I have a history of Hericium erinceus aka Lion's Mane Mushroom consumption in dried form in addition to the 30% polysaccharide alcohol+water extract. NF - kappaB signalling is helpful at times. NF - kappaB inhibition is helpful at times. If I felt like my telomeres really needed some shortening and needed some naive T-cells and NGF, I'd consume <1g hericium extract.
i don't want to hijack this thread, but i was wondering if you could vette your thought further on this point. what do you suggest for a nootropic then? what do you make of Rita Levi-Montalcini applying NGF to her eyeballs for what is probably decades now?
thx
-pro
Haha I loved that story of the old discoverer of NGF still eyedropping herself. She's still a tough cookie. That they didn't give her the Nobel Prize for NGF until 42 years later for it is also telling. Not to forget the Douglas Adams numerology.
Back to the old hericium erinaceus conundrum. I won't say Lion's mane is perfect for mass consumption because the immune systems of people are different. Lion's mane mushroom is a great source of beta glucan, as are most mushrooms, but curiously some plants adaptively manufacture beta glucan upon exposure to fluoride.
Promotion of beta-glucan synthase activity in corn microsomal membranes by calcium and protein phosphorylation.In humans, there is are beta glucan receptors in the macrophage cell cycle beginning with bone marrow. It can be thought of as an adjuvant in this respect. In most people, emotions can trigger IL-6 cascade. Or does the IL-6 cascade cause the emotion? That's for you to decide. NGF has been associated with the biochemistry of the first year of being in love. So this hericium, being loaded with not only beta glucan, but also NGF mRNA promoters, is in essense, an emotional issue. If an IL-6-emotion-linked person goes and primes his/her body with hericium and gets the worst news of his/her life, could that not trigger an exaggerated immune reaction? In addition to all of those emotion augmenting qualities, hericium is also a kappa opioid receptor agonist, corresponding to dysphoria. Erinacine E's kappa opioid agonist effect is being investigated for analgeis properties so it is written. But for me, I had increased sense of smell, taste, increased sense of disgust, decreased feeling of sluggishness upon awakening and leaving bed and decreased mental effort required for body movement. And when I first started, I once had an ant-bite swell to the size of a bee-sting. So whether hericium is an effective nootropic is not the question, its just, what are ALL of the effects of taking it, and do you want to take nature and TCM's grab-bag-of-effects cure? This isn't a single chemical, its a whole herb and a whole extract, with whole effects. I never had saw ill effects from hericium whole dried powder form (beige colored not dark brown like the extract). It's protein and carb content makes it a great long-lasting energy drink if you just mix a tablespoon or two with hot water allowing it to soak into a porridge that I would slurp down.
The dysphoric component of stress is encoded by activation of the dynorphin kappa-opioid systemWell as a hardass there-is-no-superpill nootropic I would prescribe incorporating Shaolin and an internal art and cross training other sports to increase the mind-body connection, taking care not to damage the knees. Vigorous jumping and rolling and floor exercises are effective for improved lymph flow. If you can do horse stance proper for an hour, I'd wager you have the mitochondria, blood flow, lymph flow, breathing patterns necessary to absorb knowledge, listen carefully to those around you, carry on doing effectively whatever you want to do. And just so you know, I'm no where near an hour yet, but it's the requirement for black belt.
In my experience what you're taking in voluntarily isn't so bad as what you're probably taking in involuntarily within products you eat and use. A bacon burger isn't just wheat, bacon and meat anymore. The bun likely has aluminum based baking powder. A bit of the transfats on the bun. Post 2005, the wheat grain preceding the flour for the bun was likely stored in lots sprayed with sulfuryl fluoride fumigant, delivering your pineal gland anti-aging gland a little blow. Ally yourself with the health of your body and learn your mutual enemies and friends. So all you iceberg and fake parmesan grilled chicken salad eating wannabe health bozos can have your PhIP, part of a chemical family known as heterocyclic amines (HCAs). I'll stick with meats or proteins that are marbled with enough quality fats to conduct heat well enough not to denature so badly during the cooking process. Is it better to eat something than nothing when confronted with less than healthy menu? Better than both is to be a disciplined shopper and have "what's healthy" on hand and clearly differentiate your "healthy eating places" from any "peer group pressurized vanity/leptin-driven communal poison eating session comfort zones".
