7 replies to this topic

[Danniel]

I am 51yo, male and suffered most of my life of depression. I used various medications with various results and all with multitudes of side effects. Since 5 years I faded out the medication and experimented with diverse remedies. I tried all from mediation, psilocybin,  THC, CBD, and many others. The only supplement which consistently helped was an extract of Saint John Wort (Johanniskraut, Hypericum Perforatum).

 

A few weeks ago was reading a paper I found in one of the rapamycin threads with the title: "Caloric Restriction Mimetics against Age-Associated Disease: Targets, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential"

https://www.cell.com...4131(19)30018-X

 

That led me to ordering an extract of curcumin with black pepper and some ingwer. My hopes were that will not get worse and, maybe, will help me lose some weight (I plan on doing CR enhanced with CR mimetics)

 

 

Results:

 

Day: got beaming with youthful energy and optimism. Got out for some jogging. Played guitar. Reconnected and had great time with my teenage daughter. I begun dreaming about the future and making plans how to reach them and... I begun acting on those plans!

 

Nights: I fall asleep easily. This alone is surreal for me. I sleep all night, like a log. I dream extremely intense. I vaguely remember while waking up that I was feeling like after a very intense exam in college. This morning I woke up 2 minute before the alarm clock. Amazing!

 

In the past two weeks, I eliminated all other supplements excepting the 1.5mg hypericin (from the 500mg Hypericum Perforatum extract) and 500mgCurcumin (+20mg Pepper extract + 20mg Ingwer). The positive results not just persist but created a positive trend.

 

This is, obviously, my experience, n = 1.

[protoject]

That's very interesting. Have you tried the curcumin supplement by itself? How much effect do you get on st johns wort alone vs taking it with the curcumin supplement, vs not taking any of that? 

I'd be interested to see:
how you feel with no supplements

how you feel with SJW
how you feel with curcumin/bioperine supplement

how you feel with SJW and curcumin/bioperine supplement together

 

I found SJW definitely had some sort of effect on me but that it's iffy, how about qualitatively, did you find the quality of the effect on your subjective experience changed, or was it only the magnitude of the SJW's effect being increased?

[Danniel]

That's very interesting. Have you tried the curcumin supplement by itself? How much effect do you get on st johns wort alone vs taking it with the curcumin supplement, vs not taking any of that? 

I'd be interested to see:
how you feel with no supplements

- I slowly slide toward depression. Deep depression.

 

how you feel with SJW

- it is the only over the counter that works for me. I tried everything from microdosing psylocibin to cold showers to mindful meditation. I get a first kick out of placebo and then nothing, back to darkness.

how you feel with curcumin/bioperine supplement

- I didn't tried it. I only once stopped taking SJW, during experimenting with mushrooms. I got so depressed that was fading away out of no desire to live. Heavy stuff.

 

how you feel with SJW and curcumin/bioperine supplement together

- it's amazing. I feel and act...normal. For example, just today I started to refresh the paint in my kitchen. Last time I did it I  was under heavy doses of antidepressants. That was 2011. Since then, my kitchen's ceiling turned a kind of dark grey from so many overcooked/burned dishes.

 

I found SJW definitely had some sort of effect on me but that it's iffy, how about qualitatively, did you find the quality of the effect on your subjective experience changed, or was it only the magnitude of the SJW's effect being increased?

- I had a similar experience as you until I upped the dosage to 2x the recommended

 

 

[gamesguru]

Synergy is when two chemicals work together through different mechanisms on the same cause.

St John's has substantial evidence behind it for mild depression (https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/28064110/). It's the foremost serotonergic natural antidepressant, not even overshadowed by recent developments like saffron.

Curcumin works another way, by inhibiting glutamate release (https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/21741425/). This is more likely to help with negative or anhedonic depression

[elc202]

Is Hypericin (SJW) still considered toxic to your eyes, causing cataract?

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm...les/PMC3654046/

https://www.research..._St_John's_Wort

[gamesguru]

Doesn't seem to be any updates since the 2009 and 2013 studies, so I would assume the gambit is still on.

The other argument against it seems to run along the lines of: it shares so much in common with clinical SSRIs, and those are questionable, so likely it is as well.

Perhaps it was only my own reaction but the effects seem more prescient and undulating than anything nice, at times bordering on delirium and mania.

 

There are probably better ways to target depression like that: Magnesium. Herbal adaptogens or stimulants. Flax seed. Turmeric. Polyphenol-rich diets.

[APBT]

Have a look at this thread:  https://www.longecit...ing-in-general/

[Danniel]

thank you, APBT!