Progecitor's summary

[Progecitor]

So here are the results:
sTSH:                        2.300 mU/L (0.300-4.200)
Total calcium:            2.47 mmol/L (2.10-2.60)
Phosphate:                0.86 mmol/L (0.8-1.45)
Glucose:                    5.5 mmol/L (3.6-6.0)
IgF1:                        138.8 ug/L (107.8-246.7)
17 beta-Estradiol:  45.80 ng/L (7.6-42.6)
FSH:                         3.91 IU/L (1.5-12.4)
LH:                           4.88 IU/L (1.7-8.6)
PRL:                         6.14 ug/L (4.1-21.4)
Testosterone:            22.160 nmol/L (9.90-27.80)
SHBG:                      48.29 nmol/L (11.4-52.3)
DHEAS:                    7.150 umol/L (2.400-11.500)

[Progecitor]

Butcher’s Broom root (Ruscus aculeatus) [470 mg per capsule; Rd:1]: I took daily 3 caps without an O. I think it helped with gut issues almost moderately and it also appeared to have a weaker benefit on bloodshot eyes. I am not completely sure, but several times after consumption within an hour I felt a little anti-depressive effect. This wasn’t strong and didn’t last much though. The legs felt a little less fatigued, but this could have been a placebo effect as it is indicated to improve lower body circulation and it may also reduce orthostatic intolerance, though I only have that with tryptophan and SSRIs. It also lacked any apparent side-effects, but the dosage I used could be much for long-term use. For now I can give it a weak-moderate score.

Goldenrod tea (Solidaginis herba) [made from 2 tablespoon of herba with 1.2 liter water]:  I drank daily four cups and also had an O. While not spectacular it still managed to mostly prevent a POIS onset and even after O I felt just like usually. Particularly I didn’t develop any bloodshot eyes, but this was probably the most it did. Gut issues were weak-moderately better, specifically stool consistency was better, but the burning pain remained usual. I couldn’t notice a particular anti-depressive effect and other symptoms were also average. I didn’t notice any side-effects either. I feel I can give it a moderate score for now.

Willow bark tea (Salicis cortex) [2 tablespoon of herb boiled in 1.2 liter water]: I drank daily 3-4 cups  and had an O. I could definitely feel myself better from it. I can’t say the change was profound though. The benefit was felt mostly on pre- and post-O mornings, as I was more relaxed and felt less depressed, however I couldn’t feel a distinct anti-depressive effect during the daytime. It makes sleeping easier at least. Gut issues were possibly weak-moderately better, but the burning pain was still felt. The eyes were not particularly better and it only reduced bloodshot eyes a little at the peak of its effect, so I still developed bloodshot eyes moderately after the O event. Morning photophobia was passing, so rather average. Muscle fatigue seemed average, although I didn’t work much at the time. I couldn’t note any side-effects, particulary not heart issues, which is a great thing considering my problems with Aspirin. Though I clearly felt myself better in the mornings, but other symptoms were rather general, so I can only give it a moderate score.

Lady's mantle tea (Alchemilla xanthochlora) [2 tablespoon of herb made with 1 liter water]: I tested it only one day by drinking 3 cups and did not have an O. I did not experience any considerable change, so I decided to not test it further. The eyes remained weakly bloodshot as usual and gut issues also appeared mostly unchanged. I also felt some weak discomfort in the groin area and possibly of the urinary tract, but urination seemed normal (usually abnormal) and POIS was not enhanced at least. Based on this I put it into the ineffective category.

Iceland moss tea (Lichen islandicus) [3 tablespoon of the herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I only drank 1.5 cup of the tea, but decided to skip on it as it seemed pointless. Interestingly not long after the first cup I developed some symptoms that was the opposite it was indicated to treat like coughing and some pain in the mouth. Later I also had some transient stomach burning and developed some moderate bloodshot eyes in both one, although it was not exactly clear if it was due to a non-protective effect or some direct induction. This was in the afternoon and I still decided to drink another half a cup before going to sleep. Somewhat interestingly in the morning I felt a little better and gut issues were a little better, though the eyes were about averagely bloodshot and photophobic. Furthermore I had a nasal congestion with reduced rhinitis which may indicate some beneficial effect. Other symptoms were rather usual though, so I can’t say that Iceland moss makes POIS worse, however its benefit also couldn’t justify its regular usage, so I put this in the mixed category.

Mullein tea (Verbasci folium) [2 tablespoon of herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I drank daily 4 cups for two days without an O. On the first day I noticed some minor improvement in mood and gut issues seemed a little better, however eye symptoms were rather average. In the morning I did not notice much improvement, although drank 1.5 cups before going to sleep. On the second day I was exposed to some exercise intolerance and one of the eyes become really painfully bloodshot. Photophobia was also torturing me as usual. Lymphatic issues and muscle fatigue seemed average, so practically unchanged. While mullein may have some benefit it is certainly not considerable, so I can only give it a weak score. Retrospectively it may be a little better, if an infection was really messing up the test.

Spearmint tea (Menthae crispae folium) [2 tablespoon of the herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]:
I drank two cups and while it seemed somewhat beneficial for gut issues, my eye issues remained really terrible which made me realize that it can’t be simply POIS acting up. There were also some people in my vicinity who had flu-like symptoms, so I was pretty sure that I got infected with covid again. In the next week I used a lot of well proven supplements combined and they still couldn’t ameliorate the brutally bloodshot left eye. The burning gut pain was also enhanced even though I had no sexual activity and ate nothing that could justify it. Interestingly I had no other symptoms of an infection, but this is the only rational explanation I can find. At least spearmint seemed somewhat beneficial, but I will probably have to retest it sometime for a more accurate rating.

Deep red grape pure, fresh juice: I drank about a liter per day for two days (about 3-4 cups a few hours apart) and had an O. It was most helpful for my eye issue as it could certainly make and keep them clearer. Gut issues were only a little better and I also had some mild diarrhea as this quantity is probably too much at once. It helped my eyes even when faced with exercise intolerance, so the benefit was still greater. This was a one time seasonal stuff, so it can’t be used regularly, still it was an interesting experience. My score for it is moderate.

Jujube [raw dried fruit; Rd: 10-15 g (about 2 pieces)]: I made teas with 4 pieces (20-25g). When used alone jujube seemed to have about a weak-moderate benefit on both eye and gut issues. Otherwise the overall feeling was usual. Then I made a combination tea of jujube (4 pieces), cardamom (5 pieces) and 30 pieces of Goji berry and had an O. Fortunately I did not develop any significant bloodshot eyes after the O, although the next morning felt close to average (e.g. regular photophobia) and gut issues also persisted. Breast lymph nodes also seemed smaller than usual, although I don’t check them too often, so it may have been circumstantial. I would say that the combination tea had about a moderate effect, which isn’t that much, but further combinations may prove better results. The taste of jujube is somewhat reminiscent to date palm fruit in my opinion and the tea tasted somewhat like coffee cherry fruit tea. I don’t actually know if this indicates anything in composition, but could be interesting to consider.

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) [500 mg fruit extract per capsule with standardized 25 % flavonoids content; Rd: 1]: I took 2 per day without an O. I expected something more from Bergamot, but it wasn’t terrific. It had about a weak effect on the eyes and probably a weak-moderate on gut issues. My estimation is that short-term it has about a weak or weak-moderate benefit.

Suma Root (also Brazilian ginseng) (Pfaffia paniculata) [400 mg per capsule; Rd:1-2]:
I took two caps per day and had an O. This is another aphrodisiac that proved quite beneficial. I can’t say that it solved everything, but it certainly felt as one of the better stuff. Objectively gut issues appeared moderately good, although flatulence was also a little excessive at times. Eye issues were weak-moderately better. Sometimes my general low mood also appeared better. I can’t say that suma would be fantastic, but still really feels like it has a kind of positive impact on POIS. Its efficacy is possibly similar to Giloy. I haven’t experienced any outright side-effects, but its long-term applicability is questionable.
I forgot to check earlier, but the active compounds of suma root are beta-ecdysterone, saponins pfaffosides and allantoin. Now I can say that I have really experienced a particular odor reminiscent of ecdysteone and it is probably the most active compound.

Pot marigold tea (Calendulae flos) [2 tablespoon of the herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I drank 3 cups daily for 2 days without an O. I have used this one in creams for a long time, but it only recently occurred to me that a tea can be also made from it. I found it to have quite a good anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues, although it was not perfect, but to about a moderate degree. It was less effective for eye issues and other problems though. For now I would give it a moderate score.

Spearmint tea retest: As I had some kind of infection last time I felt the need to retest this. Spearmint certainly has a positive effect. It could make eye issues better, however this was rather short-lived. Gut issues were also better maybe to a weak-moderate level. Its benefit is weak-moderate by my estimation.

Smallflower hairy willowherb tea (Epilobii herba) [2 tablespoon of the herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I drank 3-4 cups daily for 2 days without an O. As I said before I used it in the past as a somewhat effective POIS treatment, but after a while it became less effective. Based on my current trial I found it only weakly effective. It is true though that even in the past I used it combined with lemon balm, so its individual effect wasn’t too great even then. By the way it is a traditional remedy for prostatic issues and the most probable way it helps is the inhibition of CYP7B1 which could theoretically increase androstanediols.

White horehound tea (Marrubii herba) [2 tablespoon of the herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I consumed 3 cups daily for two days without an O. I drank its tea a few times in the previous years and even then I noticed its benefit on gut issues. My current trial also proved a similar experience. It was mostly beneficial for gut issues where it has about a moderate-good effect. Other issues were less reduced. Bloodshot eyes were about weak-moderately better, but not especially so. I think I can give it a strong moderate score, though my general low mood was perpetual as usual. Its tea is somewhat bitter in taste, but to a tolerable level at least. Retrospectively I noticed that the dose I used is too high as tea made from 1-2 teaspoons of herb is recommended daily and I took about thrice the amount for two days, however no issues occurred such like the indicated irregular heartbeat.

Horsemint tea (Menthae longifoliae herba) [2 tablespoon of the herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I drank 3 cups daily for 2 days without an O. My experience with horsemint was much similar to spearmint. Their efficacy appears to be about the same, so I can give it a weak-moderate rating. I have to note though that I had some heart pain at one time, although I am uncertain if it was rather caused by some food interaction, even so using spearmint may be a safer choice.

Allegra [120 mg fexofenadine per pill; Rd: 1]: I took daily two pills and had an O. I tried it for one day several month ago and it didn’t appear useful, but I think I also ate something bad at the time. So now I did some revaluation and found that fexofenadine indeed has a positive effect. On the pre-O day the eyes definitely became clearer and felt better and was more aware the next morning. I had a low libido during masturbation and had a hard time cuming, although this happens from time-to-time with other stuff as well and I can’t make conclusions based on only one event. Post-O the eyes remained clearer for a while, but by evening the bloodshotness broke through the protective effect. On the next day the morning dose once again helped to make the eyes clearer, however the eyes were quite photophobic and painful nevertheless. Rhinitis was also reduced a bit and this time without nasal congestion, though some irritation still remained. It wasn’t that good for gut issues, but at least a little effective still. Even though I felt a little more aware in the mornings, I couldn’t experience a distinct anti-depressive effect and felt the waves of somnolence. I also had a few attacks of heart ache and suspect it as a possible side-effect, especially after drinking coffee, which may imply a negative interaction. It also felt like Allegra put some strain on my body and feels more like it fights my problems on a symptomatic level, rather than at its core. At first I thought I may be able to give Allegra a good rating, however based on my post-O experience I can only judge it as moderately beneficial.

Yellow toadflax tea (Linaria vulgaris) [2 tablespoon of the herb added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I drank 3-4 cups for two days without an O. I could not find much of an effect on the eyes, but it may have about a weak-moderate on gut issues. It did not have a clear anti-depressive effect, however I think it may have made me a bit more aware and the mornings felt less hazy. I also didn’t experience any side-effects short-term, but it is clearly not the most effective herbal tea. For now I would give it a weak score.

Claritin (loratadine) [10 mg per pill]: I had an O and took 2 pills on that day, but only one on the other days. I expected something better form loratadine, so I was quite disappointed when a rather bad POIS episode developed after the O. It was rather useless for bloodshot eyes contrary to fexofenadine and cetirizine. Rhinitis may have been a little better, but not significantly and on the first day after O photophobia and depression was also rather strong. At least gut issues appeared weak-moderately better, though on the first morning I had a smaller diarrhea right after the morning coffee, which is a possible side-effect of taking too much on one day. Once again sexual desire was low during masturbation and it was a little more difficult to cum, however it was still better than with fexofenadine and it did not feel like it put such a strain on the body. Nevertheless its poor efficacy only earns it a weak score and makes it an unlikely choice for my treatment.

Rooibos vanilla tea [2 teabags added to 1.2 liter of hot water]: I drank 4 cups, but only on one day and without an O. While I could see some benefit on gut issues it wasn’t that significant and eye issues also remained relatively unchanged. I guess it is about as good as black tea, but it is unlikely that either of them would solve my POIS problem on its own. Thus I give it a weak rating.

Cetirizine retest [10 mg per pill; Rd:1]: I took 3 pills per day without an O. I wanted to see its effect compared to the other antihistamines. In the past I used it with some success, but alone it still can’t change my POIS considerably. This time I couldn’t see much benefit on eye issues and it probably only helps weakly with that. It had a more positive effect on gut issues maybe even to a good degree. Its effectiveness may be comparable to cat’s claw unless I am mistaken. Sometimes my mood also appeared a little lifted, but other times not particularly so or even got a little headache. While Cetirizine on its own is not terribly effective, but still this one appears to have the least side-effects among the antihistamines I have tried and consider it a good addition to a stack. My current rating for its benefit is moderate.

Marshmallow root tea (Althaeae radix) [2 tablespoons of herb put in 1 liter of cold water for at least 6 hours]: I drank 3 cups for two days and had an O. This is also something that helps a little, but not too considerably. It had about a weak effect on the eyes and a moderate on gut issues. My estimation is that it helps about weak-moderately.

Guggul (Commiphora mukul) [500 mg per capsule; Rd: 2x1-2]: I took daily 4 capsules and had two Os on consecutive days. I expected something good from guggul and it turned out to be so, however I can’t say that it is terribly effective though. It was quite apparent that I felt myself better on both post O mornings. However I could not experience a distinct anti-depressive effect during the days, but at least in the mornings I was certainly more aware than usual. Morning photophobia was also reduced a little bit due to this. Unfortunately it wasn’t so good for the eye bloodshotness problem though. I think it was only weakly beneficial in this regard. Gut issues appeared to be quite better at least, possibly to a good extent. It also reduced rhinitis somewhat. My guess is that individually guggul has a solid good effect, thus it may be a good addition to a stack, especially with something that helps with eye issues better. It is also worth noting that guggul is specifically indicated to have a positive effect on sexual health.

Lucuma (Pouteria lucuma) [fruit powder; Rd: 1 teaspoon, other sources: 1 tablespoon]: I consumed daily 5 teaspoons without an O. Eye symptoms remained generally unchanged during the test and I think it has about a weak or weak-moderate effect on this. Gut issues appeared somewhat better possibly to a weak-moderate or moderate level. Otherwise my mood was rather baseline and couldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, so I would give it a weak-moderate score. It appears to be somewhat abundant in niacin and contains some flavonoids, which may make it a good choice. Lucuma is also considered an alternative sweetener and its combination with other sugar substitutives like glycine and fructose may deserve some thought.

Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) [berry powder; Rd:0.5-1 teaspoon]: I took half teaspoon worth 3 times per day for two days without an O. It was not bad for the eyes, but not much good either. On gut issues I experienced weaker mixed effects. On the second morning I felt myself a bit more relaxed, however bloodshot eyes were also increased then. As a possible side-effect I often felt the beating of the pulse in my back. It wasn’t any painful, just a bit unpleasant. Altogether I can’t say too much good about it as maqui has either a weak positive or mixed-effect. Maqui is also a rich source of anthocyanins just like aronia and it may only exert its positive effect on a longer-term.

Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) [250 mg bark extract per capsule; Rd: 2]: I took daily 3 capsules and had an O. It could quite evidently clear the eyes about moderately. Bloodshotness or rather thicker red veins would still occur, but the white of the eye certainly seemed clearer. Gut issues also seemed about moderately reduced. I also felt more relaxed than usual, maybe even a bit too much and I was a little detached. By the way this one is also considered as an aphrodisiac, although I couldn’t experience an increased libido or endurance, but this is difficult to judge based on only one occasion. Allergic rhinitis also appeared somewhat reduced this time without apparent nasal congestion. I feel I can give it a moderate-good rating and it may come close to Ashwagandha in effectiveness. As a Terminalia species it is also somewhat comparable to Triphala.

[Progecitor]

The short version can be found here:
https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3798.msg40769#msg40769

I also added some new food items in blue.
https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3798.msg40400#msg40400

Autophagy renew [165 mg luteolin (Japanese sophora flower buds) and 10 mg piperlongumine (long pepper root) per capsule; Rd: 1]: I took it for 3 days with a 1-2-1 schedule without an O. Well this was certainly beneficial, but not exactly strong. It could make the eyes clearer, but when the push was stronger it would still get bloodshot to some extent, so I can only give it a weak-moderate rating for this. Gut issues were also about moderately better, but it wasn’t feeling that good. After drinking a lot of coffee I developed a moderate chest inflammation, so it couldn’t help with that. Rhinitis seemed somewhat better though. When faced with exercise intolerance it could partially protect the eyes, but muscle fatigue felt rather usual. As a comparison I think even Relora or Chinese skullcap were slightly better in their acute effects. As a treatment it doesn’t seem cost effective, however it may be a possible cure, so I wouldn’t necessarily contraindicate its use. My score for it now is a weaker moderate effect.

Korean Red Ginseng Root (Panax ginseng) [400 mg per capsule; Rd:2-3] I took 3 capsules in one day without an O. Of course I fell prey to the marketing ploy as this is just regular ginseng. It was certainly beneficial, but not more than the other ginseng product. On the eyes it had about a moderate benefit and it was certainly more beneficial than Autophagy renew that I had tried previously. Gut issues also seemed about moderately better. The moderate chest pain still persisted with ginseng, so it also couldn’t abate that. My mood was relatively alright, but I couldn’t experience a distinct lift. In the morning I also felt like I had a little higher blood pressure, although I neglected to measure it, but dosage may need to be tempered. I still think it has about a stronger moderate effect.

Milk thistle-artichoke-dandelion capsules [In one capsule (540 mg): 60 mg milk thistle + 200 mg artichoke + 190 mg dandelion root+ 55 mg fenugreek + 35 mg curcuma; Rd: 1-2]: I took 3 per day and had an O. Somewhat surprisingly it turned out better than I had anticipated. Even after O the eyes remained relatively safe and while the eyes were not crystal clear they were certainly a lot better than usual. Gut issues were quite better to about a good degree, however the urine was still burning as usual.
It is marketed to support proper digestive functioning, which it does really. Its overall efficacy seemed to be above of milk thistle oil, however it also lacked a particular anti-depressive effect.

Butea superba root [400 mg per capsule; Rd: 1]: I took daily 2 per day for two days and had an O.
This one felt relatively similar to ginseng in my opinion. It could protect the eyes even after O from getting too bloodshot and they remained relatively clear. Gut issues also appeared relatively better, although not to the extent of the digestive capsules I had tried before. I also couldn’t notice a particular anti-depressive effect, however in the first morning I also didn’t feel so foggy and I was relatively well. The chest inflammation also subsided by this time, although I am not certain how much butea superba contributed in this. I also slept quite well on both nights, which may indicate some relaxing effect. Even though butea superba is considered an aphrodisiac I couldn’t exactly experience this and both libido and endurance seemed quite average. Long-term usage may also decrease testosterone and cause other problems, so ginseng seems a safer choice. 

Celery Parsley seed oil (Petroselinum crispum) [cold pressed]: I consumed with 3 teaspoons on bread daily for two days without an O. Unfortunately it was rather useless for bloodshot eyes as I had almost averagely bloodshot eyes while taking it. Nevertheless it seemed to have about a moderate-good anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues, although passage also seemed slower than usual. There were also times when I felt like it had some anti-depressive effect, which was rather nice. Rhinitis also seemed somewhat weaker. However the mornings felt rather usual and photophobia persisted. I also slept somewhat poorly both nights, so it may be not the best thing to take before going to sleep. I am also unsure about the dosage and the amount I took is probably more than one should regularly consume. My general feel on it is a solid moderate effect, even though the bloodshot eyes took away most of its charm. It could be worth mentioning that celery seed counts as an aphrodisiac for women. I am sorry for the mix-up, but I am not a native speaker and this may happen.

(Sweet) Almond oil (Prunus amygdalus dulcis) [100 %, cold pressed]: I consumed with 3 teaspoons on bread daily for two days without an O. It had no particular use on the eyes, maybe only a minimal benefit at the peak of its effect. However gut issues appeared about weak-moderately or maybe even moderately better. I don’t think it had any anti-depressive activity and other symptoms were also rather general. As a possible side-effect on the second day I had some spurt of hiccups. My judgment on it is weak-moderate. It has to be noted though that almonds and also its oil is supposedly a good source of beta sitosterol and oleic acid. Furthermore it is indicated to have a positive effect on sexual health.

Sarsaparilla root (Smilax aristolochiifolia) [450 mg per capsule; Rd: 2]: I took it for two days (3,2) and had an O. It has somewhat of a better effect, although with some unpleasant side-effects. It had about a moderate effect on gut issues, however its effect on the eyes was relatively good. It felt a bit forced, but they were relatively devoid of the bloodshotness problem. I had the O on the first day which was probably too soon and I couldn’t experience the aphrodisiac effect as libido and endurance were rather average. On the second day (post-O day) I had more than average work (about 8 hours) and I developed a relatively bad exercise intolerance. By the end of work I had a moderate tension headache and felt nauseous with a little urge to vomit, surprisingly though the eyes remained quite clear. The headache soon resolved after taking a half pill of Quarelin and a hot bath. I need to note that I often develop a similar headache due to exercise intolerance, however I hardly ever felt so nauseous like now and normally the eyes are also much more bloodshot, which indicates a particular shift in exercise intolerance. At night I still took a further capsule and in the morning I felt relatively well with a weak head tension still present. At the same time photophobia was relatively weak and the eyes quite clear. Gut issues also felt better. All-in-all a lesser dose may have a better safety profile and those who don’t do physical work may find it more useful.

Pure oregano oil (Origanum vulgare) [1 drop contains 30 mg wild oregano essential oil with 24 mg (80%) carvacrol; Rd: 2 drops]: I took six drops daily (1st: 3-2-1; 2nd: 2-2-2) (about 144 mg carvacrol per day) for two days and had an O. I had my reservation about oregano as the spice itself seems to often give me bad eye symptoms. Fortunately it wasn’t so with this particular product. Actually it appeared to have some protective effect on the eyes after O, although it was less apparent if it just kept or made them better. Gut issues were also better, but not too much. So regular symptoms were not so much better, however I felt I could move around more easily and the legs felt less fatigued and painful, so it may be partially effective for exercise intolerance. I had the O on the first evening, which may have been too soon, but during masturbation the penis felt less sensitized and it was more difficult too keep the erection. Sexual desire also appeared low, but at least endurance seemed better and it was more difficult to achieve the culmination. I don’t think it had a clear anti-depressive effect, but I was not too depressed at least. As a possible side-effect tinnitus sounded intensified a few hours after intake, but blood pressure once again wasn’t really high. Nevertheless the dose I used is probably too high for regular consumption as at one time the tinnitus felt really bad, but the normal dose should be quite safe I think. Altogether I would say that it has about a moderate-good effect. It is certainly not spectacular, but if it is considered as a part of a possible cure than its consumption is certainly worthwhile.

Sesame oil (Sesamum indicum) [100 %, cold pressed]: I consumed with 3 teaspoons on bread daily for two days without an O. I think it was rather useless for bloodshot eyes, but I don’t think it induced the symptom. At least gut issues appeared relatively better, maybe to about a moderate degree. However whenever I took a leak the urine seemed to burn a bit more than usual, which may implicate some negative effect. Other symptoms did not appear to deviate much from baseline, although rhinitis may have been a bit reduced and I also slept relatively well. My score for sesame oil is weak-moderate in a short-term trial.

Fenugreek extract (Trigonella foenum-graceum) [200 mg fenugreek extract per capsule with 50 % saponins content (100mg); Rd: 2]: I took 3 caps daily for two days without an O. I meant to give fenugreek another chance to prove itself, but unfortunately it keeps disappointing me. It was rather useless for eye symptoms and only about weak-moderately beneficial for gut issues. Needless to say other symptoms like depression also appeared unaffected. Actually in the first morning I felt a little better, however on the second morning it was practically average even though the previous day I did not have any sexual or physical activity. As a possible side-effect I had some abdominal pain on the left side, but the burning pain was weakly reduced, so it was not caused by that. I think I can only give it a weak or weak-moderate score as it did not appear any better than sesame oil.

