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Lifestyle Diary and POIS Summaries / Re: Progecitor's summary

« Last post by Progecitor on November 14, 2024, 02:08:57 PM »

Additional new supplements that I have tried during the past year.
As usual the short version is here:
https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3798.msg40769#msg40769

Catuaba bark 2 – small catuaba (Erythroxylum catuaba) [465 mg per capsule; 1-2]: It is the same brand as the other, but it uses a different source. Unfortunately even the first box lost its anti-depressive effect after the beginning, but I could certainly see the benefit on libido with that one. This one seemed less effective, but I am not sure if it is due to drug resistance or the different source. Even so anyone wishing to try catuaba should first obtain a product containing Trichilia catigua (big catuaba) as it may work better in comparison.
Actually there is a good comparison between the two at this site:
https://thesunlightexperiment.com/herb/catuaba

Catuaba bark tea – small catuaba tea (Erythroxylum catuaba): Unfortunately it did not prove as useful as I had hoped. It had a little benefit at most and there was no anti-depressive effect either. This tea has a red color by the way. Later I used the whole bag by adding it to mixed herbal teas. I guess it must have at least a little benefit, but small catuaba is clearly not as useful as big catuaba at least in my case.

MACA [500 mg per capsule containing 2.5 mg beta-ecdysterone; Rd: 1]: I took daily 1 or 2, but this wasn’t particularly more useful than the other maca products. Actually by this time I got a bit desensitized to maca, which could be one reason for the lower effectiveness. It is interesting that maca is also a source of beta-ecdysterone, which may work in conjunction with diosgenin. Strangely though the suma root I took also contained about 2.5 mg ecdysterone and that one seemed more effective. I have to note though that the other ecdysterone extract contained 300 mg ecdysterone per capsule and while it felt really nice, even that did not resolve POIS completely.

MACA [600 mg 6:1 extract per capsule; Rd: 1-3]: I took daily 2-3 caps. This was a big box (240) of the same brand I had originally had success with, however it was only minimally beneficial. I couldn’t experience any anti-depressive effect anymore. Either I developed drug resistance or the quality deteriorated. I took the whole box without seeing any major change. Even if a bit disappointing I will probably continue taking maca in the future.

Black maca complex [50 mg 100:1 black maca root extract, 50 mg 10:1 siberian ginseng extract, 50 mg L-arginine HCL, 10 mg black pepper powder, 6 mg Zinc (60%); Rd: 1]: I took 2 caps in a few days, but this supplement was a serious disappointment. Initially it has quite a nice anti-inflammatory effect (as usual around 6 hours), however later it causes a serious increase in the burning pain, which makes my symptoms worse. I am rather sure this is due to black pepper as it is hard to imagine anything else. If only the producer did not put black pepper in the combination it would have been a nice supplement, but they just had to mess it up for me.

Fenugreek extract (seed) [500 mg per capsule containing 250 mg saponins; Rd: 3]: I only took 1 per day, but I took the whole box (90 caps). I took it along with garlic caps before going to bed, but I think it only had a slight benefit.

Garlic extract with olive oil [1 capsule contains 10 mg 100:1 odorless garlic extract and olive oil; Rd: 1]: I always took 1 before bed with some fenugreek caps. Unfortunately I couldn’t see this combination making any significant difference. I think it was a little useful, but also inadequate.

Garlic complex caps [60 mg hawthorn fruit extract (1:2), 60 mg Mistletoe herb extract (1:1), 160 mg garlic extract (1:1); Rd: 3]: I took the whole box (100). I think it was a little bit useful, but it did not do anything major.

Raw garlic: For a few days I ate it regularly and sometimes I still do, however I don’t think it makes any major difference. Most of the time I took 1 clove minced and rarely 2 pieces, but I don’t think this had made any particular difference. At least this was how I felt after a few occasions, however even later I ate it more regularly often along fenugreek powder and quite a number of other stuff and from time-to-time I felt quite better and I suspect that their combination could have contributed to the overall benefit.

Asafoetida spice 2: I used it as a spice on a daily basis most often with nutmeg. It was less effective than the other product, but probably not only due to fenugreek. It was probably a quality issue. The other asafoetida product gave me crazy spontaneous erections that fenugreek hardly did, so next time I will try to buy that again.

