:       I saw an advertisement for the chinese herb Ginkgo Biloba which
: claimed that doctors in Europe (the ad, of course, didn’t mention _what_
: kind of "doctors" prescribe this stuff) widely prescribe this herb for
: senility/improved mental functioning (whatever that might mean…).

Personally in my observations I have found ginkgo to be hyped and overrated.
The Ayurvedic gotu kola (no caffeine) herb is less expensive and more
effective.  There are also other nutritional supplements and lifestyle
changes that can enhance mental functioning, especially in the middle and
later years.

There has been a lot of research done on herbs, and the documentation is
easy to find, but very little real education done in the US, save the
hyped and exaggerated claims of some supplement manufacturers.

Also, everyone experiences something a bit different with herbs and herb
cominations, just as they do with eating various foods.  A general rule
of thumb is that the chronically deficient will experience more of a
result and faster; these types tend to be more introverted as they are
not doing as well in life or have to struggle more, so they notice small
changes in the body.  The highly energetic, because of their already-high
energy state, will notice less; these types tend to be more extroverted
also and not as observant of subtle body changes.
—
—————————————————————————
|  cbwil…@netcom.com             | "Values are the infrastructure       |
|                                  |  upon which civilization             |
|                                  |  will be reinvented."  –  CBW       |
—————————————————————————

I’m not as enamoured of Tyler as I once was, since a couple of times
people on the Net have found errors in his book.  But it is still
the only herb book I have found that relies solely on published
scientific studies and that lists references.  I recommend that
any person interested in herbalism get this book.  It is in
print, the ISBN # is 1-56204-287-6, and is put out by The
Haworth Press. It can be special ordered through any large bookstore,
and costs approximately $20.
s

———————————————————————–
 Camilla Cracchiolo, RN     cami…@netcom.com    Los Angeles, CA

     Shrine of the Cybernetic Madonna BBS      213-766-1356
              "The BBS for the information addict!"
———————————————————————–

>    I’d also like to know if Ginseng has been studied by academics, and
>what benefits this herb might have on people.

ten years ago, i read a book that summarized the british, russian,
and chinese literature on ginseng; there was then no significant
american literature on ginseng, but the advent of ethnobotany has
probably improved things since then. i don’t remember the title or
the author, but here’s what i do remember:

ginseng contains a complicated mix of vegetable-derived steroid
hormones, including some that act on the human endocrine system,
especially the adrenals, gonads, and the pituitary. apparently,
some of the hormones mimic directly certain hormones in the pituitary-
adrenal axis, while others stimulate the adrenals to replenish their
stock of the hormones & receptors they secrete and make. not
coincidentally, a common side-effect of ginseng’s use is some
suppression of the immune system.

the particular mix of this steroid cocktail depends on the species,
size, locale, and preparation of the ginseng. for example, siberian
ginseng boosts fertility more strongly than american, chinese, or korean
ginseng, while red korean ginseng has more of an effect on sex drive.
chinese and american white ginseng are said to bring the whole endocrine
system into a better "balance." in order of deceasing potency, the
ranking of preparations is:

     wild is better than cultivated,
     fresh > preserved >> dried > extract >> tincture >> powdered tea,
     red is stronger & harsher than white (these are processing styles)

note that chinese herbal doctors recommend against young people (i.e.,
non-old people) using ginseng, especially in the warmer months of the
year.  i’m not a psychopharm professional, but i do use ginseng when my
doctor (a chinese-trained m.d.) prescribes it. i seldom use ginseng
on my own initiative anymore, because i’ve found that while its effect
on me is always pronounced, i prefer my doctor’s judgement and results,
to my own.

                                                        -don davis, boston

I don’t think that anyone knowledgable would claim that l-tryptophan and
fluoxetine were equivalent.  

>Firstly, the assumption that administering more of something will
>increase the amount of absorbtion and synthesis of substances for
>which the amino acid is precursor ignores the obvious fact that
>the body is regulated by powerful feedback mechanisms which prevent
>this sort of this from having any long term effect. Even the simplest
>systems need control mechanisms, and the human body probably has some
>of the most ingenious.

This has, however, been shown to occur with l-tryptophan and 5-HT.  Those
feedback mechanisms probably reduce any effect that unaugmented
l-tryptophan has, but your body is far from a perfect machine…

>Since the administration of LT without an MAOI or anti-DA drug causes
>no such behaviour, it is likely that the regulatory mechanisms ensure
>that high does of LT are not converted into neurotransmitters so that
>the relative levels of DA and 5HT are not significantly altered.

Yes, there are regulatory mechanisms.  No, they are not sufficient to
completely prevent the synthesis and release of 5-HT.