Bio-Fisetin [44.5 mg per capsule containing a blend of 18% fisetin (8 mg) [from wax tree extract (stem)] and 35% galactomannans (15 mg) [from fenugreek (seeds)]; Rd:1]: I took two capsules daily for two days without an O. It proved to be better than fenugreek capsules at least. Gut issues only appeared about weak-moderately better, however the bloodshot eye problem definitely reduced about moderately. Otherwise I can’t say that I felt terribly better and I don’t think it had a particular effect on depression. On the first day a few hours after taking the first capsule I had a weaker diarrhea which I think was due to the combined effect of Fisetin and exercise intolerance, however afterwards I had no such problem with continued consumption, although it was also a weekend then without much physical activity. On the third day I took 2 caps of Fisetin along with 2 caps of fenugreek (morning-evening) and had an O. Interestingly I did not develop any particularly strong acute POIS symptoms besides the generally present chronic symptoms and it was much like I did not even have an O. In this regard it may be similar to ginseng and oregano oil, but further tests would be required to confirm this. Nevertheless Fisetin is probably not the best acute treatment especially when its price is also taken into consideration. However as a senolytic agent it could still play some role in a curative effort.

Olive oil (pomace, sansa oil): I consumed with 3 teaspoons on bread daily for two days without an O. It proved to be rather useless for eye issues as the effect of Fisetin waned, so emerged slowly the bloodshot eyes again. I think at least it had a positive effect on gut issues, possibly weak or weak-moderate, but the testing time was too short to accurately judge this. Nevertheless it was certainly not of a significant help otherwise. It is true that this is only a lower quality cooking oil, so extra virgin oil may prove better later, but I doubt that it would make a very great difference. I can only score it as weak for now.

Omega-3 fish oil (Norway cod liver oil) [5 ml contains: 1.2 g fatty acids of which 0.4 g is EPA and 0.6 g is DHA, vitamin E 3 mg (25%), vitamin A 250 ug (31%), vitamin D 10 ug (200%); Rd: 5 ml]: I consumed with 3 teaspoons either on bread or sublingually daily for two days without an O, but masturbated once. Similarly to many of the other oils this one also proved rather useless for eye symptoms. At least gut issues seemed to be moderately better, but this was only becoming apparent by the second morning, so fish oil probably needs to be taken for a longer time before it shows its benefit. As a possible side-effect I developed a weaker headache on the second morning, but this passed on its own by late afternoon, even though I took another dose of fish oil then, so it may be not related to its consumption. At least no heart burn occurred which is a great relief as I always had this problem with fish oil capsules in the past. On its own fish oil is certainly no wonder for me, but I could imagine adding it to a stack in a smaller quantity for long-time usage. My score for it is weak-moderate.

Lotus seed tea (Nelumbo nucifera) [Rd: tea made of 15 seeds]: I cooked 20 seeds with about 1 liter of water and drank this amount daily for 3 days and had an O. I also ate a few of the cooked seeds, but not all. While it was not spectacular it certainly proved relatively beneficial. My eyes were about moderately better and in this regard it was definitely better than the Omega-3 fish oil I tried before. Gut issues only appeared about weak-moderately better, although I may have eaten something that was a little bad, so I am not completely sure. I don’t think I noticed any anti-depressive effect either. However I noticed that I could urinate a little easier than usual. Although the burning pain could be felt from time-to-time on the second morning I could feel a definite reduction when taking a leak. Libido seemed to be a bit increased and I think endurance was also a little bit better, not like it is easy to judge based on one occasion. My final verdict is a stronger moderate action as it could somewhat prevent POIS onset, but on its own it is still inadequate.
It is worth to note that the included recipe recommends to add 15 pieces of lotus seed, 6 pieces of jujube and one teaspoon of Goji berry to half a liter of water and then to boil it for 15-20 minutes and optionally serve with honey. Unfortunately I ran out of the other ingredients for the time being (my mom liked them), but it could be still interesting to try them combined.

Corn germ oil (100%, cold pressed): I consumed with 3 teaspoons on bread daily for two days and had  an O. It did not seem to have any particular effect on eye issues, however it had some anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues, which may have been about weak-moderate. Other symptoms were as usual, so I can only give it a weak score as a remedy.

Argan oil (100%, cold pressed): On the first day I took with (1/2+1+1) teaspoons. In the evening I felt some sporadic and transient stabbing pain, which I thought may be due to a side-effect, so I reduced the dose and only took half a teaspoon three times the following day and a similar problem did not occur. On this day I also had an O. Fortunately it seemed to have a relatively good anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues as the burning pain was quite noticeably reduced, although stool consistency wasn’t that much better, so the relief was about moderate-good. Unfortunately eye issues were not particularly improved or maybe only to a weak degree. I think I also noticed a weaker diuretic effect as I could urinate a little easier and the urine was burning a bit less than usual. I don’t think it a had any anti-depressive effect and muscle fatigue also appeared rather usual. I guess I can give it a moderate score, although long time applicability is in question as I couldn’t find proper dosage information.

Saffron + lycopene capsules [saffron: Spanish, coupe quality; lycopene: 10 mg of lycopene/lycopin per capsule from extract; Rd: 2]: I got some new brands that I haven’t tried before, but I didn’t want to waste my time testing them separately, so I combined them. I took 3 lycopene caps along with saffron tea (about 15 stigmas per tea) every time for two days without an O. At first it quite evidently helped in clearing the eyes, however I couldn’t experience a particular anti-depressive effect. Unfortunately I also ate a pizza with ketchup and bell pepper and that messed me up on the first day. Nevertheless gut issues appeared somewhat better, but the first morning felt quite average with regular photophobia and a weak depression. On the second morning somewhat disappointingly I still couldn’t experience an anti-depressive effect. Gut issues felt more evidently better and eye issues remained alright. However I went out that night and drank a few soft drinks (two bottles of ginger ale (spiritless)) and ate quite an amount of salted nuts. By the time I got home I developed a moderate headache and the eyes appeared more bloodshot. I still took the timely dose of the combination and went to bed. In the morning I woke up with the headache still persisting or even worse, which is uncommon as sleeping normally helps with headaches. I also had a weak stomach ache and felt nauseous which practically never happens normally, but at least I did not vomit. After taking half a pill of painkiller and sleeping a few more hours these issues mostly resolved. The eyes also seemed more bloodshot in the second morning and the mood was average otherwise. Gut issues at least appeared about moderately better and I also had a reduced rhinitis, which I also noticed the previous day. I am not completely sure if the issues were caused by something I ate or the supplements, but an overdosage is a certain possibility, so while these supplements clearly help, it is not a good idea to take them in great amounts.
I am also disappointed at the lack of anti-depressive effect, although I have to note that both my mother and grandmother tried this specific lycopene product and they claimed that they could see better which in my opinion must be an anti-depressive effect like I had experienced before with the other products, so the problem seems to be circumstantial. The Spanish saffron appeared to consist of longer stigmas, however it wasn’t so deep red as the Iranian one. I don’t think their effectiveness was necessarily different, but I also can’t rule it out. Nevertheless this combination clearly has about a good effect on POIS, still taking only half of this dose seems more reasonable if anyone decides to try such a combination to avoid possible overdosage.

Mesquite powder (Prosopis pallida): I took with 4 teaspoons daily for two days without an O. This one seemed rather useless for bloodshot eyes, but gut issues felt somewhat better. Well it appeared a little useful a least, but certainly did not change POIS significantly. I can only give it a weak score.
Mesquite besides being a natural sweetener also appears to be a good source of galactomannans. As fenugreek is also a good source of them this may worth some comparison. Not like I had too much luck with fenugreek, but Bio-Fisetin contained them in an extract form and they appear to be responsible for the synergistic effect with Fisetin.

Baobab powder (Adansonia digitata): I took with 4 teaspoons daily for two days with an O. It had about a weak-moderate effect on bloodshot eyes as they were better even before O and after O they only became slightly worse. Gut issues also appeared about moderately better. So it was not spectacular, but had a certainly noticeable benefit. Besides this libido and its recovery also seemed better. I think it deserves a moderate score at least.
The packaging claims baobab to be a good source of vitamin C, magnesium and calcium, furthermore some studies found it to be rich in sterols like beta-sitosterol. Well besides my own experience it is an anecdotal aphrodisiac which is likely true. Baobab may not solve POIS, but I think it could be used well on a daily basis as a nutritional source for sexual health.

Shiitake powder (Lentinula edodes) [Rd: 1-3 g or up to half tsp 2 times a day]: I took with half teaspoons 4 times per day (2 tsp per day) for two days without an O. Unfortunately my experience was not much different compared to the lyophilized slices. The eye issues remained rather small, but it did not feel like it actually helped much and the morning photophobia was also rather usual. Gut issues were also only slightly better than usual. By the end of the second day once again I developed a kind of mild discomfort in the throat, which makes this a likely side-effect. The previously used baobab powder certainly felt better, so shiitake may not be the best treatment choice for me unless there are long-term benefits. I can only give a weak score for its acute effectiveness.

Ajwain, ajowan caraway (Trachyspermum ammi): I made carom tea (cold tea) with half a teaspoon and also consumed at least half of the seeds as well three times daily (1.5 tsp per day) for two days and also had an O. I expected something major from this, but it wasn’t really remarkable. On the first day I couldn’t note any major difference and on the second day I had an O. My eyes did not become much worse which was a bit surprising. I also developed a weak chest inflammation, but that was also rather controlled. At first the gut issues appeared better, but later the burning pain seemed more intense than usual. Unfortunately I can’t exclude the possibility that this was due to some sensitizing food I ate.  Nevertheless it was clearly no major help, so I will put this in the weak category for now.
It is worth to note that ajwain may rebalance some hormonal issues, but mostly in women and it was also found to cause oligospermia in men. One probably needs to take it for a longer time for this to happen and of course this may not actually resolve any POIS related problems.

Coriander seeds (Coriandrum sativum): On the first day I made cold teas by soaking the seed for about six hours and then consuming the whole stuff with the seeds as well. I can’t say I had any significant reaction to it though. I had a night shift that day and I developed quite bloodshot eyes as usual as exercise intolerance is always worse during the nights. By morning I also developed a headache, but it is not clear if this was due to coriander or the exercise intolerance, although I would opt for the latter. In the next one and a half day I made hot teas (one tablespoon in about 3-4 cups of water), but only drank them without the seeds and I also had an O in the afternoon of the second day. My eyes were relatively alright right after O and the headache actually resolved around this time on its own, however a few hours later POIS still kicked in and the eyes became averagely bloodshot, which remained so throughout the following day which makes me think that coriander is rather ineffective in this regard. Gut issues appeared about weak-moderately better at least as the burning pain felt a little reduced. Even though I haven’t felt an anti-depressant effect I was relatively lively during the third day, which may imply some positive effect. I also have to note that semen volume seemed somewhat reduced, but otherwise normal (not burning), which might have been a result of too frequent emissions recently or a delayed effect of ajwain. Coriander is actually considered a stimulant of spermatogenesis, so it is a less likely cause, but similarly so this effect may need a longer time to develop. Altogether though I can only give coriander a weak rating in an acute setting.

Fennel seed caps (Foeniculum vulgare) [480 mg per capsule; Rd: 1-3]: I took 3 caps per day for two days and had an O. I think this was a rather good find as fennel clearly made me feel better. The eyes were about moderately better, while gut issues were possibly to a good degree. I could also breathe easier as rhinitis was reduced. In the mornings I felt clearer in the head, although the anti-depression was not so distinct and my mood was still low as usual. I had the O on the first day and in the next morning I took two caps at once. I had a physically more demanding work that they, but still the eyes remained quite alright, which shows its benefit even in the face of exercise intolerance. Taking two caps certainly induced more flatulence as a side-effect, but this seems unavoidable if I want to get any better. I think it certainly deserves a good score for now. Fennel is also reported to be an aphrodisiac that can increase libido, however one needs to take note of its estrogenic effects as well.

Caraway, meridian fennel, Persian cumin (Carum carvi) [Rd: up to 1 tablespoon]: I made hot teas by adding 1 tablespoon of cumin to about 1.2 liter of water. I drank 4 cups daily for two days, but I did not have an O. Unfortunately it did not give me any significant reaction. On the first day I had 2 cases of spontaneous erections, which probably indicates libido enhancement, however this may have been a delayed effect of the fennel caps as well. In the two days my mood was as low as usual. It may have had a little positive effect on the eyes as they remained relatively alright, however I couldn’t see them distinctly getting better. Gut issues also appeared a little better (weakly or weak-moderately), but it was certainly not on par with the previously tested fennel. Thus I can only give it a weak rating, but at least it seems rather safe to eat even in a greater amount.

(Sweet) Fennel seed tea: I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of fennel seed to about a liter of water. I mostly consumed the tea and only a small part of the seeds. I only took it for one day as I just wanted to see if there is a difference compared to the capsules. About two hours after the first cup I think I felt some anti-depressive effect, but this did not appear later. It also did not appear to be as useful as the caps. The eyes remained relatively alright, but I couldn’t see a positive tendency. In the morning I felt rather usually, though gut issues appeared somewhat better.
Actually I had already tried sweet fennel a few years ago. As I remember the first time it resulted in a rather strong flatulence, which made me think that it must be something bad. Later when I wanted to confirm this I tried it again, but surprisingly I felt rather well the next day which left me perplexed at the time. Nevertheless I have generally avoided it since then which was probably a bad idea. Well the tea’s effectiveness does not appear to be very consistent, but still could be a better choice than being down with POIS. I can’t exactly evaluate it properly with such a short test, but subjectively I think sweet fennel tea has about a moderate effect.

Guinea grains (pepper), grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta): I made a hot tea by adding half a tablespoon of grains to about a liter of water. I drank it in three portions and also consumed all of the grains. I had to eat some sandwiches along to cope with the pungent taste. I only tested it one day without an O. Guinea grain is said to be related to ginger and some of its compounds are similar. I usually have trouble with pungent stuff, but ginger proved to be of some benefit. This one gave me no significant reaction, which may be a good thing in itself. Eye issues appeared slightly worse at first, but later they appeared slightly better. Something similar was true for gut issues. By evening I felt a more pronounced itchy irritation at the anus, but by morning this resolved and some weak anti-inflammatory effect could be felt. Needless to say other symptoms were mostly usual, but at least I did not develop a chest inflammation, which may make this a safer option for me compared to black pepper. The final score is a weak benefit, but it still shifts POIS in an undesired way as well.

Voatsiperifery pepper (Piper borbonense): I made a hot tea by adding half a tablespoon of grains to about a liter of water. I drank it in three portions and also consumed all of the grains. I only tested it one day without an O, but still masturbated some. I wanted to see if I have any bad reaction, but fortunately it did not seem so. I don’t think it had any effect on the eyes, as after masturbation one of the eyes became averagely bloodshot and remained so. Interestingly it appeared to have a weak-moderate anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues. Still in the morning I felt rather averagely and also developed a slight headache, which may have been an after-effect of the masturbation. Tinnitus also appeared a bit louder both in the evening and in the morning. Well at least this kind of pepper appears relatively safe to consume and possibly has a minimal benefit as well.

(Canned) Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam) [net weight: 565 g (12 pieces)]: I ate the whole can in one day in 3 portions and had an O. Well it started out quite alright. I think I noticed a weak benefit on the eyes during the morning-afternoon and it also appeared to have some noticeable anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues. However later I made some circumstantial mistakes and had a quite strong POIS onset. For one I was edging for quite a long time and the O happened late evening by which time I usually start to feel myself more ill even without acute POIS. I also skipped the usual bathing that tends to help a lot in the beginning. In the morning I still had bad bloodshot eyes and photophobia intensity reflected the acute stage. Nevertheless I wasn’t feeling myself too unwell and the mood was rather alright. Gut issues actually felt moderately better that makes me think jackfruit deserves a weak-moderate score. At least it was a delicious food to try, but as an exotic fruit it is also rather expensive, which makes it a less interesting treatment option.

[Enix]

So, the best one for eyes ?

[Progecitor]

So, the best one for eyes ?

Hi Enix!

Some of the better ones were diosgenin (maca extract and wild yam, but not fenugreek), saffron, vitamin C+ (see also: triphala, camu-camu, baobab), luteolin (triphala, Autophagy renew), L-theanine, alfalfa, mangosteen, catuaba bark, chinese skullcap, damiana, yerba mate, giloy, black cohosh, lycopene, pomegranate, mastic gum, boron, arjuna, ginseng, milk thistle-artichoke-dandelion caps,  butea superba, sarsaparilla root, fisetin, lotus seed, fennel caps, myricetin (currently in testing), maybe a little less useful were resveratrol, milk thistle, honokiol (Magnolia, Relora), eyebright tea, glycine, burdock, perilla, cat’s claw, ginkgo biloba, neem, astaxanthin, chaga, andrographis, jujube, suma root.
Actually if you only consider my best and good list most of them will probably show some benefit, but there are also some from the moderately beneficial list as well. Some of their combinations may be even more useful, but adverse interactions can’t be excluded.

As I said before these are mostly short tests, so they are not necessarily reliable. The bloodshot eyes are one of my most persistent symptoms. Fortunately though they are also rather good indicators of the current POIS state. There is an evident correlation with gut issues, although this is only a general convergence and not exclusively true. After testing so many supplements I also began to see some difference in their mechanism of action. Some supplements would more evidently help in clearing my eyes, however they would still remain labile and drinking something bad like coffee or having an O would still punch through and make them bloodshot again. The one I am currently testing is myricetin and it appears to be one of the labile kind. While some other supplements would not have so clear an effect in making them better, but if an O happened they would still mostly prevent the development of more severe symptoms by stabilizing the veins. I would be hard pressed to say anything reliable about this though. Maybe you could test ginseng, dihydromyricetin (DHM), forskolin, indole-3-carbinol, goldenrod tea and see if there could be some truth to it.
Another eye symptom to consider is photophobia. I don’t often mention this, but the reason is that it is rather persistent. If I remember well I have tried four different Resveratrol products and while one of them worked spectacularly in the reduction of photophobia the rest did nothing. Also later when I bought another box of the same brand that one also had a much lesser noticeable effect. Actually as I see it photophobia is much more correlated to depression than to the bloodshot eyes. Sometimes I would have rather clear eyes and still when going to the street I would get punctured by the luminous stab. However when both depression and bloodshot eyes are reduced I would generally have less problem with brightness.

Currently I am a bit optimistic as I have just found another factor that seems to connect all the dots about my case. This actually confirms that my POIS is caused by senescence. I think this phenomenon is responsible for most human diseases really. Its origin can be very varied and depending on the tissue or organ involved it would manifest as entirely different diseases. Yet the convergence in treatment suggests a common underlying mechanism. Although interindividual differences also exist, but senescence itself is not uniform, so the efficacy of the same treatment may differ. I am going to make a post about this in a few weeks time unless I go on a lazy streak again.

Nevertheless I hope you find this information useful and just don’t forget to report about your own experiences if you find any of them useful.

[Progecitor]

Myricetin bioflavonoid complex [600 mg per capsule containing 16 mg of myricetin; Rd:1]: I took 3 capsules on the first day and had an O. I thought it may help in recovering the eye issues somewhat similarly as andrographis. Well surprisingly it turned out to be rather good. The eyes clearly got better on it, especially at the peak of its effect, however they were still labile as after drinking coffee or completing an O they would get messed up rather usually. On the second morning I took two caps with an hour difference and by early afternoon the white of the eye got really nice. Gut issues also appeared better to about a moderate-good degree. I had a rather strong O and somehow I also felt a little more energetic than usual. It was not exactly like oregano oil as muscle fatigue could be still felt, however I could move easier by having a bit more energy.  It also has some anti-depressive effect, although not too strong, but at times I certainly felt more aware. Similarly to resveratrol it has a soothing, relaxing effect which could imply Sirt1 activation as the causative. These flavonoids really do work, but one shouldn't expect a miracle otherwise it will only be a disappointment. This dose may be a bit too big, but I can't say I have experienced any particular side-effect. Sometime though I think I felt some minor pain around the heart, but this is not necessarily a detrimental effect. I think it deserves a good score.

Sumac spice (Rhus coriaria) [Rd: 3 g, about 1 tsp]: I put sumac in warm water and drank it for 2 days in an amount of 1-2 tsp, but without an O. It may have had a weak benefit on the eyes, but this only means that they were not particularly bad. Gut issues appeared about weak-moderately better. I think it had about a weak-moderate effect, but I am not entirely sure about its safety. I did not have time to masturbate, however at one time I tried to raise the flag, but couldn't really succeed and it also felt to be a bit limp. Well desensitization appears to be a little useful if I wanted to last longer, but it only really has any point if I actually manage to retain erection.
Sumac appeared rather anti-inflammatory to me even though a study says that it has a unique bidirectional activity that increases COX-2 expression while reducing NO formation.

Turkey tail powder (Coriolus/Trametes versicolor) [Rd: 3 g or about 1 tsp]: I took half a teaspoon (2 g) 3 times per day (6 g) for two days and 1 whole teaspoon on the last occasion and I skipped the O. The first day started out quite alright as it cleared my eyes rather well. Unfortunately in the evening I developed a moderate chest inflammation on the left side that radiated to the back. I suspect it was caused by the spicy food I ate in the afternoon, although my mom got ill by some respiratory illness the next day so latent covid can't be ruled out. Nevertheless on the second day the eyes remained rather alright until about noon when one of them began to get a little worse. I also masturbated for a short while after that which certainly did not help, but at least I had no problems with the activity itself as I felt rather normal. On the second day the chest inflammation progressively got weaker along the day, so turkey tail can be ruled out as a cause at least. It certainly helped with gut issues as well, which was possibly moderate. At first I wanted to score it as moderate-good, but after reevaluating BCAA I realized that its effect must have been more persistent than I had previously thought, so it deserves a good score at least.

BCAA [4:1:1 powder with differing flavors; Rd: up to 20 g]: I took 20 grams in one day in three portions without an O. I couldn't experience any significant change, but at least it shows a little benefit. My eyes were rather alright to begin with and they did not change at all, although I suspect BCAA did not have a considerable effect on that. Photophobia was usual and even muscle fatigue and pain appeared the same as usual. I think it had some anti-inflammatory effect on the gut issues at least, which was about weak-moderate. The strange thing is that I had underwent acute-chronic POIS phase transition the same day, which was only a fifth day after O. I suspect the involvement of turkey tail in this, but may need to retest BCAA in a more POISed state to check this. At the moment I can score it as weak-moderate. Well it may work better with long-term usage, although the amount appears a bit large for me to be used on a daily basis.
On a separate day when I felt worse I took two doses once again, but the eyes only got slightly better and once again it had some positive effect on gut issues. The previous score seems appropriate.

Citrulline malate [unflavoured powder; Rd: 2-3 g x 2]: I took about 4 g 3 times in a day (12 g) without an O. The eyes once again remained rather alright, but not so much as the previous day. Actually I also masturbated some and the bloodshot eyes increased a little, so citrulline malate only has a little or no benefit in this regard. The libido and potency (erection) also felt rather good during the masturbation. Gut issues appeared to be moderately better as well. I also tried this about a year ago and had a bad chest inflammation then, which made me hesitant to retest it, however this was most likely caused by another thing I took at the same time. The amount I took this time was also greater and still I had no such problem. I think I can give it a moderate score and may consider its addition to a regime in a smaller amount.

Punarnava extract (Boerhavia diffusa) [500 mg per capsule, Rd:2]: I took it with a 2,3 schedule for two days and had an O on the second day. I had considerable flatulence on the first day, but than I realized it was due to the biscuits I ate. The biscuits also made POIS a little worse. On the second day I was more careful with the diet then I had an O. I had more bloodshot eyes even before O, so I did not expect too much, but luckily it even got a little better shortly after O. Most likely it reached its peak efficacy at this time (about 7 hours after consumption). Later it became a little worse, but remained so and did not get out of hand, so I think it has at least a weak benefit, but it only shows as a little stabilizing effect and the eyes don't actually get better on it. Gut issues also felt somewhat better, which was probably the reason POIS did not became really bad. The libido was quite alright and I could endure to a normally long time, however the ejaculate was a little burning. As said before this appears to be an accumulating effect, so it was more likely to have been caused by the biscuits I ate the previous day or by the masturbation from the day before. I can give it a weak-moderate score and while it works somewhat I don't see any particular reason why I should have a preference in its application.

St John’s Wort tea (Hyperici herba): I made hot teas by combining 1 tablespoon of herba with about 1 liter of water and drank this amount daily for two days without an O. I also tried St John's Wort about a year ago for a day, but similarly so, it just hasn't got a great benefit on me. It really has some anti-depressive effect, however I couldn't experience it during the days, but only at nights when I woke I felt more aware than usual and yet during the days I practically had the same old low mood. The eye symptoms were also the same as usual and I just couldn't notice any particularly help with either bloodshot eyes or photophobia. It helped a little with gut issues, but not more than that. I may give it a weak-moderate score, but only due to the marginal anti-depressive effect. Taking a higher dose may help more, but I don't think it would be wise due to unpredictable side-effects.

