Three Testosterone Boosters (that actually work)

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated January 2023. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter! Stefan Burns YouTube

Effective natural testosterone boosting herbs exist and can help you reach that next level, whether that’s improved athletic performance and general health, better libido and virility, an amelioration of mental health issues like anxiety and depression, and in general more confidence and swag.

Author Stefan Burns 405 lb Deadlift at 170 lbs bodyweight - 12/28/2022

Testosterone is a hormone produced primarily in the testicles but also in the adrenal glands, and it governs over lean body tissue by increasing muscle mass, bone density, and by reducing and redistributing body fat. Testosterone also has neurocognitive effects and stimulates higher-risk higher-reward seeking behaviors. Testosterone is one of the most important hormones for male development, and while this article is geared towards men, testosterone is also an important hormone for women. Low testosterone levels in women can lead to a loss in libido and reduced bone density as well as hormonal problems. Low testosterone levels in men and women can result in mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

Testosterone is a vitally important hormone, an average testosterone levels have been declining in men for decades, and it also generally declines with age for men in western populations (1), though age related testosterone decline doesn’t appear to happen when exceptional health is maintained (2). There are many factors which have caused this, the biggest being changing western culture itself which doesn’t incentivize testosterone-stimulating behaviors as much anymore. Other testosterone reducing factors include circadian rhythm disruptions (like excess blue light at night and low light in the morning) and excess xenoestrogens entering into the body from plastics and phthalates.

The same question is often asked by men who have checked their testosterone levels and find that they are low and also by men who in the normal range and are looking to gain every masculine advantage, and it is:

“Is there a natural safe way to raise testosterone levels effectively and noticeably?”

The answer to this question is a definitive YES, and in this article we’ll discuss three herbs which actually boost testosterone levels, and they are cistanche, tongkat ali, and ashwagandha.

In the expandable section below I present some valuable foundational information on the limitations and potentials of hormone modulating herbs, or if you want to get right to learning more about these three herbs which have good scientific evidence supporting their testosterone boosting properties which I have also personally tested, then keep scrolling.

• Important Considerations on Hormone Modulating Herbs

  There is a lot of contradictory information on this topic which makes things confusing for people learning about natural ways to support and optimize hormone levels. It’s a common misconception that no effective natural testosterone boosters exist, and that any herbal supplement labeled as a testosterone booster is a scam. To clear the water in order to find the testosterone boosting herbs that do work, we must first identify what is making the water “cloudy” in the first place:

  1. Well-designed scientific investigations into the biophysiological effects of many herbs are severely lacking, many of the studies that have been done haven’t been replicated by other research groups, and sometimes replication studies showed contradictory effects (possibly due to poor study design, limited sample sizes, and biologic differences amongst research participants).

  2. Few human studies exist, most are done with mice/rats, and often these studies examined just the effect of supplementing with the main active compound in an herb rather than the entire herb, which is a major confounding variable.

  3. Well-known herbs like maca and horny goat weed have libido enhancing effects and can help with erectile dysfunction, which makes people believe it’s raising their testosterone levels, but no strong evidence supports this (3, 4).

  Against this backdrop it’s widely recognized and accepted that plants/herbs like soy and licorice root contain biologically relevant phytoestrogens (5, 6).

  The truth of the matter is that many tens of thousands of unique plant phytochemicals exist, each with their own diverse biologic effects, and some of these are endocrine system adaptogens which raise/lower hormone levels. Estrogenic herbs exist and androgenic herbs also exist.

  The safety of a testosterone boosting herb is also important. For example the South African herb Bulbine Natalensis, traditionally used as an aphrodisiac, appears to be a very potent testosterone booster (in rats, 7), but the 10:1 extract doses used to boost testosterone levels the most (50 mg/kg for rats, human equivalent dose is 8mg/kg bodyweight) have evidence of elevating liver and kidney enzymes which indicates stress to the liver and kidneys, while also causing some unfavorable lobules and tubules to develop (8). More research is clearly needed.

  Boosting testosterone levels is one thing, being healthy is another, and the two don’t have to be in opposition to each other but instead can occur in tandem. Having adequate testosterone levels, especially as a man, is a key part of being optimally healthy and living a long life.

Here are the basic requirements as I see it for any testosterone-boosting herb to fulfill that you’re considering to use:

1. Stimulates testosterone production and increases free testosterone levels while keep estrogen levels healthy

2. Contains phytochemical antioxidants which are health beneficial and keeps the body in a safe anti-inflammatory state

3. Has a long history of traditional use and is safe when used at effective dosages

Cistanche, tongkat ali, and ashwagandha nicely fulfill these requirements, and we’ll start with the herb I have the most personal experience with and I have noticed to be the most potent…cistanche.

Cistanche - A Mega Testosterone Booster

Cistanche is a genus of perennial herbs consisting of 22 known species that grow in arid deserts throughout Eurasia. Cistanche is unique in that it’s a parasitic plant that draws water and nutrients from its host plant. In Traditional Chinese Medicine Cistanche is considered the “ginseng of the desert” and is used primarily to correct yang (androgen) deficiency (9).

Cistanche deserticola and Cistanche tubulosa are the two main species of cistanche that are harvested and prepared into herbal supplements and extracts. They only differ slightly in the composition of their chemical constituents, and Cistanche tubulosa is more commonly found as a supplement than Cistanche deserticola.

Recommended Cistanche Supplement

The most basic form of cistanche is a raw powder made from the stem of the plant. Most cistanche supplements are extracts created from this raw powder, condensing the main active constituents and standardizing them to certain percentages.

Nootropics Depot sells a Cistanche tubulosa supplement, available as a powder or in capsules, which has been standardized to contain minimum 50% echinacoside + 10% acetoside, the two main testosterone-boosting chemicals identified in cistanche.

I have used this specific cistanche supplement many times and prefer it over others on the market because it’s highly effective, isn’t extremely bitter (like others are), and contains the highest percentages of phytochemicals echinacoside and acetoside.

With cistanche I boosted my free testosterone by 53% in just 30 days as part of a self-designed cistanche and cholesterol protocol. Click that link if you’d like to learn more about the protocol (so you can try it yourself) and to see my results which include my before and after free testosterone levels, gym log, and DEXA lean body mass scans.

What does Cistanche do?

In addition to raising free testosterone levels, cistanche also works beneficially with the brain and kidneys, has metabolism boosting effects, simulates the immune system, and is a potent aphrodisiac. Yeah it’s a pretty great combo for most men in the modern world we live in!

• Cistanche and Testosterone

  Cistanche stimulates testosterone production by improving the transport of cholesterol (the base molecule of all hormones) to the testosterone-producing Leydig cells of the testes. Cistanche also appears to increase the gene expression which signals for greater testosterone production. Acteoside also has an antiestrogenic effect by modulating the conversion of testosterone into estrogen, a necessary feature for an effective and safe testosterone booster. Learn more about how cistanche boosts testosterone with this article that goes in-depth.

• Cistanche Brain Interactions

  Cistanche improves brain health by preventing neuron cell death, promotes neurogenesis, limits amyloid plaque deposition, and increases dopamine, noadrenaline, and serotonin neurotransmitter concentrations in the brain. These factors make cistanche useful for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease as well as for mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and brain fog. It’s a combination of cistanche’s effects on the brain and sex organs that make it one of the best natural libido enhancing herbs.

• Cistanche Metabolic Interactions

  Cistanche improves metabolism by enhancing mitochondrial function, remedying Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction (aka chronic fatigue syndrome), improving the resiliency of lactic acid and blood urea nitrogen pathways, and in general by increasing autonomic nervous system activity. The adrenal glands produce both cholesterol and testosterone, and it’s not uncommon for certain testosterone boosters to overly stress the adrenals, leading to chronic fatigue, and this makes cistanche’s protective effect on the adrenal glands highly valuable.

• Cistanche and Immunity

  Cistanche improves immunity by increasing the kill rate of cancer cells, stimulating the proliferation of antibodies, beneficially modulating memory T cells, and by activating the phagocytic (engulfing) function of macrophages. As a herb containing powerful antioxidants cistanche prevents DNA damage and unwarranted cellular apoptosis (cell death).

• Cistanche as an Aphrodisiac

  Cistanche has a notable aphrodisiac effect because it triggers the release of dopamine in parts of the brain responsible for sexual arousal, by improving the functions of the testes, by reducing latency periods in-between erections, and through its general vaso-relaxing properties. Cistanche increases sperm count, increases their motility, and reduces the amount of abnormal sperm.

How does Cistanche Work?

Cistanche has these many different and beneficial biologic effects because of the unique phytochemicals it contains. The most notable of these are phenylethanoid glycosides, echinacoside, acteoside, and tubuloside B.

Firstly, these compounds and others like flavonoids are strong antioxidants. An antioxidant is a compound has the ability to give away a free electron to stop an electron-deficient free radical compound from oxidizing something. This process makes the body more stable at the atomic scale. Antioxidants keep certain chemicals which are naturally more unstable (because they have multiple receptors they need to be able to bind to, like dopamine and testosterone) protected from oxidation and this improves cellular signaling and functioning. It’s partly because cistanche (and the other two herbs tongkat ali and ashwagandha) keep the body in a more anti-inflammatory state that the body is then able to secrete valuable hormones and neurotransmitters like testosterone and dopamine without fear of them being oxidized and therefore squandered.

Cistanche also alters gene expression to upregulate steroidogenesis and cholesterol transport which results in more testosterone being produced by the Leydig cells of the testes. Testosterone can be better protected from oxidation by being bound to SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin), and in a more overall anti-inflammatory environment, more free testosterone can safely float around allowing for greater androgenic masculinization effects to occur. In effect, men can better be men, and for women this can improve fertility and make pregnancy possible.

Phytochemicals also interact directly with cells and the microbiome, which adds another layer of depth to how cistanche works that is still poorly understood and requires more scientific research.

Dosing Instructions for Cistanche

If using the Nootropics Depot Cistanche Supplement, the serving size is 200 mg, and that is a good dose to begin with. Take the cistanche on a relatively empty stomach in the morning or at night. I typically stir it into my morning coffee alongside other herbs like chaga mushroom, cinnamon, and cacao.

If you are a larger individual (>200 lbs, 90 kg), or you’re not noticing the effects of the cistanche after a week or two, you can increase the dose to 400 mg, taken either once daily or split into two 200 mg doses morning and night.

Personally while I find the masculinizing effects of cistanche quite obvious, I also find that it’s a gentle herb that the body tolerates well and can be used for extended periods of time. Its effects build up smoothly and leisurely and are harsh and sudden like other tonifying yang herbs.

For first time users I recommend cycling off cistanche for the duration of your first use. For example if you supplement with cistanche for thirty days, then refrain from using it or any other testosterone booster for thirty days afterwards. It’s better to play it safe and this allows you to more clearly establish what effects you felt/noticed.

Cistanche is well-tolerated and safe in larger doses, which allows for megadosing in the 600-800 mg range (with the Nootropics Depot supplement), as I have done myself, but this should only even be considered by experienced users and for those with larger bodyweights (>75 kg).

---

If you’re interested in learning more about cistanche, which I would recommend if you plan on purchasing and using the herb, then click the button below to be taken to the main herb encyclopedia page for cistanche.

Tongkat Ali - A Popular Testosterone Booster

Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia) is a plant native to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia with a long history of use in the traditional medicine use. Tongkat ali is also known as Malaysian ginseng or “long jack”, and its traditional uses are for improving libido and as an aphrodisiac, and for the treatment of malaria (10).

The roots and bark of Tongkat ali contain the highest levels of its main active compound, eurycomanone, and its typically the roots that are harvested and prepared for use. As with any herb, it’s the entourage effect of Tongkat Ali’s unique phytochemical flavonoids, quassinoids, terpenes, and others that determine its biologic effects.

Recommended Tongkat Ali Supplement

Tongkat ali supplements range from a raw powder to highly concentrated and standardized extracts. Tongkat ali contains a lot of bitterants (i.e. plant compounds that are highly bitter tasting) and thus the best tongkat ali supplements strike the right balance of retaining their raw phytochemistry while also undergoing a level of extraction which increases the concentration of eurycomanone while reducing bitter flavors.

Nootropics Depot sells two versions of tongkat ali to consider. They sell a tongkat ali powder supplement standardized to contain 2% eurycomanone, also available as capsules, and then they also sell a more potent tongkat ali capsule supplement which contains 10% eurycomanone.

If you plan on supplementing tongkat ali daily for an extended period of time for its testosterone boosting, cognitive enhancing, and immunity properties, then I recommend you use the 2% eurycomanone powder as many herbs have a U-shaped efficacy curve. What that means is that the sweet spot for the greatest biologic effects is in the middle dosing range, and if more is administered beyond that it becomes less effective.

I recommend the 10% eurycomanone tongkat ali capsules if you are specifically interested in the aphrodisiac and libido-enhancing properties of tongkat ali. For this type of use-case, you could take it 2-3 hours before you expect the fun to begin, so for example at the beginning of a date night. Alternatively the more highly concentrated tongkat ali supplement sold by Nootropics Depot would also be good to take as a one-off before an event where additional masculine energy would be beneficial, say for a sales presentation, night on the town, or before a fitness event.

What does Tongkat Ali do?

The most notable effects that tongkat ali has is its ability to raise testosterone levels while keeping estrogen levels in-line and its general libido-enhancing effect. Like cistanche and ashwagandha though, tongkat ali has other beneficial biologic effects you may be interested in and wish to use it for.

• Tongkat Ali and Testosterone

  Tongkat ali is such an effective testosterone booster because its improves androgen steroidogensis across multiple pathways. Evidence shows that tongkat ali raises total testosterone levels by directly enhancing steroidogenesis in testicular Leydig cells. Additionally tongkat ali unbinds testosterone from SHBG (or inhibits its binding), allowing a greater quantity of free testosterone to circulate throughout the body. The eurypeptides of tongkat ali, most notably eurycomanone, stimulate dihydroepiandosterone (DHEA) which initiates the conversion of precursor hormones into testosterone and estrogen. It’s also been shown that tongkat ali influences the aromatization of testosterone into estrogen by limiting the actions of aromatase, thereby keeping testosterone levels elevated in the body.

  All of these factors together make tongkat ali one of the best natural testosterone boosters currently known to man.

• Tongkat Ali Brain Interactions

  Tongkat ali interacts with the brain and nervous system in a few ways, most notably through neurotransmitter modulation. Tongkat ali increases dopamine concentrations in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal regions, the parts of the brain responsible for higher cognitive processes and memory & learning respectively. Higher dopamine concentrations enhances muscular control, motivation and reward circuits, and improve intra-cellular communication.

  Tongkat ali contains many plant antioxidants, many of which are able to pass through the blood-brain barrier, and through this mechanism tongkat ali has a neuroprotective effect.

• Tongkat Ali Immunity Improvements

  In general antioxidant phytochemicals improve the functioning of the immune system, and tongkat ali has been shown to be cytotoxic and have antiproliferative properties on certain cancer cell lines and tumors such as breast, gastric, cervical, and lung cancers.

  One of the main traditional uses of tongkat ali is to help fight off a malarial infection, malaria being caused by a parasite introduced to the body by mosquitoes. Eurycomanone and other phytochemicals found in tongkat ali in research settings have shown significant antimalarial properties by inhibiting the growth of P. falciparum malaria parasite strains.

• Tongkat Ali for Male Infertility

  Tongkat helps remedy male infertility, an increasing problem, through a variety of mechanisms. First through its modulation of brain neurotransmitter concentrations it stimulates arousal pathways in the brain which trigger the autonomic nervous system to stimulate an erection. Tongkat ali is useful to remedy erectile dysfunction, can make erections bigger and harder, and it reduces the latency period in-between erections.

