816 replies to this topic

[Chris_T_Malta]

I tried Life Extension L-Taurine 1000mg lately with no perceivable effect. Will retry today.

 

I used Cron-O-Meter to get an idea of the amino-acids I am getting from the food I eat on a daily basis and judging from this website, I eat enough of all amino-acids (include the Julia Ross/Trudy Scott mood ones Trytophan, Tyrosine and Phenylalanine). Thus my present theory is that in my case, my false moods are not affected by lack or supplementation of amino-acids.

 

Thus the main suspect is now either blood-sugar levels OR gluten.. or a mix of both.

 

This is my 1st week without gluten and I am also reading Dr. Perlmutter's Brain Grain. I had 2 very stressful days but their effect on my mental power seems less than it used to be - ie: I am able to handle stress better. From a physical pov, unfortunately the euphoria from feeling stronger after I removed caffeine led me to overtrain and get injured! Today I had a bike ride and performed very well. I am losing weight though, from 86 to 84.5kg in 2 weeks and that is not my intention. This week I felt hungry all the time. I think that by shifting to gluten-free diets I am avoinding most snacks that would usually make up for my daily calorific deficit. I am having some gluten-free pasta.. which although gluten-free is still frowned on by Dr. Perlmutter since it usually spikes the blood sugar more. 

 

I using lavender and orange oil aromatherapy (putting oil in water and make it evaporate) as a relaxant and stimulant (respectively). Tried some binaurals too .. and I think they did make me more relax. 

 

I wish I could give the low-carb, high fat diet a 2-week trial but for the time being it seems way too demanding!

 

 

 

 

[Godof Smallthings]

Godof Smallthings, is there a type of meditation that involves being mindless, not mindful? I already have an overactive mind, and I'm too perceptive of my surroundings. I can't be hypnotized, and it's very hard to sleep in a foreign environment. I need something that makes me less aware of my surroundings, if this is possible. What type of meditation should I pursuing?

 

Any basic samatha practice will calm the mind. The physical sensation of the rise and fall of the breath is always good to start with. Place your attention on the physical sensation of the abdomen is generally a good idea if your mind is very busy - otherwise, resting attention on the sensation of air going in and out of the nostrils is also good - but for those of us who have busy 'heads' and are easily stressed, the stomach could be better. Give it at least a month of daily practice before you make an assessment.

 

Mantra meditation (repeating a word or phrase inside your mind) or kasina meditation (placing your attention on a coloured circle are two other suggestions that spring to mind. Here is a guide, I am not sure if it is 100% in line with Buddhist scriptures, but at first glance it looks largely correct and should get you started. http://www.wikihow.c...sina-Meditation )

 

Remember it is a daily practice, and you need to give it time to work. Also remember not to sit and anxiously/excitedly expect things, but to try to relax into the moment. Anticipation can slow things down.

 

Everyone's mind tends to be chaotic, that is just its nature - it is just that most of us have never taken the time to check it out so we do not notice this until we try to observe what's actually going on.

 

 

Edited by Godof Smallthings, 16 May 2015 - 02:36 PM.

[Nico]

Hi to everybody. I have read all the pages here and found that no one was used ashvagandha in its tincture form. Well I am using it. I am folk herbalist (beginer) and I have made my own ashv. tincture in proportions 1:5 . Believed to have pothency of about 200mg / ml (1ml=29 drops). My personal observations and use of this tincture are very positive. My usuall homeopatic dossage is 15-20 drops 3 times daily and i can feel more calm and relaxed with nice deep sleep rest. I have used my tincture daily for about 3 weeks on and then off for 1 week and didnt note any witdrl problems. I think asw. healed my arm's pain that i had from about a year ago. I prefer to use herbs in tincture form (mother tinctures) as i belive that this is much natural form and the plant material is extracted without any chemical treatmen.    

[jetmango]

Funny how this herb affects diff ppl with diff effects. I never tried tincture. 

 

 

Currently I am only on lysine, and sometimes taurine - small doses [gaba!] 

