Holy Basil: Phyto-TESTOSTERONE, Progesterone and thyro-mimetic ?
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Tulsi / holy basil only increased progesterone by about 20% in female rats . It didn't lower testosterone or increase estrogen.
Dosage: 500 mg/kg, HED: 3000mg of Tulsi extract
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30908416/ -
In male rats however it seems to be very androgenic .
It increased the testosterone level of every single rat above the capable measurement limit of 1500 ng/dl ! Lol
It seems to behave like exogenous testosterone in some ways: they had lowered sperm count and LH and FSH (feedback mechanism). So we should maybe be cautious long term us, but pro progesterone and testosterone?... I'm intrigued .
Dosage: 2 g of fresh leaves
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3059441/- EDIT: Ocimum basilicum
In this study in male lambs it was very androgenic again.
It increased testosterone by about 80% and lowered cortisol by about 90%. A drastic increase in the T/C ratio !
But this time it even increased sperm count health and testicle size.
Not sure why it was different here maybe it's a dosage issue. Maybe it has to do with the different digestive system of lambs.
Dosage: diet containing 12.5 % basil and 25 % basil
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10850854/
- It gets even better.
Basil almost doubled T3, almost tripled T4 and reduced TSH from 13 to 0.22 in this study in rabbits.
Dosage: 2 g fresh leaves/day
Effect of Ocimum Sanctum on Serum Concentration of Thyroid Hormones
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Lowered stress and cortisol in humans
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36185698 -
Tulsi also contains ursolic acid which has its own benefits : anti-serotonin and estrogen and pro dopamine.
https://bioenergetic.forum/topic/1797/ursolic-acid-anti-serotonin-anti-estrogen-pro-dopamine-and-more
Dare to think.
My X:
x.com/Metabolicmonstr -
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Interpretation:
If you look at study 2. , you might conclude that holy basil contains some exogenous androgen in high amounts that increases blood testosterone to such an extent that it suppresses their pituitary hormonal output as a feedback mechanism and decreases their sperm count, similarly to exogenous testosterone.
But if that was the case, we would see a strong virilazation in study 1 and the females rats testosterone would be through the roof as well. But we don't see that, only progesterone increased.
Study 3 begs to differ as well. We see no signs of shut down whatsoever here. All measures of sperm health increased.
So it's hard to say what holy basil exactly does, only one way to find out
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@Mauritio Very interesting Mauritio. Always a good read when you post something. I have a bottle of holy basil laying around, maybe I will try. Will report then ofcourse.
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@Joop3000 you're welcome . Looking forward to your testimony.
I'm surprised it's not talked about more often ! -
In this study even very small doses of basil were able to almost double testosterone. They gave rats 2 and 4 mg /kg of a basil powder, which translates to just 25 and 50mg for a human. Surprisingly 25 mg was even slightly superior in terms of testosterone-enhancement.
I don't know if they used holy basil in this study. They just refer to it as basil. But it seems that different kinds and especially different dosages are effective, as the other studies I posted used much higher doses.EDIT: this was basil not holy basil !
basil (Ocimum basilicum) and holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum, also called Ocimum sanctum)
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Very interesting studies, would love to see some human studies
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This post is deleted! -
@AnxiousMess I agree
Number 5 actually is a human study.That being said, I would also love to see some human studies on its effect on hormones . But for now it seems safe enough to play around with for a while.
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I have been drinking tulsi (holy basil) tea on and off for years. It has a calming and stress-relieving effect. Maybe not instantly with one cup. But if I was in a chronic high stress state and drank multiple cups a day for a week or so, it made me continuously more relaxed.
Also tried capsules, but funnily enough I didn't get the same effect as with tea, although I'd think the extract in the capsules is more potent.
It's also a natural anti-histamine.
Edit:
If someone tries the tea, the quality of the different products is pretty hit-and-miss. The flavor can also be pretty different. A few bad products look like someone has picked dirty weeds from the side of the road and put them in a bag. I have had the best experience with tea bags from 'Lebensbaum', but I don't know if that's available in other parts of the world. On iherb you can find multiple products in capsule form. -
@Luke hey thanks for sharing .
Did you notice any subjectively androgenic effects ?Thanks for the suggestion. Seems like your from Germany as well, I might try the tea. I ordered the extract from Sunday naturals, usually they're pretty good.
But it seems like with holy basil the quality and the content of phytochemicals varies a lot, so in this case it might be good to try a few different sources .
Dare to think.
My X:
x.com/Metabolicmonstr -
@Mauritio
No, I didn't really notice androgenic effects (but also not the opposite), just the calming and relaxing effects. And I didn't do any blood tests.Yes, I'm from Germany. I was also on the old forum. The tulsi tea that you can get on amazon.de is pretty hit-and-miss like I said. Sometimes the taste is so different that it almost seems to be another tea.