  Not only does tongkat ali help improve the functioning of male “hardware”, but it also increases semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, and improves sperm morphology (aka reduces defective sperm).

How does Tongkat Ali Work?

Tongkat ali contains a rich assortment of plant phytochemicals which have various biologic effects, the most prominent being quassinoids like eurycomanone. These phytochemicals interact with the microbiome of the gut and cells directly, influencing the biologic activities that happen at the cellular level. Through electromagnetic interactions phytochemicals like eurycomanone alter gene expression. Herbs assist the body in upregulating the activation of genetic instructions it already has, and in this way you can see how tongkat ali or the other testosterone boosters cistanche and ashwagandha simply unlock your latent genetic potential. With good diet and lifestyle habits in place, it’s possible that natural herbal testosterone boosters permanently upregulate androgen steroidogenesis, even after cessation of the herb, though this is speculation of a “water tends to flow down a well-cut stream” nature and research is needed to confirm the effect.

The abundant antioxidants found in tongkat ali support this whole process and help maintain a stable cellular and atomic environment throughout the body. Put simply, tongkat ali is an herb that makes it easier to be masculine while not being dangerous like exogenous steroids are.

Dosing Instructions for Tongkat Ali

The serving size for the Tongkat ali powder sold by Nootropics Depot is 200 mg, standardized to 2% eurycomanone but overall containing >2% eurypeptides as eurycomanone is just one of many eurypeptides. If using this brand of tongkat ali start supplementation with 100 mg for 1 week and then increase to 200 mg afterwards. If no noticeable effects are felt at the standard serving size or you’re a larger individual then the dosage can be increased to 200 mg twice daily (morning and night). One way to know it’s working as a guy is if you’re waking up frequently with a stiffy.

Since tongkat ali contains so many bitterants you may find its taste unpleasant. For this reason I either mix it into a small shot glass of water or milk and shoot it back. I find that following that with a shot of apple cider vinegar, followed by another of just water, helps. Slightly unpleasant but over quickly, and having a shot of apple cider vinegar daily is good for the microbiome and metabolism.

Like with cistanche, tongkat ali also goes well with a cup of coffee, with any bitterness being easily dealt with by the addition of a sweetener like honey. Cistanche is the testosterone-boosting herb I add to my nootropic coffee, but tongkat ali works well here too as the two are very similar to each other.

It’s best to take tongkat ali on a relatively empty stomach so it is absorbed into the bloodstream effectively and without delay.

---

If you’re interested in learning more about tongkat ali, which I would recommend if you plan on purchasing and using the herb, then click the button below to be taken to the main herb encyclopedia page for tongkat ali.

Ashwagandha - A Mild Testosterone Booster

Ashwagandha is a well-known adaptogenic herb in ayurvedic medicine also known as “Indian ginseng”, understood to be a powerful tonic, aphrodisiac, anti-parasitic, and useful for various brain disorders (11). The roots are the most common part of Withania somnifera to be used, with the word ashwagandha meaning “odor of a horse” and it’s also traditionally believed that consuming ashwagandha imbues one with the power of a horse.

The main active phytochemicals found in ashwagandha are alkaloids, lactones, and saponins, with the most notable being withanolide lactones. Together these phytonutrients and others broadly influence the function of the cognitive, immune, metabolic, digestive, and reproductive systems via the entourage effect. If you are only interested in mildly raising your testosterone levels, balancing out your overall hormone profile, while also enjoying many other health benefits all from one supplement, then ashwagandha is one of the best herbs to use.

Recommended Ashwagandha Supplement

Ashwagandha is a very popular supplement and thus many different types of the herb exist on the market, from chopped root and raw powder to highly extracted versions like KSM-66 ashwagandha.

It’s not uncommon to find anecdotal reports online of people who supplement with ashwagandha to help with their libido for example only to find it completely disappear on them, and from my observations it seems this happens most commonly with the highly extracted versions of the herb like the KSM-66 ashwagandha. As stated earlier, the most effective doses typically lay in the middle of the U-shaped efficacy curve, and it’s mostly likely over-supplementation of ashwagandha that causes these unexpected oppositional effects.

For this reason I recommend taking either a raw ashwagandha powder like that sold by Mountain Rose Herbs or just a lightly extracted version like that sold by Nootropics Depot. The 12% withanolides ashwagandha powder sold by Nootropics Depot sits nicely in the U-curve “sweet spot” and is easily dosed up or down depending on your needs.

If you are interested in an ashwagandha supplement that has a higher concentration of withanolides, then Nootropics Depot also sells a 35% withanolide Shoden ashwagandha powder. As long as you are precise with your dosing, either version can be used.

Some quick back-of-the-napkin calculations show that at current prices (01/2023), the 12% withanolide powder comes out to 300 mg withanolides per dollar if purchasing the 60 gram tub (the largest), whereas the shoden 35% withanolide powder comes out to 260 mg withanolides per dollar if purchasing the 30 gram tub (the largest).

Withanolide percentages can vary widely between different ashwagandha products (12) depending on a variety of factors like their cultivation and processing, and for this reason a standardized extract ashwagandha from a reputable supplier is typically preferable over a raw powder.

What does Ashwagandha do?

One of the main effects of ashwagandha is that it increases parasympathetic nervous system activity. If you’re stressed and/or engaged in energetic pathways, then your sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system is dominant. This causes the adrenal glands to release cortisol and changes the expression of the overall hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The average person in western society engages their sympathetic nervous system more often than their parasympathetic nervous system, and over the long term this autonomic nervous system imbalance leads to many chronic health conditions such as sleep issues, heart disease, thyroid problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, and more. Learn how to balance the autonomic nervous system.

Ashwagandha is such a valuable natural herbal supplement because it assist in balancing the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The reason ashwagandha has only been shown to increase testosterone levels on average by 10-15% is because it’s primary action is on the adrenal glands, which in addition to producing cortisol also produce testosterone in small quantities. Ashwagandha for example has been shown to reduce the cortisol response of stressful situations (13), like an endurance event to complete exhaustion, thereby destressing the adrenal glands which improves their resource management and functioning. Through its modulation of cortisol and other hormones, ashwagandha improves sleep, makes it easier to rest and relax,

In addition to this ashwagandha also benefits the brain, immune system, and the digestive system.

• Ashwagandha and the Brain

  Ashwagandha is a powerful cognitive aid because it interacts with the brain in a variety of beneficial ways. Ashwagandha has a balancing action on neurotransmitters GABA and serotonin and normalizes dopamine levels to normal. Ashwagandha inhibits nerve cells from over-firing and intensifies acetylcholine, glutathione, and secretase enzyme activity. Overall ashwagandha has been shown to be comparable to pharmaceutical drugs in its ability to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and to stabilize mood. Ashwagandha also inhibits the production beta amyloid plaques and reverse neural decay by promoting neurogenesis and through the creation of new synaptic connections.

• Ashwagandha and Immunity

  Ashwagandha improves the functioning of the immune system by returning it to a state of normal functioning. It does this by bringing white blood cells back to normal ranges if overly elevated or suppressed while also having a powerful anti-cancer effect which inhibits the reduces the growth of tumors. The phytochemicals that ashwagandha possesses also have general antimicrobial properties.

• Ashwagandha and Digestion

  Ashwagandha improves digestion, a very important aspect of overall health and wellness as readers of Wild Free Organic should know. Ashwagandha does this by having antimicrobial and anti-parasitic properties which beneficially shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis with its host (you). Ashwagandha also simulates digestive action, reduces flatulence, and has a strong effect in preventing and healing stress-induced gastric ulcers.

How does Ashwagandha Work?

Ashwagandha has these many health benefits because of its unique phytochemical profile which confer upon it adaptogenic properties which promotes balances between the different systems of the body. Overall ashwagandha is considered a tonic which revitalizes the body by correcting deficiencies and over-abundances, whether they are yin/yang or hot/cold as classified in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The benefits received from supplementing with ashwagandha depend on how long it is used for and how consistently. A single large dose of ashwagandha is useful before an endurance event, improving stamina and reducing the following stress response and cortisol dump. A large one-off dose many also be all that’s needed to stimulate an aphrodisiac effect, though that may require more consistent supplementation depending on your individual physiology. The longer term health and wellness benefits of ashwagandha, especially the neurocognitive and immunity effects, take a few weeks to begin to manifest and will be more pronounced over a 6+ month long time span.

As for it’s hormone modulation and testosterone boosting effects, it takes 2-3 months of ashwagandha supplementation to observe favorable increases in body-weight and testosterone levels.

Dosing Instructions for Ashwagandha

The most common part of Withania somnifera to use is the roots, and the dosing instructions here are for the roots (though the leaves are of a similar amount). Raw ashwagandha root is typically dosed at 300-600 mg daily for general health and wellness benefits, while it was a 5 gram raw ashwagandha root powder dose taken daily that was effective at boosting testosterone levels in men with fertility issues. This high dose of 5 grams daily for a few months showed no health complications. A sweet spot in-between these two dosage recommendations is 1 gram of ashwagandha taken daily and this is what I would recommend to athletes.

If using the Nootropics depot 12% withanolide ashwagandha supplement, start with the recommended 300 mg serving size for a few weeks before considering increasing it further to two servings taken daily, and that should only be done if no effect is observed. For the 35% withanolide Shoden Ashwagandha supplement, stick to the normal 120 mg serving size for a few weeks before any consideration of increasing the dose.

Ashwagandha is safe and well-tolerated with few if any side effects at normal dosages which provides it a degree of “wiggle room” which is useful in catering it to your unique needs and biology. If you find you respond well to lower doses of ashwagandha then stick with low doses, and if you find you require higher doses then that’s fine too so long as you’re careful and mindful of how your body is feeling.

---

If you’re interested in learning more about ashwagandha, which I would recommend if you plan on purchasing and using the herb, then click the button below to be taken to the main herb encyclopedia page for ashwagandha.

Optimize your Testosterone

Cistanche, tongkat ali, and ashwagandha are three well-proven and effective testosterone-boosting herbs that are well-tolerated and safe. Comparing them side by side it’s easy to see their similarities, not only in their names of “ginseng of the desert”, “Malaysian ginseng”, and “Indian ginseng” respectively, but also in how they influence the body biologically.

All three of these herbs work simultaneously with the brain, nervous system, immune system, endocrine system, and reproductive organs. They all have energy enhancing effects whilst simultaneously promoting parasympathetic activity (feed and breed, rest and digest) which results in vaso-relaxation.

Ashwagandha helps to blunt the cortisol and stress response from extremely stressful and strenuous events, and cistanche and tongkat ali both help promote recovery and increase lean body mass. If you are cautiously interested in raising your testosterone levels, then ashwagandha is the herb to choose as it only boosts them moderately, by 10-15% on average according to the research that has been done. Tongkat ali is more potent and in my experience cistanche is the most potent testosterone booster of the three, though your individual response and results may vary.

You can purchase high-quality cistanche, tongkat ali, and ashwagandha supplements from Nootropics Depot. If you decide to make an effort to boost your testosterone levels using either of these herbs, be mindful of your lifestyle and ensure that you’re getting adequate sleep every night, eating a healthy diet, and are limiting your stressors (both internal and environmental). If you are primarily interested in boosting your testosterone levels as a way to increase your libido, then read my guide on how to increase your libido naturally.

Please share your experiences with any of these herbs in the comments below for others who may be interested in your anecdotal findings.

---

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

Research:

1. Travison TG, Araujo AB, O’Donnell AB, Kupelian V, McKinlay JB. A population-level decline in serum testosterone levels in american men. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2007;92(1):196-202.

2. Sartorius G, Spasevska S, Idan A, et al. Serum testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and estradiol concentrations in older men self-reporting very good health: the healthy man study. Clin Endocrinol. 2012;77(5):755-763.

3. Gonzales GF, Cordova A, Vega K, et al. Effect of Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on sexual desire and its absent relationship with serum testosterone levels in adult healthy men. Andrologia. 2002;34(6):367-372.

4. Kuang AK, Chen JL, Chen MD. [Effects of yang-restoring herb medicines on the levels of plasma corticosterone, testosterone and triiodothyronine]. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1989;9(12):737-738, 710.

5. Doerge DR, Sheehan DM. Goitrogenic and estrogenic activity of soy isoflavones. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2002;110(suppl 3):349-353.

6. Boonmuen N, Gong P, Ali Z, et al. Licorice root components in dietary supplements are selective estrogen receptor modulators with a spectrum of estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities. Steroids. 2016;105:42-49.

7. Yakubu MT, Afolayan AJ. Effect of aqueous extract of Bulbine natalensis (Baker) stem on the sexual behaviour of male rats. International Journal of Andrology. 2009;32(6):629-636.

8. Afolayan AJ, Yakubu MT. Effect of bulbine natalensis baker stem extract on the functional indices and histology of the liver and kidney of male wistar rats. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2009;12(4):814-820.

9. Li Z, Lin H, Gu L, Gao J, Tzeng CM. Herba cistanche (Rou cong-rong): one of the best pharmaceutical gifts of traditional chinese medicine. Front Pharmacol. 2016;7

10. Rehman S, Choe K, Yoo H. Review on a traditional herbal medicine, eurycoma longifolia jack (Tongkat ali): its traditional uses, chemistry, evidence-based pharmacology and toxicology. Molecules. 2016;21(3):331.

11. Singh N, Bhalla M, De Jager P, Gilca M. An overview on ashwagandha: a rasayana (Rejuvenator) of ayurveda. Afr J Trad Compl Alt Med. 2011;8(5S).

12. Sangwan, R. S., et al. “Phytochemical Variability in Commercial Herbal Products and Preparations of Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha).” Current Science, vol. 86, no. 3, 2004, pp. 461–65. JSTOR,

13. Singh N, Nath R, Lata A, Singh SP, Kohli RP, Bhargava KP. withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), a rejuvenating herbal drug which enhances survival during stress(An adaptogen). International Journal of Crude Drug Research. 1982;20(1):29-35.

---

More Articles on Performance

Reprograming your DNA

DNA reprograming is not only possible, it’s a key evolutionary feature

An important aspect of being human and overall health is electromagnetic. What that means is that humans interact with electric and magnetic fields bioelectrically. The resonant vibration of DNA to the strongest electromagnetic field frequencies is a key determiner of DNA signaling. AKA which section of DNA is vibrating the most, attracting to it RNA and other transcribing molecules.

By changing the electromagnetic environment of the body DNA expression can be optimized towards health. This is still a very new understanding in science, and the best evidence that exists corroborating this effect comes from earthing and the cellular actions of herbs.

Learn more by watching my video below:

*Note - this page is under development

Earthing and the Earth’s Magnetic Field

What is Bioelectricity?

Herbs that Improve Bioelectricity

What’s the Evidence?

How to Increase Libido

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter! Stefan Burns YouTube

Libido is your life force, a wellspring of heat, passion, and creativity that adds growth and color to all aspects of your life.

Depending on your state of physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual health, you may be unable to feel or connect to your libido. Being disconnected from your innate libido is not healthy if sustained, and it can have long-term damaging effects.

The beautiful aspect of libido is that it’s easy to connect with at anytime with the rights information, tools, and experience. Libido is stimulated in the brain by the thalamus, which regulates consciousness, sleep, and alertness. The thalamus is a sensory hub for the cerebral cortex, the decision making part of the brain. Without the activation of the thalamus, motor signals to the cerebral cortex are delayed or changed.

By reducing inhibition of the thalamus, the cerebral cortex is exposed to more information, and now realizing a greater amount of opportunities, consciousness is attuned to chose the best outcome. Sometimes the problem with failure to get aroused is the inability to see that the possibility exist.

As much society tries to make it normal, and it is, sex is a “taboo”. It touches the deepest parts of our body and energy. Sex is energy work, and unforeseen events can occur when creating energetic bonds with others at certain levels. Therefore any sexual act is a ritual of serious responsibility, and how it’s performed speaks a lot about who we are and how we are changing.