Black cumin seed oil [100% organic, raw; Rd:1-2 teaspoon]: I took with 3 teaspoons in a day. It seemed to induce bloodshot eyes as one of the eyes was quite bloodshot about 4-6 hours after intake. Before going to bed both seemed worse. At least gut issues appeared moderately better. Thus it probably has a mixed effect on POIS. I tried it on a different day later, but once again it induced bloodshot eyes, so I won’t be using it again and I will only eat black cumin seed as raw.

Black cumin seed [raw; Rd: 1-2?g]: On the first day I ate with about 3 coffeespoons. It seemed to help with eye issues a little. From past experience it can help with gut issues, but after the first box of caps its effectiveness lessened. As I could get a good amount of black cumin seed quite cheaply I began to bake it into the gluten free bread on a regular basis. I consumed it so for more than a month, but than I realized that its compounds are probably heat sensitive, thus I began to add it to my morning smoothies instead (about 1/3 teaspoon). This way I could notice some benefit again, which dwindled shortly afterwards with continued usage. I have been taking it for about 5 months now and increased the dose to about half a teaspoon.

Black cumin oil plus capsules [In 1 capsule: 500 mg black caraway oil, 6.7 mg Vitamin E (alpha-TE), 6 mg pantothenic acid, 100 ug biotin, 100 ug folic acid, 2 ug (80 IU) vitamin D3; Rd: 6 (3x2)]: Interestingly this one also induces bloodshot eyes, whenever I use it, which is rather frustrating. Taking only 1 capsule does this, thus it is not a dosage issue. Biotin and folic acid could be suspected as a cause, but I also had the same problem with black cumin seed oil as well.

Oregano oil in corn germ oil [2 ml contains 565 mg MUFA of which 554 mg oleic acid and 1072 mg PUFA of which 1072 mg is omega– 6 fatty acid, Rd: 1 coffeespoon (2 ml)]: It had a very mild taste compared to oregano essence, so I don’t believe there was much oregano in it, but at least it was really easy to consume. For this reason I did not expect much either. Even so from time to time I think the muscle pain appeared less intense, though not so remarkably as it happened with the oil essence. I am also a bit worried about omega-6 though this particular product did not seem to induce bloodshot eyes.

Balsam pear/bitter gourd extract [150 mg bitter gourd extract per softgel caps; Rd: 2]: I mostly took one per day and sometimes two and a whole box (100). It had some benefit on gut issues in the beginning, but it got less useful over time. I think this product was also less useful than the other I had tried before, but this may have been due to the low dose. At least this did not cause any stomach problems as the one before even when taking 2 per day.

African mango seed extract [700 mg 1:10 seed extract per caps; Rd: 1]: Mostly one per day and sometimes 2 and a whole box (60): I mostly took it with bitter gourd, but I think that one was more useful. Well, it was a little useful at least, though sometimes I felt that it may have made gut issues a little worse as well, though I am really not sure about this even after taking the whole box. I can’t compare it to the other african mango product as I had gifted that away after testing it.

Holy basil/Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) [for hair care]: I took with two teaspoons (1/2+1+1/2) in a day and had an O. This turned out to be quite good. I did not experience an anti-depressive effect, but it clearly improved eye symptoms to a moderate degree. In the evening I had an O and the ejaculate was moderately burning. Actually the sexual function was somewhat low, but the reason was probably that I also masturbated in the morning and the previous day as well and it was probably just normal sexual fatigue I think. Right after masturbation one of the eyes got bloodshot, but most interestingly it actually improved a few hours later instead getting worse as it should normally after POIS onset. Even better when waking up in the morning I felt myself unexpectedly well. Of course I was far from perfect, but cognition was relatively clear and the eyes were only slightly or normally bloodshot. The first urine was devoid of burning pain, which was a clear improvement. Gut issues were also somewhat better.
In the afternoon I had developed a neck lymph node inflammation, that persisted for a few days afterwards. I don’t necessarily think this to be a side-effect, as it happens from time-to-time. At least nothing other mentionable happened. While not perfect it certainly belongs in the best category.
Since then I have often taken it in smaller doses (1 teaspoon) as part of a powder blend tea. Unfortunately I could not experience the same level of benefit as at that first time, but I also could not find any side-effects either. Later I will try to increase the dosage. At least I can say that it has a very nice taste, so even if only for that it is really worth to consume tulsi regularly.