Geranium dry extract (Geranium sanguineum) [400 per capsule containing 22% polyphenols, 25% tannins, 0.3% anthocyanins; Rd:1-2]: I took it on two consecutive days with a 1,3 schedule without an O. It apparently has a positive effect generally, however not too strong. As I see it geranium had a weak-moderate benefit on both eye and gut issues. It could only help with bloodshot eyes when the POIS push was low. It did not help with photophobia. I think I could experience a temporary anti-depressive effect about 1 hour after intake, but this was really not much. Rhinitis also seemed a little reduced. On the second evening I masturbated some and had some precum. I did not have spontaneous erection as sometimes with aphrodisiacs, but the wood felt a little more filled with blood than usual. After the masturbation one of the eyes got really bloodshot and the next morning felt rather usual. The eyes also felt a bit drier than usual at both nights. Geranium gets a weaker moderate score from me, but it is almost nothing on its own.

L-Lysine [unflavoured powder; Rd: 1 g]: I took 2 and 3.5 grams on two separate days without an O. I also tried this more than a year ago, but only saw a little benefit so I skipped on it at the time. I don't think it has a particular effect on the eyes. However it certainly has some benefit on gut issues. On the day I took the greater amount I also masturbated some which felt rather usual and symptoms remained average. For the night I took 1.5 g. When I woke up during the night to take a leak I actually felt a little better, but when I got up in the morning everything like mood, photophobia and bloodshot eyes were quite usual. Thus L-Lysine may get a weak-moderate benefit, but on its own it doesn't do much.

Musta, Nut Grass (Cyperus rotundus) [3 g powder containing 48.60 mg polyphenole; Rd: 3g – 1 tsp]: I took 2 tsp (6 g – about 100 mg polyphenole) on the first day (1/2-1-1/2 tsp) and had an O and another half tsp (1.5 g) the next morning. In the first morning it clearly improved my eyes, but when I had the O late afternoon I still developed bloodshot eyes nevertheless. At least they did not become very bad, but rather remained averagely bloodshot. I think I also experienced some anti-depressive effect in the evening, though I also developed a kind of discomfort in the head, a kind of slight headache, that persisted even in the next morning. I suspect the reason to be the high dose, but it was a tolerable side-effect at least. In the morning I actually felt myself a little better than usual. Morning photophobia wasn't too strong and the eyes weren't terrible either, although I still had a generally low mood. Gut issues also appeared about moderately better.
One of the constituents of nut grass is luteolin, which is probably one of the more active components. I guess I can give it a weaker moderate score, which is rather similar to other supplements that contain it.

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) [100% dried root cut; Rd: tea made with 1-2 teaspoon of herba 2-3 times a day]: I drank Danshen tea (circa 1 liter + 1 tablespoon herba per day) for one and a half days and had an O. The initial reaction appeared to be alright, but not significant. At least after O the symptoms did not become too bad and appeared to remain compensated. Late evening symptoms began to deteriorate and in the morning I felt somewhat worse than average. I think this was caused by eating something bad late afternoon of the previous day. I drank Danshen tea once again in the morning and by early afternoon symptoms appeared noticeably better. The eyes were relatively alright and it seemed to have some anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues as well. I can't evaluate it properly in such a short time, but I think Danshen deserves a weaker moderate score from me. Danshen is also regarded as a senolytic supplement and similarly to the others it did not have a significant acute effect. Still there is indication that long-term use (about 3 months) may bring about permanent benefits.

CBD oil (THC free) [500 mg, 1 ml equals 16.66 mg CBD, ingredients: organically grown phytocannabinoid-rich hemp oil, grape seed oil, hemp seed oil, orange oil; Rd: 10-30 mg]: I took 1 ml on the first day and 2 ml (33 mg) on the second in 0.5 ml doses sublingually and also had an O on the second day. I tested it more than a year ago, but I was rather disappointed at the time. Similarly to earlier it really does have a positive effect on gut issues, which is possibly at a moderate-good level. However it appears to be totally ineffective for eye symptoms. I did not experience pink eyes or nausea as before, but instead transient pain sensations occurred, but only on the first day. Once again I couldn't experience an anti-depressive effect. At least it appears to be able to reduce rhinitis. Libido and O appeared rather normal, however during masturbation I felt a light cramping pain at the base of the pole. I suspect overmasturbation, but who knows. Considering everything I can give it a moderate score, however its lack of effect on the eyes makes it undesirable to be used alone.

Lyophilized black wood ear (Auricularia heimuer): I readied 30 g of dried weight mushrooms after preparation and ate it in a day. I did not add any spice, so it was rather bland. It did not have any rapid action, but at least appeared a little useful. In the evening I ate something bad and in a few hours one of my eyes got quite inflammed and painful and this persisted even in the morning which made it difficult to open it. Bloodshotness and photophobia were only average though. The stool was not particularly good in quality, but the burning pain was noticeably reduced. I think it is ineffective for eye symptoms and possibly has a weak-moderate or moderate effect on gut issues. Currently I can give it a weak score, but could be more useful long term if it doesn't contribute to eye issues.
It is interesting to note that black wood ear mushroom is indicated for the treatment of sore eyes and sore throats. In my case it is evidently ineffective for sore eyes and I have to wonder if it actually contributed to the problem, while sore throat was not an issue either before or after treatment.

Robinia white flower tea (Robiniae flos - Robinia pseudoacacia): I drank one cup of tea containing about half a tablespoon of the herb. About six hours later I developed quite severe bloodshot eyes that couldn't be justified by any other circumstance in my opinion. Otherwise I did not notice any other problems. Still I stopped the test and I am not really inclined to test it again just to confirm the bad reaction.

Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) [500 mg per capsule; Rd:1-2]: I took 3 and 2 capsules on two days and had an O on the first day. Even though it is an aphrodisiac, I couldn't really experience this. I had no problem raising the flag, but felt a little less into it than usual. Eye symptoms were not the best when I started to masturbate, but they only got a little worse after O. At the first night when I got up to take a leak, I certainly had better mental clarity than usual. It also felt like I could move around a little easier as the muscles were possibly a little less painful. In the morning I took 2 caps with an hour difference and while it certainly helped with eye symptoms it was less effective than I hoped. Photophobia was also rather usual, so I give it a weak-moderate score for eye issues. Gut issues also appeared about moderately better. The anti-depressive effect was also not apparent in the daytime. At least it is indicated for the enhancement of the memory, so this could be worth taking on a regular basis. My score for it is moderate.

Red rice yeast extract (Monascus purpureus) [333 mg per capsule containing 10 mg Monacolin K; Rd:1]: I took it for two days with a schedule of 1 and 2. I masturbated on both days, but did not have an O. I was a bit surprised how well it works. In a few hours after the first capsule my eyes got a lot better and I also experienced a kind of anti-depressive effect at the time. On the second day the change was not so pronounced after taking the morning dose though. I masturbated some in the early afternoon and everything felt rather normal, though the eyes got a very little worse afterwards, but not significantly. In the early evening I ate something bad again and it kicked in the bloodshot eyes just before going to sleep. I took another capsule then and when waking up early morning I felt myself much better than usual. Bloodshot eyes persisted even in the morning, but they got noticeably better and photophobia wasn't bad either. While not completely clear my mind felt definitely more aware than usual. Gut issues were also apparently better by this time to about a moderate-good level. A possible side-effect may be some transient pain that I felt a few times in the heart and possibly some other places. I am not sure if it indicates a cleansing effect or something I should be worried about long-term though. Its acute benefit is rather distinct nevertheless and I can give it a good score.

Long pepper whole spice (Piper longum) [a source of piperine, piperlongumine and beta-caryophyllene; Rd: about 1g]: I ate 6 pieces is a day, which was about 3 g, I think. I did not O, but masturbated some. After masturbation one of the eyes got worse and remained so. I also developed a particular odor that was not bad, but rather unpleasant due to its persistence. Interestingly rhinitis seemed a little reduced at the same time. I think it deserves only a weak-moderate score acutely, but holds promise as a cheap senolytic.

(Bengalese) Long pepper whole spice: This was another brand in a nicer package, but similarly came from Indonesia. I consumed the same amount the following day and had an O. I did not develop such a powerful odor as with the previous one, but its health benefit appears about the same. Similarly it only had a minimal impact on the eyes as they only got slightly less bloodshot from the morning dose and photophobia was rather bothersome during work. Libido and potency seemed rather good when I masturbated in the afternoon. Symptoms began to creep in even before O, however they did not become too bad after O. The next morning felt rather usual, but at least not terrible. Rhinitis once again appeared partially reduced. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better.

Sun mushroom extract (Agaricus brasiliensis aka A. blazei) [40 mg 1:10 extract per capsule and also contains 15.3 mg polyphenols from fruit peels; Rd: 3]: I expected it to work similarly as some of the better mushrooms, however it did not turn out so well. I took it for two days with a 3 and 2 schedule and without an O, though I masturbated some. I have found it to have nearly no use on eye symptoms, although the second day I took two at once and two hours later the eye symptoms appeared a little better and yet later they became rather average just as on the previous day. As for gut issues the burning pain definitely seemed reduced, however stool quality was not that great. Other symptoms like photophobia or depression appeared rather average. I also had a good spontaneous morning erection, which may implicate that it helps with libido recovery. Currently I can only give it a weak-moderate rating, however I suspect it would be more beneficial on gut issues with longer use.

Phosphatidylserine [100 mg per capsule from soybean extract; Rd: 1-2]: I took it for two days with a 2, 3 schedule and had an O. The first capsule did not cause any significant change, but I took another one before going to sleep. When I woke up during the night to take a leak I felt my mind was much clearer. I also felt like I could breathe easier as the airways felt cleaner. The urine was more in amount than usual and notably lacked the burning quality. I also had more vivid dreams than normally. In the morning though I had the usual photophobia and the averagely bloodshot eyes were unchanged and felt usually tired. In this morning I felt a dull pain in my right palm which was reminiscent to the one I felt during covid-19. This is probably a side-effect of phosphatidylserine as it is considered a procoagulant and is potentially detrimental in the case of coronavirus infection. After a few hours this pain disappeared and did not occur again, even though I kept taking PS. On the second day I took three pills and I felt quite well after the afternoon dose. Even my eyes got better and were only lightly bloodshot. So I give it a shot and had an O. Interestingly even after O my eyes remained relatively stable, so it must have a protective effect. I also felt rather well and only began to feel a little worse after I ate a lot of food. The night did not feel so well as the previous one and I had even developed a light chest inflammation that persisted, so the morning also felt rather usual. Gut issues were apparently better to about a moderate-good level as PS could greatly reduce the burning pain, but its effect could be still overcome by the power of acute POIS. The anti-depressive effect was also not distinct especially during the day, but it still works to some level. During masturbation I was not so much into the activity than usual and it was a bit more difficult to sustain the erection and yet I had a strong O even if a bit forced. Of course it is also possible that I had exhausted myself the previous day when I was more into the thing probably due to the sun mushroom. Well I can give PS a good rating, but its acute effect was not so distinct to put it in the best category.
I also suspect that PS could be an important research target.

Huanarpo macho (Jatropha macrantha) [400 mg per capsule containing 100% micropulverized HM; Rd: 2-3]: Another aphrodisiac that proved to be somewhat beneficial. I took the capsules for two days in a 3,2 schedule and had an O. I still had the chest inflammation, so at first I did not want to risk an O, but then I was stupid enough to do it nevertheless. Initially it seemed that it has a good anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues, however eye issues remained relatively stable. In the evening I had a good libido and erection, so I had an O. Even before O I could feel the chest pain provoked by the masturbation. The O felt good, but as expected symptoms began to deteriorate. Fortunately it was around this time that the afternoon dose reached its peak efficacy and that temporarily prevented symptoms getting much worse, so the eye symptoms remained relatively controlled. Then I took the nightly dose and went to sleep. When waking up during the night the chest pain was considerably stronger, but it got noticeably lighter by morning. The morning was not so bad as photophobia was rather light and eye bloodshotness wasn't too bad either. I took 2 caps in the morning and it felt like it further ameliorated the chest pain along the day, but only to a certain extent. Unfortunately eye symptoms did not get particularly better, so it may only have a weak effect on those. At early afternoon once again I had a good erection, which indicates its positive effect even though I kept overexhausting myself the previous days, which was the likely reason for the chest inflammation. Actually the breast lymph nodes appeared a little better than usual and the pain was radiating more to the back on the left side which may indicate a light pulmonitis, not like I had any elevated temperature just as usual. Gut issues were better to about a moderate-good level, but more time would have been required to get a proper estimation. In my opinion Huanarpo macho was much like Suma root, although possibly a little less effective which may be only circumstantial though. For now I would give it a moderate-good rating.

Woad root tea (Isatis tinctoria) [100% dried root cut; Rd: tea made of 1-2g of herbs]: I drank woad root tea (made of circa 1.7 liter of water and 1.5 tablespoon (about 7-8g?) of herbs) for one day without an O. It appeared rather useless for eye symptoms as they remained averagely bloodshot and photophobia was also average. At least it had about a weak-moderate anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues. The chest inflammation also got gradually weaker while on the tea and mostly disappeared. I am not sure how much woad was involved in this, but at least it is indicated for the treatment of asthma. Maybe it only prevented the downward shift and so the natural course of resolution could prevail. The only possible side-effect was some temporary cramping of the left palm, but even this was not necessarily due to the tea. It is true though that woad contains a wide variety of compounds and not necessarily all of them are beneficial. It probably has a weak or weak-moderate effect when used acutely.

Bamboo shoot [canned]: I ate two servings (about 150g altogether) as raw salad after washing it in cold water. It clearly had a somewhat better anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues. Eye symptoms were practically unchanged tough. At least I felt a little better. I think its effect is somewhat similar to other beneficial foods like sweet potato or zucchini. My interest was due to bamboo shoot being mentioned as a PPARG antagonist.

Quercetin capsules [250 mg of Sophora japonica extract (95% quercetin equals to 237,5 mg per capsule); Rd:2]: I took 3 capsules in a day without an O. At the peak of its effect it has a weak benefit on the eyes, but as it passes bloodshotness strikes again, so it appears mostly useless for this symptom. Gut issues at least appeared weak-moderately better, so it is not entirely useless, but in itself it really doesn't do that much. Of course this only reinforces my earlier evaluation on it as being only weakly beneficial in an acute setting.

African Mango (Irvingia gabonensis) [400 mg seed/nut per capsule; Rd:1]: I took 3 capsules in a day without an O. It wasn't spectacular, but at least it appeared to work better than the quercetin capsules I took before. It had a better effect on the eyes to about a weak-moderate level, which may be not much, but at least the eyes were not too bad. Gut issues were better to a good degree, but more time would be needed to confirm this. Other symptoms were not particularly better. I can give it a moderate score for now, but may work even better given some more time.
African Mango is another PPARG antagonist that inhibits adipogenesis and lipid peroxidation. It is also a source of phytosterols, which are probably the most active constituents.

Tonka Bean (Dipteryx odorata) [raw]: I put them in warm water and after a few minutes I drank it and consumed the raw beans. I consumed two medium sized pieces (3 g) in a day in three portions. My initial reaction proved to be rather bad as the first half seed caused intensive burning farts a few hours after consumption. Interestingly though eye symptoms actually seemed better. In the afternoon I took one whole bean and somewhat surprisingly I had only a lesser reaction to it.  In the afternoon I masturbated some without an O, but yet the eyes remained relatively lightly bloodshot. Before going to sleep I took the last half seed and in the morning I actually felt a little better, which makes tonka bean a little perplexing. One possible explanation could be the role of coumarins as tonka bean is a rich source of them. I also had problems with cassia cinnamon that also contains a higher amount of coumarin compared to the Ceylon variety. Additionally the taste of tonka bean resembled to apricot kernels, though milder, that I also had similar problems with a few years ago. Indeed apricot is another source of coumarin. Thus I put tonka bean in the mixed category, but at least it also has a noticeable benefit.

Chuchuhuasi (Maytenus laevis) [powder; Rd: 1-5 g]: I took half a teaspoon three times per day (about 7g/day) put in warm water for two days and also had an O. My first impression was that chuchuhuasi somewhat resembled to mangosteen both in appearance and in taste, if I remember well. Interestingly their efficacy is also rather comparable. I definitely felt mentally better on both pre- and postcum mornings, although on the second morning I had a slight headache. It appeared to reduce bloodshot eyes on the first day and even after POIS they only became slightly worse, so I can give it a moderate rating for eye symptoms. Gut issues also appeared better to about a moderate-good degree. I think it had a minor anti-depressive effect that I could feel about 4 hours after intake, but it wasn't lasting and I could hardly feel it on the second day. Rhinitis was also evidently reduced on the second morning. Libido (sexual appetite) felt a little lower than usual during masturbation, but I had no problem with erection and endurance. The control also felt quite alright as I could prevent an ejaculation midway, but it was only to prolong masturbation not to avoid ejaculation entirely. I think it deserves a moderate-good rating.
Chuchuhuasi is also considered an aphrodisiac and is indicated for the treatment of pain, asthma and fibromyalgia among others.

Allspice (Pimenta dioica) [whole spice; Rd: no information]: I took 5 pieces put in warm-hot water and consuming the whole doing this three times in a day (about 3 g in total) without an O. It showed some positive effect even if not considerable. Fortunately I could not note any negative effects at least. I think it had a weak positive effect on the eyes, but this didn't account to much. It also had some positive effect on the gut issues, but later I ate something bad again that spoiled my test, so I can't really say. Rhinitis also appeared reduced or at least remained low while on the stuff. I suspect at least a weak benefit.
Allspice is supposedly a good source of eugenol, quercetin, gallic acid and ericifolin.

Xylitol (derived from birch and beech bark) [100%, powder, vegan]: This is just an alternative sweetener. I used it on several days, but I don't think it provides any particular benefit or adverse effects. Those who have problems with sugar may find it useful.

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum): I ate 5 pieces two times is a day (about 2g). Earlier I was pretty convinced that clove affects me negatively, but I think I need to reconsider this. I mostly based this on my experience with fruit soups. Now it appears that fruits are the more likely culprit (especially cherry, but also plum and apple to a lesser extent). I can't say that clove is particularly beneficial, but it clearly has some benefit and I did not notice any particular adverse effects. It did not appear to be any useful for eye symptoms, while gut issues were possibly weak-moderately better, but more time would be needed for an accurate evaluation. Nevertheless I slept a little more relaxed than usual and the morning also felt slightly better than usual. While I could still perceive muscle pain I think I felt a little more relaxed than usual. Clove in itself is certainly not much, but at least it seems to provide a minor benefit. My score is weak for now.

Erythritol: Another alternative sweetener. Interestingly I think it had a noticeable effect on my POIS. Both eye and gut issues appeared a little better and this may have a similar efficacy as glycin or fructose, but more time is needed for confirmation.

Chervil/French parsley tea (Anthriscus cerefolium): I made a tea by adding one tablespoon of the spice to 1 liter of water and drank it in one day. It has a mild taste that somewhat reminded me to either spinach or artichoke, though I am not completely sure. Regarding its effect it had either no or a weak effect on eye bloodshotness and photophobia was completely average in the morning. Gut issues were better but only to a weak degree. I also masturbated some and had a relatively good potency and control, however this was not likely to be due to chervil as I only consumed it an hour before, and thus a more likely suspect would be a remnant effect of clove which is actually considered an aphrodisiac. I also slept relatively well, but otherwise I didn't experience anything else out of the ordinary.
Chervil is considered a mild stimulant, but I couldn't notice a particular anti-depressive effect, still it could be a good spice in everyday cooking.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) [400 mg (aerial parts) per capsule; Rd:1-2]: I took it for two days with a schedule of (3,2) and had an O. It certainly has some benefit, but nothing too considerable. It had about a weak-moderate benefit on both eye and gut issues. More specifically at first it appeared to have a little benefit on the eyes, but after O they still got worse. On the second day I took 2 caps in the morning and it certainly turned the eyes clearer a few hours later, so it only really works when POIS is not too strong. Similarly it seemed to have some anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues as well, but only when POIS was not strong. Photophobia and muscle fatigue were mostly as usual. Even if symptoms got somewhat worse after O, at least I did not develop more serious symptoms like chest inflammation. I don't think it improves sexual functions as everything appeared pretty normal (average), though I had the O on the first day. At this dosage it has a weak-moderate benefit.
As a reference some of its active ingredients are: ursolic acid, sterols, iridoids, flavonoids, furanic diterpenes, alkaloids, minerals.

Hercampuri and Pina (Gentianella alborosea and Ananas comosus) [500 mg per capsule containing hercampuri powder and pineapple (pina); Rd:2]: I took it for two days with a schedule of (2,3) and had an O on the second day. It has a kind of nice effect, but not too powerful. On the first day about 6-7 hours after the first capsule I experienced a kind of inner warmth or improved thermo regulation, but unfortunately I couldn't really experience this on the second day. The first morning felt relatively alright. Rhinitis appeared reduced, but some nasal congestion also occurred. On the second day the eyes got relatively well even though I had exercise intolerance during the day due to work. Muscle fatigue was quite usual and some photophobia did occur. I also developed a light tension headache due to the work. Nevertheless I had an O late afternoon. The sexual function felt rather average and I was not really into it psychologically, but the erection was alright. As it happened countless times in the past when I was more vigorously into the activity the tension headache also increased. The O felt rather normal though and symptoms only got slightly worse after that. The headache resolved on its own a few hours later. The eyes particularly remained rather alright, only slightly bloodshot, even by morning and photophobia wasn't too bad. I had a light depression though. It felt to have a relatively good anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues as the burning pain was noticeably reduced, however I had more of a constipation on both days and the stool was rather hard, which is not good. I think its efficacy was somewhat similar to ginseng even if not all of their particular effects were of a kind, so it deserves a moderate-good score.

Tamarind: I ate 6 pieces of raw fruit (paste) in a day, which equaled to about 50-60 g of whole fruit. 
Given this one day I can say that it mostly has a mixed effect. As for the bad part it certainly induced a lot of flatulence. I think it has both a weak anti- and pro-inflammatory effect. The eyes remained quite alright as they were when I began the test, so it doesn't appear to be harmful at least and given that it is also a source of vitamin C, it may actually had a little protective effect. Otherwise I felt quite as usual with a weak depression. As a comparison the positive and negative effects were both greater with tonka bean. The seed may have some effect on sexual function, but it was too hard to bite even after cracking the kernel and I did not go into the trouble to roast it.

Monk fruit tea (Siraitia grosvenorii) [dried fruit; Rd: half fruit to 1.5 liter of water]: I made a tea by putting a whole fruit in about 1.5 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. The tea itself reminds me to coffee cherry fruit or jujube tea, but with a much sweeter taste. I think it had a weak benefit, but nothing too considerable. To begin with the eyes were only lightly bloodshot and they did not particularly change. They only became slightly worse due to coffee consumption and after I masturbated some in the afternoon. I don't think it had any effect on sexual function as everything felt rather average. It is supposed to help with pulmonary issues and yet I had a hardly noticeable, light chest inflammation that didn't really change due to the tea. Gut issues felt weakly better, but monk fruit had no considerable effect on them either. Depression and muscle fatigue were also felt weakly just as usual. I got up early and could not rest again which made me tired and with average symptoms in the morning. I ate some creamy cake before going to sleep and that may have partially messed up my test though. A possible side-effect was some sudden transient heart discomfort a short time after drinking a larger amount.
If nothing else monk fruit can be used as a natural sweetener.

Pangdahai tea (Sterculiae lychnopherae) [dried seed; Rd: 2-3 pieces with 1 liter of water]: I made a tea (6 seeds in 1.5 liter of water) and drank it throughout one day and also had an O. After work my eyes certainly appeared clearer, although I still had photophobia and felt enervated in thoughts. In the early evening I had an O. The sexual function was close to normal or maybe a little better than that. POIS onset wasn't too bad, but symptoms still emerged to an extent. I also developed a weak headache by the end of masturbation. Afterwards I got a weak chest inflammation on the right side. Eye symptoms deteriorated a little, but they did not become too bad. Contrary to the little benefit on the same day when I got up the next morning I felt rather well. My mind certainly felt more clearer than usual. I had some nasal congestion, but rhinitis was reduced. Of course the chest inflammation also disappeared by this time. The eyes were only weakly bloodshot, so I think it has about a weak-moderate benefit on them. I could move around with relative ease, so muscle fatigue was also not significant. I also had a spontaneous erection due to a naughty thought, so libido also recovered quite well. Gut issues were better to about a moderate-good level. I feel I can give Pangdahai a moderate-good rating at the moment.
Pangdahai is indicated for the treatment of respiratory and bowel problems, which sounds exactly what I need. Pangdahai is a source of beta-sitosterol and daucosterol, which are perhaps the most active compounds. It is also said that Pangdahai can inhibit fatty acid synthetase (FAS) both in a reversible and irreversible way. Needless to say this may indicate a possible long-term benefit.

I also updated the diet list with some elements.

[Muon]

Have you checked progesterone?

[Progecitor]

Have you checked progesterone?