 

I might consider trying ashwa again in its tincture form. Nico - did u observed any s/e - like headaches?

[VerdeGo]

How small of a dose of taurine do you use? I'm assuming its sedative effects are from an increase in GABA? I'm thinking of trying it again, and I recommended it to a friend to help get his liver enzymes down, but I don't think he's tried it yet. 

 

Godof... Been doing Vipassana meditation lately, and it's helping me become more aware of my thought process and not getting lost in thinking. I've also been using my breath as an anchor in stressful situations, and things that would bother me before don't affect me like they used to. Giving my brain the proper fuel through the right diet and exercising are also improving my life substantially. Thanks for your insight, I'll look into all thosetechniques. 

[Nico]

@Mangoa, No didn't note headaches. As I told my daily intake is like 1.5 mil of tincture , suggest that this is equal to about 300 mg asw. Probably this is not a high dosage. Its one more plus on use of tinctured herbs because the dosage is very easy to manage.

[Andrey_81]

Hello! Its almost end of 2015. and I started this topic long ago in May 2012. I've been using ashwagandha for more than 3 years, continuously without any break (not even a day). And even though it sounds incredible, I have the same benefits as before and my dosage is always the same (one in the morning, one in the afternoon, always after coffee).  I'm still experimenting with other adaptogens, sometimes I take phenibut (very very rearly) but thanks to ashwa my life is great and I dont need to take any other medications and I cannot imagine my life without it. This plant is my life saver! Regards to everybody. 

[jetmango]

Hey Andrey, how are you? Yeah this topic is a killer :D 

 

It seems that you've found your Holy Grail. I think every one of us was on a very personal journey, looking for answers and suitable herbs/mixtures/supplements. Albeit Ashwagandha didn't work out for me, I found other way to deal with my issues that is working well so far. Maybe not in a perfect way but definitely helping. 

 

Glad to hear you are well! 

[Andrey_81]

It was a long trip... with many fails. I have tried almost every single adaptogen herb but ashwa is the one that I always havo to take, no mather what. I know that Im not 100% cured (and I will never be), I have my ocasional mood swings and sometimes I have a bad day (like every other normal person) but this is so much easier to survive with ashwa in my system. If I feel realy bad, I take one more and the magic happens in few minutes, its hard to describe this feeling. My day always starts with coffee + ashwa, this is a must. And the sun keeps shining  

[Kjellfh]

Glad to hear it's still working for you Andrey. It worked for me a couple of months and then tolerance began, then sudden stopped working and got some weeks with WD issues. I have occasionly tried at couple of times after with absolutely no effect. I have tried almost all brands out there but I think himalaya brand from the Indian market was the only one that worked for me. What brand(s) do you use? Thanks for updating with you status, really appreciate it?

[jetmango]

And here we go- eternal question of What brand(s) do you use?    

[Andrey_81]

Glad to hear it's still working for you Andrey. It worked for me a couple of months and then tolerance began, then sudden stopped working and got some weeks with WD issues. I have occasionly tried at couple of times after with absolutely no effect. I have tried almost all brands out there but I think himalaya brand from the Indian market was the only one that worked for me. What brand(s) do you use? Thanks for updating with you status, really appreciate it?

 

I stick to himalaya (from india). I have also tried sensoril extract, it was OK, but I prefer himalaya. I have never tried KSM-66

[HoldingTheFaith]

For me, withania somnifera just doesn´t work. Like 85% of the supplements I tried, so is not an isolated occurrence.

 

I even tried taking 10 - 20 grams of the root powder in an infusion similar to the traditional method.

 

You know, I never tried himalaya. It would be funny that I tried almost everything but the correct thing. Classic.

 

But I just really think herbs are a complete waste of time if you don´t really know whats wrong with you.

 

 

Edited by HoldingTheFaith, 02 November 2015 - 09:28 AM.

[Nico]

Strange nobody here tried ashwagandha in its tincture form. I am the one who have positive observations from using tincture.