Sex may be “taboo”, but it’s the ultimate gift if done consciously, and when you’re more consciousness you’re more likely to take opportunistic riskier behaviors as you’re most self-assured of a favorable outcome. It’s this mindset that guarantees you have a healthy libido that can activate on command, if the situation presents itself and it’s to your benefit.

Libido isn’t just an important aspect of sex, but an integral part of human willpower, creativity, and drive.

“Sex is energy work, it touches the deepest parts of body and soul”

I write this as a male in touch with my yin and yang nature, and it should resonate with everyone at some level as we each have a divine feminine and divine masculine part of ourselves. One reason libido shuts down and is one day realized lost by a lot of people is that they haven’t connected to any energy sources that feed the source of their libido, the root chakra. Is your root chakra open or closed, in what situations and with who? Is the energy of your root chakra being drained by your actions or energetic bonds you have with others? These are important questions to ask yourself and answer honestly when seeking to restore your natural libido.

Energy connections at the root Chakra are the most rooted in the deeper energetics of the planet <2 Hz, and it’s there that you can begin to reclaim your sovereign root chakra energy. To create a 2 Hz or lower frequency at the root chakra, aka the hips, then you need to practice muscular exercises for that part of the body known as kegels.

Kegels for Increasing Libido

To make kegels easier, lay on a earthing sheet connected to the Earth. Contract your glutes, squeeze your rectum, breathe up into your diaphragm, and perform this pattern of breathing, contraction, and relaxation for the musculature you want at a slow rhythm of your choosing. Once you have a regular pattern going, explore the frequency range. Being electrically connected to the Earth, you will attune yourself to the electrical currents of the Earth known as tellurics at whichever frequency you are pulsing at. Change your frequency slowly around 0.5 to 3 Hz and find the cycles per second that’s easier to maintain unconsciously because that is where the Earth frequency is strongest. If you accomplish this, and it’s possible because I do it, you can turn your focus to breathing and visualization and let the magic happen all on its own. You may experience auto-orgasm if the stimulation enough, even without using your hands in any way. If this occurs consider it a crowning accomplishment of connecting to your libido.

I have been performing deep work on my hip to level it out, and I find that before I fall asleep I naturally begin to exercise with kegels, and it’s in this space that I have my best insights into sexual health and romance. When I lay down to sleep I keep my hands to the side as recommended with dream Yoga. When I practice kegels consistently and work deep around the sexual organs I find it is good for my energy metabolism, the endocrine system and having healthy hormone levels, sexual reproduction, and for stimulating creative energies.

Hormones and Libido

For men, a lot of libido boils down to prolactin levels. Having low prolactin levels means a stronger libido, harder and longer erections, a short refractory period (time in-between ejaculations), and determination/willpower. Dopamine can be high only when prolactin is low, and after ejaculation dopamine goes down while prolactin goes up. For women prolactin is elevated during breast feeding and is associated with breast development. The ideal arrangement for health and reproductive evolution is for women to have high prolactin levels and for men to have low prolactin levels.

Herbs that reduce prolactin levels over time are blue lotus flower and cannabis. More nuance on that in the following section. For men and women another very important aspect for having healthy libido is to have balanced testosterone and estrogen levels.

Beneficial hormone changes that are governed by behavior (engaging in manly or feminine activities, flirting and socializing, etc) are long lasting and stable, and when building those healthy habits there are herbs that can help the process greatly by changing your brain and hormone chemistry.

Herbs for Increasing Libido

There are various herbs that stimulate and enhance libido through distinct but overlapping pathways. Any of the herbs below can be used to increase libido, and I have a safe and synergistic natural libido enhancing stack I will describe how to use at the end that is comprised of these herbs.

Blue Lotus Flower

The African blue water lily Nymphaea caerulea contains rich plant pharmacology and was used by the ancient Egyptians for thousands of years as one component in an elixir of life known as didi.

How does it work? Blue lotus flower contains alkaloids apomorphine and nuciferine which modulate the parasympathetic nervous system, dopamine levels and transport, and serotonin levels and transport. Activates the thalamus and is a potentiator for psychedelics in my experience and as recorded throughout history. Lowers prolactin which helps in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Cautions: Blue lotus flower is sedative and liver produced metabolites from its alkaloids can be toxic to the kidneys. Do not consume in excess, pairs exceptionally well with the herb cistanche due to cistanche’s renal benefits and antioxidant nature as observed in the brain. Under conditions of stomach sensitivity, high consumption may trigger the urge to vomit.

Cistanche

Cistanche C. tubulsa, C. deserticola, C. phelypaea, sometimes referred to as the ginseng of the desert or in Traditional Chinese Medicine Rou Cong-Rong is a potent activator of the male hormonal system.

How does it work? Cistanche has a libido boosting effect through its interactions with cholesterol transport, cholesterol being the building block for all hormones. Cistanche boosts testosterone (free and total) by working directly with the gonads. Cistanche also have neurocognitive antioxidant benefits and protects the renal system, which as described above alleviates some of the renal stress created by blue lotus flower.

Using cistanche can make you horny, increase the frequency of erections, cause morning erections, and with long term use (1+ month) enlarge the size of the penis permanently.

Cautions: Cistanche powerfully activate the male hormonal system and for best health and wellness it should be used carefully, being cycled on and off at a 1:1 frequency. For example if you run a cistanche and cholesterol protocol for 2 months, cease using cistanche for 2 months afterwards before using again if desired. Since cistanche increase free testosterone so dramatically (>50% in my case), it can cause increased inflammation throughout the body as the testosterone molecule, like dopamine, isn’t the most stable. This can show as acne, and to help keep the circulatory system and blood free of inflammation I recommend concurrent usage of dandelion root powder. Flavonoids like apigenin found in herbs dandelion and chamomile also reduce the conversation of testosterone to estrogen via aromatase.

Cannabis

Cannabis C. sativa, C. indica, C. ruderalis contains cannabinoids like THC, CBD, and CBN which influence brain chemistry and increase sensory awareness by acting on CB1 and CB2 receptors. Cannabinoids are sticky and are easily absorbed into the blood stream when dry-vaporized.

How does it work? As a mild-psychedelic, cannabis can connect you to parts of your being that you are currently only weakly connected to, like your libido and sexual nature. Cannabis use lowers prolactin and increases sensory pleasure of the sex organs.

Cautions: Heavy long-term cannabis usage can lead to brain changes that while not permanent take time to reverse. Video: Does Smoking Weed Permanently Mess with the Brain? Cannabis, specifically the cannabinoid THC increases heartrate by 10-20 bpm and reduces blood pressure. Cannabis has interactions with the thyroid and adrenal glands and long term usage may lower testosterone production (easily offset by cistanche usage if desired).

Chaga Mushroom

Chaga Mushroom Inonotus obliquus contains a wide variety of beneficial biologic compounds that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects such as polysaccharides, beta-glucans, terpenes, mycoflavonoids, melanin, and other myconutrients.

How does it work? Chaga mushroom is an adaptogen and can slightly boost testosterone on its own in addition to the protective effects it has on the organs and the neuroprotective effects it has in the brain. Modulates the activity of the nervous system, specifically the autonomic nervous system, a critical component of the libido and sexual systems.

Cautions: Chaga mushroom in high doses can destabilize heart rhythms

Chamomile Flower

Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla is one of nature’s best herbs for overall health and wellness. Contains many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant phytochemicals.

How does it work? Chamomile guides the autonomic nervous system to increase parasympathetic activity, relaxation being a key requirement to arousal. Increases endogenous flow state alpha brainwave rhythms which have a frequency of 8-12 hz.

Cautions: Chamomile is a very safe herb and can be used in large quantities. Chamomile may trigger an allergic reaction if an existing ragweed allergy exist. Additionally since chamomile reduces platelet clumping, care should be taken with chamomile if already using a blood thinner.

Natural Herbal Aphrodisiac Stack

Cistanche | 200-400 mg daily. Can be split into two doses

• Why? Natural testosterone booster, aphrodisiac, neuroprotective, and protects the kidneys

• Purchase Cistanche Powder from Nootropics Depot.

Dandelion root | 1 gram daily. Take it with the cistanche and at the same daily frequency

• Why? Blood purifier with broad antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, possible aromatase inhibitor (flavonoids)

• Purchase Dandelion Root Powder from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Chaga Mushroom | 500 - 1000 mg. Take it with the cistanche and dandelion root powder

• Why? Antioxidant/anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, endocrine adaptogen, normalizes the nervous system

• Purchase Chaga Mushroom Powder (course) from Mountain Rose Herbs. Good for brewing with coffee or into tea.

• Purchase Chaga Mushroom 1:1 Extract Powder (fine) from Nootropics Depot. Good for taking with tea/water.

Blue Lotus Flower | For tea use 1-2 grams of ground flower. For vaporization mix with other herbs, only a small amount (100 mg) is needed due to the highly efficient extraction. Can also be smoked.

• Why? Promotes parasympathetic activity, aphrodisiac, neuroprotective, lowers prolactin and raises dopamine

• Purchase Blue Lotus Flower from Schmerbals Herbals.

Cannabis | The effect from blue lotus flower is felt the strongest when its bioavailability is increased when consumed alongside cannabis. The important alkaloids of blue lotus flower are highly lipid soluble and cannabinoids are sticky lipids and carry into the bloodsteam easily. Both cannabinoids and alkaloids pass the blood-brain barrier easily.

• Why? Increases dopamine and reduces prolactin, aphrodisiac, increases sensory awareness and pleasure

• Purchase CBD cannabis (in the USA) from Tweedle Farms.

• Purchase THC cannabis (if legal where you live) from a dispensary or grow it yourself ;)

Chamomile | Chamomile tea activates the parasympathetic (rest and digest, feed and breed) nervous system and is a good carrier for the cistanche, dandelion root, chaga mushroom, and blue lotus flower.

• Why? Promotes parasympathetic activity, stabilizes heart and brain rhythms, antioxidant/anti-inflammatory

• Purchase Chamomile Flowers from Mountain Rose Herbs. Blue Chamomile Essential Oil can also be applied topically where desired (forehead and pubic area is best for libido); highly effective!

*Aphrodisiac Tea | 2:1:1:1 ratio of chamomile flowers, dandelion root, chaga mushroom, blue lotus flower. Add the cistanche powder to the tea after steeping. Course-grained chaga mushroom powder and dandelion root can be steeped with the chamomile flowers, or the fine-grained powders of each can be added after steeping the chamomile and blue lotus flower tea alongside the cistanche.

• Purchase Bodum French Press from Amazon.

*Aphrodisiac Dry-Vaporization Blend | 2:2:2:1:1 ratio of blue lotus flower, THC cannabis, CBD cannabis, damiana leaf, chamomile flower.

• Purchase Fury Edge Dry-Vaporizer from Healthy Rips.

---

If you find the advice and science shared in this article useful, share it where it can also help others rediscover and connect to their natural libido.

If you use any of the herbs above, specifically if you try the who Aphrodisiac Stack, please share your experiences in the comments below.

---

References:

1. Malcom Stuart, et al. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Crescent Books, New York.

2. Ober C, Sinatra S, Martin Z. Earthing. Second Edition. Basic Health Publications, Inc.; 2014.

3. Emboden W. The sacred journey in dynastic egypt: shamanistic trance in the context of the narcotic water lily and the mandrake. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 1989;21(1):61-75.

4. Li Z, Lin H, Gu L, Gao J, Tzeng CM. Herba cistanche (Rou cong-rong): one of the best pharmaceutical gifts of traditional chinese medicine. Front Pharmacol. 2016;7.

5. Shashkina MYa, Shashkin PN, Sergeev AV. Chemical and medicobiological properties of chaga (Review). Pharm Chem J. 2006;40(10):560-568.

6. Andre CM, Hausman JF, Guerriero G. Cannabis sativa: the plant of the thousand and one molecules. Front Plant Sci. 2016;7.

7. González-Castejón M, Visioli F, Rodriguez-Casado A. Diverse biological activities of dandelion. Nutrition Reviews. 2012;70(9):534-547.

8. Miraj S, Alesaeidi S. A systematic review study of therapeutic effects of Matricaria recuitta chamomile (Chamomile). Electron physician. 2016;8(9):3024-3031.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

How Cistanche Boosts Testosterone

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated August 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

When it comes to natural testosterone boosting supplements, there are generally two schools of thought.

1. There are the people that don’t think it’s possible to boost androgenic hormones like testosterone naturally using herbs. These people almost always have never tried using the natural testosterone boosters that exist and do work.

2. Then there are the people who have used natural testosterone boosters like cistanche and saw the benefits from it such as increased confidence, more muscle, a strength boost, and an increase in other androgenic traits.

Interestingly the people in group 1 have no trouble believing that estrogenic hormones like estradiol can be increased using certain herbs and by eating foods like soy. Increasing testosterone naturally using herbs may not be as well studied scientifically as is the opposite of how to boost female hormone levels (in an effort to help with menopause and post-menopause symptoms), but just as it’s possible to increase circulating levels of female hormones in the body, it is possible to increase circulating levels of male hormones too.

I speak from personal experience here because I’ve successfully used cistanche to increase free testosterone by 53% in the span of one month before, and every time I’ve used cistanche since the effect was similar physiologically.

Cistanche growing in the desert

In this article we discuss how to boost testosterone naturally using a special little-known herb known as cistanche, and some other herbs, foods, and supplements that can be used simultaneously to increase the overall androgenic effect while also reducing any side-effects that may occur.

How to Boost Testosterone

To understand how total and free testosterone levels can be increased naturally, a general understanding of the endocrine (hormone) system is required.

All hormones are synthesized from cholesterol. Cholesterol is a very valuable biologic compound, produced by the body and also available via dietary sources like eggs. For men testosterone and other androgenic hormones are synthesized from cholesterol by leydig cells in the testes. In the diagram here I’ve outlined cholesterol and testosterone in red.

For any testosterone booster to work, it needs to make the steroidogenesis process more efficient, fill in some critical nutrient deficiency that is limiting steroidogenesis, or it has to trigger a greater increase in steroidogenesis.

Common nutrients that are well-known to raise testosterone levels if deficient in them are vitamin D, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, and boron, and making sure you intake enough of these nutrients is also simply good for overall health and wellness.

Then there is cholesterol. By increasing cholesterol levels in the body more hormones can be produced. Depending on your size and sex the amount of cholesterol produced naturally by the body varies, but it’s on average about ~1000 mg a day. If you want to increase the amount of cholesterol your body has access to, then the easiest way I can recommend is to eat eggs. One large egg contains ~200 mg of cholesterol, and eating 3-5 eggs a day will by itself have a notable positive impact on your hormone system.

With these base optimizations done, if you’re still interested in raising your testosterone levels beyond normal physiological levels, then supplementing with the safe & natural herb cistanche is highly effective.

Is Cistanche the Best Natural Testosterone Booster?

Cistanche is a genus of perennial herbs consisting of 22 known species that grows well in extremely arid desert climates. One of the reasons that cistanche is still a relatively obscure herb is because it’s an endangered wild species and only found in select parts of central and east Asia. Cistanche supplement is made from the ground up stem of the plant, which contains it’s main active compounds: the plant glycosides echinacoside and acteoside.

Cistanche is popular in Chinese Traditional Medicine for its wide-ranging beneficial health effects such as:

• Enhanced cognitive function

• Improved metabolism

• Strengthens the immune system

• Is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant

• Supports the renal system (kidneys)

Cistanche Male Benefits

For men specifically cistanche is a useful herb because of its androgenic effects. Male hormone levels and sperm counts have been declining for decades, and cistanche can be used to reverse that trend. Whether you’re interested in boosting your testosterone, to improving your fertility, or you want to upgrade your performance in the bedroom, cistanche is a safe and natural herb than can help.