Bhringaraj powder (Eclipta alba) [Rd: 1/2-1 teaspoon]: I took with 1.5 teaspoon in a day. Similarly to tulsi it is used as a hair care product, though it did not prove to be as useful as the former. It wasn’t useful for the eye problem and it did not have an anti-depressive effect. At least in the morning the first urine was not particularly burning and the morning felt just alright. Gut issues were minimally better, if at all. I think it may have a little benefit, but holy basil is certainly the better choice among the two. At least my mother claimed it be really good for haircare, what I may also test later.

Fish collagen [Naticol(R) 2000 Da; Rd: 2.5-5g or 5-10g]: I took with 4 teaspoons in a day.
It was a little useful, but I don’t think it has a significant benefit at least short term. One of my friends had an acne problem related to this product, but she found bovine collagen to be quite useful for her health problems without side-effect. This also implies that different types of collagen may have somewhat different effects.

Hydrolysed collagen [In a scoop (18 g) of powder: 16.6 g hydrolysed collagen peptides, 900 mg Vitamin C, citric acid, natural flavouring (strawberry-kiwi), colourant (beetroot red), sweetener (sucralose); Rd: 1 scoop (18 g)]: I took 1 scoop (18 g) daily in the morning smoothie, until the bag got empty (500 g). Unfortunately I could not see it making any particular difference. I also could not note any adverse effects either. I believe it is a little useful, but the only actual use it had was as a flavoring for the smoothie.

Bovine collagen [Rd: 1 tablespoon]: 1 teaspoon daily. The first time I took it had a stronger anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues, but it also resulted in a weak diarrhea. By continued consumption this problem resolved however once again the anti-inflammatory effect lessened as well just like it usually goes. At least bovine collagen surely seems to be more effective than the other two forms I had tried before.

Oyster mushroom + King trumpet mushroom [powder]: I took with 3 coffeespoon in a day mostly put in hot water. Unfortunately it only had a little positive effect similar to the lion’s mane powder. I can’t figure why the standalone King trumpet mushroom was better than the former two products. I will certainly have to recheck that as well. Later I took both for a longer time and the standalone king trumpet mushroom was certainly better initially, however after a short time its effectiveness decreased just as it always happens.

Beta glucan plus maitake [100 mg Beta-1,3/1,6-D-Glucan and 150 mg Maitake powder per capsule; Rd: 3]: I only took 1 per day. It was possibly a little useful, but it did not make any significant difference even after a whole box.

7 mushroom powder [ingredients: reishi (ganoderma lucidum), chaga (inonotus obliquus), shiitake (lentinus edodes), maitake (grifola frondosa), common lion’s mane (hericium erinaceus), cordyceps (cordyceps militaris), silver ear fungus (tremella fuciformis); Rd: 5 g]: I have already tried the encapsulated version of the same kind. I took 1.5 teaspoon on a test day. In the morning I had more work than usual, but it seemed like the powder could protect the eyes a little. However in the afternoon they were a little worse, which was possibly due to eating something and even in the morning they were more like average, so it may not help as much as I had hoped. It also did not have a particular anti-depressive power, but at least in the morning I was not particularly depressed. Regarding gut issues the burning pain felt reduced, but stool quality wasn’t much better. The most notable things in the morning were the reduced pain of urination and the rhinitis also felt improved. As a possible side-effect the gallbladder pain felt a little stronger than usual, which happens when I take a lot of supplements. Though a bit disappointing it deserves a moderate-good score. I haven’t yet taken it regularly, but a few times I did and it can certainly improve the eyes, however at the same time I am rather sure that it can induce the gallbladder pain as well, which makes me question its safety for the liver.