–
Lamont Granquist (lamo…@u.washington.edu)
http://stein1.u.washington.edu/hyplan.html GCS/P/S/SS d– h s:+ !g p? !au a22
w+ v— C++++ UU++>+++ P+ L- 3 N* K— W— M? V– -po+/– Y+ t+ 5- j- rp G?
!tv b++ D+ ba— e*/+ u–(—) h*(+) f?(+) r n—->+ y+(*)

: >        The "smart druggies" have claimed that the ingestion of L-Phenylalanine
: >and Tyrosine can alleviate depression. How might these substances achieve
: >this effect?

: By increasing DA production in a similar fashion to l-dopa therapy.  Of
: course this requires that tyrosine hydroxylase not be saturated so that
: increased levels of tyrosine can lead to increased levels of l-dopa and
: DA, and tyrosine hydroxylase is normally saturated.  Assuming a person
: was atypical, however, this might actually work — someone on
: alt.psychoactives found a studying suggesting that stress might cause
: this to occur.

: >(probably not a good thing… as someone on
: >the net suggested, even if these substances can alleviate depression, this
: >kind of treatment doesn’t address the causes of depression… unless one wants
: >to take a purely physical stance on depression),

: Which is a criticism that can be levelled at Prozac.

: >are people actually _harming_
: >themselves by taking these two amino acids (or the other smart drugs I
: >mentioned?). For L-Phenylalanine, let’s say someone is taking 500-1000 MG
: >a day of this substance.

: I don’t think there is any known chronic toxicity for l-phe or l-tyr
: (excepting phenylketonurics, of course) so it is probably as safe as
: Prozac.  I tend to doubt that it is without any toxicity, but it
: appears to be minimal…

: —
: Lamont Granquist (lamo…@u.washington.edu)
: http://stein1.u.washington.edu/hyplan.html GCS/P/S/SS d– h s:+ !g p? !au a22
: w+ v— C++++ UU++>+++ P+ L- 3 N* K— W— M? V– -po+/– Y+ t+ 5- j- rp G?
: !tv b++ D+ ba— e*/+ u–(—) h*(+) f?(+) r n—->+ y+(*)

I am very skeptical of the value of administering large doses of amino
acids in order to produce the effects of drugs which act on the
nervous system in more specific ways.

Firstly, the assumption that administering more of something will
increase the amount of absorbtion and synthesis of substances for
which the amino acid is precursor ignores the obvious fact that
the body is regulated by powerful feedback mechanisms which prevent
this sort of this from having any long term effect. Even the simplest
systems need control mechanisms, and the human body probably has some
of the most ingenious.

However, I do believe that amino acids can cause profound changes if
the regulatory mechanism is suppressed or modified using another drug.
An excellent example of this occurred in 1972, when an experiment
was conducted in a mental institution to determine whether L-tryptophan
was an effective anti-depressant/anti-psychotic.

Female schizophrenics were taken off their normal medication and
given LT instead. When this failed, LT theraphy was continued, but the
original med (Chloropromazine, and  an MAOI) was continued. The women
immediately `suffered’ drug induced nymphomania, the only recorded case of
this I have ever encountered.

Since the administration of LT without an MAOI or anti-DA drug causes
no such behaviour, it is likely that the regulatory mechanisms ensure
that high does of LT are not converted into neurotransmitters so that
the relative levels of DA and 5HT are not significantly altered.

———————————————————————
Jonathan S. Maltz                  
P.O. Box 15551                      Fax. +27 11 485-1410
Doornfontein                        e-mail: ma…@shannon.ee.wits.ac.za
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South Africa                

"You’re born, you keep your head down, then  you die …
  if you’re lucky."
– Adrian Edmunson (Bottom)
———————————————————————

By increasing DA production in a similar fashion to l-dopa therapy.  Of
course this requires that tyrosine hydroxylase not be saturated so that
increased levels of tyrosine can lead to increased levels of l-dopa and
DA, and tyrosine hydroxylase is normally saturated.  Assuming a person
was atypical, however, this might actually work — someone on
alt.psychoactives found a studying suggesting that stress might cause
this to occur.

>(probably not a good thing… as someone on
>the net suggested, even if these substances can alleviate depression, this
>kind of treatment doesn’t address the causes of depression… unless one wants
>to take a purely physical stance on depression),

Which is a criticism that can be levelled at Prozac.

>are people actually _harming_
>themselves by taking these two amino acids (or the other smart drugs I
>mentioned?). For L-Phenylalanine, let’s say someone is taking 500-1000 MG
>a day of this substance.

I don’t think there is any known chronic toxicity for l-phe or l-tyr
(excepting phenylketonurics, of course) so it is probably as safe as
Prozac.  I tend to doubt that it is without any toxicity, but it
appears to be minimal…

–
Lamont Granquist (lamo…@u.washington.edu)
http://stein1.u.washington.edu/hyplan.html GCS/P/S/SS d– h s:+ !g p? !au a22
w+ v— C++++ UU++>+++ P+ L- 3 N* K— W— M? V– -po+/– Y+ t+ 5- j- rp G?
!tv b++ D+ ba— e*/+ u–(—) h*(+) f?(+) r n—->+ y+(*)