For a more detailed look at the health and androgenic benefits of cistanche check out the cistanche herb page.

How does Cistanche Work?

No human studies exist yet for cistanche, but the androgenic effects of cistanche have been studied in mice/rats and in other more isolated ways. The principal beneficial constituents of cistanche are echinacoside and acteoside, and it’s these compounds that are primarily responsible for the testosterone boosting effects of cistanche. It’s not a single pathway that cistanche activates that increase testosterone production by Leydig cells, but rather a selective activation of a few different genes and pathways that combined together to have a dramatic androgenic effect. There are also a few lifestyle factors that if done alongside cistanche supplementation greatly boost the overall effect.

The Liver and Cholesterol

To start, cistanche has been shown to significantly reduce serum cholesterol levels in mice which were fed a high-cholesterol diet. Cistanche does this by enhancing cholesterol transport from the digestive system to the liver. The liver is the primary chemical factory for the body, and it’s at the liver that cholesterol is encapsulated into lipoproteins made of lipids (fats) and proteins. Lipoproteins travel in the bloodstream to deliver cholesterol and triglycerides to the cells of the body. In addition to hormones, cholesterol is a major component of cell membranes, and cells throughout the body require cholesterol for their regular upkeep and biologic functions.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the main lipoprotein responsible for transporting cholesterol throughout the body. As LDL cholesterol reaches tissues in need of cholesterol it binds to the tissue’s LDL receptor and the cholesterol is released from the lipoprotein. The now depleted LDL compound is processed by the liver or taken up by macrophages.

Leydig Cells and Cholesterol

Leydig cells where hormones like testosterone are produced require an efficient and constant supply of cholesterol for their biologic functions. Under normal conditions testicular Leydig cells produce a lot of the cholesterol they need endogenously (themselves) for testosterone production, with any additional demand for cholesterol being mostly supplied by serum LDL cholesterol floating about.

The key in how cistanche works in raising testosterone levels is if Leydig cells have an additional demand for cholesterol. If you’re living a sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity and you’re not engaging in testosterone-stimulating social behaviors, cistanche will still boost your testosterone levels to some degree, but the effect is made much more significant when “alpha-male” lifestyles factors are in place like working out and engaging in varied social interactions. When those lifestyle factors are in place and there is a demand for testosterone in order to increase chances of success, whether that’s lifting a heavy deadlift, closing a sales deal, being in a leadership position, or attracting the cute girl, then Leydig cells respond to the increased need for testosterone and look abroad for the extra cholesterol they need. If cistanche is being supplemented alongside an increased consumption of dietary cholesterol from a source like eggs (say 4 a day), then the extra dietary cholesterol is being efficiently packaged into lipoproteins and circulated to Leydig cells which take up the cholesterol and create extra testosterone from it.

Acteoside, one of the main active constituents of cistanche seems to play a major role in enhancing cholesterol metabolism and transport, and acteoside also has an antiestrogenic effect. All that’s required for testosterone to be converted into estradiol, the strongest estrogen hormone, is for it to be converted by the aromatase enzyme (see steroidogenesis graphic above). The exact anti-estrogenic mechanisms of how acteoside are still not fully known, but it seems to stop the conversion of excess testosterone into estrogen. That’s one problem with a lot of testosterone boosters, they increase testosterone but do nothing to stop aromatase enzyme so the body ends up having high levels of testosterone and estrogen, which isn’t a good thing.

The exact mechanisms of how cistanche boosts testosterone isn’t 100% clear, but the overall biologic process is known and can be confirmed for yourself by supplementing with cistanche and experiencing the testosterone boosting effects yourself. And by knowing the above biology it’s possible to improve the effect further with the addition of some other natural compounds like dandelion, zinc, and vitamin D.

Cistanche Testosterone-Boosting Supplement Stack

To make supplementing with cistanche as effective as possible in boosting testosterone, the following is required:

• A high-quality cistanche supplement with sufficient acetoside concentrations, like Nootropics Depot Cistanche supplement

• Testosterone-boosting lifestyle factors like lifting weights, engaging in sports, being a leader, or social interactions

• Increased consumption of dietary cholesterol

• Dandelion for its high levels of flavonoids which function as aromatase inhibitors

• Zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin C

I’ll cover the dosing requirements for each and provide you my recommended supplements, and then at the end put it all together for you so you can try your own 1-2 month cistanche testosterone-boosting protocol.

Cistanche Dosing

If using the Cistanche tubolsa powder (recommended) sold by Nootropics Depot, then start with the recommended dose of 200 mg and increase up to a maximum of 600 mg if desired.

In my experience the higher the dose of cistanche the greater the testosterone boosting effect, but the side-effects like more acne can also manifest, which is why I recommend dandelion root is also used alongside cistanche.

Dandelion Dosing

The entire dandelion plant is edible and incredibly safe, and supplementing with dandelion root, usually by brewing it into a tea, reduces some of the unwanted side-effects that can occur when supplementing with cistanche. Dandelion is a blood purifier and will keep inflammation and acne under control, and the flavonoids that dandelion contains are aromatase inhibitors, which means less of the testosterone that is being produced thanks to the cistanche is being converted into estrogen. You can harvest and dry your own dandelion root or organic dandelion root can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Apigenin is flavonoid that has strong aromatase inhibiting properties, and the liposomal apigenin powder sold by Nootropics Depot could also be used in the place of or alongside the dandelion tea if desired.

Cholesterol Dosing

Alongside 200-600 mg of cistanche you should also increase your cholesterol by 600-1000 mg. To increase your dietary cholesterol you can simply begin eating more eggs, I recommend 3-5 a day. For the best nutrition purchase pasture-raised eggs.

Micronutrient Dosing

Vitamin D is another very useful chemical for hormone health and overall health and wellness, and if you’re unable to get some safe sun exposure daily, then you can take a 5000 IU vitamin D supplement.

Vitamin C is important for the health of your adrenal glands and necessary for the production of cortisol, and in order to avoid placing any undue stress on the adrenals from the cistanche supplementation I recommend you increase your vitamin C intake by consuming more citrus, like one lemon a day. Skip the vitamin C supplements, they’re junk and not readily bioavailable.

Zinc is a key part of the androgenic pathway, and if you’re deficient in zinc then you’re limiting your bodies ability to produce testosterone and recover from workouts. Zinc is found in high concentrations in oysters, nuts and seeds, and some other foods, or you can supplement with a safe level of zinc by taking a 15 mg zinc balance supplement. Taking too much zinc (>35 mg) can be dangerous and lead to toxicity and also severe nausea if taken on an empty stomach.

Magnesium is another mineral important for testosterone production as well as being needed throughout the body. Magnesium is the second most common nutrient deficiency and can be consumed in greater amounts by eating more nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens like spinach, dark chocolate, by drinking spring water than contains dissolved magnesium, or by taking a 500 mg magnesium supplement.

Note - An easy way to increase your consumption of zinc, magnesium, and other valuable minerals like manganese is to eat pumpkin seeds. Five health benefits of pumpkin seeds

Boost your Testosterone Fast

So here’s how I recommend you supplement with cistanche. Split your daily dose into two and consume half in the morning and half at night. If you’re taking 400 mg of cistanche that means 200 mg before breakfast and 200 mg before dinner. Every morning brew a couple cups (16 oz) of dandelion tea by steeping a couple grams of dandelion root in boiling water for 15 minutes, and once the tea is ready you can stir the cistanche directly into the tea. Take the zinc, magnesium, and vitamin supplements at the same time and then 30-60 minutes later eat breakfast. If you’re intermittent fasting then this can be done before lunch. Save the second cup of dandelion tea in the fridge for later that night, again stirring the cistanche directly into it.

Use this testosterone boosting supplement stack consistently for thirty days while also having a strength training routine in place, good sleep, and a healthy diet and you’ll be blown away by the androgenic changes you experience! If you really want to be scientific and qualitatively see how your body adapted to the supplements and changes implemented, get a total and free testosterone test before and after the 30-60 day supplement period.

60 days is the upper limit I’d recommend for supplementing with cistanche, and then make sure to not use cistanche or any other testosterone booster again until you wait the same amount of time you used it for. This is the 1:1 rule and its highly recommended to follow in order to keep your endocrine system healthy and functioning normally.

I notice that much of the increased androgenic expression that’ll be experienced from supplementing with cistanche “sticks”, so in my experience it seems to help upregulate natural testosterone production permanently to some degree, likely through the activation and increased expression of certain genes.

If you follow this natural testosterone boosting protocol please share your experiences in the comments below.

---

References:

1. (2014). "Diagram of the pathways of human steroidogenesis". WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (1). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.005. ISSN 20018762. - Häggström M, Richfield D

2. Shimoda H, Tanaka J, Takahara Y, Takemoto K, Shan SJ, Su MH. The hypocholesterolemic effects of cistanche tubulosa extract, a chinese traditional crude medicine, in mice. Am J Chin Med. 2009;37(06):1125-1138.

3. Papoutsi Z, Kassi E, Mitakou S, et al. Acteoside and martynoside exhibit estrogenic/antiestrogenic properties. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2006;98(1):63-71.

4. Azhar S, Reaven E. Regulation of leydig cell cholesterol metabolism. In: Payne AH, Hardy MP, eds. The Leydig Cell in Health and Disease. Humana Press; 2007:135-148.

5. Jeong HJ, Shin YG, Kim IH, Pezzuto JM. Inhibition of aromatase activity by flavonoids. Arch Pharm Res. 1999;22(3):309-312.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

How to Restore Healthy Microbiome

and how to get rid of bad bacteria in the gut

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated October 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

As our understanding of the gut microbiome and gut-brain axis increases, more and more people are asking the smart question of how they can improve their gut microbiome to upgrade and optimize their physical, mental, and emotional health.

At first it may seem bizarre that small microorganisms can influence foundational aspects of our being like our metabolism, memory, focus, and how we feel emotionally, but with a greater understanding of the microbiome and gut-brain axis it becomes clear quite quickly why cultivating a healthy gut microbiome is so important for not only gut health but for overall health and wellness.

There are two main strategies for improving the gut microbiome, and the first is to diversify the microbiome with more symbiotic microbes and to support their growth, and the second is to select against and reduce pathogenic microbe populations. When both strategies are paired together it’s possible to shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis in a significant way quite quickly.

To educate you on how to restore healthy gut flora populations, in this article we’ll cover the following topics:

1. The microbiome and gut-brain axis

2. What is gut dysbiosis and why you should improve your gut microbiome

3. How to increase good bacteria in the gut naturally

4. How to starve out bad bacteria

5. Are you ready to heal you gut?

Read to the end to receive a special 10% discount on the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-one eBook to help you overcome your gut health and microbiome problems once and for all!

The Microbiome and the Gut-Brain Axis

The gut is collectively the largest overall organ, immune organ, and endocrine organ of the human body. Its functions are varied and complex enough that it has its own nervous system known as the enteric nervous system, often described as a “second brain” because the enteric nervous system functions relatively independently of the brain. An example of the independence of the gut, microbiome, and enteric nervous system is how it maintains itself and its functions even in those stuck in a vegetative state.

If we examine the gut from a numbers standpoint, it would best be considered a “microbial organ” because 90-95% of its total cell number are from microorganisms. Important for our understanding of the gut-brain axis is the concept that humans are a “superorganism” in which more than 90% of the total genes and cell numbers of the superorganism are microbial and not human in nature.

We’re more bacteria than human in some regards…

Humans have co-evolved with microorganisms for millions of years, and a healthy microbiome is vital to the optimal development and wellness of Homo sapiens, individually and as a species. Until just recently in our time spent on Earth, humans and the microbiome co-evolved under the conditions of a hunter-gatherer, or still very natural Neolithic villager lifestyle. As hunter-gathers humans were exposed to a wide range of natural environments. Every environment like the ocean or the jungle has a unique microbiome, and by spending time in these different environments, humans inoculated themselves with a wide range of microorganisms, thereby supporting diverse microbiome populations in their guts.

With the recent modernization of human society, dramatic changes to the individual and collective human microbiome have occurred, and exposure to the beneficial microorganisms of the world’s different natural environments has greatly reduced for most people. These alterations in the human gut microbiome are well correlated with the changes in disease patterns in modern society.

Whereas the human gut microbiome used to contain many more symbiotic microorganisms, now the average human gut microbiome contains less symbionts and more pathogens and commensal microbes.

Symbiotic: Symbiotic microorganisms like lactobacillus and bifidobacteria work with you to process food like fiber that you can’t digest into beneficial compounds like short-chain fatty acids and neurotransmitters that you use biologically throughout the body. Inside the gut symbiotic microorganisms interact with the digestive system to keep integrity of digestive barriers high, the immune system strong, the hormone (endocrine) system functioning properly, the activity of the nervous system stable and coherent, and brain functionality at optimal. As you can see, the microbiome touches nearly every aspect of human health.

Pathogenic: Pathogenic microorganisms like C. difficile, salmonella, E. coli, and E. faecalis can inhabit the gut in small or large percentages depending on one’s state of health, and their presence is problematic because pathogens don’t work with you the host, instead they seek to exploit you for their every advantage. If pathogens are able to expand in population unchecked they cause health problems that can range from mild like fever, diarrhea, and pain to severe like chronic disease, cancer, mental health problems, and organ failure.

Commensal: Commensal microbes are typically the most numerous in number, they’re helpful but not to the same degree as symbiotic microbes, and commensal microorganisms will shift to become more symbiotic or pathogenic in nature over time depending on the evolutionary conditions they experience.

What Purpose does the Microbiome Serve?

You can imagine how the human digestive system is a cozy place for microorganisms to live because it’s warm, protected from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun and other hazards, and there is usually a constant influx of food. In exchange for these comfy conditions, a healthy microbiome beneficially influences the development and functioning of you, the host, by working with the cells of the digestive system to better digest food, by influencing and supporting immune and endocrine functions, and by producing valuable neurotransmitters that your nervous system and brain needs. Normal aspects of psychology, such as cognition, emotion, pain perception, social behavior, stress response, and a person’s character are all influenced by the microbiome of the gut.

Gastrointestinal disturbances affect the gut microbiome, and gut microbiome disturbances affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal system, and disturbances to either can be caused by many different factors, including an unhealthy diet, lifestyle and stress, excessive use of medications and antibiotics, mental illness, environmental toxins, and more. Gut dysbiosis can lead to the eventual development of neurocognitive disorders like mood disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

The reason why humans and microorganisms evolutionarily formed a symbiotic relationship is thought to be primarily for metabolic reasons. The metabolic actions of the microbiome provides additional energy from food that otherwise wouldn’t be extractable, which is highly advantageous from an evolutionary standpoint, and because the composition of microorganisms of the gut microbiome can rapidly adapt to dietary changes, it provided humans an ability to adapt to new environments and novel foods faster, increasing the evolutionary fitness of our ancestors. Additionally, it’s thought that microbiome-brain interactions were a critically important factor that guided the evolution of the human brain and the development of the social brain. It’s our evolutionary history that explains why the gut-brain axis is such an important and powerful system in the body.

To boil it down our gut microbiome makes us more efficiently metabolically, confers upon us brain-development and cognitive benefits, and gives us greater survivability in a diverse range of environments. With this known, who wouldn’t want the best gut microbiome possible?

---

Ready to Heal Your Gut?

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

Purchase

Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

---

Why you Should Improve your Gut Microbiome

The are three main reasons why everyone should strive to cultivate the healthiest microbiome possible:

• Improved digestion

• Better metabolism

• Increased consciousness

It’s impossible to have a good metabolism if digestion is inefficient. Metabolism can be defined as the uncountable amount of life-sustaining reactions that occurs every second in our body. By providing a lot of the chemicals required for metabolism, and by facilitating some of those reactions themselves, a healthy gut microbiome is essential for having the best metabolism possible; a metabolism that keeps you lean, healthy, and mentally sharp.