Reishi extract (Ganoderma lucidum) [650 mg 5:1 reishi extract per capsule; Rd: 2-3]: I took 3 capsules daily in the beginning then switched to daily 1-2. I think it helped with bloodshot eyes at the start, but I could not see a benefit on the muscles that I hoped for. Nevertheless I consider ganoderma as one of the better medicinal mushrooms and so far I couldn’t perceive any adverse effects either that is a common problem with these mushrooms.

Krill oil (Euphausia superba - crustacean) [1000 mg per caps containing 400 mg phospolipids, 120 mg EPA, 80 mg DHA and 100 ug astaxanthin; Rd: 2]: Sometimes I took 2, but most of the time only 1 capsule as it was a small box (30). It had a noticeable anti-inflammatory effect, especially in the beginning, however it did not do anything significant ultimately.

Astaxanthin 3 [160 mg Haematococcus pluvialis algae extract with 8 mg (5%) astaxanthin per capsule; Rd: 1]: I took 1-2 daily and consumed a whole box (120 caps). At the beginning it certainly made me feel quite better, but as the days went on it lost its initial shine. Nevertheless I consider it one of the more useful stuff. I could not experience any side-effects either despite the higher dose, thus the tinnitus from the other product might have been an artifact or quality issue. Several people felt better after eating salmon and I think both astaxanthin and omega-3 oil must be involved in this, though I would say that individually astaxanthin is a little better.

Norwegian salmon oil [1200 mg per capsule (omega-3: 153.6 mg, omega-6: 180 mg, DHA: 24 mg, EPA: 21.6 mg, DPA: 9.6 mg, astaxanthin: 6 ug); Rd: 1-2]: I took daily 2 for about 1.5 months. I think I noticed a little benefit in the beginning, but not afterwards. Fortunately I could not experience any side-effects, unlike with the other fish oil caps that gave me bad heartaches in the past. While it does not solve POIS I will probably take this regularly in the future. It probably has a weak-moderate benefit.

Coenzyme Q10 + Vitamin E [60 mg Q10 and 35 mg vit. E per capsule; Rd: 1]: I think Q10 with vitamin E was better than the one without, similarly to the case of lycopene and astaxanthin. It was mostly useful for the gut issues only though.

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) [600 mg per capsule; Rd:1]: For several weeks I took daily two caps alongside daily two Q10 caps. It didn’t do anything major, but appears a little useful at least. I think it improved eye and gut issues a little, but it has no anti-depressive effect. Its efficacy is possibly similar to that of quercetin. I suspect that taking such a dose for a longer time may cause epigastrial cramping, so taking 1 should be better on a daily basis and more only when there is a need. I also believe that Q10 is more effective than NAC.

N-acetyl-carnitine (ALCAR) [500 mg per capsule; Rd:1]: I have been taking daily one or two and rarely three for several weeks. Unfortunately I couldn’t see it making any major change. Specifically the muscle pain felt mostly as usual. I think it is a little beneficial and I couldn’t experience any side-effects otherwise. By the way I had some problems with carnitine tartarate in the past, but not with this form.

TUDCA+NAC (Tauroursodeoxycholic acid) [1 capsule contains: 300 mg NAC, 267 mg TUDCA; Rd:3]: I mostly took daily one or two and sometimes three for several weeks. I was really looking forward to try this, but felt a little disappointed. I think it helps a little, but I just could not see any major benefit. I suspect that daily 3 makes the stool much looser without significantly reducing the burning pain. Most often I took it alongside ALCAR, but it did not seem to make a difference.

Glucosamine sulphate 2KCl (shellfish) [1500 mg per tablet with 888 mg glucosamine]: I took 2 boxes most often 2 per day. It did not seem to have any particular benefit on POIS and the joint pain in the legs was mostly as usual. However it managed to reduce the pain in my right elbow that is a chronic pain due to some accident.

Liposomal vitamin C+D3+Zn [In 1 softgel capsule: 300 mg vitamin C, 25 ug (1000 IU) vitamin D3, 10 mg zinc, 20 mg rosehip extract, 20 mg citrus bioflavonoid; Rd:1-2]: I have taken a full box of this already. By taking daily one I couldn’t see a significant benefit however. I think it showed a little benefit on the eyes with the other supplements from time to time. While the ingredients are certainly nice, they just don’t seem to be of sufficient strength to deal with the power of POIS. I am going to take vit. C/D as part of the stack, but only as a base and not because they would provide the major benefit. It is interesting to note that even though I was taking zinc on a daily basis I did not develop the earlier mentioned buttocks inflammation, though I thought zinc may be a contributor. At least it seems to be safe in this daily amount. I guess this product deserves a weak-moderate score on its own.

