15 replies to this topic

[OneScrewLoose]

I have never seen this discussed.  I am not talking about glucocorticoid agonists either, but rather substances that increase your own bodies production of cortisol.

[FunkOdyssey]

OneScrewLoose, on 16 September 2010 - 10:31 AM, said:

I have never seen this discussed.  I am not talking about glucocorticoid agonists either, but rather substances that increase your own bodies production of cortisol.

Standardized SJW (Perika or Kira) @ 600mg daily.

Buspirone.

[leha]

SJW: Sino-Japanese War?

Buspirone: that's a drug. Wasn't the question about supplements that enhance the body's ability to produce its own cortisol?

I'm not sure why you would want to produce more cortisol, unless you are low on it, but if your body does run low, or you are dealing with atrophied adrenals or something, the best thing is to address the whole system, because often what might seem like lowered cortisol is a more complex situation.

For example, if your physician stuck you on Prednisone at high doses for several months, coming off of that you might feel weak, puffy, and just plain ill for months or even years, and it's definitely a sign that your endocrine system has been abused and left in a FUBAR state, but the fix might be good nutrition (but see caveat below), exercise, some melatonin for awhile, to help reset your clock, and some DHEA to get your ratios back in balance. These will all help support your body restoring its own cortisol when it's been *depleted*, but I don't know any specific supplement (or reason) for raising cortisol levels beyond the body's natural set point.

Caveat to nutrition: Ghrelin, the substance your body releases when you are hungry, has been shown to increase cortisol levels. So either periodic fasting or a CRON diet might help restore balances, as well.

Getting enough sleep is also important. If taking melatonin at night doesn't work out for you, it's also possible to reset your clock using 5-HTP during the day. It's not necessary to take a lot of either of these, nor, IMO, to take both.

Hope this helps.

[FunkOdyssey]

leha, on 16 September 2010 - 04:12 PM, said:

SJW: Sino-Japanese War?

Buspirone: that's a drug. Wasn't the question about supplements that enhance the body's ability to produce its own cortisol?

SJW: St. John's Wort.

Any supplement powerful enough to effectively influence cortisol levels is essentially an unregulated drug.  I don't think the distinction serves anyone.

[jazzcat]

Licorice prevents the breakdown of cortisol.

[leha]

FunkOdyssey, on 16 September 2010 - 04:27 PM, said:

SJW: St. John's Wort.

Oh. Duh.  

[leha]

jazzcat, on 17 September 2010 - 11:16 AM, said:

Licorice prevents the breakdown of cortisol.

Gotta be careful with licorice, though, because of toxicity of glycyrrhizic acid.

[LIB]

Possibly vitamin B5

[OneScrewLoose]

I have a lot of evidence right now that a lot of my health issues are hormonal, and I am exploring this.  Not only would it be hormonal, but it would be a strange problem that might require a strange solution.  I posted a few times before about very unique experiences I've had with certain supplements.  So I know my request for cortisol-elevating supps may seem weird, but bear with me.  One curious thing that happened to me was the exacerbation of a lot of my symptoms on methylene blue, which blocks cortisol binding.  Because of this and other evidence, I want to see what happens if I can directly raise cortisol levels.

@Ihea: As far as I am aware, DHEA lowers cortisol.

[Rational Madman]

OneScrewLoose, on 18 September 2010 - 10:22 AM, said:

I have a lot of evidence right now that a lot of my health issues are hormonal, and I am exploring this.  Not only would it be hormonal, but it would be a strange problem that might require a strange solution.  I posted a few times before about very unique experiences I've had with certain supplements.  So I know my request for cortisol-elevating supps may seem weird, but bear with me.  One curious thing that happened to me was the exacerbation of a lot of my symptoms on methylene blue, which blocks cortisol binding.  Because of this and other evidence, I want to see what happens if I can directly raise cortisol levels.

@Ihea: As far as I am aware, DHEA lowers cortisol.

Beyond the aforementioned, the most likely would be L-Tyrosine, L-DPLA, 5-htp, and the tissue extracts.

[medievil]

Perhaps experimenting with a really low dose of cortisone for a couple of days will provide some answers, not the best long term solution, but just to see wheter that really is the problem.

[nito]

wait doesn't high cortisol result in anxiety? Why would anyone want to raise that.

[medievil]

nito, on 20 September 2010 - 02:47 PM, said:

wait doesn't high cortisol result in anxiety? Why would anyone want to raise that.

It can actually be anxiolytic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC1414637/

[nito]

medievil, on 20 September 2010 - 02:56 PM, said:

nito, on 20 September 2010 - 02:47 PM, said:

wait doesn't high cortisol result in anxiety? Why would anyone want to raise that.

It can actually be anxiolytic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC1414637/

Oh oki so perika as funk said raises cortisol which you say can help anxiety. And aswagadha as i believe lowers it, which i was just about to buy. So the question is, to lower cortisol with ashw or raise it with perika, which one would give anxiety relief. Perhaps a combination of both:laugh:

[vrain]

isocort provides cortisol for adrenal support - 2 pellets equal 2.5mg cortisol or something.   dr.mariano's 'definitive mind' forum delves quite a bit into cortisol, dhea and a stressed adrenal system. depending on what stage of functioning your adrenal system's at - cortisol could help or make things worse.
theory is that with a non suppressive dose of cortisol will allow your system to rest/recover and begin catching up with its own production..so in a roundabout way this supplement helps your body produce cortisol.

[karoloydi]

I ve been taking licorice for a few months with good (subjective) results (no tests done).
But I wasnt sure if it would be safe to keep taking licorice for too long.
So I switched to curcumin. It doesnt feel as strong as licorice in increasing cortisol, but I think its safer.
Also some types of ginseng help ( I think Siberian and Asian).