The general flow is Digestion ➞ Metabolism ➞ Cognition

And this cycle repeats around because you (hopefully) consciously choose what to eat! Because the microbiome affects digestion and the gut-brain axis, factors perturbing the gut microbiome affect the brain and mind simultaneously. This is important to know because if gut dysbiosis is experienced, then by result mental health problems have a much greater likelihood of developing.

If you’re reading this you either have a preventative interest in improving your microbiome, or you have some level of gut dysbiosis and are looking for ways to treat your condition. In the next chapter we begin our discussion on how to increase symbiotic microbes in the gut, but first what exactly is dysbiosis?

Gut Dysbiosis

Dysbiosis Definition: Dysbiosis is an unhealthy microbiome imbalance that results from unfavorable changes in the diversity, metabolic activities, and distribution of the gut microbiota

As we mentioned earlier, the diversity of the human microbiome has decreased dramatically with the widespread lifestyle changes that have occurred as people have moved from rural communities to large cities and also from the advent and overuse of antibiotics, pesticides, and antimicrobial cleaning products.

While most people don’t consider themselves to have dysbiosis, the reality of the situation is that unless you take great care to cultivate a healthy and diverse microbiome, then you share in the larger gut dysbiosis that human society is experiencing currently. Then on top of that if you are particularly unhealthy for whatever reason, be it diet, lifestyle, disease, or drug related, then your gut dysbiosis will be even worse.

Gut Dysbiosis Symptoms

Because the microbiome interacts with so many different systems throughout the body, there are a wide range of symptoms that result from gut dysbiosis. The most common symptoms are:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) - gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain

• Candida (yeast infection)

• Food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities

• Nutritional deficiencies

• Fatigue

• Headaches, brain fog, poor memory

• Mental health problems like anxiety, depression, insomnia

• Skin issues like rashes, acne, eczema, psoriasis

• Auto-immune disorders, allergies

• Asthma

Gut Dysbiosis Treatment

There are many ways to treat gut dysbiosis and a pathogenic microbiome, some being safer and more effective than others. Unfortunately many common treatment methods like antibiotics are prescribed by those with an dangerously limited understanding of how the microbiome works, and while symptoms of dysbiosis may improve temporarily as the microbiome dies off from the antibiotics, the dysbiosis gets worse once the course of antibiotics is finished and pathogens expand outwards.

To treat gut dysbiosis that isn’t immediately life-threatening, one must look back to the factors that caused society’s larger gut dysbiosis to develop, and to then seek to integrate into one’s lifestyle the beneficial gut microbiome practices that our ancient hunter-gatherer and Neolithic ancestors followed, which were:

• Interacting with a large variety of environments, getting “dirty” in the process

• Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber, all free of chemical contamination

• Living a relatively stress-free and active lifestyle

• Experiencing occasional periods of nutrient deprivation (aka fasting)

• Utilization of the healing medicinal herbs that exist

What is the Fastest Way to Heal the Gut Microbiome?

To heal the gut microbiome we have our two strategies of promoting microbial diversity and the growth of symbiotic microbes while also selecting against pathogenic microbes. If you integrate into your life the lifestyle and dietary factors above, both goals can be accomplished simultaneously. Fasting and utilizing antimicrobial herbs are particularly useful in treating dysbiosis because not only do they support the growth of helpful symbionts but they in the same stroke make life much more difficult for pathogens. We’ll get into the specific reasons why that is in the next two sections.

The most effective strategy to heal the gut microbiome will be one that combines multiple strategies together holistically in a way that is safe and sustainable to maintain. The gut microbiome cannot be healed in one day, it will take at least a week to begin seeing progress and months to see significant progress, and in reality their is no final end destination as the microbiome is always changing and in flux. For these reasons, in order to make serious and lasting improvements in the microbiome, the recommendations given below must be incorporated into one’s lifestyle and diet naturally and without fuss (indeed they should be happily welcomed!) and become permanent life changes.

How to Increase Good Bacteria in the Gut Naturally

To increase the populations of good bacteria in the gut naturally it’s first required to expose yourself to these different symbiotic microbes in order to diversify the gut microbiome, and then it’s necessary to support their growth. Most people turn to probiotics in order to increase their microbial diversity, and this works because it’s easy to take probiotics, they’re widely available, and different multi-strain formations exist. A much more natural method for increasing microbial diversity is to place yourself in a variety of different environments. Eating fiber and fermented foods also increase good bacteria in the gut naturally. We’ll cover all the main strategies for increasing helpful microbial diversity and then discuss how to support the population growth of symbionts in the microbiome.

Expose Yourself to Different Natural Environments

Microbiomes exist everywhere, not just in the gut. Your skin has a microbiome, your bed has a microbiome, and every toilet has a microbiome. Some microbiomes are beneficial to exposure yourself to because they are full of useful microbes, whereas others like the toilet microbiome are best avoided (yuk!).

Microbes float through the air, live in the water we drink, and exist in the soil. These natural microbiomes, the ones that we interact with to varying degrees just by existing have proven themselves to be on the whole incredibly safe over millions and millions of years, and it’s exposure to the air, water, and soil microbiomes of nature that are the most beneficial for developing good gut health and a strong, diverse, and resilient microbiome. Perform the following activities to not only improve your health and fitness but also to exposure yourself to the diverse microbiomes of nature!

Hiking: Hiking through nature is an excellent wellness activity not only for the physical, mental, and emotional benefits, but also for the microbiome benefits. The fresh oxygen-rich air of a forest has special healing properties and this forest air will lightly expose you to different microorganisms. The density of microbes in the air is very low, but they do exist, and with a long hike with plenty of deep breathing the effect is not insignificant.

You can increase your exposure to the natural microbiome of the environment you’re walking/hiking through by interacting respectfully with the environment. Run your fingers through the moss, splash your face with water from the stream, forage on edible herbs that you may find like miners lettuce or mint. Some of these tips require common sense and some skills, for example don’t drink the stream water or splash it directly into your eyes, and don’t eat plants if you’re not a herbalist and haven’t 100% positively identified them as being safe, but if you have the sense and skills necessary to engage in these practices then it’s a powerful way to increase the diversity of your gut microbiome.

Swimming: Swimming in natural and clean bodies of water is another way to increase microbiome diversity as the full body gets immersed in the microbiome of the water. Swimming in the ocean is fantastic as the salt water naturally keeps a lot of harmful microorganisms low in concentration, and if you swallow some water every now and then accidentally after let’s say being hit by a large wave, that’s not necessarily a bad thing (but don’t go out of your way to do this). The key is natural exposure to the microbiome of the environment, what happens happens! Your gut microbiome is already a highly competitive place with limited space and access to resources, and whatever microbes that come in from the environment, your food, or probiotics will have to compete and carve out space and resources for themselves in order to survive and flourish in your gut whether they are symbionts, pathogens, or commensal microorganisms.

Gardening: Digging your hands into the soil, growing plants, and harvesting the food that results is one of the absolute best ways for the average person to increase the diversity of their gut microbiome. Gardening isn’t limited to just those who live in rural places, if you' live in the city you can likely find a community garden and establish a garden there, or you can garden at home outside on a small plot or inside using pots.

Gardening is the easiest and most fruitful way to expose yourself to the rich and highly diverse microbiome of the soil. Just as with us and our microbiomes, the soil microbiome is of key importance in the health and growth of plants and fungi. Soil microorganisms are the foundational biologic and chemical communication layer that life depends on, and digging around in good soil with your bare hands is a very effective way to improve the diversity of your microbiome over time. I can personally attest to this as gardening over the summer of 2021 noticeably improved my gut health, and anytime I have the opportunity to garden consistently my gut health seems to be more resilient.

Gardening also improves gut health and the microbiome through the cultivation of food. If growing fruits and vegetables without the use of any fertilizers or pesticides (highly recommended), then you can pick food directly off the plant and eat it. Every piece of produce has its own little microbiome, and eating food this way overtime is incredibly effective at diversifying and improving your own microbiome.

Probiotics for Gut Health

Certain species of bacteria have been studied scientifically for their effects on gut health, and as the biologic benefits of more of these strains have been quantified more varied probiotic supplements have hit the market. In some ways choosing the right probiotic can now be overwhelming as there are so many choices available! While probiotics are certainly useful in restoring populations of healthy microbes in the gut, I think it’s best to keep probiotic supplementation simple and consistent and instead spend more time in healthy natural spaces like our paleolithic and Neolithic ancestors did rather than fuss over which probiotics are best for you. It’s the fact that we’ve strayed away from lifestyle’s like theirs, not a lack of probiotics, that has led to the now “normal” gut dysbiosis that most people have.

Probiotics are definitely helpful though, and one reason why probiotics are useful for gut dysbiosis and gut health problems is that some of the microorganisms contained in the probiotic will form biofilms and colonize the mucosal layer of the digestive barrier, these biofilms persisting for a week or longer. If probiotics are taken daily then many probiotic biofilms colonize the gut and permanently change the diversity and composition of the microbiome. It’s like the colonization of North America by the British, French, and Spanish. One ship wasn’t enough to establish permanent colonies, but repeated ships of colonists and time turned out to be successful.

Biofilms are structures that certain microorganisms create that provide them shelter and help them adhere to surfaces, and they are arguably the most successful form of life on Earth, existing in nearly every environment. In the gut environment, both pathogenic and symbiotic microorganisms produce biofilm structures made of mostly polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids and then adhere them to the intestinal mucosa where they can persist for a long period of time.

Used consistently probiotics have been shown to improve functional brain responses in healthy people, reducing psychological distress and anxiety conditions. Probiotics containing strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacteria appear to be the most effective, and these probiotic formations have also shown small but consistent benefits for those experiencing IBS. A multi-strain probiotic is usually more effective than a single-strain probiotic, and probiotics should be taken with a meal so more of the beneficial microbes survive the harsh acidic conditions of the stomach and can begin populating in the intestines, specifically the large intestine.

I have used the following multi-strain probiotic from Nature’s Bounty successfully many times when experiencing a gut health flareup and I recommend you use take it daily when experiencing a worsening of gut health symptoms.

Eat Fermented Foods for a Healthy Microbiome

Foods that contain sugar, starches, and/or fiber are able to be fermented by microorganisms, and most fermented foods benefit the gut microbiome by diversifying it with new species and strains of beneficial microbes from the fermented food. Fermented foods like kombucha, pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, and others are typically easy to digest and contain many bioavailable nutrients; it’s no surprise that fermented foods have been cultured for thousands of years by different cultures around the world.

The best fermented foods are the ones that contain abundant fiber, as the fermentable fibers and starchy carbohydrates they possess further positively support the gut microbiome. Some of the symbiotic microbes of fermented foods will survive the transit through the harsh conditions of the stomach, and once this wave of food reaches the large intestine the survivors will establish themselves while the rest of the gut microbiome will begin metabolizing the leftover food as best as possible, producing beneficial biologic compounds like short-chain fatty acids.

Recalling the gut-brain axis, it’s been shown that the consumption of fermented foods is inversely associated with neurocognitive issues like neurosis and social anxiety. Even those at a higher genetic risk for social anxiety disorders showed improvements in their condition when consuming more fermented foods.

Eat a diversity of fermented foods at least a few times per week to receive the greatest benefit and to give yourself the best advantage in establishing a healthy gut microbiome.

Fiber Feeds the Gut Microbiome

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate the body is unable to digest. Some types of fiber are soluble in water, whereas others are insoluble, and some fibers are fermentable by the microbiome whereas others aren’t. The solubility and fermentability characteristics of fiber influence the entire digestive process, notably gut motility, and the more fiber is consumed, the bigger the effect on digestion.

Fermentable fibers are converted into short-chain fatty acids and other biologically useful metabolites by the microbiome of the large intestine, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream for various metabolic and cognitive functions. For example, the short-chain fatty acids that cross the highly selective blood-brain barrier regulate brain development and brain tissue homeostasis through their interactions with microglia immune cells of the nervous system. Disruptions to microbiome short-chain fatty acid metabolism have been linked to the development of neurocognitive disorders.

In general, most people consume too little fiber and would be well served to increase their fiber intake to forty-plus grams a day to improve their gut health, energy metabolism, and microbiome. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of fiber because they also come paired with abundant vitamins and minerals in addition to useful plant phytochemicals. Plant polyphenols for example like flavonoids are also metabolized by symbiotic microorganisms in the gut microbiome, supporting their growth and your health.

How to Restore Healthy Gut Flora with Herbs

Spending time in natural environments, probiotics, and fermented foods increase microbial diversity, and eating adequate fiber is one of the best ways to then support the growth of a healthy microbiome, and the useful strategies for improving the gut microbiome don’t stop there. Herbs are one of the most powerful ways of reshaping the gut microbiome because not only do certain herbs support the growth of symbiotic microorganisms, they also select against pathogenic microorganisms at the same time.

How is it that herbs can do this, and what is the best way to use herbs for this effect?

Herbal tea blend consisting of peppermint leaves, chamomile flowers, and dandelion root

One of the main reasons herbs are so good for the microbiome is because of the plant phytochemicals they contain like flavonoids. Flavonoids are secondary metabolites plants produce via the shikimate pathway for functions like protection against ultraviolet light; defense against insects, fungi, and harmful microorganisms; as antioxidants; and as plant hormone controllers. Flavonoids are biologically useful chemicals for plants, microorganisms, and humans.

With gut dysbiosis it’s also common to have gut health problems like leaky gut and IBS, and flavonoids like apigenin and quercetin are valuable in treating these conditions alongside their microbiome improving effects because they possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Drinking herbal teas, or consuming herbs like parsley, rosemary, thyme, and others as part of your regular diet increases the amount of flavonoids that your body has access too.

As these flavonoids move through the digestive system some are directly taken up and used by the tissues of the gut like intestinal epithelial barriers, some flavonoids are transported and metabolized by the liver before being circulating throughout the body, and whatever flavonoids remain make their way to the large intestine where they interact with the microbiome. Throughout this whole process flavonoids are reducing inflammation throughout the body by neutralizing unstable and highly reactive free radical compounds, stimulate the natural healing and regenerative pathways of the body (autophagy), and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular and cognitive systems.

Flavonoids, and herbs by extension, are so useful for restoring healthy gut flora because they possess selective antimicrobial properties that inhibit the growth of various pathogens while supporting the growth of useful symbiotic genera like bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. These symbiotic microbes also produce their own antimicrobial compounds that make life difficult for pathogens, and in this way using herbs acts like a one-two punch in remedying gut dysbiosis.

Flavonoid-microbiome interactions further improve gut health and heal dysbiosis because they help regenerate mucosal and epithelial digestive linings. When digestive linings are thin and degraded, biofilms begin to affix directly onto epithelial cells, causing systemic inflammation by triggering a strong immune response, and the consistent use of herbs, say through drinking herbal teas daily, helps to dissolve these biofilms while restoring digestive barriers to healthy integrity. Once this happens symbiotic microbes can begin to reclaim “lost territory” and fulfill their normal role of keeping pathogenic bacteria populations in check by outcompeting them.

My favorite way of using herbs to promote the growth of a healthy microbiome is to drink herbal teas often and to utilize herbs in my cooking daily. A great herbal tea for gut health and the microbiome is a 1:1:1 blend of chamomile, dandelion, and peppermint. These three herbs are very well-known for their digestive enhancing effects, they contain abundant plant phytochemicals like flavonoids, and they have a track record of safe use thousands of years long. Plus this tea blend is remarkably tasty unlike some other effective anti-microbial herbs like wormwood.