I had the extract from Organic India a few years ago and didn't notice much. Please let me know if the product from Sunday naturals is good, I might try it as well. Too much tea is a bit inconvenient when you also drink a lot of juice.
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@Luke Oh, now I remember you. I think we chatted in the DMs. And didn't I also send you some protest stickers during covid ? Good times
Sure, I'll let you know !
Dare to think.
My X:
x.com/Metabolicmonstr -
Thanks @Mauritio!
Also
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4296439/here is mounting evidence that tulsi can address physical, chemical, metabolic and psychological stress through a unique combination of pharmacological actions. Tulsi has been found to protect organs and tissues against chemical stress from industrial pollutants and heavy metals, and physical stress from prolonged physical exertion, ischemia, physical restraint and exposure to cold and excessive noise. Tulsi has also been shown to counter metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels, and psychological stress through positive effects on memory and cognitive function and through its anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties. Tulsi's broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, which includes activity against a range of human and animal pathogens, suggests it can be used as a hand sanitizer, mouthwash and water purifier as well as in animal rearing, wound healing, the preservation of food stuffs and herbal raw materials and traveler's health.
https://examine.com/supplements/tulsi/
Tulsi (also known as Ocimum sanctum or holy basil) is an aromatic plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to India and Southeast Asia.[5] It is rich in various bioactive phytochemicals, including rosmarinic acid, apigenin, ursolic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and eugenol.
[...]
The anti-inflammatory effects are thought to be due to the inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX)BTW COX is also inhibited by Aspirin...
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@Mauritio Yeah, that was me.
Holy Basil/tulsi as a mast cell stabilizer and potential remedy for asthma: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285952995_Mast_cell_stabilizing_activity_of_Ocimum_sanctum_leaves
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@Luke Its almost as effective as prednisone!
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Today I took half a capsule of my Tulsi extract, which comes down to 200mg of the extract including 4mg ursolic acid.
- feels subjectively androgenic, libido slighlty higher, muscle seem fuller, chest looks firm
- Mood is good and relaxed. It was maybe not the best idea to take it in the morning. Its more of a afternoon/ evening supp, due its calming effects. Although it isnt sedating, it has some pro dopamine molecules like ursolic acid in it.
- skin looks smooth and glowing, which I normally I get from antioxidants or youth steroids.
- Suspect some antimicrobial effects going on in the gut
So far, so good!
Dare to think.
My X:
x.com/Metabolicmonstr -
@Mauritio said in Holy Basil: Phyto-TESTOSTERONE, Progesterone and thyro-mimetic ?:
4mg ursolic acid.
This study shows that even very small doses of ursolic acid can have an dopaminergicly mediated anti-depressant effect- HEDs of 0.5 and 0.05mg were effective while 5 and 50mg actually showed less / no benefit. So by me consuming 4mg im moving out of the benefit territtory. But tulsi is sp much more than ursolic acid, so its hard to say how it impacts overall effects. But I might try a lower dose in the future maybe like 1mg.
https://sci-hub.voed.top/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305712002377
In this study ursolic acid has spectacular results on Klotho, Sirt1 and 6 and PGCa. Although the dosage was 1250mg(HED), so not attainable from tulsi extract. But maybe lower doses have beneficial effect as well.
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Tulsi shortened the healing period of a fracture in animals by two weeks.
It also slightly increases calcium and lowers phosphate.Subjectively I can say that my teeth feel more solid and stable a similar effect which I get from boron, which also increases calcium and vitamin D .
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So after another day I can say, it definitely feels androgenic, libido is increased, muscles fuller . Feeling more energetic and confident.
Yesterday I took it after work and starting getting energetic again but it also feels anti-stress at the same time.
Only downside is it messes with my sleep, only slept 6-7h last 2 days . Not sure why. There are some pro-dopamine substances in Tulsi like rosmarinic acid or ursolic acid.
It's not that I can't fall asleep, it just seems less restful and I wake up early .
I found a few reports of that on reddit, although other people say that it's great for sleep.I'll do a washout of 2 days and then I'll try the Microdose of 25mg to replicate the above animal study where it still doubled testosterone in hopes of not getting sleep issues.
After that I'll probably try baiclin or the grains of paradise again .Dare to think.
My X:
x.com/Metabolicmonstr -
@Mauritio wow this is very interesting! I’m pleasantly surprised and happy at the positive effects!! How long you gonna do the micro dose for? Or you gonna see how it goes for the first couple of days etc.?
