopy with resection of adenomas in the preceding 6 months to receive either berberine (0.3 g twice a day) or placebo. Patients underwent colonoscopy 1 year after enrollment and 2 years later if no adenomas were found.
Among nearly 900 patients who received at least one medication dose and had follow-up data available, adenoma recurrence at either follow-up colonoscopy (the prim…