In addition to herbal teas, utilizing herbs like parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary in cooking makes your meals tastier and healthier. Dried parsley is especially useful as it contains absurd amounts of nature’s most powerful flavonoid - apigenin, and dried parsley is really easy to incorporate into a variety of foods. Mix some along with some digestive-boosting black pepper into your favorite dips, spreads, or plain cream cheese. Sprinkle dried parsley onto favorite dishes like a grain bowl, pasta dish, or with potatoes, incorporate into a breading or season your protein of choice (meat, fish, tofu) with it. Herbs are highly versatile in the kitchen, and including more herbs into your diet improves your nutrition in addition to helping improve the health of your microbiome.

Herbs are one of nature’s best prebiotics, and if you have gut dysbiosis and/or are looking to improve your gut microbiome, I would recommend making a habit out of drinking herbal teas and in using herbs in your cooking daily. Personally it’s made a huge difference in my gut health and in the efficiency of my microbiome, and it can do the same for you.

Mountain Rose Herbs is my go-to supplier of organic herbs and spices, they sell all the herbs I mentioned which are dandelion root, chamomile flowers, peppermint leaves, and black peppercorns.

How to Starve Bad Gut Bacteria

Just as important as increasing microbiome diversity and supporting the growth of symbiotic microbe populations is to select against and reduce pathogenic microbial populations in the gut. This is very important for a few reasons, and it’s something that is underappreciated and often treated dangerously and inefficiently by the standard medical system.

The reason why reducing pathogenic populations in the gut must be a top priority alongside supporting the diversification and growth of symbiotic populations is because pathogens and symbionts compete against each other. When pathogen biofilms are numerous and deeply entrenched in the gut environment, they have established territory and nutrient streams, and from these “strongholds” they produce endotoxins that cause inflammatory and immune health problems and make life difficult for symbiotic microorganisms.

With gut dysbiosis, bringing in new symbiotic bacteria via probiotics (the standard recommendation) helps to beneficially shift the microbiome slightly, but for probiotics and other methods that increase good bacteria in the gut naturally, it’s much more effective to clear out pathogenic bacteria first and then overlap that effort with a symbiotic microbiome supportive protocol.

Salmonella among epithelial cells

The standard medical treatment that is done to accomplish the goal of reducing pathogens in the microbiome is one or more course of antibiotics, but as discussed antibiotics typically make gut dysbiosis worse in the long run unless the condition being treated is immediately life threatening. A better method of reducing pathogens is to cut them off from their food supply by changing the diet and via fasting. Switching the diet from highly-processed low-nutrition foods to whole and unprocessed foods rich in nutrients and fiber like vegetables is the first thing that will help a lot in reducing bad bacteria in the gut. The second thing that can be done which is highly effective in starving bad gut bacteria is to undergo a period of nutrient deprivation by fasting.

Fasting Kills Gut Bacteria

Fasting is incredibly useful in healing the gut and for reducing pathogens in the microbiome, but there is some nuance to the process. The length of a fast determines how strong the gut-healing and pathogen-reducing effect is, as does how often fasts are done, and the food eaten before and after a fast is incredibly important in the effectiveness of any fast. The composition of the microbiome is determined in large part by one’s diet, and eating poor quality food before and after a fast won’t make a noticeable difference in improving the gut microbiome over the long run.

• Intermittent 16:8 Fasting

  Intermittent fasting is the most popular type of fasting, typically scheduled as sixteen hours of fasting followed by an open eight hour feeding window. This ratio of fasting to eating can be shortened to 12:12 or lengthened to 20:4, with the longer intermittent fasts taking the body deeper into autophagy. The benefit of intermittent fasting is that by eating every day and with a long eating window, it’s much easier to maintain caloric balance or even a caloric surplus if trying to gain weight if underweight and/or build lean body mass if an athlete.

  Intermittent fasting is most effective done consistently day after day, and overtime the slight daily increase in autophagy it stimulates during the fasting window heals and regenerates the body.

• 24-Hour OMAD Fasting

  Fasting for twenty-four hours is also known as one meal a day OMAD fasting. The most common type of OMAD fasting is eating dinner every night, though it’s not uncommon to do breakfast or lunch OMAD. OMAD is similar to intermittent fasting in that food is still eaten every day, and OMAD is typically done consecutively or for a certain number of days per week.

  Since OMAD takes the body deeper into a fasted state of autophagy across twenty-four hours than intermittent fasting, it’s a good way to begin experimenting with longer fasts and to examine one’s relationship with eating behaviors. Physiological hunger is quite different than a psychological food craving, and if struggling with making healthy dietary choices, consistent OMAD fasting is a great way to reset psychological behaviors and patterns in regard to dietary eating patterns. The gut-brain axis can be beneficially altered with OMAD and with time you’ll become better at identifying when you’re truly physically hungry or when you simply have a psychological food craving.

• 48 to 72-Hour Fasting

  Fasting for longer than 24 hours reduces the body’s glucose sugars stored in muscle cells and the liver, and around the 48 hour mark when all the glucose has been depleted is when the body will enter ketosis. Ketosis is a process that converts fatty acids to energy molecules known as ketones. The brain runs exclusively on simple sugars, or if those are not available, ketones. When carbohydrates are in short supply, either from fasting or from eating a high-fat ketogenic diet, the body begins producing ketones to keep all the metabolic systems running smoothly.

  Just as fasting is an alternate operating system for the body, switching from sugar metabolism to ketone metabolism is another metabolic state change that can be used to improve health and diagnose health issues. A 48-hour fast is useful because it takes the body deep into autophagy, deeper than most people have ever gone in their lives except maybe during a bad flu (hmmm why is that?). 48 hours of fasting really gives the digestive system time to rest and regenerate and takes the body to the edge of or into ketosis. A longer 72-hour fast will take the body fully into ketosis and the autophagy healing effects are even stronger.

  A 48-hour fast is short enough to be easily completed by most people without serious health issues as long as they have the willpower, it doesn’t require too much planning, and it’s also long enough to bring about noticeable differences in digestion and energy. The gut health observations made possible during a 48+-hour fast are invaluable in accurately diagnosing gut problems and, subsequently, in healing the gut.

Daily 16:8 intermittent fasting has been shown to be useful in changing the composition of the microbiome over time, and more effective are 24 and 48+ hour fasts. The longer a fast, the more food clears the digestive system, and typically at the 48 hour mark the digestive system is cleared of food and strong evolutionary pressures are increasingly placed on the microbiome. Fiber transits through the gut slowly, and being a nutrient that pathogens can’t utilize but symbionts can, if a fiber-rich meal is eaten at the start of a long fast, symbiotic microbes will be supported while pathogens die off from the lack of available “easy nutrients” like sugar that they feed on.

As pathogens die off and the linings of the digestive system repair, space once occupied by pathogens is freed up and symbiotic microbes are able to reclaim this territory in the gut. Then when the first healthy and fiber-rich break-fast meal is eaten, symbionts further expand in their populations and pathogens are further selected against.

In my experience just a single 48 hour fast can be transformative in healing the gut and changing the composition of the gut microbiome as long as the diet eaten around the fast is healthy, nutritious, and fiber-rich. Additionally as discussed earlier zero-calorie herbal teas can be enjoyed during the fast which through their plant phytochemicals and flavonoid content provide nutrition to symbionts while actively suppressing pathogens. Just because you’re not eating any calories doesn’t mean it’s not possible to feed the symbiotic gut microbiome, and combining fasting with herbalism is therefore one of the most effective ways to cure gut dysbiosis naturally.

Foods the Kill Bad Gut Bacteria

Diet has a huge influence over the composition of the microbiome, and regularly eating foods that are nutritious and supportive of the symbiotic microbiome while being selective against pathogens is an excellent way to heal from gut dysbiosis and restore healthy gut flora. Here are three foods that kill pathogens while supporting overall gut health.

Pumpkin seeds are an example of a food that specifically kills bad gut bacteria. Pumpkin seeds have anti-parasitic and anti-microbial properties, and eating a bolus dose of pumpkin seeds (2+ handfuls, can also be alongside something like a slightly-green banana) is not only incredibly nutritious, but it creates a wave of microbiome-supporting food that transits through the digestive system killing pathogens while supporting the growth of symbionts. Eat raw pumpkin seeds as a snack a few times a week and over time it’ll have a positive influence on your microbiome.

Another food that kills bad gut bacteria would be coffee. Coffee contains fiber and flavonoids and other useful compounds that have been shown to shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis while improving the gut-brain axis.

Pickles are another food that are good at killing bad gut bacteria because not only are they fermented and contain abundant fiber, cucumber seeds like pumpkin seeds have anti-parasitic and antimicrobial properties. In fact all squashes are very nutritious, contains abundant fiber, and are super useful for the microbiome.

Strong Antimicrobial Herbs

Another way to reduce pathogens in the gut is to utilize some of the stronger antimicrobial herbs that exist like oregano, black walnut hull, wormwood, and clove.

Oregano: Oregano is a well-known herb that has powerful antimicrobial and anthelmintic properties. Specifically, oregano oil has been shown to be highly useful in killing and eliminating parasites from the body, and it appears most of this effect comes from its main active chemical, carvacrol.

Black Walnut Hull: The outer hull of black walnut seeds is rich in tannins and black walnut hull is a well-known antimicrobial and anti-parasitic herb. Typically, an extract will be made by soaking black walnut hulls in alcohol, and the resulting tincture is dosed, but powdered black walnut hull can also be used.

Wormwood: Wormwood is a super herb for killing pathogens and expelling parasites from the body, especially roundworms and enterobiasis. Wormwood has been used medicinally in Europe for thousands of years, and it used to be common during medieval times to perform an microbiome and parasite cleanse using it a few times a year. Wormwood is extremely bitter and difficult to drink as a tea, and for this reason, in my experience it’s best used as a powder supplemented in pill form. Ingesting too much wormwood can be dangerous but the amounts used for a microbiome cleanse are nowhere near harmful levels.

Clove: Cloves are effective in killing parasites and pathogens like malaria, cholera, scabies, tuberculosis, and others. The high levels of tannins and eugenol that cloves possess are the chief agents responsible for their antimicrobial and anthelmintic properties. Clove can be taken tinctured or powdered

To utilize these stronger antimicrobial herbs you can take an oregano oil supplement alongside HealthForce SuperFood’s SCRAM supplement which contains black walnut hull, clove, and wormwood. Follow the 17 day dosing instructions for SCRAM and take ~500 mg of oregano oil daily at the same time.

These natural antimicrobial herbs are relatively gentle on the good microbes in the gut but are tough on pathogenic microbes.

I recommend you follow a natural herbal antimicrobial protocol like this at the very onset of your gut dysbiosis healing endeavor, and use those first two weeks to make the dietary changes you need to make in order for the microbiome to stay healthy long after the herbal supplementation is over. During the SCRAM protocol practicing intermittent fasting is useful, and then at the end of the SCRAM protocol you’ll have enough experience with 16+ hour fasts to begin implementing longer 24 and 48 hour fasts 1-2x per week. All the while during this you can drink herbal teas and begin spending more of your free time in natural environments. Make a game of it, make it fun! Write out a plan and stick to it, and if you do all these things together, then with time and consistency your gut dysbiosis can be cured and the gut microbiome can be radically transformed.

The gut-brain axis improvements that result will be striking, you’ll be surprised by the abundant energy and mental clarity you now have, gut health problems will greatly reduce in severity and possibly go away entirely. Expect improvements in any of the gut dysbiosis symptoms you’re experiencing! No promises as everyone is highly individual in their health and wellness, but it’s highly likely and definitely worth a dedicated honest effort.

If we each heal our own microbiome imbalances we can together begin to heal society’s dysbiosis and make the world a happier and healthier place.

Heal Your Gut Naturally

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Purchase

If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.

I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.

I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.

---

This article features excerpts from the Holistic Gut Health Guide. The Holistic Gut Health Guide provides you the information and framework you need to finally make the changes needed to remedy your gut health problems.

References:

1. Modern City Dwellers Have Lost about Half Their Gut Microbes.; 2022

2. Cleveland Clinic | Disease and Conditions. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases

3. Liang S, Wu X, Jin F. Gut-brain psychology: rethinking psychology from the microbiota– gut–brain axis. Front Integr Neurosci. 2018;12:33.

4. Mayer EA, Tillisch K, Gupta A. Gut/brain axis and the microbiota. J Clin Invest. 2015;125(3):926-938.

5. Sánchez B, Delgado S, Blanco-Míguez A, Lourenço A, Gueimonde M, Margolles A. Probiotics, gut microbiota, and their influence on host health and disease. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017;61(1):1600240.

6. Appleton J. The gut-brain axis: influence of microbiota on mood and mental health. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2018;17(4):28-32.

7. Cassidy A, Minihane AM. The role of metabolism (And the microbiome) in defining the clinical efficacy of dietary flavonoids. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):10-22.

8. Su J, Wang Y, Zhang X, et al. Remodeling of the gut microbiome during Ramadan-associated intermittent fasting. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2021;113(5):1332-1342.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

How to use Peppermint Oil and Tea for IBS

Treating Constipation, Diarrhea, Bloating, and Gas with Peppermint

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most commonly experienced gut health problems, with 5-15% of the population in western countries having IBS. In fact IBS is the most common disease that gastroenterologists diagnose, and they might tell you that IBS will be with you for life, but that doesn’t have to be the case with a proper understanding of what IBS is and if you utilize the natural methods that help treat IBS.

There isn’t any single causal factor for IBS, the condition is defined by a general irritability and volatility of the digestive system, characterized by frequent and rapid shifts in digestive function and near constant abdominal pain and bloating. More women than men have IBS, and women with IBS may find that symptoms flare up during their periods. Three sub-types of IBS have been identified and they are:

• IBS with constipation (IBS-C)

• IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D)

• IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M)

To best treat gut health problems it’s helpful to understand the sequence of events that leads from what’s causing a gut health problem to the symptoms being experienced.

1. Causal Factors: IBS for example can be caused by lifestyle and emotional stress, anxiety & depression, food intolerances, gut dysbiosis (pathogenic microbiome), and a poor diet.

2. Altered Digestive Activity: These causal factors influence the activity of the gut-brain axis, gut motility (the transit of food through the digestive system), intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and the digestion of food.

3. Symptoms: With the functioning of the digestive system now disrupted, symptoms of IBS like constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, lower abdominal pain, and cramps occur.

For IBS to be healed it’s important that the causal factors are addressed and that effective treatment options are used to favorably influence digestive activity and ease symptoms.

Peppermint, in the form of peppermint essential oil capsules and peppermint tea, are excellent treatment options for IBS because not only do they both ease the symptoms of IBS, they both help normalize gut motility, restore normal communication between the gut-brain axis, and reduce pathogens of the microbiome.

Gut motility, the gut-brain axis, and the microbiome are linked together, and the reason peppermint has shown good success in treating IBS is because it helpfully targets all three of these simultaneously.

This article covers the following:

• What is peppermint and its health benefits

• Why peppermint essential oil is useful for IBS and how to use it safely

• Why peppermint tea is useful for IBS and how to use it most effectively

Read to the end to receive a 10% discount on the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-one gut health eBook that will help you solve your gut health problems once and for all!

What is Peppermint?

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a perennial herb native to Europe and now found and cultivated in many parts of the world such as North America and Asia. Peppermint is a hybrid of spearmint and water mint. Peppermint has a strong flavor and fragrance thanks to its high menthol content. The chemical constituents of peppermint vary depending on plant maturity, where it was grown, and its specific variety.

Peppermint leaves contain anywhere from 1-4% essential oil, and peppermint essential oil contains menthol (33–60%), menthone (15–32%), isomenthone (2–8%), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) (5–13%), menthyl acetate (2–11%), menthofuran (1–10%), limonene (1–7%), β-myrcene (0.1–1.7%), β-caryophyllene (2–4%), pulegone (0.5– 1.6%), and carvone (1%).