[Ned K.]

Is it the "withanolides" content that have the effects?

 

According to op, he says one caplet is 250mg, but the label from the Himalaya brand show differently.

 

It says one caplet contains:

 

Organic ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera Dunal) 
standardized supercritical CO₂ extract (8% Withanolides - 0.8 mg*) 10 mg * Organic ashwagandha root standardized extract (0.5% Withanolides - 1.4 mg*) 280 mg * Organic ashwagandha root powder (0.2% Withanolides - 0.76 mg*) 380 mg

 

So, one caplet has 0.8+1.4+0.76 = 2.96mg of Withanolides.

 

I'm currently taking Nature's way brand, which has root extract of 500mg containing 2.5% withanolides.  Then, it is 12.5mg of Withanolides per capsule - much higher than Himalaya brand.

 

HOWEVER, I feel absolutely nothing if I take one to even two capsules at once.  Three capsules at once seem like to have some calming effects, but I'm really afraid to try higher dosage.

 

Will trying different brand make any difference? I am not sure if withanolides are the only contents that have calming effects - so I wonder if anyone has more knowledge about withanolides.

 

[birthdaysuit]

If I take more than 20mg of withanolides, I almost always have a stupid smirk on my face. Happy and slightly euphoric. The only other substance where I have experienced a similar response was myo-inositol (18g). Happy and an overall sense of wellbeing, which tremendously helped to relieve social anxiety and approach anxiety. 

 

Just remember to cycle Ashwagandha because it is a GABA agonist. So long-term use could potentially lead to downregulation of GABA receptors. 

[truboy]

Hello! Its almost end of 2015. and I started this topic long ago in May 2012. I've been using ashwagandha for more than 3 years, continuously without any break (not even a day). And even though it sounds incredible, I have the same benefits as before and my dosage is always the same (one in the morning, one in the afternoon, always after coffee).  I'm still experimenting with other adaptogens, sometimes I take phenibut (very very rearly) but thanks to ashwa my life is great and I dont need to take any other medications and I cannot imagine my life without it. This plant is my life saver! Regards to everybody. 

 

Andrew could you tell what is the dosage?

You said you are taking Himalaya brand 250mg, right?

I have Himalaya too, but can't figure out how much exactly per table i am taking.

Could you have a look -> http://easycaptures..../0584274689.png

Seems like i need to divide tables in 2 or 3 to achieve 250mg?

[vtrader]

Are there any auyrvedic trained experts here on this forum?

 

 

[pamojja]

Is it the "withanolides" content that have the effects?

 

According to op, he says one caplet is 250mg, but the label from the Himalaya brand show differently.

 

It says one caplet contains:

 

Organic ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera Dunal) 
standardized supercritical CO₂ extract (8% Withanolides - 0.8 mg*) 10 mg * Organic ashwagandha root standardized extract (0.5% Withanolides - 1.4 mg*) 280 mg * Organic ashwagandha root powder (0.2% Withanolides - 0.76 mg*) 380 mg

 

If I remember right OP said that he uses the Indian version of Himalays brand Ashwagandha. See its sole ingredient here.

 

The indian pure herb extracts are very different from their western counterparts in that they aren't organically produced (an Indian medical counselor from Himalaya brand once told me, because then they would become too expensive for the Indian market) and officially aren't standardized for anything at all.

 

However, considering Himyalaya's flagship product LIV.52, of which there are 2 versions - one made from the plain powders of herbs, an other in the form of syrup from the extracts of the same herbs - and compare that with each dosages recommendations, it seems at least in this product they use 2:1 extracts.
 

Edited by pamojja, 05 March 2016 - 06:05 PM.

[pamojja]

Are there any auyrvedic trained experts here on this forum?

 

I made the experience in India that Ayurveda is so all-encompassing that each Ayurvedic doctor seems to have specialized on a fraction of it.