Prior to noot cycle: As far as nutrition is concerned in nootropics, I like to keep a simple non-harsh baseline when I'm not taking noots. First and best thing I learned from ATS was need for choline. I think its important to have multiple sources of choline, depending on whether you're on a nootropic cycle or not. Soy lecithin is smooth, cheap, almost tasteless and loaded with what your brain needs, phosphatidylcholine being one big one. Soy isoflavones have been exonerated: they reduce DHT and increase serum testosterone. The liver defatting effect of soy lecithin will give you more fast glycogen burning capability for quick bursts of speed rather than slower glucagon triggered liver fat metabolism and when PC is combined with magnesium and CoQ10, is proven to reduce heart attack risk in starting a new exercise program. I only mention the CoQ10 for reference: it is good, but expensive nowadays.
Fish Oil, hopefully PCB Free, is necessary to displace the poorest quality fats stored.
2-AEP calcium one pill 500mg a week (IMHO most powerful calcium in existence, I feel I get enough calcium from fillers daily and calcium inhibits absorption of zinc in the stomach)
D3 - 1000IU/day
Not personally a fan of multivitamins (Never tried one. Certificates of Analysis for all those industry-derived ingredients please?) I chew small amounts of raw dried superfruits throughout the day for energy and antioxidant quench. (Okay, they could have pesticides even though they say organic) Just 2-3g goji is equivalent to RDA vitamin A dose in provitamin form so its not harsh on the liver. Goji provides the pigments your eyes need to remain sensitive after hours of studying or low light conditions. I felt goji fruit, not extract provided me with an almost equivalent increase in vision as racetams did for me. I'd recommend some eye yoga or archery to promote circulation in retinal periphery especially effective after you have taken either racetams or goji.
Antioxidants: Goji as an antioxidant isn't best at protecting against hypoxia and hypoxia is pretty much a ceiling for all of us. In the days of the dinosaurs air pressure was so high, creatures lungs didn't need to be as big as they are today, and the creatures themselves were larger and supported larger nervous systems. This is one nootropic avenue for reclaiming at least temporarily, some cortex real estate lost due to the atmosphere of earth escaping into space over the millenia and resultant decreases in diatomic blood oxygen levels. For that taking an internal art class (My brief experience: Kriya Yoga, Qigong, Reiki, Tai Chi) . You'd be surprised how smart and kind crowds of people can be if just they all have mastered how to breathe proper. I notice that the people I consider most smart emit an innately elevative energy. Naturals can disagree respectfully and still elevate the energy of a conversation in a positive way. The Tao. NAC is good daily for when you want high natural glutathione...But Holy basil is the best radiation defense on the shelves. Holy basil's cortisol lowering effect is well-documented. Cortisol helps us worry about other people's feelings in good ways, and cortisol blockade has health implications, so use in moderation. During my two semesters of nootropics use, I also set up a cheap espresso machine, and would do only gotu kola espresso in it (no coffee) on the go as an auxiliary antioxidant quench and nonsedative anxiolytic. The main active components of gotu kola are saponins, asiaticoside, madecassoside and madasiatic acid. I knew at the time though only that the saponins would help my memory, aid collagen type I repair, and that the long lived qigong master Li Ching-Yuen reportedly ate gotu kola leaves as a core of his longevity herbal salad.
Proferrin is the only brand of 100% heme iron (Biferrin is half heme) I have found on the net and it is back-ordered it is so popular. All the iron on the vitamin store shelves is crude harsh and ineffective compared to this natural form of iron that I have yet to try outside of the natural sources in meat.
If the N-Acetyl-L-Carnosine was available in bulk powder form, I'd be all over it. Instead Omega Sports Ultima offers a workout blend that includes N-Acetyl-L-Carnosine. Once popularized, and prices hopefully go down or bulk becomes available at low prices, it'll be king of anti-aging brain peptides until epitalon and other things become available.
Finally as for nootropic compounds other than hericium and antioxidants, I enjoyed cholinergics for about eight months. I liked the longer-lasting fat-soluble aniracetam as baseline with shorter duration water soluble oxiracetam as needed as small an amount as necessary 400 mg. Now as I said previously I prefer soy lecithin as a well-rounded choline source, but when spending money on noots, there are more expensive faster acting choline sources: my choline of choice was centrophenoxine. The worst side effect of stacking these I had was post-hypoglycemic hyperpolarization of retinal cells aka (white flashes) that are fixed by increasing glucose turnover rate in the brain. In the past I fixed the white flashes stacking with hydergine 3.5mg/day, but today oatmeal or another safe slow carb considering the orthostatic hypotension problem with ergoloid mesylates and the heart calcification issue briefly mentioned in german papers. Most oat meal has wheat allergen unless its imported specifically gluten free though, so remember to mind your p's and q's.
"The Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its
warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by
fools."
-Thucydides
Edited by phernandez, 16 March 2010 - 09:50 AM.