Vitamin C [1000 mg L-ascorbic acid and 50 mg rose hip extract per pill; Rd: 1]: I took part of a box (about 100) by taking daily 1, but I can’t say it was any particularly more useful than the other vitamin C products.

Vitamin C+D [1000 mg of vitamin C + 100 ug (4000 IU) vitamin D + 50 mg citrus bioflavonoid per pill; Rd: 1]: I skipped on taking a separate vitamin D while on it, but similarly to the previous product it wasn’t particularly useful. This amount of vitamin C and D is clearly healthy, but one should not expect miracles on POIS. I took daily 1 pill and a whole box (90). Based on its content it is still one of the nicer products.

Slow release Vitamin C [1000 mg vitamin C + 50 ug (2000 IU) vitamin D + 30 mg rose hip per pill; Rd: 1]: I took daily 1 pill and about half a box. I can’t say it was any particularly more useful than the other products, thus a slow release does not necessarily improve efficacy.

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) [50 ug (2000 IU) vitamin D + 148 mg safflower oil per softgel caps; Rd: 1]: When taking 1 per day I couldn’t see much of a benefit, however this was one of the products I used when I tried 10000 IU daily and that made me feel rather well for a few days at least. I wonder if safflower oil had anything to do with this benefit or if it was purely due to vitamin D.

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) [75 ug (3000 IU) vitamin D per softgel caps + soybean oil; Rd: 1]: Similarly to the other product on its own it wasn’t particularly useful, however this was the other product I used when I went on the 10000 IU daily protocol, that in the beginning provided a really nice benefit on POIS.

Daily 10000 IU vitamin D3: I have been taking different vitamin D supplements daily (2000-4000 IU) for more than a year without seeing much benefit. However when I upped the dose to 10000 IU it clearly made me feel much better right away even after an O. My eyes got really clear and I also felt a little less depressed. It did not particularly help with leg pain, however in the post O mornings the pain was more focused and less diffuse. As a possible side effect on the second day I felt a dull tension in the head, but this subsided in the followings days. Unfortunately its benefit also dissipated after a few days despite the daily dosage. I still took this amount daily for a month, but than I returned to taking it as usual. Later I may try a higher dosage, though I suspect this could be unsafe as vitamin D deficiency is not necessarily the problem. I would put this among the best, though drug resistance kills my initial joy again.

Vitamin K2 (menakinon-7 form) [100 ug vitamin K2 MK-7 per caps; Rd: 2]: I took one capsule each morning alongside the daily vitamin D as recommended. I don’t think in itself it had any particular effect, though I haven’t tried a greater dose. I also took the whole box (180), thus I used it for half a year. Currently I only use the general ADEK, which contains 75 ug vitamin K, thus I should probably get more soon, as ADEK contains 2000 IU and I still take the other 2000-4000 IU vitamin D capsules daily.

B12 Forte (cyanocobalamin) [250 ug per pill (10000% of daily reference dose); Rd: 1-3]: I took 1 pill per day mostly and occasionally two, but I haven’t yet tested it thoroughly. Sometimes I think I saw some weaker anti-depressive effect at its peak effect, but it was not consistent. B12 seems to be moderately useful at this dosage, however a higher dose may be unsafe, so I am a little hesitant to try that.

B complex vitamin 1 [B1: 2.03 mg (184.55%), B2: 2 mg (142.86%), B3 (nicotinamide): 15 mg (93.75%), B5: 4.6 mg (76.67%), B6: 1.65 mg (117.86%), B12 (cyanocobalamin): 1.5 ug (60%); Rd: 1]: I have been taking 2-3 pills daily for more than a week. Unfortunately I could not see any major improvement either in the beginning or later. I don’t think it had any adverse effect either at least.