 

Though Ayurveda uses extraction processes since ancient times, at least old Ayurvedic doctors didn't seem to understand the concept of 5:1 standardized extracts, commonly used in the West. Instead, Ayurvedic ingredients labels of extracted products, like tablets or herbal wines, often only state the amount (weight or percentage..) of an herb from which it was made of.

 

Last but not least, Himalaya company products, though widely available throughout India, are despised by not few of the locals as not being that effective as their more traditional brands.

 

 

One western expert trained in Ayurveda is Todd Caldecott, who has put up a few monographs of Ayurvedic herbs, Ashwagandha is here: https://www.toddcald...bs/ashwagandha/ (needs registering).

 

These are the dose ranges for Ashwangandha:

 

 

Dosage:
• Cūrṇa: 3-15 g b.i.d.-t.i.d.
• Kvātha: 1:4, 60-120 mL b.i.d.-t.i.d.
• Tincture: fresh root, 1:2, 95% alcohol; dried root, 1:3; 35% alcohol; 1-15 mL b.i.d.-t.i.d.

 

Edited by pamojja, 05 March 2016 - 06:04 PM.

[vtrader]

Trying to find quality products and the optimal dosage which would work for me is a challenge.

There is not standard method. For example OTC paracetamol is standard at 500mg, got pain you take this up to 8 times a day, simple, there does not seem to be a difference in quality of brand.

 

But with herbs it feels all over the place, some places for example say to take 5-10g of ash a day, some day 1-3g . Then there are the extracts.

 

 

 

 

Are there any auyrvedic trained experts here on this forum?

 

I made the experience in India that Ayurveda is so all-encompassing that each Ayurvedic doctor seems to have specialized on a fraction of it.

 

Though Ayurveda uses extraction processes since ancient times, at least old Ayurvedic doctors didn't seem to understand the concept of 5:1 standardized extracts, commonly used in the West. Instead, Ayurvedic ingredients labels of extracted products, like tablets or herbal wines, often only state the amount (weight or percentage..) of an herb from which it was made of.

 

Last but not least, Himalaya company products, though widely available throughout India, are despised by not few of the locals as not being that effective as their more traditional brands.

 

 

One western expert trained in Ayurveda is Todd Caldecott, who has put up a few monographs of Ayurvedic herbs, Ashwagandha is here: https://www.toddcald...bs/ashwagandha/ (needs registering).

 

These are the dose ranges for Ashwangandha:

 

 

Dosage:
• Cūrṇa: 3-15 g b.i.d.-t.i.d.
• Kvātha: 1:4, 60-120 mL b.i.d.-t.i.d.
• Tincture: fresh root, 1:2, 95% alcohol; dried root, 1:3; 35% alcohol; 1-15 mL b.i.d.-t.i.d.

 

 

[pamojja]

Trying to find quality products and the optimal dosage which would work for me is a challenge.

There is not standard method. For example OTC paracetamol is standard at 500mg, got pain you take this up to 8 times a day, simple, there does not seem to be a difference in quality of brand.

 

But with herbs it feels all over the place, some places for example say to take 5-10g of ash a day, some day 1-3g . Then there are the extracts.

 

It only seems so simple with OTC medication. Even taking the lowest doses, in my case I may end with potentially serious side-effects. For example a baby aspirin gives me bloody stool.

 

While with Ayurvedic herbs usually one doesn't have to worry about serious side-effects even at high doses of the churnas (as fine powdered herbs are called), but accumulation of heavy metals with long therm use. India is a very polluted place.

 

However, taking Indian Ayurvedic herbs and herbal extracts for a couple of years myself, that doesn't seem to have happened according to my hair tissue mineral analysises. Kidney and liver markers in blood tests actually all have improved.

 

Just titrate to a dose you're comfortable with, as you already do with OTC meds anyway,.

 

The risk increase in serious adverse event between 500 and 4000mg of paracetamol is is that much higher than taking 1g versus 15g Ashwagandha powder. I wouldn't ever recommend the same with paractamol.

 

Edited by pamojja, 06 March 2016 - 11:18 AM.