When using peppermint essential oil for IBS you’re working with the chemicals above, and using peppermint tea for IBS exposes you not only to the above essential oils but also phytochemicals like carotenoids, chlorophyll, tocopherols, polyphenols, and flavonoids in addition to vitamin and mineral micronutrients. Of particular importance for gut health are the polyphenol flavonoids like apigenin that peppermint contains, as flavonoids exert beneficial effects on the gut microbiome of the large intestine and therefore on the gut-brain axis, and this is useful because most symptoms of IBS originate from the large intestine. About 75% of all polyphenols and a significant amount of peppermint essential oils are extracted from peppermint leaves when brewed into a tea, making peppermint tea very useful for IBS and gut health problems in general.

Peppermint Health Benefits

Peppermint has a wide-range of health and wellness uses (see reference 3) because of the biologic properties it possesses. Notably peppermint is:

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory: Peppermint is able to lessen inflammation locally or throughout the body depending on how it’s applied/used. Peppermint has this anti-inflammatory effect in part because it contains antioxidant compounds that bind to and neutralize inflammatory free radicals (highly reactive and unstable molecules).

Antitumor: Peppermint through its diverse array of active compounds like menthol exerts antitumor effects on the body through a variety of different chemical and cellular pathways. Peppermint is beneficially cytotoxic to cancer cells while not being harmful to healthy cells.

Antiallergenic: Peppermint has antiallergenic properties because it has an inhibitory effect on histamine release and suppresses the release of inflammatory compounds like leukotriene, prostaglandin, and interleukin. Leukotriene in particular triggers the contraction of smooth muscles which can alter gut motility.

Antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal: Like many of herbs, peppermint limits the growth and replication of pathogens, viruses, and funguses. The antimicrobial action of peppermint is very useful for improving the gut microbiome because flavonoids, one of the main antimicrobial active constituents found in peppermint (and other herbs), limit the growth of bad endotoxin producing pathogens while promoting the growth of good symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Symbiotic microorganisms living in the large intestine metabolize flavonoids into biologically-useful secondary metabolites that improve the functioning of the gut-brain axis.

---

Ready to Heal Your Gut?

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

Purchase

Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

---

Peppermint Oil for IBS

Peppermint oil is an effective treatment option for IBS, particularly acute bouts of IBS, because peppermint oil naturally helps normalize gut motility by relaxing gastrointestinal smooth muscle tissues through blockade of cellular Ca2+ channels. What this means is that peppermint oil helps to restore regular and consistent peristaltic waves of smooth muscle activity in the digestive system.

IBS is characterized by digestive peristaltic waves that are ever changing. Sometimes these waves that move food through the gut are too frequent, other times they are too slow. The waves can also be too weak or too strong. What is desirable is for peristaltic waves to be regular and consistent in strength and frequency.

IBS is often treated with antispasmodic drugs, but research studies have shown that peppermint oil is as effective as antispasmodic drugs in treating IBS but better tolerated with less adverse events occurring. As a natural carminative (prevents gas formation, assists in the expulsion of gas), peppermint oil also reduces the very common IBS symptoms of bloating and gas and also significantly reduces abdominal pain from IBS

Peppermint Oil for Digestion

The small intestine has three sections, the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum connects to the stomach and measures about twenty-five centimeters (ten inches) long. Ducts from the pancreas and gallbladder connect to the small intestine early at the duodenum so the digestive enzymes and bile they release may pass through the full length of the small intestine. Following the duodenum is the jejunum, the middle section of the small intestine, about one meter (three feet) long. The twists and folds of the small intestine really begin with the jejunum, and as the jejunum subtly transitions into the ileum these folds, twists, and projections increase. The ileum is the final section of the small intestine, which connects to the large intestine, about 1.8 meters (six feet) long. The ileum is thicker, more vascular, and has more developed mucus folds than the jejunum.

How food transits through the small intestine determines how well it is digested. Each section of the small intestine absorbs different nutrients, and if food is pushed through one section faster than optimal due to IBS, then food won’t be properly digested. For example if food is pushed through the duodenum faster than ideal, it won’t be mixed with fat-digesting bile as well as it could be, and fats will only be at best poorly digested and absorbed even if they spend long lengths of time in the jejunum and ileum..

By normalizing the bioelectrical activity and contractile waves of the gastrointestinal smooth muscle tissues, peppermint oil improves digestion and ensures that food spends the optimal length of time in each part of the digestive system.

Peppermint Oil for Bloating & Gas

Peppermint oil has been shown to reduce acute and chronic occurrences of bloating and indigestion, and peppermint also reduces abdominal pain and frequency in those who have dyspepsia (indigestion).

For reference, in a study where 96 people with functional dyspepsia were given 90 mg of peppermint oil plus 50 mg caraway oil twice daily, on average the study participants observed an average 40% reduction in pain intensity, 43% reduction in the sensation of pressure, heaviness and fullness, and 67% global improvement as compared to their baseline assessments. The efficacy of the peppermint + caraway oil treatment was unaffected by Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria which can cause gut health problems, which approximately 50% of patients suffering from functional dyspepsia have.

Peppermint Oil for GERD

In addition to improving digestion through normalizing gut motility and reducing bloating, gas, and indigestion, peppermint oil is also useful in treating acid reflux, clinically known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Peppermint oil helps with GERD for the same reason it improves gut motility, it works to relax smooth muscle activity.

Peppermint oil reduces multiphasic, spontaneous, and missed esophageal contractions while improving the amplitude and duration of these contractions. Notably peppermint oil completely eliminated simultaneous esophageal contractions. What this means is that peppermint oil reduced erratic all-over-the-place esophageal contractions and stabilized them back to regular consistent strong waves of activity.

Peppermint oil also helps normalize duodenal contractions, with 90 mg of peppermint oil relaxing the smooth muscle activity of the duodenum and stomach, reducing the frequency and duration of contractions in both parts of the digestive system. Altogether, peppermint oil is a useful treatment option for GERD that is effective and well-tolerated, causing adverse events very infrequently.

How to Take Peppermint Oil

Peppermint Essential Oil Capsules: There are a few ways to use peppermint oil for improving IBS. The first method is to use enteric coated-peppermint essential oil capsules during an acute bout of IBS symptoms, and you for chronic IBS it is useful to take these peppermint oil capsules daily on an empty stomach or with a very light meal.

I recommend Heather’s Tummy Tamers enteric-coated peppermint essential oil capsules, with each softgel containing 180 mg of high-grade peppermint essential oil in addition to ~20 mg each of digestion-friendly fennel (helps with gas) and ginger (helps with pain and nausea) essential oils. It’s extremely common for IBS to be caused in part by microbiome dysbiosis, and if you’re already going to be taking peppermint oil capsules daily for IBS, I recommend taking an oregano essential oil capsule at the same time. Oregano oil is an even more potent antimicrobial which will reduce pathogenic bacteria populations while supporting symbiotic bacteria populations.

Both of these essential oil supplements use sunflower oil as a carrier oil and are free of major allergens.

Peppermint Essential Oil: The other way peppermint essential oil can be used to help with IBS is by topically applying it to where pain is being felt, most commonly the lower part of the abdomen. This is how I typically use peppermint oil to improve digestion, I simply rub it in and enjoy the invigorating menthol effect while it kicks in, which takes about 15+ minutes.

Mountain Rose Herbs sells an organic peppermint essential oil which I use and recommend. BTW peppermint essential oil also makes for a good natural deodorant because it is naturally antimicrobial and has a strong pleasant aroma. Learn more by reading our underarm health guide.

Peppermint Oil Safety Considerations

Rarely peppermint oil can cause mild and transient adverse side effects like heartburn, dry mouth, belching, rash, dizziness, headache, and peppermint taste and smell. Making sure to take a peppermint oil capsule that is enteric-coated will reduce the chance of these side effects because the enteric coating will keep the pill intact during transit through the stomach before finally dissolving in the intestines.

The use of peppermint oil is not recommended in patients with bile duct, gallbladder and liver disorders. People with GI reflux, hiatal hernia, or kidney stones should be more cautious in using peppermint oil. Also avoid using peppermint oil if you you have a G6PD enzyme deficiency or take certain medications where the inhibition of enzyme CYP3A4 is problematic, please consult with your doctor.

Peppermint Tea for IBS

Peppermint Tea for Bloating, Gas, and Constipation

Most research has examined how peppermint oil can help with IBS and its symptoms, and peppermint tea is similarly effective in treating IBS and for improving digestion and gut health overall. Peppermint is one of the most popular single ingredient herbal teas, and most people know that drinking mint tea helps with gas and bloating.

You’ll consume less peppermint essential oil when drinking a peppermint tea than if using peppermint oil capsules, but the advantage of the tea is that you’ll consume valuable plant polyphenols like flavonoids. IBS is caused in large part by a bidirectional miscommunication between the nerves connecting the brain and gut, and this gut-brain axis as it is known is hugely impacted by the microbiome. Flavonoids are super beneficial for the microbiome, for improving gut health, and for overall wellness because:

• Pathogens don’t tolerate the presence of flavonoids well and their populations will reduce if flavonoids are a constant presence in the diet

• Symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria like flavonoids because they are able to metabolize them into secondary metabolites, and flavonoids support the growth of symbiotic microorganism populations.

• Flavonoids and their secondary metabolites exert beneficial biologic effects throughout the body because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Flavonoids help aid in the repair of digestive linings, improve the gut-brain axis, fight cancer, improve cardiac health, normalize nervous system activity, and more. To learn more about flavonoids read about nature’s most powerful flavonoid - apigenin.

Peppermint tea will extract peppermint essential oil and flavonoids (among other useful phytochemicals) from peppermint leaves quite effectively, and if you are interested in brewing peppermint tea either by itself or in combination with other gut-healing herbs like dandelion and chamomile, I recommend purchasing organic peppermint leaves from Mountain Rose Herbs.

If experiencing an acute bout of IBS, prepare some peppermint tea and drink it over the course of 5-10 minutes for fast relief, and for help with chronic IBS you can drink peppermint daily, either once a day or multiple times per day. You can drink peppermint tea with a meal to help improve your digestion of that meal, or you can drink peppermint tea on an empty stomach for a stronger effect.

Peppermint isn’t the only herb useful for IBS and gut heath in general, learn more on how herbs help with gut health by clicking the button below.

Other Ways to Treat IBS

Peppermint essential oil and peppermint tea are very useful for treating IBS but they doesn’t address the root causes of IBS, which are typically stress, a poor diet, a pathogenic microbiome, or a combination of all of these. It’s very common to have leaky gut at the same time as IBS, and for the best success in treating IBS steps should be taken to heal digestive barriers and reduce intestinal permeability.

One of the best ways to accomplish these objectives and to return the digestive system to good health is via fasting. Fasting to reset the digestive system is one of my top recommendations to people who are experiencing gut health problems because it’s so effective in holistically treating the reasons why gut health problems exist in the first place. Fasting for 24-48 hours will provide noticeable relief from gut health problems, and highlight any changes and improvements that have taken place. There’s little guess work with fasting, it’s beneficial effect on the digestive system and overall health is felt and understood very clearly at the end of every fast, and this is invaluable.

I hope you found the information in this article on how to use peppermint to treat IBS useful, and if you really want to heal your gut then I recommend you continue your gut health and wellness education by purchasing the Holistic Gut Health Guide. Use the code PEPPERMINT10 for 10% off at checkout, and best of luck!

---

Heal Your Gut Naturally

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Purchase

If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.

I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.

I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.

---

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

References:

1. Cleveland Clinic | Disease and Conditions. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases

2. Khanna R, MacDonald JK, Levesque BG. Peppermint oil for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2014;48(6):505-512.

3. McKay DL, Blumberg JB. A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of peppermint tea (Mentha piperita L.). Phytother Res. 2006;20(8):619-633.

How to Heal Leaky Gut with Fasting

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Systemic inflammation throughout the body can cause many health problems and chronic diseases, and one way chronic inflammation occurs is through a gut health condition known as “leaky gut”. When the barriers of the digestive system are degraded and intestinal permeability is higher than normal, things like too-large food particles, microorganisms, and toxins that normally are unable to cross the digestive barrier into the bloodstream and the body as a whole are in fact able to do so. When this happens, the immune system goes on high alert and works to cleanup and detoxify the body, and the worse the condition of the mucosal and epithelial layers of the digestive barrier, the worse leaky gut is.

Leaky gut is most commonly a gut health condition that is experienced alongside other gut health problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but it can be experienced by itself, and leaky gut is often the first gut health problem that is experienced before other gut health problems develop. The tissues of the digestive system are highly dynamic and undergo cellular turnover quite rapidly, and at the same time the integrity of digestive barriers can degrade rapidly depending on what one eats, environmental or lifestyle stressors, and exposure to pathogens. What this means is that leaky gut can develop rapidly. Everyone has had leaky gut at least a few times in their life due to eating a poor diet, excessive stress, or illness, and while normally leaky gut will go away as everything returns to normal, leaky gut can persist if certain conditions remain.

Because leaky gut is characterized by excessive inflammation caused by chronic activation of the immune system, symptoms of leaky gut can be quite diverse, ranging from skin inflammation to joint pain to cognitive impairment to the typical digestive problems of bloating, gas, constipation, and/or diarrhea. To recover from leaky gut, digestive barriers must be restored to their normal integrity, and this can be done rapidly by fasting. By abstaining from all food and emptying the digestive system over the course of many hours or days, the presence of gut barrier degraders like food particles, gut microbiota, and toxic chemicals like pesticides are dramatically reduced and the digestive system is able to rapidly regenerate in a much quieter immune system environment. Combining fasting with stress reduction practices, certain herbs, and supplements like probiotics and zinc amplify the healing effect further.

Leaky gut can persist for a long time if left untreated and can set the stage for more serious gut health problems or inflammation-based diseases to develop, but it is relatively easy to treat when the right steps are taken.

In this article we cover:

1. The science and biology of digestive barriers, the microbiome, and the immune system

2. Things that cause leaky gut, symptoms of leaky gut, and food intolerances

3. How fasting can rapidly heal leaky gut

4. Beneficial dietary changes for leaky gut, herbs that help with leaky gut, probiotics and zinc

5. How to combine fasting with dietary changes, herbs, and supplements to heal your leaky gut

---

Ready to Heal Your Gut?

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

Purchase

Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

---

Intestinal Permeability and Gut Health

The Role of Digestive Barriers

Digestion is the process that takes nutrients from the outside world and converts them into components usable by your body. As far as the human system is concerned, something is not truly in the human body until it has passed through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream. Everything inside the digestive system is technically “outside” the cells and tissues of your body. The body wraps around this long, high surface area tunnel that end to end (mouth to anus) is exposed to the outside world, sealed by various gates (sphincter valves) along the way. All the food that is transiting through the gut, the acids and juices that are released into the gut, and the microbiome that reside in the gut all exist outside the human tissues of the body. For there to exist an outside and an inside there must exist a separator between the two; a wall, barrier, divider of some sort. In the case of the digestive system the linings of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are that divider.

Digestive barriers exist for the following reasons:

• To create a immune-silent environment inside the body, stopping viruses and pathogens from entering into the bloodstream and beyond

• To limit the exposure of epithelial cells to chemically-reactive digestive juices like stomach acid, bile, and digestive enzymes

• To differentiate and select nutrients usable by the body from those that aren’t fully digested and broken down small enough yet

• To protect the body from unwanted chemicals and toxins, like environmental toxins such as pesticides or endotoxins produced from pathogenic bacteria

Healthy intestinal epithelial barrier with no weak tight junctions.