B complex vitamin 2 [B1: 1.33 mg (121%), B2: 1.4 mg (100%), B3: 16 mg (100%), B5: 6.56 mg (109%), B6: 1.71 mg (122%), B7: 50 ug (100%), B9: 200 ug (100%), B12: 5 ug (200%); Rd: 1]: I took daily 1 pill. I don’t think I saw any adverse reaction, and sometimes I thought it was a little useful actually. It wasn’t significantly useful though. At least this proves that a normal amount of these vitamins is safe enough and I only get adverse reactions when oversupplementing some vitamins like biotin or folate.

Vitamin and mineral complex (Centrum A-Z) [vit A: 800 ug (100%), vit E: 15 mg (125%), vit C: 100 mg (125%), vit D: 5 ug (100%), vit K: 30 ug (40%), B1: 1.4 mg (127%), B2: 1.75 mg (125%), B3: 20 mg (125%), B5: 7.5 mg (125%), B6: 2 mg (143%), B7: 62.5 ug (125%), B9: 200 ug (100%), B12: 2.5 ug (100%), Ca: 162 mg (20%), P: 125 mg (18%), Mg: 100 mg (27%), Fe: 5 mg (36%), I: 100 ug (67%), Cu: 0.5 mg (50%), Mn: 2 mg (100%), Cr: 40 ug (100%), Mo: 50 ug (100%), Se: 30 ug (55%), Zn: 5 mg (50%); Rd: 1]: Interestingly it felt quite good when I first used it and I even had an O after seeing its initial benefit. I was actually feeling well and it ameliorated POIS. Even so this lasted like 1 or 2 days and then its benefit was significantly reduced just like with most other stuff. It goes in the best category, not that it matters much if it stops working. It seems to make the eyes a little better, which means that at least I can tolerate this amount of biotin and folic acid, though not more based on other supplements. Other POISers also found Centrum to be useful, though it has different varieties, but it may serve as a good reference for the effectiveness of multivitamins.

Iron complex [In 1 capsule: 100 mg vitamin C, 400 ug vitamin B9 (pteroylmonoglutamic acid), 18 mg iron, 12 mg zinc; Rd: 1]: I tried it a few times and it induces bloodshot eyes, otherwise I couldn’t see any improvement. I guess the negative effect is either due to iron or folic acid.

Active folic acid (Quatrefolic form – glucosamine salt of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate) [400 ug per cap; Rd: 1]: I tried it a few times and this one also clearly induces bloodshot eyes. I couldn’t experience any improvements besides that. Folic acid is rather disappointing so far and money spent on different forms just feels like a waste.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) [100 mg per capsule (7692%); Rd: 1]: I took it several times mostly in the afternoon. Unfortunately I couldn’t see it making anything major aside from making the urine majorly yellow. This did not result in a particular reduction of the burning pain of the urine, so it may not actually help much with the POIS inflammation.

Mg-threonate [20 mg Mg per caps; Rd:1]: I have been taking it for more than a month before going to sleep, but disappointingly I could not see it doing anything in particular. Recently I switched to taking it in the morning, but it changed nothing. It does not appear to be harmful in any way at least. This form is supposed to pass the blood-brain barrier, but this may not amount to much in regard of POIS.

Mg-citrate [42 mg Mg per pill; Rd: 3]: I was really surprised when I switched from Mg-threonate to Mg-citrate as my mornings certainly felt much better following that. I even tried switching back to Mg-threonate and those mornings certainly felt worse compared to when I took Mg-citrate before going to bed. I was so glad about Mg-citrate which lasted a few days till I realized that it was also losing its edge. It is really frustrating that even minerals are culled by drug resistance. Nevertheless this form of magnesium is certainly the best I have found so far. It may be interesting to note that a friend of mine complained about Mg-bisglycinate being useless, however she found Mg-citrate to be so much better. This may suggest that Mg-citrate is really the most useful form of magnesium even if we consider otherwise generally healthy people. Considering my experience with the other magnesium forms I also have to wonder if the citrate part is actually more important.