No, I haven't yet! Of course it would be kind of informative to see my DHT and progesterone as well. If I only wanted to check these two items it wouldn't be that expensive, but I would rather have a full panel at once which is a bit more so. My job was also rather uncertain as of late due to the energy crisis and I had to cut back on expenses, not to mention the crazy inflation going around. Another problem is that I would have to stop taking any supplements for several days at least and I am plenty crazy about the time that is still needed to try the rest of the stuff I had already bought. I also feel that the information I get out of these empirical supplement tests is much more valuable than any I could gather from one or another lab test. Even if some values would differ it wouldn't be necessarily the cause, but probably only part of the problem. The same is probably true to my slightly elevated estradiol level as in itself it can't justify the severe symptoms I often have. Well at least aromatase inhibitors like damiana or mangosteen proved rather useful so far, so at least it is a validating finding. Earlier I was also considering a genetic screening, but if I consider senescence as the underlying issue than it wouldn't worth much as there would be no genes that could identify POIS. Well it is still possible that errant metabolic pathways stemming from genetic errors would predispose us to senescence and POIS, but in such a case we won't be able to completely eliminate our issue however we tried and than what is the point of all the effort we make. Of course this was the way I have been thinking about POIS for the most part of the last 20 years. Clearly as of now POIS appears to be more of a telomere issue. One lab test that could be highly informative is the measurement of Senescence-Associated-beta-galactosidase enzyme activity. Unfortunately though samples would have to be taken from the involved tissues and as of now it is not even clear which is the exact site or if it is uniform among POISers.
Seeing these difficulties and waiting for doctors to solve these riddles appears a rather vain path and that is why an empirical approach is so much more profitable. I know that not every member is so lucky to react so rapidly or so well to supplements as me, but at least mapping out my own case may help others to map out theirs more easily so as to regain our composure as human beings.

[Progecitor]

As per usual the short version is here:
https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3798.msg40769#msg40769

L-Dopa/Velvet bean seed extract (Mucuna pruriens) [60 mg per capsule (min. 98% L-Dopa); Rd: 2]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. I also tested this sometime in the past, but I couldn’t see a significant benefit, so I skipped on it. For one it doesn’t help at all with eye bloodshotness. However it has some benefit on gut issues, possibly a weak-moderate effect. I also found it to have a minor anti-depressive effect, but this was really not powerful. At least in the morning I got up a bit more aware. One possible side-effect is that I could experience some random weak cramps here-and-there, which were rather unpleasant. Thus one may need to be careful with a higher dose. I also did not dare an O with such bad eye symptoms, so it may need to be combined with other supplements. It deserves a weak-moderate score.

Pippali (Chocolate) Pepper (a variety of Piper longum from India): I consumed 4 pieces 3 times in a day (about 2g) in warm water and with sandwiches as it is somewhat pungent. During the day I couldn’t notice any significant change. By late afternoon I developed a weak headache. I also masturbated some afterwards and later one of the eyes became quite bloodshot, so it doesn’t really protect them. After masturbation my body felt kind of strained which is not a usual POIS symptom, so I suspected some side-effects. However at night I also developed a sore throat and by morning I also had some headache again, which made me think that I probably got some minor infection. These symptoms got much weaker a few hours afterwards at least. Nevertheless I don’t think chocolate pepper did much, but at least it felt like it helped with gut issues a little. Acutely it certainly doesn’t do much, but similarly to regular long pepper it may have some senolytic effect.

Rose petal tea (Rosa × damascena): I consumed about 2 liters of tea in a day made of 1.5 tablespoon of rose petals. At first it appeared to have a little benefit. However around noon I ate something bad and that messed me up by late afternoon. I also masturbated some in the evening, but I couldn’t notice any particular change in sexual capability. One of the eyes became rather bloodshot afterwards and by morning both of them were rather bad. It felt like the tea helped with gut issues a little at least, but it doesn’t seem like it has any significant benefit besides, so I put this in the weak category.

(Pure) Jasmine petal tea (Jasminum): I made tea from the combination of 1.5 tablespoon of herb and 1.5 liter of water and drank it in a day and also had an O. My eyes were pretty bad and I still felt like I had a minor subdued infection. In the beginning it felt like jasmine has a little more anti-inflammatory effect than rose petals. While the eyes were relatively stable in the afternoon they really got bad after I had an O. I knew it was not wise, but sometimes I feel like it is better to start with a clean slate as this POIS cycle appeared worse than usual. So I got a kind of usual POIS offset, but after I went to sleep and woke up during the night I was actually feeling myself better than usual. Even in the morning while objective symptoms were rather usual like bloodshot eyes, photophobia and muscle pain, still subjectively I was feeling myself a little better and my mind appeared sharper than expected. Jasmine seemed moderately effective for gut issues as well. Unfortunately I also had a weak-moderate headache that started shortly before starting to masturbate in the afternoon and I still felt it weakly in the morning. If it was not due to an infection, than it could be a side-effect of drinking too much jasmine tea. My sexual function appeared a little below average like in the previous days, but at least ejaculation control seemed quite good. In the morning my wood felt stimulable, by some sexual thoughts, so it could also improve libido recovery even if not that strongly. For now I can give pure jasmine tea a weak-moderate score which could be comparable to my experience to the jasmine infused green tea, however it clearly can’t deal with a stronger POIS.

Saffron extract capsules (Crocus sativus) [30 mg of saffron 10:1 extract containing 90 ug safranal; Rd:1]: I took 3 caps in a day without sexual activity. This one was relatively cheap, but I guess the reason is that it was not standardized to the more effective crocin. Its benefit on the eyes seemed lesser than that of the other saffron products that I had tried, even though I usually have more luck with the capsule forms. Still it evidently improved eye symptoms, but it did not help that much, well maybe to a weak-moderate-moderate degree. Of course the eyes were rather bad to begin with, but I still had weakly bloodshot eyes the next morning, so it did not completely resolve them. Gut issues were also somewhat better, but I also ate something that was a little bad for POIS and so I can’t really tell how much exactly. At least the infection if I had any seemed to disappear on this day. As both jasmine and saffron have a possible anti-viral effect they may have contributed to this. General POIS related rhinitis  was also evidently reduced and this was apparent both in the evening and morning. I could not feel a distinct anti-depressive effect, but I was not feeling too depressed either. Based on my current experience it has a moderate effect.

Graviola/Soursop (Annona muricata) [530 mg Graviola leaf per capsule; Rd:1]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. I found it to have the best effect on bloodshot eyes as it can reduce them fairly well, possibly to a moderate or moderate-good level. I can’t say I have experienced a particular anti-depressive effect even by the morning, but at least I was not too depressed. However it reduced rhinitis as the nose felt rather relaxed in the morning. Gut issues weren’t that much better, maybe only to a weak or weak-moderate level. On some separate days I have already tested this in the past and had a generally similar experience as now. Even then it seemed to reduce bloodshot eyes rather well, although at least one time I had developed a headache and I suspected the involvement of Graviola, but it did not occur this time even though the relatively high dose. Altogether I can give it a moderate score, although it could be risky to take it for long-term due to the possible development of Parkinson-like symptoms. Some of its constituents are vitamin C, annonacin, annonamine and lichexanthone. Lichexanthone was found to enhance sperm motility. The atypical Parkinsonism is probably connected to the neurotoxic effect of annonacin.

Huminiqum [1 capsule contains: 120 mg fulvic acid, 50 mg humic acid, 41 mg vitamin C, 21 mg milk thistle extract and a number of essential minerals: Si, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, B, Mo, I, Se, Cr; Rd:2x2]: I took 6 caps in a day and had an O. Well it turned out surprisingly useful. I say this despite the fact that I had already tried this in the past, but I couldn’t make out that much of a difference then. This time I found it to have about a good benefit. The eyes only turned slightly worse after the ejaculation and they remained so even by the morning. Actually I felt best when waking up in the middle of the night. In the morning I still had photophobia, but the eyes were quite alright. I could also not note a particular anti-depressive effect. I am also rather divided what to say about gut issues as it appeared to me to have more like a mixed effect. I can’t exclude the possibility that one of the constituents is actually detrimental, but at least the positive effects predominate. I also had a good libido and erection, though sexual control and endurance were only average. If I remember well it caused some heart issues in the past and that is why I skipped on the test at the time. After the first two caps I had one sudden heart clench, but this did not occur afterwards, so this side-effect could be my imagination as well as it is hard to confirm without several days of testing.

Sage tea (Salvia officinalis): I made a tea of 1.5 liter of water and 1.5 tablespoon of herb and drank it in a day without an O. I thought to retest sage as my earlier judgment may not have been justified. The product was also a different one. As it turns out it really does not appear to have any negative effects and actually feels like it has some benefits, however I did not find it to be particularly strong in that quality. It had a weak benefit on gut issues and a minimal one on eye issues. I also masturbated some in the afternoon and I had quickly developed a sore throat and some chest inflammation. Fortunately as the effect of sage tea began to peak (about 4 hours) it managed to somewhat ameliorate these symptoms, still I did not feel it to be that good to dare an O at the time. My eyes also became a little more bloodshot afterwards. While I could not note a distinct anti-depressive effect, sometimes I felt a little less depressed. In the morning I was not feeling particularly better than usual though and symptoms were mostly as usual. I also had some lower back pain and also some around the liver. I am not sure if it had anything to do with sage, but one may need to be careful with higher doses. So my new value for sage is a weak positive one.
The principal compounds of its essential oil are alpha-thujone, 1,8-cineole and camphor, but it also contains compounds like borneol, catechinic acid, eucalyptol, linalool, ursolic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, nicotinic acid, fumaric acid, oleandolic acid etc.

Indian Coleus (Coleus forskohlii L./Coleus barbatus) [300 mg of 5:1 extract per capsule containing maximum 1.5 mg forskolin; Rd:1]: I took 3 or 4 (most likely 4). Similar to the other forskolin product it does not appear to have any striking effect. At least it appears to be a little useful. It seems to have a weak or weak-moderate benefit on gut issues and a minimal if any on the eyes. I also masturbated some in the afternoon, which felt rather normal in a good way, but one of the eyes became somewhat worse afterwards. By evening I felt a mild and somewhat pleasant odor and the nose felt a little relaxed. In the morning I felt slightly more aware, but eye symptoms were as usual. I also felt an unpleasant prostatic pain and only had a little urine. Fortunately the pain subsided within a few hours, but this may indicate some negative side-effects. Thus my score is only a weak one.
Besides forskolin it is also a source of rosmarinic acid, flavonoid glucuronides and diterpenoids.

Health speedwell tea (Veronica officinalis): I made a tea of 1.5 liter of water and 1.5 tablespoon of herb and drank it in a day and had an O. This one certainly seems one of the better teas. It had some positive effect on the eyes (maybe weak or weak-moderate) and about a moderate on gut issues. In the afternoon I had an O. The sexual quality appeared rather normal, though my endurance was rather good. The ejaculate was somewhat burning, but I guess this was an accumulation effect from the previous days when I only masturbated without an O. After O I still developed some symptoms like suddenly I was feeling really chilled, but it was not as bad as usual. Shortly after O my symptoms even seemed to get a little better when the previous dosage of Veronica tea reached its peak effect. Before going to sleep symptoms still crept in and felt more like usual. In the morning though I was definitely better. The effect was most striking for gut issues and the morning urine was practically not burning even though it was still burning in the evening. Photophobia was mostly usual though and the throat felt a little sore, however at the same time rhinitis felt somewhat reduced. Sometimes I even felt a little clearer mentally, but it wasn’t really distinct even when I got up at night, so it doesn’t really have an anti-depressive effect. The only really side-effect was a more intensive flatulence, but this is really common for things that help. Bowel sounds were also frequent though which is less common. I guess I can give it a moderate score.
Veronica is said to have numerous health benefits and is a source of iridoid glycosides (veronicosid, aucubin, catalposide, verminoside), rosmarinic acid, ferulic acid and some saponins.

Mistletoe tea (Viscum album): I made cold teas 3 times a day using 2.5g tea bags (7.5g in all) and drank them in one day without an O. Mistletoe also seemed to help more than just a little even if it was not that great. The eye issues appeared about moderately better, while gut issues only to a lesser extent, but flatulence was also a lesser issue than that of the previous speedwell. I also masturbated some in the evening, but I felt a little spent from the previous day, so the erection was not that good, otherwise everything felt pretty normal. The eye issues were quite reduced in the evening and even after masturbation they remained so, though I developed dry eyes, but that is practically a daily occurrence that tends to kick in between 9-11 p.m. The dry eyes remained an issues till morning, but they were only lightly bloodshot, still photophobia occurred. In the morning at least I felt rather relaxed and I wasn't particularly depressed. Interestingly I also had some spontaneous erections, so it can help libido recovery. The morning urine also burnt noticeably less. Muscle pain was usual, but possibly they were less fatigued than usual as I could move around a little easier. Rhinitis also appeared a little reduced. I couldn’t note any particular side-effects, but it is one of the riskier herbals long-term. I think I can give it a weak-moderate rating.
Some of its constituents are viscotoxins, lectins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, sterols, phenylpropanoids, and alkaloids. It may be also interesting to note that one of its major phenolic ingredient (o-coumaric acid) was shown to inhibit both CYP7A1 and CYP7B1. Mistletoe is also considered an aphrodisiac and could increase testosterone in one trial.

Sweet woodruff/sweetscented bedstraw tea (Asperulae folium, Galium odoratum): I drank a tea made of 1 liter of water and 1 tablespoon of herb in a day and also had an O. I found it to be a bit confusing. I expected a similar reaction as to tonka beans as sweet woodruff is also said to be rich in coumarin, however I couldn’t notice any such negative reactions. The initial reaction appeared a little beneficial, but nothing else. Still I had an opportunity, so I decided to have an O. What perplexed me though is that I practically couldn’t experience any significant change afterwards and symptoms remained similarly low level as before and even in the morning I had the usual chronic level of problems and nothing else. So while it may not clearly improve POIS, it seems to have some protective effect. Given my current experience I have to give it a moderate rating, but it is not clear how circumstantial this occasion was. I also can’t exclude the possibility that mistletoe from the previous day still exerted its benefit or had a synergy between them. One needs to be careful with sweet woodruff though, due to potential liver toxicity caused by coumarin. I actually had some temporary pain in the general area of the liver a few hours after the first cup, but this did not happen again afterwards.
Sweet woodruff has a spasmolytic and anxiolytic effect.

White kidney bean extract (Phaseolus vulgaris) [500 mg 20:1 extract per capsule; Rd:3x1]: I took 4 caps daily for two days without an O. On the first day it did not have any striking effect. I also ate something bad, so I actually got a little worse, like I had developed some chest inflammation by the time I went to bed and one of the eyes was somewhat bad. On the second afternoon I took 2 at once and a few hours later masturbated some and yet I had developed some brutal bloodshot eyes, so I did not dare an O. At least the sexual activity felt rather normal. Gut issues were about moderately better, but it clearly had some mixed effect as well and it is not only due to the increased flatulence, but the burning pain as well. At least stool quality was better. If I put tonka bean in the mixed category then I need to put white kidney bean there as well as it clearly did not help that much.
One of the active compound is supposed to be phaseolin, which can inhibit the enzyme alpha-amylase. I wonder if the negative reaction could be linked to lectins as beans are know to be a rich source of that, although white kidney bean is supposed to contain only a smaller amount.

Dwarf everlast/immortelle tea (Stoechados flores/Helichrysum arenarium): I made a hot tea of 1.5 tablespoon of herba and 1.5 liter of water and drank it in one day and also had an O. At first in the morning it clearly reduced eye symptoms, although it wasn’t too strong. In the afternoon I had an O and the eyes got somewhat worse, but only to a lesser degree. Later as the effect of another cup of tea peaked they actually appeared stabilized. Sexual activity felt mostly normal, though I was less into it than usual and it felt more difficult to maintain the erection, but this may have been the result of overindulgence from the previous days. The ejaculate also had a burning quality which was probably another proof of that. I think I experienced some temporary anti-depression during the day, but this wasn’t that strong. At least when I woke up at night I was more aware and felt noticeably better than usual and the morning wasn’t too bad either. Gut issues also appeared better to about a moderate-good degree. Rhinitis also felt reduced in the morning. While nowhere near perfect I can still give immortelle tea a moderate-good rating.
While quercetin alone doesn’t make much of a difference, still combined with other flavonoids and phytosterols surely makes a difference. The major constituents are the following: quercetin, kaempferol, naringenin, apigenin, luteolin, helichrysin A and B, phytosterol, salipurposide, isosalipurposide, coumarins (umbelliferone, esculetin, scopoletin), pyrone derivatives (arenol, homoarenol), lignans, triterpene acids, squitterpene lactones.

(Dried) Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): I put 1 teaspoon of dried chives in a cup of warm tea and drank this four times in a day without an O. It appeared a little useful, but nothing significant really. I guess I can safely consume this at least. Several years ago I used to eat fresh onion scallions regularly and I think it similarly helped a little with POIS, however the flavor was often bothering my throat and I suspected and increased risk of infection due to this, so I stopped eating them altogether.

Chicory root tea (Cichorii herba/Cichorium intybus): I made a tea by adding 1.5 tablespoon of herb to 1.5 liter of hot water and drank it in one day without an O. It appeared to be a little more useful, but it was not powerful. I think it had a little positive effect on my eyes as they remained rather alright. Gut issues actually seemed quite better to about a moderate-good level. In the morning I also felt a little better as general symptoms were lighter than usual. A few hours after the first cup I think I felt some anti-depression as well, but I did not experience this afterwards. Rhinitis also appeared to be a little better. At the moment I can give it a weak-moderate rating.
Besides the inulin polysaccharide some of its other active constituents are sesquiterpene lactones, lactucin, lactucopicrin, aesculetin, aesculin, cichoriin, umbelliferone, scopoletin, 6,7-dihydrocoumarin.
It is really interesting that contrary to the tea chicory coffee actually turns my POIS worse, which means the roasting process must be the culprit and something similar may be the case for regular coffee as well. As a source of inulin chicory is also easier to consume than artichoke unless capsules are used.

Sweet basil tea (Ocimum basilicum): I made a tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1 liter of water and drank it in one day with an O. Once again I was surprised as I suspected sweet basil to enhance POIS related issues. As it turns out it can actually help. In the afternoon I had an O. I had a good erection and had a good control over ejaculation, still libido and endurance were rather normal. The ejaculate felt unusually warm, but it was not burning as in more pronounced cases. It was rather surprising that the eyes practically remained the same with only mild symptoms, so basil possibly has a protective effect in this regard. I also developed a sore throat and had the beginnings of a chest inflammations as it often happens, but it did not become worse than that. When I woke up in the middle of the night I actually felt a little better. I also had a nasal congestion, but rhinitis was noticeably reduced as it often happens. For some reason I also felt a weak ass muscle inflammation at this time. When I woke up in the morning the eyes were still only lightly bloodshot and photophobia wasn’t too strong either. I also woke up with an erection which is certainly a good sign in my book. Gut issues weren’t that much better though, but I also ate some cakes the day before and it was possibly a little bad. I think sweet basil deserves a moderate rating based on this current one day trial, although once again I can’t exclude the possibility that chicory tea from the previous day had contributed somewhat to the overall effect.
Some of the more active constituents of sweet basil are eugenol and ursolic acid.
I have to wonder if my earlier suspicions could stem from either a negative interaction with other food ingredients. Another possibility I see is the aflatoxin contamination of lower quality spices that I am probably very sensitive to, especially as aflatoxin disturbs lipid metabolism and increases CD36 associated with SASP.

Absinthe wormwood tea (Artemisia absinthium): I made a tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.5 liter of hot water. It did not do anything significant really, but at least it felt like it had a little positive effect in general. The eye symptoms remained rather alright even though I masturbated some in the afternoon. The sexual function was rather average, but I was also rather fatigued from the previous day so it was no wonder. I was a bit worried about some sudden convulsions, but nothing really bad happened in the end. Though I had some weak and temporary convulsion-like symptoms (like a sudden cramp in the prostate, but only once or some blood vessel pulsation in the leg and some creeping tingling on the back of my neck before going to sleep). In the morning I felt mostly as usual, but nothing too bad. Actually I had a nice firm spontaneous erection as well, thus libido was recovering nicely. Gut issues also felt better, possibly to a weak-moderate degree. Specifically the stool quality wasn’t so good, but the burning pain was quite reduced. Depression felt a little reduced at the times shortly after I consumed the teas, but generally it was the same as usual, so no real help there. I think it only deserves a weak score, but it is still intriguing that I hadn’t any adverse effects POIS-wise. Actually one of the few occasions when I had a serious hangover was due to a greater amount of absinthe, but this happened such a long time ago that I cannot recall any specifics.
Some of its constituents are sesquiterpene lactones, absinthin, (-) - thujone, (+) - isothujone, thujyl alcohol and its esters, chamazulene and other mono- and sesquiterpenes. It probably does not contain artemisinin as only Artemisia annua is said to do so. (-)-alpha-Thujone by itself is a GABAA receptor antagonist that can cause convulsions and death in large amounts. However thujone was also indicated to reduce prostatic inflammation as a major constituent of Thuja/arborvitae.

Peppermint tea (Mentha x piperita): I made a tea by adding 1.5 tablespoon of herb to 1.5 liter of hot water. I think it had a weak benefit on the eyes, although it was hard to tell. Gut issues also appeared better to about a weak-moderate degree, though it could have been actually better given some more time. It also induced somewhat more flatulence just as I remembered, but it wasn’t really that excessive. Acutely it has a weak-moderate effect, which may be comparable to other mints, but the reduction of testosterone in the long-term may not make it an ideal choice for regular use.
Peppermint is abundant in a variety of compounds including: menthol, menthone, menthyl acetate, menthofuran, 1,8-cineol, peppermint oil, limonene, pulegone, caryophyllene, pinene, eriocitrin, hesperidin, kaempferol 7-O-rutinoside.

Chancapiedra (Phyllanthus niruri) [500 mg 100% micropulverized chancapiedra per caps; Rd:3]: I took 4 caps in a day and had an O. I expected somewhat better, but at least it appears to be somewhat useful. It does not seem to have any rapid effects. I had an O in the afternoon and regarding sexual activity the sexual desire was lower than usual, control was average, while potency and endurance were better than usual, though these facts may be only circumstantial. The eyes became somewhat worse after O, but not terribly. Otherwise I felt relatively alright (e.g. I did not feel the usual muscle pain). Of course by the time I went to bed I felt rather exhausted. When I woke up in the middle of the night I had already developed a moderate chest inflammation on the left side. The eyes also felt rather dry, but mentally I wasn’t feeling too bad. In the morning it was more like usual (photophobia and eye symptoms) and even the chest inflammation got a little better. Gut issues certainly felt better to about a moderate degree, but it could be better with longer use. The urine was not especially burning and yet I had more difficulty with urination. As Chancapiedra is supposed to help with kidney stone elimination one can only guess that using a lower starting dose is probably a better idea to avoid this problem. Based on the current test its acute effectiveness is only weak-moderate, but may have additional health benefits in the long-term.

Blessed thistle tea (Cnicus benedictus): I made a tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.5 liter of hot water. It did not appear to have any particular effect on eye or any other rapid effects. The weak chest inflammation I had also persisted throughout the day, but it was only a nuisance. However in the morning I felt myself a little relaxed and wasn’t feeling too bad. The eyes felt a little less dry then usual. Gut issues also appeared quite better to about a moderate-good degree. It is true though that this particular product was expired and it may not have been the full extent of its possible effect. Its taste was also a little sweet contrary to the bitter taste it is supposed to have. I can only give it a weaker moderate rating, but could be useful in a combination. As a reference I think it was kind of similar to pot marigold tea.
Blessed thistle similarly to milk thistle should help with the liver, thus some members could be interested to try it. Interestingly one of its compound called arctigenin can be found in burdock as well which is a determined ERbeta agonist. Another compound called cnicin has an antinociceptive effect in which all opioid receptors all likely to be involved.
The phytochemical compositions includes: sesquiterpene lactone glycosides, cnicin, polyacetylen, absinthin, salonitenolide and artemisiifolin, triterpenoids (a-amyrenone, a-amyrin acetate, a-amyrine, and multiflorenol acetate), lignans (trachelogenin, nortracheloside and arctigenin), flavonoids (apigenin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin and astragalin), tannins, n-nonane, n-undecane, n- tridecane, dodeca-l,ll-dien-3,5,7,9-tetrain (polyyne), pcymene, fenchon, citral, cinnamaldehyde.

Hyssop tea (Hyssopus officinalis): I had two brands, so I divided their use in one day, but I did not have an O. I made the first tea by adding 1.5 teaspoon of herb to about 0.7 liter of hot water and as for the second I put 1 teaspoon of herb powder in the same amount of water. My eyes stayed as they were, so it does not seem to help at all with this problem. The chest inflammation I had also persisted faintly and felt more like a discomfort around the heart, although it got a little stronger in the morning. Contrary to this rhinitis was reduced a little as the airway was rather clean and not particularly irritated. Gut issues appeared better about weak-moderately, but it wasn’t as strong as blessed thistle tea from the previous day. I feel I can score it as weak-moderate.
It is also indicated for the treatment of asthma, but this time it did not seem to help even with the only faint chest inflammation. Considering some of its constituents I find it strange that it did not work better. They were both also rather new products, so expiry couldn’t have been an issue.
Some of its constituents are thujone, ketone, phenol, pinocamphone, pinene, camphene, sesquiterpene alcohol, cineole, flavonoids, tannins, bitter substances (marrubin), glycosides (hyssopin, hesperidin and diosmine), oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, beta-sitosterol, resins, rosmarinic acid and total hydroxycinnamic derivatives. Similarly to absinthe wormwood it is an ingredient of absinthe and acts as a pro-convulsant in greater doses, probably due to ketone and thujone.

