Hey bobmann can you please tell me which gotu kola product you are taking and how many times per day are you taking it?Ive tried a couple grams makes me sleepy so how do you take 12 grams?Once again id appreciate the brand you take and has your hair on your head grown thicker? or about the same? much thanks!
Hey, the hair on my head is the same, or close enough not to notice, but I'm also young, so don't discount gotu kola just because of that. I take the whole herb, you can choose any reseller you like, I use Frontier Coop's organic cut & sifted herb. 12g isn't that much if you weigh it out. Basically a cheekful to chew on, and a handful in tea, every day. Or if you like, two cheekfuls. There's a bell curve response as far as wound healing is concerned - which is what I use it for - and there aren't any human studies worth speaking of to set correct dose. Experimentation and close observation is needed. If you use the standard conversion rate between mice and humans, which accounts for surface size and metabolic rate, for an 84kg male, I believe it turns out to be like 1/106 the mouse dose. Mouse dose is 1mg/kg (most effective) so I should have roughly 1/106mg *84kg. That's obviously ridiculous, so I stick to what traditional use is, from the best Ayurvedic medicinal literature I can find. It turns out to be the sensible amount, you simply cannot take more in a day without bringing bag fulls with you. 6g's per day seems to be roughly in the middle of the range, from what I recall it's between 4-9g dose mentioned usually. The doses are actually mostly the same for all the main Ayurvedic substances, between 4g-15g (like turmeric, fo ti, x guggul). So I usually stick around 6g, maybe 9g, depends on how I am feeling. I know my body very well, and I can feel when it is appropriate to have more, and when less, like with hunger. It's just my opinion, but I don't think you should treat traditional remedies like the kind of medicine you normally add into your life; don't just try to take it once or twice a day and forget about it. You should integrate it into your life, and respect what you're taking, respect what it is giving you, and respect the process. The ritual won't cure you, but it adds something that will help you achieve your health. I don't know if this will restore your hair - I hope it does - but if you try to integrate traditional healing & rejuvenatory practices into your life, it will make you healthier, stronger, and happier. You'll find that it's not just one herb or two herbs. Start by reading about Ayurvedic medicine, what they recommend based on your constitutional type, research animal trials, human trials, find appropriate dosing, and experiment. I think you'll be able to feel if something is not going well. Also, give it time. I know that this is vague, but medicine is 80% art. Good luck with everything.
Edit: Yes, I know what you mean about sleepiness. In tea it is deeply relaxing, almost gives you a bit of a high. That lessens with time. But chewing on it is quite stimulating. Thai's chew on fresh gotu kola leaves for a pick-me-up. It's not like coffee, it's not overt stimulation, it's invigorating.
Edited by bobmann, 06 June 2010 - 06:37 AM.
