This appears to contain an extract from Polygonum cuspidatum standardized to 25% trans-resveratrol. Extracts at this percentage of resveratrol contain 10% or more emodin. This means each cap almost certainly contains 40 mg or more of emodin. Most people who take two or more of these caps a day will experience a strong laxative effect. Even one cap will do it for many people
Would this mean country life brand is better than doctor's best? Say you were taking 200-400mg a day..... Both brands seem fairly economical
Yes. Country Life is made with a 50% resveratrol content from the same herb. The do not specify their emodin content (and probably did not specify when they ordered their raw material) but these run under 10% emodin. I can get it in two grades; under 5% and under 3%. Where the emodin content is unspecified, it runs over 5%, sometimes close to 10%.
So Country live will have a higher ratio of resveratrol to emodin, and you can take a higher dose without grotesque gastrointestinal gurgling. I've not been able to find out the emodin content of Country Life (or of BAC powder which is straight 50% resveratrol extract.) I've spoken with James Betz, who makes Bioforte. He claims to keep his emodin content under 5%. Even at 5%, a 500 mg capsule containing 250 mg of resveratrol will contain 25 mg of emodin. Two capsule will contain 50 mg of emodin, which I find is a laxative. Taken in divided doses, spread out over a day (as the mice ate theirs with food in Sinclair's study) this amount would be tolerable for many people. Mr. Betz has told me he is taking 1500 mg a day; I think that was one capsule with every meal. He said he adapted to that amount of emodin. Revgenetics offers a 1000mg cap, with 500 mg of trans-resveratrol, and claim a very low emodin content. I am leery of their product; there were factual inaccuracies in the FAQ on their website. They could be merely using a bigger capsule than others, yet the color of the capsules in their pictures is not the brownish-red of a 50% extract like they claim to be using-- it is the color of the 98% extracts I've had in front of me. If there is a lot of inconsistency instead of clarity, it's a warning sign to me.
People do vary in their response to emodin, and a little may be a good thing. It is a powerful anti-cancer molecule, but many cannot tolerate even small doses, and some of us want to take higher doses than 100 or 250 mg without discomfort.
I've been taking resveratrol since early January, both Orchid and a 98% extract I obtained and tested. I increased my dose in stages to 1 gram daily, in two divided doses. So far my HDL has increased 16 points, my total cholesterol has dropped 13 points. My power output over time on an ergonometer is greater, though this could be placebo. Blood glucose is unchanged. Arthritic joint pain is diminished; resveratrol is known to be a COX-2 inhibitor. I think there may be more to it than that. Yesterday I was able to crack my knuckles for the first time in years, since before I developed arthritis symptoms. Could this be an indicator of improved joint health?
I've been informed that at this time, the FDA regulates P. cuspidatum resveratrol extracts as an herbal supplement. As long as the resveratrol is found in association with other substances that are naturally occuring in the herb, they would have a hard time banning it, and little motivation to do so, unless it was found to be harmful. (Despite what people say about big pharma, the FDA generally listens to its budgetary constraints more than to pharmaceutical companies.) Other supplements are marketed that are standardized to 80%, or more. I would expect to see higher potency extracts on the market by this summer.
I can get 80, 85,90, 95 or 98% extracts. 85% has 1 to 3% emodin. 90% is usually under 1% emodin. I believe I can buy 80% or higher extract, have it tested, use a clean-room facility in the US to cap and bottle it for me, and still bring it in with the price no more that $2 a gram. I don't know if it would be a profitable use of my time.