Black summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) [Slices (52%) in extra virgin olive oil (46%) with a net weight of 30g]: I ate the whole jar in one day on sandwiches without an O. I think it had a little positive effect on the eyes, but it wasn’t anything too noticeable. In the afternoon I masturbated some and the eyes remained lightly bloodshot, however later I had a shower after which I had developed quite bad bloodshot eyes. At least even later once again they became a little better once again. They remained so in the morning, although photophobia was practically as usual. Unfortunately gut issues weren’t much better either, maybe weakly, but even hyssop seemed better in this regard. The nose also felt a little irritated, so it did not help with rhinitis, but at least the chest inflammation resolved on this day. During masturbation every aspect of the sexual activity felt average. I can only give it a weak rating. It is also rather sad that the addition of extra virgin oil did not help either which makes a separate test pointless.
Some identified components of truffles are ergosterol, tuberoside anandamide, polysaccharides, and phenolics. By some it is also considered as an aphrodisiac.

Couch Grass/Graminis rhizome tea (Agropyron/Elymus/Triticum repens): I made a hot tea by adding  1.5 tablespoon of herb to 1.5 liter of water of what I drank in a day and also had an O. It had about a moderate benefit on the eyes. Certainly after O the eyes somewhat became worse, but they weren’t too bad and I could also see some benefit beforehand. Gut issues were clearly better maybe to a moderate-good degree, but it is really hard to evaluate this accurately in such a short time. At least an anti-inflammatory effect was evident. Flatulence was more prominent than usual though. I can’t say that I had experienced any particular anti-depressive effect, but at least in the morning I was comparatively alright. The sexual activity felt rather average, but I can only guess that the excessive masturbation doesn’t allow me to regenerate quickly enough. I can’t say I had experienced any notable side-effect, but as a source of inulin chicory root tea could be a safer choice. I think it deserves a moderate score based on this current trial.
The major constituent of couch grass is triticin, a polysaccharide related to inulin. Also present are mucilaginous substances, a polyfructosan called tricin, saponins, sugar alcohols (mannitol, inositol), traces of vitamin A-B, essential oil with polyacetylenes or carvone, carvacrol, small amounts of vanilloside (vanillin monoglucoside), vanillin, and phenolcarboxylic acids, silicic acid, silicates and iron. Lectins found in the seedlings and leaves may also be present in the rhizome.  Other constituents are agropyrene, mucilage, thymol, menthol, and other minerals, albumin.

Chasteberry tea (Vitex agnus-castus) [fruit]: I made a hot tea by adding 2 teaspoons of herb to about 1 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I did not expect much considering my earlier experiences with the capsules, so it was rather surprising when it actually turned out that the tea is quite beneficial. It evidently had a relatively good effect on the eyes as they only became slightly worse after O and even before they appeared nicer. Gut issues also felt comparatively better maybe to a good degree even and flatulence wasn’t that much of an issue as with couch grass from the previous day. The sexual performance seemed rather average, but once again I was rather exhausted from the previous days. Rhinitis also felt somewhat better. I don’t think I had experienced any particular side-effects either as previously with the caps. Of course its acute effect may differ from a longer treatment. I feel I can give it a good rating as it was possibly better than raspberry leaves tea, although I tried that a really long time ago.
Some of its ingredients are: penduletin, apigenin, PHBA, homoorientin, agnuside, casticin and numerous other compounds. Penduletin and apigenin are ERbeta specific ligands.

Yucca (Yucca spp.) [500 mg per capsule containing 4:1 root concentrate with natural saponins; Rd: 2x2-3]: I took 4 caps in a day without an O. It did not help much with eye symptoms or only minimally.
It seemed to help with gut issues about moderately. Rhinitis seemed somewhat reduced. I took the last two caps before going to sleep, but I had no problems with sleeping. I also had a good erection in the morning. Otherwise I can’t really say much. I think it deserves a weak-moderate score.
The two most active compounds are steroidal saponins and polyphenolics. The steroidal saponins are a precursor of natural cortisone. One mustn’t confuse Yucca with Yuca (cassava).

Common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.5 liter of water and consumed it in a day without an O. I don’t think it has any benefit on the eyes as I had developed rather bloodshot eyes in the morning after some exercise intolerance and in the afternoon after some masturbation. They were also rather average in the morning. It still has some benefits though. For one the rhinitis appeared somewhat reduced. Gut issues were also better, but only weakly as far as I can tell. The sexual function seemed rather usual during masturbation, but at least I had some spontaneous erections at night and in the morning, so it can’t be bad. I could sleep rather well and had some dreams in the first part of the night, but it wasn’t anything extraordinary. I had some minor discomfort of the heart in the morning and in the evening, which may be a possible side-effect, but this wasn’t anything serious. Still long-term usage may entail some risks. I also developed a light headache before masturbation, but it resolved on its own by the time I went to bed, so it was more likely due to the exercise intolerance in the morning, especially as it seemed to resolve exactly around the time the first afternoon dosage reached its peak effectiveness about 7 hours after consumption. I also had a rather sore throat when I woke up in the middle of the night, but it became weak by the morning. During the day depression was as usual, although when I woke up at the middle of the night I felt a little clearer, still in the morning it was more like usual. I can only give this a weak score as of now. So far based on my experiences with thujone and other GABAergic supplements, I can only guess that GABA may not play a central role in my case.
Some compounds in mugwort are thujone, vulgarin, artemisinin, scopoletin, camphene, camphor, sabinene, and some derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol. Mugwort is said to cause lucid dreaming due to its thujone content. It is also interesting to note that it may contain some artemisinin contrary to wormwood.

[Progecitor]

Organic Sacha Inchi oil (Plukenetia volubilis) [500 mg per capsule; Rd: 3x2]: I took 6 caps in a day without an O. I worked more than usual and had exercise intolerance related symptoms. My eyes at some points were pretty bad and it didn’t look like the supplement helped at all in this regard. I slept through the night without waking up (not as usual) and in the morning I felt myself a little better than average, though of course not much. Muscle pain was still present from the previous day. Gut issues appeared about moderately better. I think it only deserves a weak score in an acute POIS setting, but I still see some rational for long-term use as an alternative to fish oil due to its omega-3 content, especially as I couldn’t see any adverse effects contrary to the fish oil capsules.

Shilajit (Purified asphaltum – Indian origin) [500 mg per capsule; Rd: 2-4]: I took 5 caps in a day without an O. I couldn’t see a clear benefit on the eyes, but they were relatively lightly bloodshot throughout the day even when I was working. Even in the morning it remained lightly bloodshot as it was, but at least the white of the eye sometimes seemed a little bit clearer than usual. I took 2 caps early afternoon, but even so I couldn’t experience any significant change later. At least I slept relatively alright. I woke up in the middle of the night temporarily, but I could sleep back without going to the loo. I did not feel so well as with Huminiqum, but at least I was not feeling unwell either. The morning felt only a bit better than usual, but at least the urine was only slightly burning. Gut issues appeared about moderately better, but that is the only real acute benefit I could see. For now I can only give it a weak-moderate score, still it may have a better effect when used for a longer period, but I can’t afford such tests anymore.
Some of its more important compounds could be fulvic/humic acids and urolithins.

Chickweed tea (Stellaria media): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of the herb to 1.2 liter of water. I consumed it in one day without an O. I think it can weakly help both eye and gut issues, however its overall effect wasn’t too considerable. I also masturbated some in the afternoon yet symptoms did not particularly change. The sexual performance felt rather average as well. The anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues was more apparent by morning, but symptoms felt rather general otherwise. I think it deserves a weak-moderate score.
Some of its constituents: flavonoids, oligosaccharide stellariose, anthraquinone derivatives, fatty acid, steroid saponins and phenolic compounds. Anecdotally it has been also used to treat reproductive and respiratory tracts inflammations.

Sweet flag tea (Acorus calamus) [rhizome]: I made cold teas 2 times by adding half a tablespoon of herb to 0.6 liter of water and drank it in a day and also had an O. It clearly helped somewhat, but its effectiveness was clearly nothing extraordinary. Generally I had about the same experience as with chickweed tea. Its benefit on the eyes was rather low if any. Sexual performance was rather average if not worse. I think it was due to the overstrain from the previous days though. The ejaculate was somewhat burning, but I am quite sure it was due to the combination of exercise intolerance and edging from the previous days. Testing new supplements this frequently also doesn’t make it easy to recover and get more clear results. After O one of the eyes got somewhat worse, but it wasn’t so bad. I also developed noticeable rhinitis and a weak chest inflammation by the time I was going to bed. At least I slept rather well and by morning most of these got significantly reduced. In the morning eye issues were rather usual meaning they weren’t too bad. The urine also did not burn particularly. Gut issues also seemed better to about a weak-moderate degree. As a general feeling I can give it a weak-moderate score.
One of its most indicated compounds is beta-asarone that has many pharmacological properties, like a stimulant activity which is similar to that of mescaline. However beta-asarone was also found to be a potential carcinogen, thus long term use should be avoided. Some of the other constituents that could be also responsible for its health benefit: eugenol, pinene, camphene and caryophyllene.

Lactobacillus plantarum [25 mg per capsule containing 10 billion CFU; Rd:1-2]: I took 3 capsules in a day without an O. My eyes remained the same weak-moderately bloodshot throughout the day, so it did not seem to help anything in that regard. Other symptoms were also rather usual. Maybe I felt a little better in the morning, but really not particularly. Gut issues were better to about a moderate-good degree, however I also ate some sweet potato the previous day, so I can’t exclude a combined effect. Nevertheless I also had some positive experience with Normaflore in the past, so probiotics can certainly help a little. As a side-effect a few hours after the second capsule I had some temporary gut cramping around the liver. If I remember well this was also a common issue with Normaflore at the time and it was partly the reason I stopped taking it then. Actually I took a few boxes of Normaflore several years ago and while it helped a little acutely it had never brought about any permanent change and that was the other reason I abandoned it. I can give it a weak-moderate score and I believe it may have some role in a combination in a smaller dose, especially with prebiotics like inulin, but alone it will never account to anything against POIS.

Red Pu-Erh tea: I made a hot tea by adding a smaller tablespoon of herbs to about 1 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I think it had a weak benefit on the eyes, but it wasn’t that much. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better. As usual it helps a little, but it did not have a significant effect acutely.
It is a kind of pre-fermented tea that should lower cholesterol well.

Policosanol [20 mg per capsule containing 10 mg octacosanol, 2 mg triacontanol, 1 mg hexacosanol; Rd:1-2]: I took 3 caps in a day and had an O. It seemed to have a moderate benefit on the eyes. The eyes remained relatively stable even after O and only felt a little worse by the time I went to bed. I believe it had a positive effect on gut issues as well, but I can’t really say how much as I also ate something bad in the evening. I did not experience a particular anti-depressive effect, but I was somewhat less depressed, especially in the afternoon. The rhinitis was also reduced, though once again nasal congestion was increased in parallel. Sexual control appeared a little better than usual, while desire was a little lower. A possible side-effect was some temporary upper GI pain a few hours afters intake, but this may have been circumstantial. I can only give it a moderate-good score now, but it may be even better given some more time.
Scientific research shows that policosanol should have a similar or even better effect on cholesterol than red rice yeast and their combination should be even better. Furthermore policosanol is another good CD36 antagonist.

Snow hundred beauty tea (snow daisy - Coreopsis tinctoria and sword-leaf dogbane - Apocynum venetum): I made a hot tea by adding 2 teabags (2x2g) to 1.5 liter of water. There was either no or only a little benefit on the eyes. Gut issues were moderately better. The stool was strikingly yellowish and loose, but I had no diarrhea. I could not sleep back after waking up in the middle of the night, though I can’t say there was a clear anti-depression. At least I had an upright wood at the time, so libido was recovering nicely. I think it deserves a weak-moderate score.
It is advertised to reduce cholesterol, stress and normalize blood pressure. Some of its constituents are flavonoids, polyacetylenes, polysaccharides, phenylpropanoids, and volatile oils. Snow daisy contains a polysaccharide that can inhibit alpha-amylase, alpha-glucosidase and NO. Sword-leaf dogbane contains flavonoids, cardiac glycosides and organic acids, etc.

White mulberry (Morus alba L.) [350 mg per capsule containing 3.5 mg 1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ); Rd:1]:  I took 3 caps in a day. It seemed to have some positive effect, but it wasn’t strong at all. I masturbated some in the afternoon and after that one of the eyes got really bloodshot. It remained so even by morning, so I don’t think it has any effect on that. At least gut issues appeared quite better to about a moderate-good level. In the morning I felt a bit more aware than usual (less depressed), but nothing extraordinary. However I also had some lower back or colon pain, which may happen sometime, but this may be unrelated. I can’t say that I had experienced any side-effects at least. I may give it a weaker moderate score.
DNJ is a unique polyhydroxy alkaloid that inhibits alpha-glucosidase, thus potentially useful in diabetes, but white mulberry also reduces cholesterol. White mulberry also contains some potentially useful polysaccharides.

Sencha tea: This is a kind of green tea. I made a hot (about 70-80 Cdeg) tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to about 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I had moderately bloodshot eyes throughout the test, so I don’t think it helps in this regard. I also developed a headache before noon, but it resolved spontaneously by mid-afternoon. Caffeine maybe suspected as a cause as I also drank the usual coffees, however I also drank both in the afternoon as well and even so the headache resolved. I also did not experience a particular anti-depressive effect. I also slept without problems, though of course got up once to take a leak. The morning felt slightly better than usual, but nothing extraordinary. Gut issues appeared weak-moderately better. I think I can give it a weak score at least.

Common mallow/cheeseweed tea (Malva neglecta): I made 3 cups of cold and one cup of hot tea by using about 1.5 tablespoon of herb and consumed them in one day and also had an O. As most often there were some benefits, but they weren’t particularly strong. I think it had a slight benefit on bloodshot eyes, however after O they became really bloodshot anyway and remained so until the morning. Gut issues appeared weak-moderately better. Even so when I woke up in the middle of the night and also in the morning I was somehow feeling myself better than expected. Rhinitis also appeared somewhat reduced, but only by morning. I think it deserves a weak-moderate score.
Some of its constituents are mucliage, tannins, vitamin C, phenols, flavonoids, inulin (in the roots only).

Phosphatidylcholine [385 mg per softgel capsule; Rd: 1]: I took 3 caps in a day without any sexual activity. Fortunately it proved to be somewhat beneficial contrary to choline chloride, however it was certainly not as useful a phosphatidylserine. Of course it may be the safer choice long-term, but who knows. It was a little useful for the eye symptoms. Specifically the bloodshot eyes were as usual, but the white of the eye appeared a little brighter. In the evening the eye was not so dry as usual, however in the morning I had the usual photophobia if not worse and one of the eyes was a little painful. The sight was also generally blurry. In the morning the first urine was noticeably not burning and rhinitis also appeared better, though sometimes I felt a little chest inflammation fluctuating in-and-out. Depression was rather usual and I couldn’t feel anything like with PS. I could still feel some muscle pain in the morning, even though it was a weekend and I was practically sitting all day. Gut issues also appeared quite better to about a moderate-good level and flatulence was also minimal. A possible side-effect occurred a few hours after the second capsule, when I felt a temporary tingling on the back of the head and neck, but it didn’t seem like anything to really worry about. Everything considered I can give it a moderate score, but even so using such an amount would be rather expensive and other forms may work differently. I guess eating more eggs is reasonable, but I wouldn’t expect a miracle right away.

White Mustard seeds (Sinapis alba): I nibbled 4 coffeespoon worth (about 4x2g=8g) in a day without an O. As I remember I had some mixed experience with mustard creams in the past, so I only eat it very sporadically, but the cream may contain a number of other ingredient like canola oil, so any experience with that doesn’t really prove anything. My current experience left me with mixed feelings. Eye issues remained unchanged throughout the test and they weren’t too good. Gut issues appeared worse at first, but later somewhat better. Interestingly rhinitis appeared quite reduced, however when I got up in the middle of the night I had a stabbing chest pain and in the left breast the lymph nodes were rather inflamed. At the time though mentally I felt myself slightly better than usual, but depression was rather usual during the day and in the morning. The morning also felt rather average, so there wasn’t a significant change. I think I can give it a weak score at least.
White Mustard contains pungent allyl isothiocyanates which may activate both TRPA1 and TRPV1 receptors. It also contains sinapic acid which has an anti-adipogenic property.

Common knotgrass tea (Polygonum aviculare): Another useful weed from the garden. I made a hot tea by adding 2 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day and had an O. I can’t say it proved especially effective for the eyes, but in the afternoon I was feeling myself rather well, so I decided to have an O. The sexual activity also felt rather alright. Even so during masturbation I developed a stronger chest inflammation which felt more like a central pulmonitis this time. I think it had been already present even before masturbation, but by the POIS induction it became stronger. A few hours later it became rather mild at least and remained so until morning. The eyes also became somewhat worse after O, but did not turn too bad. Early morning I actually felt myself somehow better than usual, though in the morning objective symptoms were more close to average. I also developed some colon pain by morning, but otherwise gut issues appeared weak-moderately better. I think the muscles also felt more relaxed than usual as I could move around a little easier. It is rather difficult to evaluate anything in only one day, but I believe it may have a moderate effect at least. I think the chest inflammation was only circumstantial, but the colon pain may have been caused by some shift in POIS. I can’t exclude the possibility that some of its compounds are detrimental.
Some of its constituents: Resveratrol, flavonols (avicularin, myricitrin and juglanin), flavonoids (astragalin and betmidin), lignan (aviculin), diterpene alkaloid (panicudine). Anecdotally it is even recommended for the treatment of prostatic issues. I guess resveratrol could be one of the most active compound, but many of the other constituents also seem to have potent health benefits and some of these could be synergistic.

Stoneroot/Richweed (Collinsonia canadensis) [400 mg root powder per capsule]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. The eyes were rather unchanged and remained averagely bloodshot throughout the test. I could see some benefit on gut issues at least, but it wasn’t great either. In the morning I felt close to an average state, but maybe rhinitis was reduced a little. I expected something better from this, but it may need some time to begin to work. Some people claim that they could notice changes after 48 hours. I give this a weak score for an acute benefit, but if stoneroot really reduces varicose veins than it could be worth taking it even if it doesn’t treat POIS.
Constituents: saponins (Akeboside Stb, collinsonin and collinsonidin), thymol, carvacrol, flavones (2,5-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavanone, baicalein-6,7-dimethyl ether, norwogenin-7,8-dimethyl ether and tectochrysin). It is interesting to note that 2,5-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavanone is extremely rare and some other sources are Populus nigra and Uvaria rufus. Coincidentally Populus nigra buds are also used traditionally to treat prostatic issues.

(White) kidney bean pod tea: I prepared a hot tea by adding 2 tablespoon of herb to 1.4 liter of water and drank it along a day without an O. I can’t say it was great, but in the afternoon I was clearly feeling myself better than usual. Unfortunately by evening symptoms once again turned to rather usual, however in the morning I was feeling a bit better than usual even if not too significantly. I think it has a weak benefit on the eyes and a moderate on gut issues. If its effect was more consistent I would give it a moderate score, but this way only a weak-moderate one. The variance could be caused by the presence of a combination of good and bad compounds as well.
The active ingredients of the plant are trigonelline, chromium, arginine, silicic acid derivatives, choline, asparagine, isovaleric acid, cellulose, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C, hydrocyanic acid, amino acids. Trigonelline is possibly a troublesome compound as it is an agonist of ERa and promotes proliferation. Trigonelline can be also found in coffee.

Common verbena tea (Verbena officinalis): I prepared a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it along a day without an O. I couldn’t notice any rapid action at first. Nevertheless I masturbated some in the afternoon. After that one of the eyes got really bloodshot and remained so until I went to bed. Before going to bed I had noticed that rhinitis was somewhat better than usual. Interestingly when I woke up in the morning I was feeling myself surprisingly well. Especially the airways felt rather clean and I could breathe well. This also made me mentally more aware. I think I could even perceive scents easier. The eyes were only a little better this time, so verbena is probably not effective for this problem though. Gut issues appeared about weak-moderately better. Given how I felt in the morning I have to give it a weaker moderate rating, but of course I can’t tell how circumstantial this was. Some time ago I also tried some verbena candies, however I think they actually made me feel worse, which may have been due to some additives though. So one really needs to test the source first to see if it could be useful.
Constituents: beta-sitosterol, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, 3-epiursolic acid, 3-epioleanolic acid, iridoid glucosides (verbenalin, verbenin and hastatoside), apigenin, 4'-hydroxywogonin, aucubin, a phenylpropanoid glycoside, verbascoside and beta-sitosterol-D-glucoside, verbenol, tannins, caffeic acid derivatives. Hastatoside and verbenalin have sleep-promoting (soporific) properties.

Black poplar tincture (Populus nigra) [30 drops contain 200 mg black poplar extract, 25 mg vitamin C, min. 35 % alcohol; Rd:30-90 drops]: I took about 120-130 drops in a day and had an O. This is another rather great supplement to treat POIS. I could see a certain benefit after the first dose (30 drops) as my eyes were clearer. I had an O in the afternoon and even after that the eyes only became slightly worse. My sexual performance was more like average or even worse, but once again it was probably circumstantial. In the morning I felt myself really well. I still had some symptoms, but in comparison to a regular morning and especially a first day the difference was quite apparent. Gut issue were better to about a moderate-good degree. One possible side-effect was that the skin on the inside of the mouth was hurt a little after consumption. I think I had some similar experience with some other tinctures, though it is hard to believe that a few drops of alcohol would cause this. Anyway I think it deserves a good score at least.
Black poplar is actually indicated for the treatment of prostatic issues. It was really surprising to find out that black poplar is a good source of pinocembrin. Pinocembrin can be found in Damiana and licorice and it is considered as an aromatase inhibitor meaning that it should increase testosterone while also decreasing estrogen at the same time. This of course actually proves that pinocembrin is a really good treatment for my POIS and it also makes it likely that aromatase inhibitors are similarly so as well.

Modulen IBD [It contains a number of vitamins, minerals, casein, some choline and niacin; 1 serving = 6 scoops =50g; 50g]: I consumed 50g in a day without an O. This is considered a special nutritional supplement for sufferers of IBD and Chron’s disease. The product was expired several years ago, but I had an unopened can, so I thought I would test it one more time before throwing it out. In its appearance it was rather alright at least, but some of the components could have degraded over time. Nevertheless my experience wasn’t anything special. Eye and gut issues didn’t seem any better particularly. Interestingly rhinitis appeared somewhat reduced at least and I also felt slightly better in the morning. Thus I can give it a weak score at least.

Yellow gentian tea (Gentiana lutea): I made a hot tea by adding 2 teaspoons of dried root to about 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day with an O. I can’t say I had noticed a striking effect, but as I was not feeling unwell in the afternoon, I thought to have an O. My libido was rather normal, but at least I had a good erection and wasn’t sexually fatigued as in the previous few occasions. Interestingly even after O I couldn’t really notice any significant increase in POIS symptoms. By the time I went to bed I felt the power of POIS a little more, but the eyes were still relatively lightly bloodshot only. In the morning I felt closer to average, but at least better than I would expect from a first day. Gut issues only appeared weakly better though. I think it deserves a weaker moderate score.
The health benefits are most likely due to its bitter compounds which are gentiopicrin (aka gentiopicroside) and amarogentin. Other constituents: gentisin, isogentisin, isovitexin.
Amarogentin is considered an anti-aging compound. Probably in conjuction to this amarogentin activates AMPK to exert beneficial vasculo-metabolic effects.

Manuka propolis [1 pill contains: 50 mg Flavoxale (Manuka honey and propolis), 16 mg Vitamin C; Rd:5]: I consumed 9 pills in a day without an O. I tried this before in a smaller amount, but I couldn’t see that much of a change even then. It seems to be at least a little beneficial, but nothing considerable.
Eye problems and rhinitis were not bad, but I also couldn’t see any particular improvement. Gut issues were weak-moderately better at least. It gets a weak score from me.

Kalory Emergency 1000 (Opuntia ficus indica L., Phaseolus vulgaris, Foeniculum vulgare L.) [1 pill contains: 350 mg Nopal cactus leaf powder, 180 mg phaseolamin, 150 mg fennel seed extract with 0.75 mg volatile oil, 50 ug organic chromium, 25 mg L-Valine, 12.5 mg L-Proline, 12.5 mg L-Tyrosine; Rd:2]: I took 3 pills in a day without an O. The eyes remained lightly bloodshot as they were and only got a little worse by nightfall. Maybe I felt slightly better during the day, but nothing significant. Gut issues were better to about a weak-moderate degree. In the morning I felt mostly as usual or only a bit better, however I also developed some lower back pain which was probably an exercise injury and lasted several days afterwards. Retrospectively I think I ought to do warm ups before doing anything really. I give it a weak-moderate rating. Even though it contains some fennel seeds the other product was certainly more beneficial.