[pamojja]

But with herbs it feels all over the place, some places for example say to take 5-10g of ash a day, some day 1-3g . Then there are the extracts.

 

With natural powdered herbs one has to account for many factors diminishing the quality. Harvest time, quality of herbs collected, storage time. For example it is said that a powdered herb has lost most of it's therapeutic action after 1 year of storage, while processed into tablets they could be used for a couple of years..

 

Also in India they rarely use such high doses of a single herb, but rather the synergies with other similar acting ones.

[vtrader]

Aghh, does anyone know why ash is now making my depression worse, I feel more numb minded?

Have tried difference brands and types they are now producing the same results.

 

[Andrey_81]

Aghh, does anyone know why ash is now making my depression worse, I feel more numb minded?

Have tried difference brands and types they are now producing the same results.

 

Try not to use too much. I was always taking extract and had (and still have) great results with doses up to 500-750 mg per day.
With Himalaya extract (from India) my usual dosage was 3 caps per day  (early morning on empty stomach with coffee, then afternoon with coffee, and one before sleep).

I didn't like himalaya extract due to the substance they use called Bronopol  so I changed to (probably the best extract (KSM-66). Just look on the bottle, it doesn't matter who is supplier, the extract provider is what counts.

I rely on this one http://bit.ly/1SPUKaj

I only need 2 caps per day (one in the morning and one afternoon). Sometimes I only take one (always in the morning). No more sleep disorders so I don't need the 3rd one.

Based on my experience you have to find your own dosage that works, but don't take too much because you can have opposite effect. Few weeks ago I took one pill in the  morning and one afternoon but I wasn't sure if I took that second one. To be sure I took a third one (almost immediately after the second pill) because I was thinking... better more than less. So this was the double dosage taken afternoon and I experienced higher anxiety level (very noticeable).  Stick to the right dose and have at least 6 hours before the next pill.

 

And yes... it still works

Edited by Andrey_81, 12 July 2016 - 01:49 PM.

[ceridwen]

What's wrong with Bronopol?

[Andrey_81]

What's wrong with Bronopol?

 

http://www.brighthub...cles/48140.aspx

http://www.natural-s...m/bronopol.html

http://echa.europa.e...nfo/100.000.131

 

Unfortunately, in the list of ingredients of himalaya ashwagandha there is also bronopol. I don't have the photo but this was visible on the old package.

It looked similar to this (again problem with Bronopol):  https://thirteenskin...-bael-bronopol/

It's also found in Himalaya toothpaste (under other ingredients):
http://www.healthbya...2924__26530.jpg

 

 

Edited by Andrey_81, 12 July 2016 - 01:46 PM.

[Agatao]

Ashwagandha is a great example I left out. Very effective anxiolytic over time, and in a very rejuvenating way. Lowers Cortisol and has GABAminergic effects, so it's an important long term supplement for me. Magnesium Glycinate makes a good combo, but its effects rise/fade in 2-7 days of starting or stopping so not as "long-term".

[Daniscience]

Hello everybody, noob here

 

I've been taking Jarrow's ashwagandha for a month and I have mixed feelings (KSM-66 Ashwagandha 300mg (Root Extract) (Withania somnifera)).

 

This stuff certainly promotes some inner changes in my body, deeper sleep and well being (somehow). The downside is that it makes me feel extremely tired and dizzy if I take it sooner in the day, so I must take it like 2-3 hours before sleep (or later) otherwise it ruins my energy levels. But it makes so in a "weird way". I feel like I should rest, but I don't feel destroyed or bad, I just want sleep and/or stay in bed and don't move.

 

Is this normal at first or am I making something wrong? Are my adrenal glands broken or should I combine ashwagandha with other herb/vitamin? My desire is to help muscle/energy recovery for my gym goals (I want to train harder at the gym room and more frequently). Maybe there's a better brand of ashwagandha? I purchase at iHerb, found this other brand called "Organic India" maybe that's better than Jarrow's?

 

Thanks in advance