Mg-malate [100 mg magnesium per capsule; Rd: 2]: I stopped taking Mg-citrate to test this, but even after several weeks of taking it I just can’t see any major benefit. I think it is marginally more useful than Mg-threonate, but certainly less so than Mg-citrate. Mg-malate is said to be useful in the treatment of CFS and it also has less gut-related side-effects. Nevertheless by personal experience I would still opt for Mg-citrate.

Mg-bisglycinate [150 mg magnesium per capsule; Rd: 1-2]: I had been taking daily 1 for about 2 weeks and then daily 2 for two weeks as well. Unfortunately I can’t say I had noticed it making a significant change even if taken before sleeping when any benefit should be must clearly seen, thus Mg-citrate is certainly better.

Mg-orotate (magnesium orotate dihydrate) [500 mg per pill; Rd: 2-3, max 6 for a week]: I took daily 3 pills for a week. Well I couldn’t see it making such a difference as Mg-citrate. My gut issues were rather low at the time, but I think it was due to something else, though it may have contributed a little. Even so it may be only as useful as Mg-malate.

Lutein 1 [12 mg per pill; Rd: 1]: Most of the time I took it in the mornings as it is supposed to be good for the eyes. It may have a minimal benefit, but it was less beneficial than other stuff I found useful for the eyes (e.g: Rhodiola, rutin etc.).

Lutein 2 [20 mg per pill containing 20 mg lutein and 1 mg zeaxanthin; Rd: 1]: Once again I could not see any major difference, though it is probably good for the eyes nonetheless. Even if it does not help acutely it may still slow the deterioration.

Essential amino acids - EAA [Ingredients: L-Leucine 25 % (3 g), L-Lysine 16 % (1.92 g), L-Isoleucine 13 % (1.56 g), L-Valine 13 % (1.56 g), L-Threonine 10 % (1.2 g), L-Phenylalanine 9 % (1.08 g), L-Methionine 7 % (0.84 g), L-Histidine 5 % (0.6 g), L-Tryptophan 2 % (0,24 g), citric acid, mango and maracuja as flavor, sucralose as sweetener, color (red beet, beta-carotene); Rd: 1 scoop (12 g)]: I took about 1 scoop or a little less (10-12 g) every morning in a mixed smoothie until the bag was emptied (250 g). I had some hopes about this, but in the end it did not show any particular benefit neither in the beginning, nor later after several weeks of usage. It is probably a little useful, but not so much as to make any real difference. The thing I liked about this is that due to the flavor it could mask the dull or bad taste of the other stuff I put in the smoothie.

L-Valine [powder; Rd: 3g]: I think it showed some benefit on the first day with a bigger dosage, however when taking it continuously in a normal amount it did not seem to do much. I consumed a whole bag (250 g) by taking one scoop (3 g) as part of the morning smoothie. It has a slightly unpleasant taste which reminds me of MSM and for this reason I often took the two together alongside a flavored powder. One other problem I find with L-valin is that it can’t easily dissolve in water and I often have to eat the powder rather than drink it.

L-Methionine [500 mg per capsule; Rd: 1]: I took 2 caps in a day and had an O. My initial experience was rather great. I had an O around noon, but the POIS flare was minimal and remained low throughout the day. I was not feeling myself super well of course, but there was clearly some difference from the usual. I took it a few times afterwards, but it did not provide the same benefit as on the first occasion. It is also said that methionine accelerates aging, which made me hesitant in taking a higher dose or for a longer time.

L-Threonine [500 mg per capsule; Rd: 3]: I took it regularly, but I did not find it particularly useful. Given that EAA contained 1200 mg of threonine, without much benefit, I shouldn’t expect much from this product either. In the beginning I took 2-3 per day mostly alongside L-serine not like it made much of a difference, later I only took daily 1 until the box was depleted.

L-Serine [500 mg per capsule; Rd: 1-3]: I took 3 caps on the first day. My eyes remained quite bad throughout the day. Depression was also rather usual. Gut issues seemed a little better at least. Afterwards I took 1-2 or sometimes 3 in a day for several weeks. Generally I think it did nothing significant in any regard even after weeks of usage. It does not appear to have any particular side-effects, so I guess it may be slightly useful, but phosphatidylserine was much more evidently useful as a comparison.

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