Folic acid + Thiamine (Vitamin B9 + B1) [per pill content: 800 ug folic acid - 10 mg thiamine nitrate; Rd:1,1]: I took 2 pills of each in a day and had an O. I tried them each before separately, but I couldn’t notice anything significant with them. I don’t think it is effective for eye symptoms, though at least they weren’t so bad lately due to another change in lifestyle. The morning felt rather average. I think it has a little benefit on gut issues at least, but it also slowed gut transit, so it is hard to tell how much exactly. I wasn’t particularly depressed in the evening even after O, but it was as usual in the morning, so it may not help at all. Somehow I had less muscle pain in the evening, but I am not certain how circumstantial this was. During masturbation sexual desire was average, but at the same time I had a quite good erection. Unfortunately sexual control was average or below. The most surprising though was that even after O the penis remained rather stimulable, which was particularly unusual. I wonder if this could be related to some conversion of nitrate to NO. I guess I can give it a weak-moderate score, but for me it does not specifically help with the marker symptoms of POIS.

Diclofenac Potassium (Voltaren Dolo): [25 softgel caps; Rd:1-3]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. I was not sure what to expect, but in the end I did not have a significant reaction to it. It doesn’t seem to be effective for eye issues, but it also does not make them worse. I think I experienced some milder mixed effects on gut issues, but everything considered it still had a generally positive effect maybe even to a weak-moderate degree. It may have had a little and temporary anti-depressive effect a few hours after intake, but I am not completely sure. The rhinitis was quite evident by nightfall, so it did not help with that. Unfortunately it also did not help with the lower back pain even if it is indicated to be used specifically for this problem. In the morning I had about the same degree of lower back pain as I had the previous one. At least in the morning I felt myself a little better than usual, so it appears to be a little beneficial overall. I give this a weak score.
Several years ago I had already used Cataflam which contains the same agent. As I recall it caused some really bad gut pain at the time and this was the reason I have decided to never use it again. Of course it is reassuring that no such thing happened this time.

Hoodia (Hoodia gordonii) [500 mg aerial parts 30:1 extract per capsule; Rd:1-2]: I took 2 caps (0.5+0.5+1) in a day without an O. It did not appear to have a particular effect on the eyes. At least it improved gut issues, but in the end I can’t really tell how much as I also ate some POIS-mimetic that probably blunted its effect. I also masturbated for a short time in the evening and I had a good libido and erection, but I did not have time for an O. In the morning I felt myself a little better than usual. Rhinitis also seemed at least partially reduced. The lymph nodes were also relaxed. I think I also experienced some cursory anti-depressive effect several hours after intake, but it is hard to tell how certain this is. The only side-effect I could tell was after the first half cap as it caused some stomach discomfort for a short time. I guess I can give it a weak-moderate rating.
It is counted as both an aphrodisiac and an anti-obesity supplement. Unfortunately it may also cause some serious side effects like hypertension. One of the more active compound is probably beta-sitosterol.

Rock salt with herbs: I think this one had more of a negative effect on POIS. Eye and gut symptoms appeared a little worse. I was also depressed in a greater part of the day. One of the herbs was summer savory which could be partly responsible.

Walnuts: Eating walnuts can actually help with POIS, but it is important for the walnut to be good quality. I had a mostly bad experience with it in the past, but the reason was most probably that I often ate bad quality walnuts which were contaminated by fungi or simply too old and rancid. I think it could be also important to not eat it with sugar in cake, just simply in its raw from. Now I ate some in a somewhat greater quantity and I think it is actually beneficial. I don’t think it does anything for eye issues, but gut issues were possibly moderately better. Even more surprisingly it also has some anti-depressive effect.

Rumalaya forte [1 pill contains: 240 mg Boswellia serrata, 200 mg Commiphora wightii, 70 mg Alpinia galanga, 70 mg Glycyrrhiza glabra, 60 mg Tribulus terrestris extract, 60 mg Tinospora cordifolia; Rd:2]: I took 4 pills in a day without an O. It evidently contains herbs that proved rather good before, so it seemed a good choice to try. Somewhat regrettably it was a holiday and I also ate a number of bad stuff like various cakes and nightshade vegetables, so my experience was not perfect.
It had an evident anti-depressive effect about 6 hours after the first capsule. It also ameliorated the eye symptoms, but it couldn’t fully restore it due to the bad things I ate. It also had an evident positive effect on gut issues, however I can’t say how much exactly for the same reason as before. Sometime after the third capsule in the evening I felt some pain in the testicles and on its surface I could see some more pronounced veins. I am not sure though if this was a side-effect of the overdosage or the deleterious effect of the POIS-mimetics I ate. Still I took a fourth cap and in the morning I had a really good erection and my libido felt rather good. I can’t say I felt especially well due to the bad stuff I ate, but the positive change was still clear. A reduction in rhinitis was also evident in the morning. Given how many aphrodisiacs and testosterone boosters are included in this formula, it is a bit surprising to see that it is advertised to improve joint health instead.

Shark cartilage [500 mg powder per capsule; Rd: 4-5]: I took 6 caps in a day without an O. I don’t think it helped with eye symptoms or only minimally. Gut issues were weakly better, but it is hard to tell. I still had the lower back pain which got slightly better by morning, but still did not resolve. I also had an erection when I woke up, but it was less stiff then the previous morning. The nose also felt slightly different than usual, so rhinitis was possibly a little reduced, but it was not a distinct effect. I did some squats in the morning and I think my knee joints worked a little better than usual, though a weak muscle pain could be still felt. It only gets a weak score for POIS treatment, but I think it may be a good supplement to improve joint health.

(D-) Glucuronolactone (aka DGL, but don’t confuse with Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, which may be also shortened so) [500 mg per capsule; Rd:1]: I took 2 caps without an O. It did not help with eye symptoms. Gut issues were only weakly better if at all. While I had no particular brain fog to begin with I also could not experience any anti-depressive effects. Instead I got a weak headache about 6 hours after intake, when I would expect a peak effect. Afterward I also worked more than usual in the afternoon and I had developed rather usual exercise intolerance symptoms, so it also did not help with that. The headache resolved on its own by about mid-evening when I took the second capsule. When I woke up cursorily at night I think I may have felt slightly better mentally, but in the morning everything was as usual, meaning I had the same tired eyes and weak depression as pretty much any other day. At least I did not have a headache in the morning, so it may not be a cause after all. I am mostly inclined to say that it is ineffective, but one day is probably too few to claim anything definite.
Glucuronolactone is sometimes added to energy drinks as it is supposed to reduce brain fog. The one I took was instead advertised for liver energy metabolism aid and as a component of the connective tissue.

PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone) [10 mg PQQ disodium salt per capsule; Rd:1-2]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. I could see some benefit from this one, but it wasn’t strong. I think it helped with eye and gut issues minimally. In the afternoon I masturbated some and the sexual function appeared rather normal. Subsequently the eyes became a little worse though. I don’t think it helped with depression or muscle fatigue either. I can give it a weak score, but Coenzyme Q10 felt better as I recall.
It is said to have a similar effect as Coenzyme Q10 and if combined they may work even better. PQQ is also an inducer of PGC-1a, so this could be one of their shared mechanism.

Chlorella (Chlorella vulgaris) [500 mg per pill, Rd:6]: I took 6 pills in a day without an O. It did not help with eye symptoms at all, however gut issues were about weak-moderately better. This day I had more intensive work and developed rather usual exercise intolerance symptoms. In the afternoon I even masturbated some and the eyes became rather bad afterwards. The morning felt rather usual at least. I think spirulina was slightly better, but I took that longer and the difference may be only circumstantial. It deserves a weak score at least.
Chlorella is a source of chlorophyll, vitamin A/B3/B12/D and iron.

Septilin [Composition in pills: 972 mg Balsamodendron mukul, 192 mg Conch shell calx,  390 mg Maharasnadi quath (a blend of 26 other herbs), 294 mg Tinospora cordifolia, 192 mg Rubia cordifolia, 96 mg Emblica officinalis, 96 mg Moringa pterygosperma, 36 mg Glycyrrhiza glabra; Rd: 3-6]: I took 8 pills in day and had an O. It had a weak benefit on the eyes, but it wasn’t that strong. Gut issues may be moderately better, but it is rather hard to say in such a short amount of time. This day I also had rather bad exercise intolerance once again and its combination with POIS was probably too much to handle. At least the sexual function felt rather improved. I had a good erection, control and endurance, though sexual desire was rather average. I did not experience a distinct anti-depressive effect, but in the morning while half-asleep I felt mentally more acute, but this was less so when I actually got up. In the morning my usual tinnitus felt louder as with some other supplements that have a better effect. I am not sure of the cause of this shift, but maybe it could be due to improved circulation. Somehow Septilin reminded me to astaxanthin without vitamin E. Septilin did not appear as strong as Rumalaya forte coming from the same producer. I think it deserves a moderate-good score.

MACA (Nowfoods) [500 mg per capsule; Rd:1-3]: I took 6 in a day without an O. Similarly to the previous days I suffered from exercise intolerance due to excessive work. Even so it managed to noticeably reduce bloodshot eyes, though not completely, but only to a moderate degree. Gut issues were also about moderately better. I could not experience a distinct anti-depressive effect as with the extract version, but at least I felt myself a little better in the morning. Muscle fatigue was also as usual, but rhinitis was reduced a little. It is certainly not the best MACA product that I have tried so far, but it still provides some noticeable benefit nonetheless. I guess it deserves a moderate-good score.

Celery seed (Apium graveolens) [500 mg per capsule; Rd:3]: I took 3 caps in a day and had an O. I mistook it with parsley last time, so I needed to test this as well. Interestingly it has an adverse effect on my eyes, which happens in about two hours and is much reminiscent to what I usually experience with coffee meaning a temporary flare in bloodshot eyes that gets a little better after 1 or 2 hours. I had an O in the late afternoon. Well the sexual function appeared rather normal as I could not notice either an improvement or deterioration in it. Sexual desire was rather average as well. After O I had developed rather bloodshot eyes, so it was really not effective in this regard. In the morning however I was feeling myself more like on an average day as POIS symptoms weren’t that bad. It also seemed to have a mixed effect on gut issues as stool quality appeared better than usual, but the burning pain was possibly a little worse. I also felt generally depressed, so it did not have an effect on that. I think I have to put it in the mixed category. It is clear that some of its constituents should be good for me, however it also contains components that may adversely effect POIS. One suspect could be coumarin, but there may be others. It is also rather unclear which compound could be responsible for the aphrodisiac effect (for women). 
Constituents: Beta-carotene, vitamin C, manganese, apigenin, phenolic acids, flavones, flavonols, limonene, luteolin, coumarin, isocnidilide, n-butylphthalide.

Urinary tract support tincture [Extract composition per 4ml: 200 mg garden nasturtium, 80 mg hairy willowherb, 80 mg lingonberry, 60 mg silver birch, 60 mg Tribulus, 60 mg Spirulina, 20 mg Echinacea; Rd: 2x2ml]: I took 6 ml in a day without an O. It certainly helped with eye symptoms, though the experience was spoiled by some other circumstances. Gut issues were also quite better to about a moderate-good degree. I also felt some anti-depressive effect even if not too strongly. One problem that occurred though when I ate something bad in the afternoon which got my eye really bloodshot afterwards, however when the second dose was beginning to take effect later they clearly got a little better again as I had seen with the first dose around noon. I also had to do physical work at night this day, which is an extremely bad combination for me. Surely symptoms got worse as I had toiled, however by the time I went home they were not critical possibly due to a portion I took before work. I also took a portion before going to sleep and in the morning I felt relatively well even though I only slept a little which is another critical POIS inducer. Rhinitis also appeared improved in the morning. I guess it deserves a good score. The individual contribution of the herbals is not clear, however garden nasturtium seems to be an interesting addition as it was traditionally used to treat urinary and genital infections.

Molybdenum [400 ug molybdenum glycinate chelate per capsule; Rd:1]: I took 2 caps in a day without an O. I don’t think it improved eye problems, but it seemed to help with gut issues somewhat. I also masturbated in the afternoon and the sexual function appeared improved, but this could have been due to the tincture from the previous day as well. In regard of gut issues it also caused more than average flatulence, which is not a good thing when considering its low efficacy. I also felt some slight heart strain during masturbation, but this could have been due to the lack of sleep. During the night though at some point it felt like the heart was beating stronger than usual, so it may still have some effect on the organ, however it is not clear if this is an improvement or a detriment. I don’t think taking excessive mineral dosages would be a good idea anyway. I think it deserves a weak or weak-moderate score, but it is impossible to determine based on only one day. I think any effects of molybdenum are most likely in conjunction with xanthine oxidase.

[Progecitor]

Grapefruit seed extract tincture (Citrus paradisi) [45 drops contain 0.5 mg Citrus bioflavonoid, which is rich in naringin; Rd: 45 drops]: I took 60 drops in a day with an O. This had a positive effect on the eyes, but only weakly. It was also useful for gut issues about moderately. In the afternoon I had an O. Sexual function was rather normal, though I had a good erection and sexual desire was rather average. After O the eyes still became worse and mostly remained so until morning. I don’t think it had a particular effect on depression or muscle fatigue. I think it deserves a moderate score. By the way it has a nice taste when put in milk and coffee with sugar, but not in either of them alone.

Buchu leaf extract (Agathosma betulina) [100 mg 1:4 extract per capsule; Rd:1-2]: I took three caps in a day without an O. It did not appear to help with eyes issues, though they remained low in intensity. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better. At night and in the morning the urine felt to burn less, but the difference was not so striking. In the morning I woke with a weaker erection, so it may have some positive effect in this regard. It did not have an anti-depressive effect. I am not sure about side-effects, but I felt a kind of tension on the back of my head in the evening, though I also drank a lot of coffee in the afternoon and it may have been that. I feel I can give this a weak-moderate score.
Buchu can supposedly treat kidney and urinary tract infections, urethritis, prostatitis, though its toxic compounds may not make it suitable for long-term treatment.
Constituents: the hepatotoxin pulegone, diosphenol (aka buchu camphor), limonene, methone, terpinen-4-ol and p-menthan-3-on-8-thiol, flavonoids (diosmetin, quercetin, diosmin, quercetin-3,7-diglucoside and rutin), mucilage, resin, thiamine, sulfur compounds and possibly coumarins as well.

Zhu Ling Mushroom (Polyporus umbellatus) [400 mg mycelium and fruiting body per capsule; Rd:1-2]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. It had some positive effect on eye issues, as I was doing quite a lot of work this day and even after finishing the eyes were relatively lightly bloodshot. I also had muscle fatigue, but it may not have been so bad as usual. I also masturbated some afterwards. I had a good erection, but I was not really in the mood otherwise, probably due to general fatigue so the sexual performance was rather average. Gut issues were possibly moderately better, however I also ate something bad and possibly this was the reason I felt rather usually in the morning. Rhinitis also felt reduced at least. I could not experience a distinct anti-depressive effect and even in the morning it felt more like usual in this regard. I think it deserves a moderate score.
Polyporus umbellatus is considered a good source of ecdysteroids, though other sources proved better for me previously.

Common agrimony tea (Agrimonia eupatoria): I made a hot tea by adding 2 tablespoons of herb to about 1.5 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I don’t think it had a particular benefit on the eyes, though I had exercise intolerance in the afternoon and the eyes remained generally the same. It did not have an anti-depressive effect and the muscle fatigue also felt usual. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better though. The morning felt rather usual, but at least I had some spontaneous erections, so the libido was recovering nicely. I can only give this a weaker score, but it may combine well with other teas especially as it appears one of the safer teas and it has some nice constituents.
Constituents: volatile oils, flavonoids, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, tiliroside, triterpene glycosides (euscaphic acid and tormentic acid), phenolic acids, and 3%–21% tannins, silicic acid (10-12%), bitters, mucilage.
It may be a good substitute to regular tea and it is supposedly safe to consume long-term.

Common thyme tea (Thymus vulgaris): I made a hot tea by adding a big tablespoon of herb to about 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I was a bit surprised that it proved rather good for eye symptoms. After work the muscle fatigue felt rather usual. I don’t think it had an anti-depressive effect or only a slight one. In the afternoon I masturbated some and the sexual function felt rather usual. Afterwards the eyes did not become more bloodshot, but they felt drier and a bit tired though. Rhinitis was reduced as the nose felt more relaxed than usual. Gut issues felt about weak-moderately better, though I ate something bad again (a dish with tomato sauce), which spoiled the experience. I think thyme deserves a moderate-good score nevertheless.
Constituents: the most active are thymol (40%) and carvacrol (15%), besides these linalool, alpha-terpineol, and 1,8-cineole, borneol, p-cymene, tannins (10%), bitters, saponins can be also found in it.

Guarana (Paullinia cupana) [500 mg seed extract per pill containing 110 mg (22%) caffeine; Rd:1]:
I took 2.5 pills in a day and had an O. I have already tried this in the past, but I couldn’t see much of a difference, so I skipped on it. Similarly as before after the first pill I couldn’t see any difference even though I also consumed my regular 2 cups of morning coffee as well. I had exercise intolerance during work, but the eyes only became a little worse. In the early afternoon I also drank another 2 cups of coffee besides the second pill. Later I had an O. The sexual function seemed rather average and my libido was actually lower than usual. I almost reconsidered before O as it felt like it is going to be a bad episode. One of the eyes became bloodshot and the eyes felt tired which usually means that after O it will be even worse. Strangely though the catastrophe did not occur and the symptoms remained rather usual. I think the reason was that the second pill was beginning to take effect and this somewhat blunted the damage. Symptoms were only getting worse by the time I went to bed when I took the third (half) pill. I slept 5 hours when I woke up and felt relatively well. My mind felt clearer than usual and I also had a morning wood. After taking a leak I did not manage to fall asleep again though and was kind of half-asleep for two hours while partly fantasizing about women. Even so in the morning I still felt rather alright at least. Gut issues were weak-moderately better. A possible side-effect I felt not much after O was a kind of cramping pain possibly of the blood vessels that I felt mostly in one of my foot. I did not experience heart issues though.
While guarana has a benefit it feels rather subdued and not as clear as I would expect from caffeine.
I am also rather sure that my coffee related eye problems are not due to caffeine, but rather due to some other compounds like cafestol.

Wild strawberry leaves tea (Fragaria vesca): I made a hot tea by adding 2 tablespoons of herb to about 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I think it is a little useful, but it was not remarkable. The eye symptoms remained relatively low, but still I could only see a little benefit if at all. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better. Depression or muscle fatigue remained as usual. I had a few hours of night work and pronounced exercise intolerance symptoms did not occur at least. It has a weak or weak-moderate benefit.
Constituents: flavonoids (quercetin), tannins (ellagitannins), caffeic acid derivatives, citrate, triterpene alcohol, and traces of essential oil. F. vesca contains the ellagitannin agrimoniin which is an isomer of sanguiin H-6.

Common sorrel tea (Rumex acetosa): I made a hot tea by adding 2 tablespoons of herb to about 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day and had an O. I drank only 1 liter of of the tea when I decided to skip on it, though I still had an O at the time. I could not see any significant initial reaction and then I masturbated some in the afternoon when the sexual function felt rather average and the control was rather poor as I almost came rather soon. I grew a bit frustrated due to this and decided to try the next item instead, which was blackthorn tea. I drank a cup of sorrel tea than an hour later a cup of blackthorn tea and another hour later I had an O. This time around due to persistent edging the control improved and the erection was also rather alright. Well I expected a usual POIS episode, but I was a bit surprised when symptoms only got a little worse after O and then later they actually got a little better. Now I can’t really say which one helped more, but after checking their phytochemical composition it may have been due to the extra amount of polyphenols that can be found in both. I think common sorrel alone deserves a weak-moderate score, but together with blackthorn flower they likely have a moderate effect.
Constituents: anthraquinones, polyphenols, oxalates, naphthalene, tannins, vitamin A and C.

Blackthorn flower tea (Prunus spinosa): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 0.6 liter of water and drank it twice. I drank it before and after O as said previously. In the morning I felt more like on a chronic day meaning it helped somewhat, but the effect wasn’t particularly strong. I made another cup of tea in the morning with one tablespoon of herb. During work the eyes got a little more bloodshot, however by the time I was going home they got a little better and were only lightly bloodshot which is the most common for me. Interestingly around this time I also felt a little better mentally, though I can’t say I had experienced a distinct anti-depressive effect. Muscle fatigue was mostly as usual. Gut issues also appeared a little better. I guess it deserves a weak-moderate score.
Blackthorn flower is indicated for the treatment of urinary tract disorders, inflammation, and adjunctive therapy of cardiovascular diseases. Constituents: polyphenols, flavonoid pentosides (arabinosides, xylosides, rhamnosides), A-type procyanidin dimers, anthocyanins, coumarins, and phenolic acids.

Common melilot/Sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 0.8 liter of water and drank it during a day without an O. It did not help with eye symptoms at all, but they weren’t worse either. In the morning the urine burned a little less and the rhinitis also felt slightly better. Gut issues appeared a little better at first, however the morning stool was burning more so than usual and around this time I developed a bad chest inflammation that was already present when I woke up, but only with weak intensity. I think common melilot either has a weak benefit or goes to the mixed effect category. Interestingly it had a pleasant sweet taste which if I recall right was very similar to what I had experienced with sweet woodruff tea. Coumarin is evidently a sweet aromatic compound, but in the body it is converted into dicoumarol, which is a powerful anticoagulant toxin that may lead to internal hemorrhaging and death. At least common melilot is also used in the treatment of varicose issues, but it may be better to only use it externally to avoid its toxicity.
Constitutes: Coumarin, coumaric acid, melilotic acid (dihydro-o-coumaric acid), caffeic acid and mucilage.

Ambroxol (bromhexin) [30 mg ambroxol hydrochloride per pill; Rd: 1-3]: I took 3.5 pills in a day without an O. Unfortunately in the morning I had developed a stronger chest inflammation. I worked outdoors and the chest inflammation appeared to improve a few hours later. However as the last part of work I had to do the odd job of spraying pesticide in a greater amount. Around this time the chest inflammation got worse again, but this may have been due to exercise intolerance as well. When I arrived home I felt myself a little bit better mentally at least. I also masturbated a little in the afternoon, but the libido and sexual function was rather poor. After masturbation the eyes got a little bit worse, however interestingly the chest inflammation noticeably improved around this time. In the morning the eye symptoms were as usual, so I don’ think it helps in this regard. At least the chest inflammation resolved about 90% as I could only feel some residual pain. I also had some nasal congestion in the morning, which usually feels to be a clearance symptom of the respiratory tract, but rhinitis only felt weakly better at most. Gut issues may have been weakly better, but nothing significant there either. I can only give this a weak score as for general POIS treatment, but it could be useful in the treatment of chest inflammation at least. Also as it is an autophagy inducer it may have long-term benefits as well.
Recent research showed that it may be also useful in the treatment of Parkinsonism, which I guess could be due to the increased autophagy as well. Bromhexin is also a selective inhibitor of TMPRSS2 and thus could play a protective role in prostate cancer and some viral infections.

Stephania (Stephania tetrandra) [100% root powder]: I couldn’t really find relevant dosage information, so I took with 3 coffeespoons which may equal to about 3-4 grams. Its taste was somewhat bitter and the drink was foamy which likely implies the presence of saponins. In this regard it made me recall shatavari, so I decided to put it in milk. At first it appeared to have some nice anti-inflammatory effect. My eyes seemed clearer and even cognitively I felt better in a few hours. In the afternoon I had an O. The sexual function was certainly better than the day before, but I also had a hard time cumming. The ejaculate was burning once again, but this was probably an accumulated effect from the previous days. Around this time the ass and thigh felt a little more relaxed and I could also move a little easier than usual. Eye symptoms got a little worse later though. Unfortunately in the morning I wasn’t feeling much better than usual either, so in the end POIS was probably too much to handle for the supplement. Gut issues were possibly a bit better, but I also ate something with mixed effects on gut issues (yellow pea dish), so it is impossible to tell. Based on the current trial run I can give stephania a moderate rating.
Stephania is frequently used in the treatment of Lyme disease, but it also has a potent health benefit regardless. One of the issues though is that it may be not safe to use long-term due to possible liver damage.

Pine pollen: I took 3 coffeespoon worth in a day without on O. I have already tried this some time ago, but for some reason I developed a bad chest inflammation right sometime after the first dose (half teaspoon), so I was rather reluctant to test it again. This time I didn’t experience anything such even though I took a greater dose and I was just through a similar episode. Even so pine pollen seemed hardly any effective. Unfortunately I also ate an evident POIS-mimetic (dried cherries in cake) this day, so my symptoms were mostly worse actually. The eye symptoms were rather bad, so pine pollen probably does not do anything in this regard. I am also rather unsure about gut issues, but it probably has either a weak benefit or provides mixed effects. In the morning I felt rather usually. I did not masturbate due to the bad symptoms, but in the late afternoon I had noticed some increase in libido at least. For now I would rather put this in the ineffective category.
Pine pollen is supposed to increase testosterone, but it may be either not the best for this purpose or simply needs more time to act. I think the product was good quality, but it was only meant to be used for the skin and not internally, so this may have been another problem as who knows if it contained some other foreign stabilizer compounds in the package.

