herbals

gibbledygook · Post by **gibbledygook** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:29 am

I have been on 600mg of the Doctor's Best gingko for an hour now and have just done my 5 minute walk/tingle test. The walking produced fairly modest tingling which stopped in fairly quick fashion. I shall increase the dose this evening before supper to 1.2grams of Doctor's Best gingko with the salvia, curcumin and scutellaria and see how I fare tonight.

DIM · Post by **DIM** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:02 am

What about Puritan's Gingko that costs 12$ the 3x100caps (buy 1 get 2 free) and contains also 24% flavone glycosides?
I believe is the cheaper around.

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:19 pm

Jeff's still using EGCG supplements, taken with his lunch. We also added a quercetin supplement to the mix about two weeks ago. The combo of these 2 flavonoids together is quite potent. Jeff stopped taking his provigil, and claims his brain fog is gone. This is the best he's felt since before his first attack in '07. He went on a 25 mile mountain bike ride over the weekend. I'm actually astounded, and quite encouraged.

Here's some new research Gibbledygook found on the combo of EGCG and quercetin (which are also the main ingredients in Lance Armstong's new energy drink) The combo reduces endothelin-1, a vasoconstrictor, and helps improve blood vessel integrity.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/4/1018
AC

Post by **NHE** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:11 pm

Oregon's Wild Harvest sells one pound bags of dried organic gingko leaf powder. I know very little about the quality of this product and there isn't much data on their web site. Perhaps you could contact them and inquire about its purity analysis. On a side note, I have taken their turmeric extract with bioperin but now I'm back to whole turmeric. In addition, this gingko powder is also available from a natural foods co-op called Azure Standard but it requires a few hoops to be jumped through in order to purchase from them. If you're interested, I'll see if I can get a price so you can decide if it's worth your while.

OK, Oregon's Wild Harvest's online outlet wants $12.25 for one pound of the organic ground gingko leaf. I don't know how much they would charge for international shipping. In comparison, Azure Standard wants $19.40 for the same product. Clearly, Azure is not the best option.

NHE

gibbledygook · Post by **gibbledygook** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:15 am

Plus Oregon Wild Harvest have straight away given me assurance about the reliability of their product. Here's part of their email:

I just received your question from the president of our company, Randy, and I can assure you that raw materials that we use are subjected to a thorough evaluation on a range of criteria, ensuring conformance to specifications within a certain range. We go through this same process with intermediates (e.g., bulk liquids) and finished products, too.

Two quality control workers evaluate each and every raw material, intermediate, and finished product to make sure that taste, color, and odor are consistent and within specifications; also, each liquid product that we manufacture must conform rigorously to the formula that we have established, so that you will see consistency from batch to batch.

I really like the look of their stuff. Although sadly the range of their products isn't as great as herbalextracts+. Still, it's the quality that counts.

I have just done a day on a new brand which was one of the cheapest on Iherb called Doctor's Best and I think it is somewhat stronger than the herbalextractsplus gingko. I REALLY think gingko is good for MS.

gibbledygook · Post by **gibbledygook** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:53 am

I managed 3grams of Doctor's Best gingko yesterday with no adverse events and much reduced pain at night and no spasms. Today I am aiming for 4.8grams. I think the Doctor's best gingko is somewhat more potent than the gingko from herbalextractsplus.

Post by **NHE** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 6:10 pm

I really like the look of their stuff. Although sadly the range of their products isn't as great as herbalextracts+. Still, it's the quality that counts.

Yes, the one problem that you might run into is that it looks like ground whole leaf gingko and not a purified extract. Did they ever give you any information on it's content analysis, e.g., % glycosides and % terpenes etc?

I have just done a day on a new brand which was one of the cheapest on Iherb called Doctor's Best and I think it is somewhat stronger than the herbalextractsplus gingko. I REALLY think gingko is good for MS.

It's great to hear that you're doing well with your current herbal regimen!

NHE

gibbledygook · Post by **gibbledygook** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:58 am

good point about the "extract". I have a feeling that in fact all herbal suppliers provide the same thing which they call an extract!!!

CureOrBust · Post by **CureOrBust** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:32 am

gibbledygook wrote:I have a feeling that in fact all herbal suppliers provide the same thing which they call an extract!!!

I found a supplier that sells the leaf powder itself, and does not advertise anything different. Most "extract" based ones talk of 50:1 concentrations (I actually didn't find anything other than this concentration). Some mix their measurements whereby they say 2000mg Ginkgo leaf, and then give the equivalent that is actually in the capsule (ie 40mg extract).

gibbledygook · Post by **gibbledygook** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:46 am

I didn't realise this!!!! Ginkgo (which I also keep misspelling in my sudden enthusiasm for it) CONTAINS quercetin and kaempferol!!! As per below:

Biochemical Constituents - Flavonoid glycosides (such as quercetin and kaempferol) and diterpenes - including the terpene structures called ginkgolides (A, B, and C) and bilobalide. Pro-anthocyanidins, hetrerosides, bioflavones (such as sciaopitysin, ginkgetin, isoginkgentin, bilobetin, and ginkgolic acid), essential oil, and tannins.

which would explain why I keep coming across abstracts which discuss quercetin and kaempferol after ingestion of ginkgo.

gibbledygook · Post by **gibbledygook** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:26 pm

Doctor's Best is, I think, more potent than the herbalextractsplus ginkgo. This is because last night as I was gearing up to have my 3rd 1.2gram dose in about 7 hours I noticed that my head and brain felt like there was a lot of pressure or blood or something throbbing there. So I backed off from taking this dose and completing a whole 6grams for Wednesday and this morning my stiff right leg felt really quite nice and smooth. I think the maximum I'm going to take of Doctor's Best is 4.8g daily!

gibbledygook · Post by **gibbledygook** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:39 am

I see that there is a product on iherb that combines horse chestnut with ginkgo to support vascular health. I have today taken 3.6g of horse chestnut and 1.44g of ginkgo. The herbs were fully in the system when I did my 6 minute cross trainer session. Afterwards I had virtually NO tingling in the legs as is usual. I think that it is this combination which will most help perhaps with a bit of salvia thrown in. My leg feels a lot less stiff than yesterday when I was on a much higher dose of ginkgo.

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:11 am

Ha! That's cool news, GG
Quercetin comes from colorful skins: like the dark purple grape, the red apple and red onion. Some of the seeds from the tree are included in the herbal mix...must be colorful!
http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/treeDetail.cfm?id=162
Jeff takes "ginkold"...likes it alot....his tablets are orange-
enjoy,
AC

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:48 pm

Its still just in mice but good news on natural compounds are always welcome:
http://www.physorg.com/news143983831.html

--Frank

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:03 pm

Thanks, Frank...
Looks like EGCG is good for all autoimmune disease-
I posit it's the effect on the endothilium w/antioxidant properties

EGCG, a green tea polyphenol, improves endothelial function and insulin sensitivity, reduces blood pressure, and protects against myocardial I/R injury in SHR

We conclude that acute actions of EGCG to stimulate production of nitric oxide from endothelium using PI 3-kinase-dependent pathways may explain, in part, beneficial effects of EGCG therapy to simultaneously improve metabolic and cardiovascular pathophysiology in SHR.
http://ajpendo.physiology.org/cgi/conte ... 92/5/E1378

Jeff loves this stuff!
AC

This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

herbals

Re: Gingko suppliers?

Re: Gingko suppliers?

Ginkgo contains quercetin!

Horse Chestnut

Greentea (EGCG) in autoimmune disseases