Valeriana root (Valeriana officinalis) [500 mg per capsule; Rd:2]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. 
Interestingly after the first capsule in the morning I felt myself noticeably better, as I experienced some weaker anti-depression and then the eyes also got noticeably less bloodshot. However this did not happen after the second capsule as symptoms got visibly worse. I suspect it was due to the plum cake I ate around noon. In the afternoon and evening I had the same old depression and one of the eyes was really bloodshot. Muscle pain could be still felt even though I was practically sitting all day. I can’t say I slept too well, but I had no problems either. In the morning the eyes were still as bloodshot as usual with regular photophobia. Gut issues were about weakly better, but nothing significant there either. Interestingly the first urine in the morning was noticeably less burning than usual, so it may be actually useful for this problem. I think it deserves a weak-moderate score. 

Schizandra tincture (Schizandra chinensis) [35% alcohol, Schizandra fruit extract, vitamin C; Rd: 3x1-2 ml (45-90 drops)]: So this is a different Schizandra product compared to earlier. Unfortunately this one hardly seemed any useful for eye symptoms. It also did not have an effect on muscle pain. In the evening I felt some transient cramps in the crotch and arms, which may be a side-effect. The force of the urine may have been a bit better though. Gut issues seemed a little better. I was really surprised when waking up at night as I felt quite well. I felt better mentally and the burning pain was reduced both in the urine and gut. In the morning though photophobia was regular and the eyes were averagely bloodshot. I guess Schizandra only starts to work slowly and may need some time to develop its full potential. Schizandra has a weak-moderate benefit in an acute setting, but I believe it may still have some use in the longer term.

Desmodium [200 mg per capsule; Rd:3]: I took 4 capsules in a day without an O. I have already tried this some time ago and while it has some benefit, it is just not that significant. The eyes did not improve or only weakly. After work muscle fatigue was as usual. I also masturbated some in the afternoon and the eye symptoms became quite worse afterwards. The sexual function was rather alright, but nothing special and the control wasn’t so good as I was close to cumming despite my intentions. At least gut issues appeared weak-moderately better. I can give this a weak-moderate rating.

Green coffee with chromium [1 pill contains: 200 mg green coffee extract (20:1), 100 mg chlorogenic acid, 2mg caffeine, 50ug chromium; Rd:2]: This time I took 3 pills without an O. I have already tried this some time ago, when it caused some heart pain, which made me stop the test. Fortunately I had no such problems this time. I don’ think it has any particular benefit on the eyes or only a minimal one at the peak of its effect. I am quite sure that it has no anti-depressive effect either. The muscle pain felt as usual after work. I masturbated some in the afternoon and the sexual performance was rather average. The eyes also became more bloodshot afterwards which forebodes insufficiency. In the evening I ate some cooked sour cabbage that messed up my gut issues somewhat. Though green coffee may still have a weak benefit on it. At least the morning felt quite as usual.

Provence wild flowers spice blend [Ingredients: hibiscus, elderflower, cornflowers, lavender, orange blossom, thyme flowers and leaves, violet, Erica and yarrow flowers]: It is recommended as a spice blend for cooking, but I decided to make a tea instead as it contains a number of nice herbs. I made a hot tea by adding 1.5 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water which I drank in a day and had an O. I think it had at least a moderate benefit on eye symptoms as even after O they only became a little worse. The sexual function felt rather average and I was a bit exhausted from the previous days and yet I could last for a relatively long time, so it wasn’t bad at least. Gut issues were also about moderately better. I don’t think I had experienced an anti-depressive effect though. When I got up at night I had a mixed experience as the urine was not burning and the rhinitis seemed reduced, however I also had a sore throat and one of the eyes was really painful. The morning felt rather average and the sore throat disappeared. It may get a moderate score, but it clearly can’t overcome every symptom and it may also cause some shifts in POIS.

Cistanche (Cistanche tubulosa) [Ingredients in one capsule: 210 mg Cistanche extract (stem, leaf) [std. to 22% echinacosides], 2 mg Vitamin C (as ascorbyl palmitate); Rd:1]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. The eyes while not perfect were rather alright throughout the whole day. I even masturbated some in the evening and the eyes only got slightly worse, so I think it has about a moderate benefit on the eyes. Gut issues were weakly or weak-moderately better, but not especially. The sexual function felt rather average, but I was still exhausted from the previous days and sexual desire was below average. I couldn’t notice a distinct anti-depressive effect and the muscle fatigue was also rather average. When I woke up in the middle of the night I had a firm erection, even though I was rather spent in the previous evening. I was feeling rather alright, but not especially well though. In the morning I had the usual photophobia and a little bloodshot eyes. There was also some nasal congestion and rhinitis may have been reduced a little, but not significantly. I may give this a moderate-good score, but it probably needs more time to exert a greater benefit.
Cistanche is a known testosterone booster and may be also used in the treatment of CFS. It is supposed to have a slower, but smoother onset in its effects than more common testosterone boosters. Even though the product came from LifeExtension the amount of acteoside was not specified, so this may be not the best Cistanche product on the market despite the brand name.

Wild herbs spice blend [Ingredients: sea salt, leek, lovage, wild garlic, elderflower, nettle, fenugreek, sage, watercress, thyme, peppermint, cornflower blossoms]: Another spice blend that I made a tea from, though due to the salt it tasted more like a soup. I prepared the tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of hot water which I drank in a day without an O. I think it had some protective effect on the eyes, though it wasn’t that clearly restorative. In the afternoon I experienced an increased libido, so I masturbated some. I was still a little tired sexually, but the sexual function was rather alright and maybe even a bit better than usually. After some precum the eyes noticeably got worse though. However later as the previous drink began to take effect they improved a little and stabilized. I even felt a little better mentally in the evening, though it was not a distinct anti-depression. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better. In the morning I felt slightly better than usual, but it wasn’t a significant difference. It gets a weak-moderate score.
Besides fenugreek lovage is another aphrodisiac in the combination and it may have a greater part in the overall effect in my opinion.

Levocetirizine dihydrochloride (Zilola) [5 mg per pill; Rd: 1]: Some people found it to be more effective than regular cetirizine, so I also wanted to test it. It showed some benefit, however it wasn’t that particularly useful. I couldn’t really see much of a difference in the beginning as during work I had regular exercise intolerance symptoms. In the afternoon I masturbated some and the sexual function seemed rather usual. Later I have also developed somewhat more bloodshot eyes, but they weren’t really bad. I woke up early in the morning and couldn’t resume sleeping. At least photophobia seemed reduced somewhat and I was feeling mentally better. Bloodshot eyes were rather regular though. Gut issues were also better, but only to about a weak-moderate degree. My last test with cetirizine had a little better effect on gut issues, but the difference may be only circumstantial. 

Tarragon/estragon (Artemisia dracunculus): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to about 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. This day I had somewhat more work and exercise intolerance induced symptoms were as much as expected. I don’t think this tea did any harm to my eyes, but they were also not better either. Muscle fatigue and depression were as usual. I sneezed quite a lot this day, but the reason was probably the vivid sunshine and that I was a bit tired. Gut issues were either weakly better or it had a mixed effect, but it is difficult to say for sure. The morning felt very usual. The urine was possibly burning a little less and rhinitis may have been slightly reduced, but these were not significant changes and other symptoms were just as always. I think I would rather regard this as ineffective or a little mixed effect both ways.
Interestingly it had a little sweetish taste which reminded me to the other teas with coumarin. Estragole and trans-anethole may induce aromatase (CYP19) and are possible carcinogens.
Constituents: essential oil: mainly: estragole, sabinene, methyl eugenol and elemicin; secondarily: terpinen-4-ol, beta-ocimene, cis-ocimene, alpha-trans-ocimene, limonene and trans-anethole, alpha-phellandrene, beta-phellandrene (Z)-artemidin, capillene; coumarins (herniarin), flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, isorhamnetin, naringenin, annagenin, pinocembrin and estragonoside), phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and vanillic acid), etc.

Kola Nut, Catuaba and Guarana (Cola acuminata, Trichilia catigua, Paullinia cupana) [225 mg Kola nut seed, 225 mg Catuaba bark, 225 mg Guarana seed; Rd:1-3]: I took 4 caps in a day with an O. I can’t quite recall my exact experience with Catuaba earlier, but this time it wasn’t so great. Nevertheless it was a good experience as this product could somewhat ameliorate eye problems (possibly weak-moderately). However I couldn’t experience a distinct anti-depressive effect, though sometimes I was feeling a bit better than usual. I had a moderate workload during the day and exercise intolerance was similarly so. In the afternoon I decided to have an O, though sexual desire felt rather average. The sexual function was rather alright at least as I had a good erection and endurance and control seemed better than average. After O the eye symptoms remained low and while I could notice an increase in general POIS inflammation it wasn’t so bad as usual. I could sleep relatively well, though when I got up in the middle of the night I had a little sore throat, but this resolved rather soon after I drank some water. The eyes were also a bit dry, just like in the morning, but the photophobia wasn’t so bad and the eyes were only weakly bloodshot. In the morning I could still feel some rhinitis and also had a weak nasal congestion. While I was not perfectly well, I felt relatively relaxed.
Gut issues were evidently better, but only to a moderate degree. I think this product is potentially good, but one day is clearly not enough to manifest its full power.
It is advertised as a caffeine source, but the amount is not specified. Guarana and Kola Nut are indeed counted as sources of caffeine, however Catuaba bark is not. I also drank my usual 4 cups of coffee this day. I still believe that Catuaba alone has a greater benefit than any amount of caffeine, but some people could be interested to try such a combination regardless.

Chitosan [500 mg per capsule and 50 mg vitamin C (as L-ascorbic acid); Rd:1]: I took 4 pills in a day without an O. I have already tried this a long time ago. If I remember well it helped with gut issues somewhat at the time without anything significant otherwise. My current experience was much similar. I don’t think it had any particular effect on eye issues. It may have had about a weak-moderate benefit on gut issues. Otherwise it was not remarkable, so I can only give it a weak score.
Chitosan is recommended as a way to decrease cholesterol, though studies claim it has only a slight benefit in this regard. It may also absorb toxins in the digestive tract, which makes it an interesting choice.

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) [75 mg root extract per capsule (standardized to 15% S-petasin) (free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids) (NMT 5ppm); Rd: 2]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. It seemed to reduce eye issues about moderately. In the afternoon I also masturbated some, though the desire was not great. The sexual function was rather alright, but it was not particularly good though. My eyes only got slightly worse afterwards and even later they actually got better. In the morning I was relatively alright, though not perfectly well. Rhinitis was possibly a little reduced, but it could be still felt somewhat. Gut issues were weak-moderately better. As a possible side-effect sometimes I felt some discomfort around the liver and at other times some transient mild pain could be felt here and there, but nothing considerable. This product should not contain any toxic alkaloids, but it may be not ruled out completely. Given this and the side-effect it may be not the safest supplement. Nevertheless I think it was moderately useful for POIS. Petasites exert anti-adipogenic activity, inhibit the opening of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels and COX-2.

Celeriac pills [333 mg granulated cellery root (50%) per pill; Rd: 2-3x2]: I took 8 pills in a day without an O. My eyes remained rather alright throughout the day, except after the evening shower, and yet it did not feel like it actually improved the condition. I also developed a mild chest inflammation in the evening. The morning felt rather usual. The rhinitis was possibly a little better. Gut issues may have been somewhat better, but I think I also ate something bad and the overall experience was spoiled. I think it has a weak benefit, but nothing considerable otherwise. At least compared to celery seed I am quite certain that the root does not induce any eye symptoms.

L-ornithine [700 mg Ornithine HCl per capsule; Rd: 1]: I have already tried this a long time ago when it gave me quite a bad heart ache. This time I had no problems after the first capsule, but about an hour after the second capsule I had some minor heart complaint. Otherwise I couldn’t notice any significant change. I also developed a lower back pain, but I am not sure if this could be related to the supplement. At least the eyes remained rather alright throughout the day. Gut issues were also better, but overall only weakly. In the morning I felt mostly as usual. I think it has a weak benefit. Ornithine may increase urea, but at least the urine was not burning particularly more than usual, so it is probably not the cause. L-ornithine is also a key precursor for polyamines like spermidine, thus it may indirectly induce autophagy.

Bavarian Herbal Bitters [1 capsule contains: 162.5 mg artichoke leaf, 51.75 mg dandelion root, 41 mg gentian root, 29.5 mg turmeric rhizome, 29.5 mg yarrow flower, 20 mg ginger rhizome, 18.5 mg chamomile flower tops, 18.5 mg fennel seed, 15 mg orange peel, 7.5 mg blessed thistle aerial parts; Rd: 2]: I took 4 caps in a day without an O. I had a greater workload during the morning and exercise intolerance symptoms were mostly as usual, though the bloodshot eyes weren’t so bad. In the afternoon I masturbated some. The sexual function felt rather average. Afterwards one of the eyes became quite bloodshot, but later it got better. Even later I watched some porn again and both eyes got more bloodshot, which remained partly so even by morning. Given this I think it has only a slight benefit on the eyes if at all and only when the POIS push is not strong. Gut issues seemed about moderately better, which shows that it may be more useful when taken longer. In the morning I felt mostly as usual, but I was not unwell. I also slept relatively well. I can give this a weak-moderate score, but it was less useful than I had anticipated.

Ipriflavone complex [1 pill contains: 2.5 ug Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol), 300 mg calcium (from calcium citrate and carbonate), 150 mg Ostivone (ipriflavone – 7-isopropoxyisoflavone), 0.75 mg boron (as boron citrate, glycinate and aspartate); Rd:2]: I took 3 pill in a day and had an O. In the morning I had exercise intolerance due to heavy work, but the symptoms did not become much worse. Actually I felt myself a little better around noon. I think it only had a minimal impact on the eyes and its effect was more like a protective one and not a restorative kind. Gut issues were evidently better, but in short term only weak-moderately. During the masturbation the sexual function felt rather average, though I was also a bit fatigued from the previous days. After O the eyes got somewhat more bloodshot, but not terribly and remained so. When I got up in the middle of the night I definitely felt more aware mentally. The urine was less burning and the rhinitis was quite reduced. The eyes felt rather dry though. In the morning I still felt myself better than usual, though not perfectly of course. I also had some spontaneous erection in the morning, so the libido was recovering nicely.
Ideally I would have wanted to try the NowFood product as it only contains ipriflavone, but even the Swanson product was difficult to obtain. While evidently useful it is not clear how much ipriflavone contributes. Ipriflavone is actually an ERbeta preferential agonist and ERbeta should have a greater role in bone formation than ERalpha. I still can’t comprehend my exquisitely bad reaction to the POIS-mimetic poppy seeds that should be really good for bone health otherwise. I have also never had any issues with my bones, but this may be due to the slightly elevated estradiol level.

Genius sleep aid [ingredients in 1 capsule: 500 mg L-Glycine, 50 mg L-theanine, 50 mg Rutacarpine (Evodia Rutaecarpa) [fruit] powder, 50 mg Inositol, 0.25 mg melatonin; Rd:2]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. I don’t think it was particularly effective for eye symptoms as the bloodshotness was fluctuating between a little worse and usual (normally bad). Actually during the day I couldn’t really note any significant change. At least I could sleep through the night without waking up, but I still woke up in the morning feeling close to usual. When waking up I think I felt myself slightly better mentally, but the previous ipriflavone complex was certainly better in this regard. I had the usual photophobia and regular bloodshot eyes in the morning. At least gut issues seemed better, but overall only weak-moderately. The first urine was also notably burning less unlike the previous day. Rhinitis was perhaps a little reduced, but once again the ipriflavone complex was certainly better in this regard.
With this particular formula I mostly wanted to test rutacarpine, as I could not find any standalone products. Rutacarpine is a TRPV agonist, but otherwise have numerous claimed health benefits. While some of the other constituents were somewhat beneficial, they are not in a great amount in this particular product.

Trehalose [powder; Rd: 5-10g]: I consumed 15 g in one day without an O. I don’t think it had any particular effect on the eyes. The day was mostly uneventful. I slept through the night without waking up, but I think this was due to some positive effect on the bladder. The first urine was greater in quantity and only slightly burning, which may mean that it could have some benefit on irritable bladder. The morning felt a little better than usual, but not remarkably so. Gut issues were better, but only weakly. It only gets a weak score for overall POIS treatment, but it may have a use in fixing bladder issues.

Ultimate Women's Intimate Performance [1 pill contains: 8.3 mg NE niacin, 91.43 mg panax ginseng root powder, 33.3 mg cayenne pepper (fruit), 33.3 mg damiana leaf, 33.3 mg dong quai extract (root), 33.3 mg ginger root, 33.3 mg L-arginine HCl, 33.3 mg muira puama root, 19.97 mg licorice root extract (20% GA), 18.95 mg guarana seed husk extract (22% alkaloids), 16.65 mg Avena sativa (oats) 10:1 extract, 8.57 mg panax ginseng extract (70% ginsenosides), 8.3 mg chasteberry extract (0.5% agnuside), 8.3 mg black cohosh root extract, 8.3 mg ovary extract]; Rd:3]: I took 3 pills in a day without an O. I actually wanted to have an O, but circumstances intervened, so I can’t really say how it affects sexual activity. I had to work more, but at least the exercise intolerance symptoms weren’t so bad during work. Later though after a shower one of the eyes became really bad and both seemed rather average by morning, so I can’t really say that the product helped at all with this issue. I think it had a mixed effect on gut issues. While it had some anti-inflammatory effect the stool was quite burning which is a bad sign for my case. Depression and muscle fatigue were mostly as usual. Frankly I expected more from this product as I had success with most constituents, but either the time was too short or there were problematic compounds. The pill itself was spicy, hot and cayenne pepper due to its pungency might have canceled the positive effects of the other compounds. Licorice and muira puama gave me heart issues earlier, but I had no such problems this time at least. The ovary extract certainly sounds a peculiar ingredient and it could be suspected for a negative leverage.

Copper Glycinate [1 pill contains: 3 mg copper from 30 mg copper bisglycinate, 50 mg organic blend of cauliflower, spinach, carrot, beet, tomato, blueberry, cranberry, cherry, raspberry, strawberry]: I took 1.5 pills in a day without an O. I couldn’t notice any particular change during the day. In the afternoon I had some work that resulted in regular exercise intolerance symptoms. Besides the muscle pain the eyes were relatively alright by the end of work, but once again they became worse after showering. I also had a few hours of evening work as well, after which the eyes were really bad and I felt quite hazy.
In the morning I felt mostly as usual with one of the eyes being quite bloodshot. Gut issues weren’t particularly better either, so I am inclined to say that copper is ineffective when taken acutely.

Selenium [100 ug per pill as L-Selenomethionine; Rd:1]: I took 1.5 pill in a day without an O. It did not help with eye symptoms after exercise intolerance. In the evening I also masturbated some. The libido and erection were rather good, but the control and endurance wasn’t so as I almost came without intention. The eyes remained somewhat poor after that. In the middle of the night and in the morning the rhinitis felt noticeably reduced. The morning felt mostly as usual though. Gut issues were only weakly better. Truth be told I also ate some sweets containing cardamom, so it may have been partly responsible for the beneficial effects, but it was only weak nevertheless. As I said earlier in the past I had consumed at least one box of selenium and while it felt to help a little it did not result in any considerable or lasting change.

[Progecitor]

As per usual the short version is here:
https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3798.msg40769#msg40769

Brazilian bee propolis trio [Brazilian bee propolis blend: brown (85%), green (10%), red (5%); 1 capsule contains: 100 mg FLAV(tm)-M15, 3 mg PWE(tm)-MD, 3.56 mg flavonoids and organic aromatic acids (OAA); Rd:1-2]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. This day I had a really bad workload and the propolis couldn’t help with exercise induced bloodshot eyes. At times though I somehow felt a little better mentally. It also clearly helped with rhinitis as the nose felt quite relaxed, especially in the morning, but of course nasal congestion was a little increased as well. In the afternoon I masturbated some and the sexual function felt somewhat similar to the previous day with selenium, though a little weaker possibly due to the fatigue. After the shower the eyes became more painful for a few hours as it usually happens. In the morning I certainly felt better mentally, though the eyes were still bloodshot without much change. At least photophobia was not strong, but as I said earlier this symptom shows a better association with depression. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better. As a side-effect I could experience an increase in tinnitus for a short time a few hours after intake (specifically 3 hours at one time), which may imply some connection to resveratrol, astaxanthin, etc. I think it deserves a good score. 
It is marketed to be a good source of CAPE (caffeic acid phenethyl ester). CAPE also has an affinity for ERbeta and regarded as a potential SERM.

(American) Ginseng [250 mg powder per capsule; Rd:1]: They did not specify the type, but as it comes from the US, it must be the American variety. I took 3 capsules in a day without an O. This day I had some serious work in the sunshine whole day. Around noon I though I would fall over from fatigue, but later I got some energy and only felt the pain. Fortunately the eyes weren’t too bad by the time I got home. In the morning I felt rather alright even if not perfectly well. The eyes were only lightly bloodshot and photophobia wasn’t bad, though I couldn’t notice an anti-depressive effect.
Gut issues were possibly moderately better. Rhinitis was a little reduced, but not so well as with the Brazilian bee propolis. My current experience wasn’t that much different than with other kinds of ginseng, but I can’t really make a comparison with so little testing. It gets a moderate score from me.

Houttuynia/Dokudami (Houttuynia cordata) [100% dried herb powder; Rd:0.5-1 teaspoon]: I took 1.5 teaspoon or little more Houttuynia mixed in warm water in a day and had an O. Once again I had a longer workday. By the time I went home the eyes were quite nice especially considering the exercise intolerance. Muscle fatigue wasn’t too bad either. In the afternoon I had an O. The sexual function was rather alright, but I cut it short, so I can’t go into much detail about it. It is a bit strange that the ejaculate was only slightly burning considering that I had excessive work in the previous days. Interestingly even after O, the eyes remained alright by the time I went to bed and in the morning they were still good. In the morning I had the usual depression though. I also developed a light chest inflammation and rhinitis could be experienced. Gut issues were possibly moderately better. Everything considered it deserves a good score in my opinion.
Constituents: becatamide, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, biochanin A, beta-sitosterol, 2-undecanone, myrcene, sabinene, beta-pinene, flavonoids, aristolactams, amides, benzenoids, 5,4-dioxoaporphines, oxoaporphines, phenolic acids, volatile/essential oils, alkaloids and polysaccharides.
Houttuynia was identified as a herb with a significant estrogenic activity. I think its effect could be similar to chasteberry.

Ribwort plantain tea (Plantaginis folium - Plantago lanceolata): I made a hot tea by adding 1.5 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day with an O. I had normal amount of work this time, but sometime after noon I felt rather weak, even though the muscle fatigue wasn’t particularly bad. Photophobia also wasn’t particularly bad either, though I still sneezed a few times while wearing sunglasses. Normal people probably find it strange that I usually shade my eyes even while wearing sunglasses, but that only shows how bad my photophobia is. The eyes were rather good through the morning, so I decided to have another O in the afternoon. The sexual function felt rather alright meaning not too good or bad just normal in a good way. The ejaculate was somewhat burning, however this did not result in a clear POIS onset. The eyes remained rather alright and only got a little worse by bedtime, when I usually experience a deterioration on a daily basis anyway. I still had a very slight chest inflammation even before masturbation and it only got a little worse by the time I went to bed. I slept through the night and the morning felt a little better than average. Practically all symptoms while still perceptible just felt a little reduced. The only bothersome symptom was the light chest inflammation that still remained. The eyes were still rather clear in the morning which means that it could have a good effect on them as it is unlikely that Houttuynia would have had such a lasting effect. It had no clear anti-depressive effect. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better, but it is hard to tell exactly. Regardless it deserves a moderate-good score as an overall rating.
Constituents: phenylethanoids such as acteoside (verbascoside), cistanoside F, lavandulifolioside, plantamajoside, isoacteoside and iridoid glycosides (aucubin and catalpol).
Similarly to common verbena it contains the potentially useful compounds aucubin and acteoside.

Meadowsweet tea (Filipendula ulmaria herba): I made a hot tea by adding 1.5 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. The chest inflammation resolved by afternoon and the eyes remained well until evening when the usual bloodshot eye symptoms arose again. There was an often felt urgency for urination, which was a bit bothersome. The urination itself was not accompanied by a greater volume and the burning pain could be still felt weakly. When I woke up in the middle of the night I did not have a similar experience as with the willow bark tea. In the morning I felt rather usual, but alright. Gut issues were a little better maybe weak-moderately. My conclusion is that it has a little positive effect, but nothing extraordinary.
Constituents: salicylaldehyde is up to 70%, flavonoids (3-4% in herb, up to 6% in flowers, quercetin-4’-glucoside, hyperoside, kaempferol-4’-glucoside, quercetin, isoquercetin, rutin), hydrolysable tannins (1-12%, the dimeric compound rugosin D) and phenolcarboxylic acids (gallic acid).
I think it could be used as an alternative to willow bark tea, though their efficacy may differ.

Common fumitory tea (Fumaria officinalis): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. It did not help with bloodshot eyes and they sometimes appeared worse, though not necessarily due to the tea. I couldn’t exactly notice any significant change otherwise. I still had a greater urge for urination from time-to-time. In the morning I felt a bit better than usual though not significantly. At least gut issues appeared better to a moderate degree or even more, however I also ate some food that could have provided some additional benefit so I am not entirely sure of its individual efficacy. As an overall feel I can only give this a weak score in acute treatment.
Constituents: isoquinoline alkaloids (fumarin), fumaric acid and derivatives, flavonoids and protopine.
Protopine is an alkaloid that also occurs in opium poppy and in its function inhibits histamine H1 receptors and platelet aggregation and also induces CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNA levels.
Fumarin is a structural analog of warfarin and has an anticoagulant effect. Fumaric acid is a component of the urea and citric acid cycle. Fumaric acid can be also found in Iceland moss and bolete mushrooms in a greater quantity.

Silverweed tea (Argentina anserina): In the morning I had more work once again and around noon the exercise induced bloodshot eyes were rather bad. Later they got better, but after showering they once again turned rather bad, so its rather ineffective for this problem. By evening I also developed a lymphatic inflammation on the left side of my neck, which moved to the right side by morning when it was even stronger and the pain radiated to my shoulder. However silverweed may not be blamed as this kind of inflammation may occur seldom for no apparent reason. The morning felt rather usual. Gut issues were weakly improved. Overall it has a small benefit.
Constituents: ellagic acid, quercetin flavone and aglycone, essential oils, mucilage, minerals, flavonoids, tannins and bitter substances.

Chios gum mastic (Pistacia lentiscus): Crystals of mastic gum that form a chewing gum in the mouth. I chewed it three times in a day for at least 20 minutes without an O. The amount used was about 5g.
In the morning I had physical work and once again developed exercise induced bloodshot eyes. When I  chewed the second portion the throat got a little irritated by the end of it, but at least this resolved rather soon after stopping the chewing and drinking some water. The afternoon was rather uneventful, though the neck inflammation was still strong from the previous day. It got weaker by evening, but remained at an uncomfortable intensity even by morning. Unfortunately I still had averagely bloodshot eyes even in the evening and the next morning, so it wasn’t really any useful for eye problems. At least I felt some anti-inflammatory effect on gut issues, but this also wasn’t that clearly good, so it only gets a weak-moderate score. The rhinitis also seemed a little better. When I cursorily woke up during the night I certainly felt better mentally, but this did not last by morning. I also had vivid dreams which is not that usual for me. The first urine was still burning, so it may be not effective for this issue. As a possible side-effect the two minor outgrowths on the two sides of the inside of my mouth got somewhat inflamed and I even bit one of them bloody in the evening by chewing the gum, which made it even more painful. I have to say though that this symptom may have been associated to the neck inflammation as well, but I wasn’t aware of it the previous day, so I can’t determine. While it had some benefit, the other masticha products certainly felt more useful, so it only gets a weak score.

Moringa [powder, Rd: 6g=2 tsp]: I have already tried this quite a while ago without too much success. Currently I took it with 3 teaspoons in a day without an O. It may be interesting to note that morniga has a kind of pungent effect on the throat during consumption. In the morning I had once again really tiresome work and by the time I was going home I developed a mild headache. At least the eyes weren’t too bad. In the late afternoon I masturbated some. The sexual function felt rather normal. However once again the tension-like headache waves were torturing me during the more intense periods. At least even after masturbation the eyes remained relatively alright and only got a little worse by the time I was going to bed when I also felt really tired. In the morning I felt mostly as usual, but at least the lymphatic inflammation on the neck mostly resolved by this time. Gut issues were about weak-moderately or moderately better. I think it also helped with rhinitis a little. Altogether I can give it a weak-moderate score.
In a study, moringa extract containing phenols and flavonoids such as gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, quercitrin, isoquercitrina, quercetin, rutin, kaempferol, and epicatechin inhibited enzymes as arginase and angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), which were linked to erectile dysfunction and oxidative stress in rat’s penile.
Some other constituents: beta-sitosterol, carotenoids, isothiocyanates, tannins, phenolic acids and saponins.

Cubeb (Piper cubeba): I ate 36 pieces (about 6g) in a day without an O. To my surprise it was hardly any pungent and tasted more like allspice. The eyes remained generally alright during work. I also masturbated some in the afternoon and the sexual function felt alright, but nothing out of the ordinary. Even after this the eyes remained lightly bloodshot, so it may have some protective effect on them, though after showering one of them still got worse. In the morning I felt mostly as usual, but not particularly unwell at least. Gut issues were only weakly better though. I guess I can give it a weak-moderate score.
Besides being an aphrodisiac cubeb is also supposed to be good at treating genito-urinary infections.
Constituents: monoterpenes (sabinene 50%, alpha-thujene, and carene) and sesquiterpenes (caryophyllene, copaene, alpha- and beta-cubebene, delta-cadinene, germacrene), the oxides 1,4- and 1,8-cineole and the alcohol cubebol.

Nettle leaf tea (Urticae folium): I made a hot tea by adding 1.5 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. My eye problems were relatively light in the morning, but in the afternoon especially after some masturbation they slowly crept back which may mean the dissipating protective effect of cubeb from the previous day. It also means that nettle was probably not effective for this symptom. The sexual function felt rather average. In the morning I felt myself rather usually, though the eyes were a bit more painful than usual. The first urine was not particularly burning and gut issues were better, but only weakly. It clearly had no anti-depressive effect whatsoever. For me it goes into the weakly beneficial category.
Constituents: caffeic acid, ferulic acid, sinapic acid, esculetin, caffeoylmalic acids, chlorogenic acid, lutein and isomers, b-carotene and isomers, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, lycopene, quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin glycosides, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempherol-3-O-rutinoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, phylloxanthobilin, etc.
The leaves have a much greater antioxidant capacity compared to the roots. The leaves extract inhibited the 12-LOX pathway unlike the roots.

White dead nettle tea (Lamium album): I made a hot tea by adding 2 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day with an O. Around noon the eyes were rather alright and it may have actually helped a little. However in the afternoon I was edging some and afterwards the eyes got a little worse after some precum. In the evening I masturbated once again and had an O. The sexual activity felt a little better than usual (libido, erection and endurance), though the control was more like usual. After O one of the eyes became rather bad and remained so by morning, so this can’t really help with eyes when the push is stronger. At least in the morning I did not feel particularly unwell and it was more like on a usual chronic day. The urine was noticeably not burning both in the evening and morning. In the morning the rhinitis was also minimal and the airways felt cleaner, though not as much with verbena. The air was also fresher due to a windy night, so this was not necessarily due to the herb. Gut issues were weakly or weak-moderately better, but at least it felt a little better than stinging nettle. In the morning the libido also felt to be recovering nicely. I guess I can score it as weak-moderate. Once again as a source of acteoside (verbascoside) it may only show its true benefit after a longer time. It is also recommended in the management of prostatic problems.
Constituents: phenylpropanoid glycosides (lamalboside and acteoside), the flavonol p-coumaroylglucoside, tiliroside, chlorogenic acid, naringenin, apigenin and luteolin, rutoside, quercetin, kaempferol 3-O-glucosides, iridoid glycosides (lamalbid, alboside A and B, caryoptoside), hemiterpene glucoside (hemialboside), ecdysteroids (abutasterone, inokosterone, polypodine B and pterosterone), asparagine, tannins, saponins, mucilage substances, essential oil, choline, histamine, methylamine, tyramine.

Elecampane tea (Inula helenium radix): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. As expected it had a moderately bitter taste. I thought it would help with my eyes, but I think it only managed to stabilize the condition as my right eye remained rather bad throughout the day. Sometimes I think I felt myself a little better, but in the morning it was more like usual, so I don’t think it has any significant anti-depressive effect. Actually I developed a moderate chest inflammation in the morning, but this may have been due to some confectionery sweets. At least it got lighter by the next morning. I slept through the night and the first urine was still not burning particularly. Rhinitis was similarly minimal. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better, but it is hard to tell exactly as usual with one day tests and eating all different things all the time. Currently I can only give it a weak score, but its inulin content could certainly make it a good addition to a herbal blend.
Constituents: the polysaccharide inulin, helenin (consisting of alantolactone and isoalantolactone), eudesmane type sesquiterpene lactones (mainly alantolactone and isoalantolactone), thymol derivatives, triterpenes, sterol, phenolic acids (caffeic, chlorogenic, dicaffeoyl quinic, hydroxibenzoic and ferulic acid-4-O-glucoside), different flavonoids (epicatechin, catechin gallate), camphor, chamazulene, waxes, bitter substances, pectic polysaccharides and up to 44% inulin.

Shepherd's purse tea (Capsella bursa-pastoris): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I still had a light chest inflammation in the morning, but it resolved by noon. The eyes also got a little better, but my right eye was still worse than usual even by morning, so it may not do that much. In the morning I felt myself rather usually and I couldn’t notice any anti-depressive effect either. The urine was still not burning, but the rhinitis could be felt a little more than in the previous days. Gut issues were also only minimally better. I think it has a weak positive effect, but nothing major.
Constituents: alkaloid and glycoside-like acid (bursic acid), the seeds contain an essential oil similar to essential mustard oil, a hemostatic peptide, 1% flavonglycoside, flavonoids (luteloin, diosmin, quercetin), biogenic amines (betaine, choline, tyramine, acetylcholine, histamine), potash, tannin, resin, fatty oil (in seeds), minerals, calcium, saponins, essential oil, potassium salts, calcium, tyramine.

Stinging nettle root tea (Urticae radix): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. In the first part of the day my right eye finally managed to recover, that was until I ate some strawberries in the afternoon which gave me bad eye symptoms once again, which became even worse after showering. At least by morning they once again recovered to a normal level, so I guess it has at least a little positive effect on the eyes. In the morning I felt myself mostly as usual. Gut issues may have been weak-moderately better. I think it was a little better than the leaf tea, but I can only give it a weak score regardless.
Constituents: 3-beta-sitosterol, sitosterol-beta-D-glucoside, other phytosterol derivatives,  secoisolariciresinol, scopoletin, etc.
The root contains more phytosterols compared to the leaves. Several compounds of the root were also shown to inhibit sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). The root extract was shown to inhibit thromboxane production and the COX-2 pathway.

Coconut flower/blossom sugar: I took 9 teaspoon of coconut flower sugar in a day without an O. This day I had a considerable workload, thus exercise intolerance was an issue. As far as I could judge it may minimally help with eye symptoms, but nothing really much. Gut issues were certainly better to about a moderate degree, however it resulted in more than average flatulence as well which is a usual drawback. When I woke up during the night I also experienced a rather loud tinnitus for some reason. Otherwise the morning felt mostly as usual indicating that it has no considerable benefit, so I can only give it a weak-moderate score.
Constituents: 70%-80% sucrose, amino acids (rich in glutamic acid, threonine, aspartic acid and serine), minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, potassium and phosphorus), vitamins such as B complex, C and E, flavonoids, anthocyanidins, polyphenols, inulin, due to caramelization toxic acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could be also formed, tricalcium phosphate as anticaking agent, possibly pyroglutamic acid when heated.

Rutin + Vitamin C [20mg rutin, 50mg vitamin C; Rd: 3]: I took 6 pills in a day without an O. This day my workload was even worse than the previous. Interestingly around the end of work I felt a little surge of energy instead of being completely exhausted. Eye symptoms were not particularly better and I think it only had a minimal impact on them. Gut issues were about moderately better. I can give it a weak-moderate score.

Dill seeds tea (Anethum graveolens): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoon of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I only consumed the tea without eating the seeds. I had an average workload in the morning and I developed rather usual exercise related symptoms. In the afternoon I masturbated some. The sexual function felt average in practically every respect: I had a good erection, but the libido (desire) was only average and it felt like I could come easily if I was not careful. Afterwards the eyes did not become any worse, however I experienced an increased burning pain near the anus. In the morning it felt close to usual, though some symptoms were possibly a little better (e.g. rhinitis, eye bloodshotness, burning pain of the urine). Gut issues were weakly or weak-moderately better. I think it deserves a weak-moderate score, but nothing spectacular.
Dill is related to celery, so it is interesting that I did not get similar eye problems as with the celery caps. Dill also reminded me a bit to caraway and ajwain.
Constituents: monoterpens (carvone, limonene and trans-anethole), flavonoids (kaempferol, vicenin),
apiole, dillapiole, myristicin, umbelliferone.
Kaempferol, trans-anethole, and limonene exhibit phytoestrogenic properties.

Chrysanthemum tea (Chrysanthemum morifolium): I made a hot tea by adding 2 tablespoons of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day with an O. It turned out to be really good for my eyes. I masturbated in two sessions once in the morning and later in the evening when I had an O. The eye symptoms remained rather alright all throughout to the next day and they only got a little more bloodshot after O, but were once again good by morning. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better. In the early morning when I first woke up I kind of felt more aware than usual, but otherwise I couldn’t see an anti-depressive effect. Rhinitis wasn’t particularly bad either. I guess it deserves a moderate-good score leaning to the good side.
In TCM it is said to be similar in use as chamomile and recommended to be used in a combination with Goji berries. For me at least it was certainly more useful than chamomile. It has to be noted that Chrysanthemum is indicated to have a significant phytoestrogenic effect.

Arrowroot flour (Maranta arundinacea): I consumed with 6 teaspoons (about 15g) mixed in either hot water or coffee without an O. My eyes remained alright throughout the morning and afternoon, but they became a bit more bloodshot by evening especially after the shower, so it may not have a benefit on the eyes. I felt some cognitive weakness in the early afternoon. I took the powder with coffee in the mid-afternoon and soon experienced a minor gut pain for a short time. Later I also experienced twitches in my leg that occurs rather rarely. It felt like periodical stronger pulses of the blood vessel, though the tinnitus was only normal. In the morning I felt rather usually, but at least the urine was not burning at all. Gut issues were only weakly better. It deserves a weak score in my opinion.
It is supposed to be a good source of starch, folate, alkaloids, glycosides, phenotypic compounds, saponins, phenols, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, etc.
It is supposed to help with circulation and may even cure IBS.

Gymnema Sylvestre/Gurmar [400 mg leaf powder per capsule; Rd:1]: I took 3 caps in a day without an O. I have already tried this in the past at least on two days, but I couldn’t see any significant change. My current experience wasn’t any different. I don’t think it helps with eye symptoms, as I had some bad bloodshot eyes by evening. Gut issues were only weakly better. The morning felt as usual with the eyes being rather tired. It may help a little, but really not much. I also couldn’t see any difference in hunger or satiety.
Constituents: gymnemic acids, gymnemasaponins, gurmarin, gymnamine, gymnemasins, conduritol, anthraquinones, flavones, hentriacontane, pentatriacontane, phytin, resins, tartaric acid, formic acid, butyric acid, lupeol, beta-amyrin related glycosides, stigmasterol, alkaloids and calcium oxalate.
Gymnema is known to suppress the sweet taste, while itself has a bitter taste.

Hemp-agrimony tea (Eupatorium cannabinum): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoons of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. I don’t think it had a particular benefit on the eyes, but I don’t think it was harmful either. My left eye was rather bloodshot and by evening I realized that it must be infection related as on this day one of my colleague came down with fever which may indicate a covid infection as I had similar episodes in the past. It clearly has no anti-depressive effect. Gut issues were weakly or weak-moderately better. The morning felt rather usual. Despite the probable infection it did not show much promise, thus it only gets a weak rating.
Constituents: sesquiterpene lactones (eupatoriopicrin), polysaccharides (heteroxylan), flavonoids, essential oils, toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
Clearly the toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids also don’t make it suitable for long term use.

Greater burdock root/Bardanae radix tea (Arctium lappa): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoons of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. Based on its color I would say this is the real green tea, so don’t be surprised. Regarding its effects I think I could notice a positive one on the eyes, however the left eye was still persistently bad, which only confirms a likely covid infection. Otherwise I had no other serious infection related symptoms. I was sneezing a few times, which is not usual and sometimes I could feel a weaker discomfort in the throat. In the evening I also felt some minor cramps like when I had a thick blood before. Burdock as expected still appeared rather useful. I could clearly perceive an anti-depressive effect about 5 hours after consumption. Gut issues were better to about a moderate-good degree. In the morning I definitely felt a little better than usual, though of course far from perfect. I can only guess that my experience would have been even better without a concurrent infection or with longer use. The tea also appeared better than the tincture I had tried before, which may be due to the greater amount of active components. It certainly deserves a good rating.
Constituents: arctiin, arctigenin, pectin, fructooligosaccharides, inulin, dicaffeoyl acids and fructofuranan, tannin, chlorogenic acid, cynarin, flavonoids (rutin, myricetin, quercetin, apigenin and kaempferol), betulinic acid, oleanolic acid, lupeol, lappaol, diarctigenin, caffeic acid, beta-eudesmol, trachelogenin and sitosterol-beta-D-glucopyranoside.
Clearly arctigenin and arctiin must be the most active constituents. Arctigenin was shown to activate SIRT1, ERbeta and to antagonize AR.

Herb Robert tea (Geranium robertianum): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoons of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. The left eye finally got better to a level which it is not outright hurtful to look at and the right eye also seemed clearer, so it must have at least some positive effect on the eyes. By morning they were once again lightly bloodshot as most of the time when not pressured by POIS or some infection. Gut issues were about moderately better, though with a bit more flatulence than burdock. I could also not notice a clear anti-depressive effect as with burdock, so the latter must be the more useful one. In the early morning at least the urine was not particularly burning, but for some reason the tinnitus was a little louder. I also had a weak erection when I woke up and generally felt myself a little better than usual. I guess it deserves a moderate rating and it may have been slightly more useful than the Geranium capsules, but once again this may be only a dosage dependency.
Constituents: tannins (ellagitannins, geraniin, condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins)), phenolic acids (ellagic acid, gallic acid, syringic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, caftaric acid), quercetin and kaempferol as aglycones or glycosides (rutin, quercitrin, hyperoside, astragalin, etc.), lectins, saponins, vitamin C, lutein, essential oils (linalool, geraniol, phytol, etc).
Tannins like geraniin are good sources of gut microbiota derived urolithins.

Bear’s garlic leaf tea (Allium ursinum): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoons of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day without an O. Its taste is rather similar to chives, though possibly a bit less strong. My eyes remained relatively alright throughout the day, though I don’t think it necessarily has much of an effect on them, as they felt rather tired in the afternoon. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better, though once again it caused more than average flatulence as a side-effect. It did not have an anti-depressive effect or anything else spectacular. I guess it deserves a weak-moderate score.
Constituents: phenolic compounds (gallic acid, 3.5-diOH-benzoic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, epicatechin, homovanillic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, vanillin, p-coumaric acid, rutin, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, 2-OH-cinnamic acid, quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol), vitamins, mineral substances, lectins, polysaccharides, fatty acids, amino acids, alliins (in particular methylalliin, i.e. methiin, and allylalliin, i.e. alliin) and other sulphur-containing molecules, for example allyl methyl disulphide and allicin pigments).

Lovage root tea (Levisticum officinale): I made a hot tea by adding 1 tablespoons of herb to 1.2 liter of water and drank it in a day with an O. Regarding the sexual function I had a good erection, but the libido and endurance were only normal, while the control felt a little poor as I had to be careful not to come early. The ejaculate was kind of burning, but as I said earlier this is not necessarily associated with the actual supplement. I couldn’t notice any clear improvement in the eyes, however even after O they did not get worse either. Well, after showering they were still worse and a little painful, but they were only a little bloodshot by bedtime and remained so even by morning, so it must have at least a little protective effect. Similarly I couldn’t experience an anti-depressive effect, but I also did not develop a pronounced depression either. I got up earlier than planned, so it may disturb sleeping or maybe it was only my POIS. Gut issues were either weakly or weak-moderately better. Somehow it reminded me a bit to ginseng, so I guess I could give it a moderate score.
It tastes very much like celery root, so I can only guess that they have a similar pharmacology. At least both are considered aphrodisiacs and both were shown to raise testosterone level in experimental animals. Phthalides can be found in both plants, so they may be the most active compounds. Phthalides in general show progestogenic and some estrogenic activity as well. Angelica is also a source of phthalides.

D,L-Phenylalanine: [500 mg per capsule; Rd:1]: I took 2 caps in a day with an O. It was a nice surprise as it clearly had a kind of better anti-depressive effect about 3 hours after consumption. My eyes were still rather alright, so I decided to have an O again. Even before masturbation I had a weaker spontaneous erection, so libido was positively modulated. The sexual function felt even better than the previous day as I had a good erection and the control also felt better, so I could last long. The ejaculate wasn’t so burning as the last time. Once again POIS only weakly emerged, though I developed a temporary sore throat soon afterwards and later rhinitis was an issue. At least the eyes remained only lightly bloodshot even through to the morning. In the morning though they felt usually tired and had the same old photophobia. Gut issues were about weak-moderately better, but the burning pain was rather usual. While I was not astonishingly well, my experience with DLPA was certainly better than L-tyrosine or L-DOPA, so I can give it a good rating. While dopamine clearly has a positive role in my depression it still doesn’t feel like it is at the core of my problem. Nevertheless dopamine contributes towards feeling better at least.

Taurine and apigenin complex [Ingredients in 1 capsule: 267 mg taurine, 67 mg green tea, ca. 8 mg apigenin and ca. 5mg of other flavonoids; Rd: 3]: I tried this before without seeing much benefit and my current experience was similar. I took 3 caps in a day without an O. Apparently it did not have any effect on the eyes as they were a bit more bloodshot and somewhat tired throughout the day. About 5-6 hours after the second cap I experienced a temporary warmness and before that I felt myself slightly better but that was about the most it did. In the morning I felt myself just like always. Gut issues were at least a little better. I am still not sure if taurine is beneficial for me or not, but at least in a smaller amount it may not hurt.
Given that this combination should activate well the GABAA receptor, it is a further confirmation that GABAergic transmission is not at the core of my POIS, especially as several herbs containing its antagonist (thujone) weren’t detrimental at all.

Olive leaf extract [500 mg per capsule, with 100 mg standardized oleuropein content; Rd:1]: I have already tried this in the past and found it to provide some benefit, however some unpleasant side-effects also occurred, so the cost-benefit ratio does not seem sufficient. This time I took 3 caps in a day without an O. It helps minimally with eye symptoms, however I remember that the last time I took the caps some net-like pattern of veins developed and that was the reason I did not try it further. Gut issues also seemed better, however I also had a diarrhea right after work which may have been due to a combination with exercise intolerance as I had more work this day. I also had a weak headache around this time and also in the evening. Rhinitis was present usually in the evening. When I got up at night I felt slightly better and urine was not particularly burning, however in the morning it was practically the same as usual. It only gets a weak-moderate score from me.

Colostrum [450 mg colostrum per capsule containing 135 mg immunoglobulins; Rd:4]: I have already tried this in the past without seeing much change, so I skipped on it. Currently I took 5 caps in a day without an O. Clearly it has no particular effect on the eyes. At least gut issues seemed a little better, but nothing significant really. Otherwise I couldn’t see anything remarkable. It may be a little useful, but nothing much in an acute setting, thus it only gets a weak score.

HMB (Calcium hydroxymethylbutyrate) [750 mg per pill; Rd: 4]: I have already tried this in the past without much benefit. Currently I took 4 pills without an O. My eyes remained only lightly bloodshot even after showering, though I still can’t say for sure if HMB really had any effect on them. The following morning felt pretty average as well. At least I was a bit surprised that gut issues were about moderately better, so it may have some use after all. I think a weak-moderate score is proper for now. This supplement should inhibit muscle breakdown, but in the morning the muscle fatigue was rather usual, so it probably does not modulate the inflammatory process itself. At least in my case it proved better than sodium butyrate, thus some people may also want to test this. HMB is also a HDAC1 inhibitor which could explain the positive effects on gut issues similarly to beta glucan.

Amaranth seeds: I ate about 200 g in a day. The first two portion was cooked while the third was raw mixed in yogurt. I don’t think it has a particular benefit on the eyes as they remained rather alright throughout the day, but after the evening shower they evidently got worse and were so even in the morning. I also masturbated some in the afternoon and the sexual function was rather normal. I avoided the O as it felt like I would have a normal POIS if I did so. I am not sure about gut issues as the quality of the stool was quite better, however the burning pain was possibly even stronger than usual, so it is either mixed effect or moderate score. Thus currently I can only give this a weak score.
Constituents: omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin C/E, glutathione, oxalic acid, alkaloids, fatty acids, coumarins, flavonoids, glycosides, rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and manganese.
 
D.A.A. (d-aspartic acid) [powder, Rd: 3 g]: I have already tried this in the past for two days, but as my symptoms were getting worse probably due to inefficiency I decided to skip on it. Currently I took with 2 scoops (about 6 g) in a day without an O. Once again it hadn’t any remarkable effects as it was rather useless for the eye symptoms and gut issues were only weakly better. The morning felt pretty much as usual. Even if it boosts testosterone clearly one shouldn’t expect any immediate gain from this. As an acute treatment it only gets a weak score.