DOI: 10.1038/s12276-018-0126-x | CC4.0

The Mucosal Layer

The digestive lining starts with a layer of mucus which sits over the one-cell-thick internal lining of the gut made of different types of epithelial cells. The mucosal layer is a chemical barrier that limits contact between the epithelial cells and the microbiome, which is of critical importance. Mucus also protects epithelial cells from the various digestive juices such as stomach acid, bile, and enzymes. Depending on the gut health of an individual, mucosal layers can be thick and healthy or eroded and unhealthy, and this can vary between the different sections of the digestive system.

In the context of leaky gut it’s typically the intestinal mucosal layer that is degraded, whereas an eroded mucosal layer for the stomach can lead to issues like gastritis and acid reflux (GERD). If the gut is healthy when viruses and pathogens in the digestive system make contact with the mucosal layer, there is a robust immune response from white-blood cells like T-cells and monocytes that occurs. Dysregulation of the mucosal immune response is a very important factor in the progression of gut health problems like leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and more serious conditions like irritable bowel disease (IBD).

Epithelial Cells and Tight Junctions

Underneath the mucosal layer are epithelial cells, the main component of digestive linings. Once food particles are fully digested they pass through the mucosal layer and upon reaching the villi of the intestinal epithelium are transported across the cell membrane and into the bloodstream. Epithelial cells are wedged tightly together to stop things from passing in-between them, and the strength of these tight junctions are a key component of gut health.

The layers of the digestive system are selectively permeable, and the status of the mucosal layer and the epithelial cells determines intestinal permeability. The defining characteristic of leaky gut is that intestinal permeability has increased because the mucosal layer is thin and the tight junctions of the epithelium are degraded and gaps exist in-between the epithelial cells.

An increase in intestinal permeability allows food particles, chemicals, toxins, and microorganisms to pass from the digestive system into the body, which then triggers the immune system to clean up the “mess”. If digestive barriers are degraded and inflamed, restoring these digestive barriers to optimal health and function is one of the most important things that can be done to improve gut health. Restoring intestinal permeability to normal is the key to healing leaky gut.

Symptoms of Leaky Gut

Increased Intestinal Permeability

Leaky gut is a gut health condition characterized by increased intestinal permeability caused by eroded protective mucosal layers and an inflamed epithelial cellular layer. Leaky gut isn’t a health condition currently recognized to exist by the medical establishment, but its existence is undoubtable simply due to the sheer volume of people who suffer from health symptoms caused by increased intestinal permeability. Leaky gut can exist by itself as a gut problem, though more typically it is a gut health problem that exists concurrently with other gastrointestinal issues like IBS and IBD.

It’s the inflammation of the epithelium and the systemic response of the immune system that is primarily responsible for the symptoms of leaky gut.

Leaky Gut and Inflammation

By far the most notable symptom of leaky gut is that it triggers a constant inflammatory response in the body. It’s this inflammation that causes a lot of the symptoms commonly associated with leaky gut like:

• Skin problems like acne, rashes, auto-immune skin issues

• Joint pain, swelling, arthritis

• Chronic fatigue and energy an overall deficit

• Neurocognitive problems such as brain fog, anxiety, depression,

• Asthma

Being caused by the inflammatory response of the body, when leaky gut is healed and inflammation goes down these symptoms can disappear quite rapidly.

More common are symptoms digestive in origin which themselves are effected by the inflammation leaky gut causes but are triggered primarily through mechanisms before the inflammatory response. These symptoms are:

• Bloating and gas

• Abdominal and stomach pain

• Changes in gut motility like constipation and diarrhea

• Food sensitivities and intolerances

• Nutrient deficiencies

The body is always doing its best to heal itself, and with leaky gut it recognizes that its digestive barriers are functioning poorly, so it alters digestion how it can to help the digestive barriers heal. For example this could mean that if a meal is eaten that will make the leaky gut condition worse because it contains damaging foods, the transit of the food through the digestion system may be expedited and diarrhea experienced. Or since leaky gut is typically paired with some degree of microbiome dysbiosis, bloating from excess gas production of an overgrown pathogenic microbiome is common. As it is with gut health problems, the answer to the problem can be found in the symptoms experienced.

With leaky gut every meal feels like an unknown in whether symptoms will be triggered and which ones at that. The reason fasting is so effective in healing leaky gut is that it completely empties the digestive system of food, and food is one of the main triggers of leaky gut symptoms. Food may trigger symptoms of leaky gut, and certain foods can cause leaky gut, but leaky gut can be caused by factors other than food.

*Read till the end to receive a special discount code for the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-on eBook on how to heal the gut using natural methods.

Things that Cause Leaky Gut

Pesticides and Leaky Gut

Pesticides are well-known to increase intestinal permeability and thin mucus linings. In the USA ~2.5 kg of pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, and rodenticides) are applied per hectare of land (100 x 100 meters). What this means is that most of the food sold in grocery stores is contaminated with significant amounts of pesticides. Excessive pesticide exposure also causes gut dysbiosis and unfavorably alters the gut-brain axis because pathogenic bacteria like Clostridium spp. and Salmonella, which produce noxious health-disrupting endotoxins, are more resistant to common pesticides like glyphosate (the herbicide roundup) than symbionts like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria.

Pesticide residues are found in high concentrations on many fruits and vegetables as well as wheat, oats, rice, beans, and legumes. Eating these foods, particularly wheat and oats in excess (multiple times per day), exposes the body to pesticide concentrations beyond tolerable and can contribute greatly to leaky gut.

Pathogens Increase Intestinal Permeability

Toxic pesticide exposure in excess will lead to gut dysbiosis, a condition marked by an increase in harmful pathogenic microorganisms in the gut microbiome while helpful symbionts decrease in population. Pathogens and the toxic metabolites they produce degrade digestive linings and increase intestinal permeability. An especially troublesome situation is when hard-to-dislodge pathogenic biofilms are able to adhere close to or directly onto epithelial cells because the mucosal lining is thin/non-existent. Biofilms are protective structures both symbiotic an pathogenic microorganisms make for a variety of reasons and to increase the survivability. In the worse cases of leaky gut the presence of pathogenic biofilms on the intestinal epithelium is almost assured, and this creates many complications.

Drugs and Antibiotics Increase Intestinal Permeability

Certain pharmaceutical drugs and antibiotics erode and degrade digestive linings. For example oral low-dose antibiotics are often prescribed for skin acne, and this daily antibiotic will slowly degrade digestive linings while simultaneously altering the microbiome towards gut dysbiosis. A short-course of antibiotics or certain drugs will also unfavorably alter intestinal permeability and the microbiome, but the effect is generally less than that caused from the constant use of these drugs, and can be recovered from quickly if the right steps are taken.

Stress/Anxiety and Leaky Gut

The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional connection pathway that exists between the gut microbiome and nervous system/brain, and not only does the microbiome effect the functioning of the brain, but conditions of the nervous system and brain like stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and more in-turn effect the microbiome and gut. Excessive stress and anxiety in particular degrade digestive function and the integrity of digestive barriers.

For example an extended stressful period of one’s life can lead to gut health problems like gastritis (stomach inflammation) and IBS. The depth of the connection between stress and the gut isn’t well-known by most, and it’s often a mystery to people who are experiencing gut health problems like leaky gut why they are having these problems; they never consider that the stress they are experiencing day by day may be a large contributing factor in their gut health problems.

Food Intolerances and Leaky Gut

A food intolerance occurs when the digestive system has a difficult time breaking down a particular food or chemical, and it can be common to be intolerant to many foods at once. When intestinal permeability is high and undigested food particles are slipping past epithelial tight junctions and into the bloodstream, then the immune system begins to recognize that certain food nutrients are constantly causing problems and a preemptive immune response can develop to those foods. If the body is having difficulty breaking down certain food macronutrients in the digestive track, like with fructose, lactose, or wheat proteins, then greater numbers of those nutrients will be not fully digested as compared to other food nutrients that are being adequately digested, and they will trigger the immune system strongly causing greater amounts of inflammation.

Food intolerances are highly individual, and it’s often hard to diagnose what food(s) is causing the digestive problems without first performing a few carefully observed 48+ hour fasts or with a 6+ week elimination diet.

The Case of Joe and Kate

To understand how all these leaky gut causing factors interplay with each other let’s examine a hypothetical scenario that unfortunately is all too common.

Joe and Kate eat a typical American diet high in wheat, other grain products, and ultra-processed foods. Their poor quality diet causes chronic inflammation of the digestive system (and body), and the high levels of pesticides they expose their gut and microbiome to through their diet exacerbate the problem more by further degrading digestive barriers and promoting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Both Joe and Kate take a few different pharmaceutical drugs for health conditions they have, and then when they mention that their developing gut health problems to a gastroenterologist they are prescribed a low-dose antibiotic, worsening the problem. Overworked and underpaid, the stress from each of their jobs bleeds over into their daily life, and one of the few ways they find comfort is by eating highly-pleasurable junk foods that trigger the food intolerances they’ve developed (but don’t yet know they have). With limited gut health consciousness, the health of their gastrointestinal systems and their overall wellness goes down day by day.

As you can see every factor is influencing the others, creating a feedback loop that degrades gut health further and further, and whereas leaky gut was the first and only gut health problem that existed, if things aren’t changed then eventually IBS and then IBD develops. If those conditions aren’t treated, then long term chronic diseases and cancers can develop. To unravel this knot of problems is no easy task, but one way significant progress can be made quickly is stop the downward spiral at the beginning and to abstain from all food for a period of time.

Fasting for Leaky Gut

There are many ways to reduce stress on the digestive system, from a liquid diet to removing intolerant foods from the diet, but there is no question that the simplest and most effective way to reduce digestive stress and inflammation is to simply not eat. The epithelial layer of the digestive system regenerates about 20% per day, and this rate is increased even further when the regular stress of digesting food is alleviated via fasting.

Luckily it’s in our physiology to fast, it’s a second “default mode network” for the body that has developed over millions of years of evolution. In fact the body wants you to fast every now and then, it’s the most efficient way to active autophagy, the cellular process that repairs and regenerates the tissues of the body.

With leaky gut the barriers of the digestive system are highly degraded and dysfunctional, and to heal leaky gut these tissues must be repaired and regenerated. Not only does fasting create an environment in the gut free of triggering food particles and greatly reduces microorganism populations, it also triggers this value process of autophagy which is essential in recovering from leaky gut. Leaky gut will not be remedied if autophagy isn’t activated, and autophagy is most powerfully activated by nutrient deprivation.

Intermittent Fasting for Leaky Gut

Most information out there that discusses how fasting can be used to remedy leaky gut focuses on daily 16:8 intermittent fasting. Most people eat every few hours, so food is constantly transiting through their digestive systems, and intermittent fasting changes this by condensing food consumption to an eight hour window (typically) with the other 16 hours of the day being free of all food consumption. Intermittent fasting is a good place to start for people brand new to fasting and interested in experimenting with fasting for gut health, metabolism, and overall wellness benefits. To see the biggest benefit from intermittent fasting, it should be done consistently everyday.

Intermittent fasting can certainly be effective in reducing leaky gut, but it can take a long time (weeks to months) to see beneficial changes because the digestive system is still processing food everyday. To really heal the gut and regenerate the digestive barriers quickly, the digestive system should be completely emptied of all food, and this takes 24+ hours of fasting. Longer fasts are much more effective in healing the digestive system, and intermittent fasting is a good protocol to follow in-between longer fasts to keep autophagy elevated.

OMAD for Leaky Gut

A 24 hour fast will take the body deeper into autophagy than intermittent fasting will, and it’s a good way to begin experimenting with fasting for healing leaky gut because it’s easy to perform with a little preparation and the beneficial effects are more likely to be felt and experienced. The best way to stick to something is to actually feel how it’s helping you, and guaranteed after a 24 hour fast if you pay attention you’ll notice that your gut health has noticeably improved and whatever symptoms you normally have have reduced in severity. Twenty four fasting can be done daily with what’s known as one-meal-a-day (OMAD) fasting. As has been shown intermittent fasting is useful for treating leaky gut, and OMAD is even more so.

48 Hour Fasting for Leaky Gut

Most effective for treating leaky gut significantly and quickly is a 48 hour fast. While not eating anything for 2 days may seem daunting, in fact a forty-eight-hour fast is short enough to be easily completed by most people without serious health issues as long as they have the willpower and do a little bit of planning. Remember the body is physiologically designed to go through periods of nutrient deprivation, and most people carry around enough body fat to make fasting for 48 hours, let alone a week or two, no problem. Abstaining from eating for 48 hours really clears the digestive system of all food and greatly reduces the size of the microbiome through nutrient deprivation. Symbiotic microorganisms are more adaptable to conditions of nutrient deprivation than pathogens and better survive the conditions an extended fast, and this makes fasting an excellent way to treat gut dysbiosis, which is often a main contributor to leaky gut.

Fiber and Fasting

The size and composition of the 1-2 meals before a fast is critical for the success of any fast. A final pre-fast meal rich in fiber with a balanced fat, carbohydrate, and protein macronutrient profile will provide long-lasting energy to the body during the first 24 hours of the fast, and once it has transited to the large intestine, the microbiome there will metabolize the fiber present into short-chain fatty acids and other useful metabolites which provide energy to the body and are useful for the brain for the next 24+ hours. It’s remarkable how much easier a fast can be when the last meal eaten is for example a grain bowl loaded up with fresh vegetables, versus a highly processed meal like pizza with glass. Fiber also normalizes gut motility and helps to remedy gut dysbiosis by promoting the growth of symbiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria.

I don’t recommend you try fasting off a low-quality meal. If you really want to heal your leaky gut you should make healing your gut a priority, make a plan, eat the right foods, and provide yourself the time you need. How well you stick to the plan is up to you and no one else.

For example when I do a 48 hour fast I will schedule it during the weekend so I have no outside responsibilities that require my energy or attention. I specifically set aside those two days for deep relaxation which reduces my stress levels, and the biggest physical activity I may do is go for a walk and practice some yoga/stretching. While fasting, keep physical and mental energy demands on the body low and dip into a deep state of parasympathetic relaxation and healing. This places less stress on the metabolic and energetic systems of the body and greatly reduces the chance of experiencing any unwanted side effects from fasting like low blood sugar and lightheadedness.

Before embarking upon your first fast I recommend you learn more about the nuances of fasting, either by reading my article on fasting to reset the digestive system, or by reading chapters 8 and 9 of the Holistic Gut Health Guide. You should also consult with a medical professional to make sure fasting will be safe for you to do.

Heal Leaky Gut in Two Weeks

By utilizing fasting and a few other gut health boosting strategies, significant progress can be made in healing leaky gut in just two weeks.

First and most important is to eat a very simple and gut health promoting diet during this period of time. Only organic/biodynamic foods should be eaten in order to reduce pesticide exposure, lifestyle and environmental stress should be reduced as much as possible, and the use of drugs/antibiotics should ceased if possible.

Diet to Reduce Intestinal Permeability for Leaky Gut

Different people can react to the same food quite differently, and for this reason I won’t give sweeping dietary advice, but there are a few best practices I am comfortable recommending which you can try and evaluate for yourself.

The first step is to increase your fiber and vegetable intake. Aim for 40+ grams of fiber in a day. A healthy symbiotic microbiome is critical in having healthy digestive barriers, and eating sufficient fiber and flavonoids is the main way to promote a healthy microbiome through dietary measures. Polyphenols and flavonoids are plant phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, and herbs that possess strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial (for pathogens) properties. Flavonoids in particular are well-known to strengthen intestinal tight junctions, decrease intestinal permeability, and decrease gut dysbiosis, which are the exact things needed to heal leaky gut.

Second step is to eat more rice. Rice is a very easy grain to digest that can be prepared into a wide variety of meals, and I recommend eating rice over other grains when healing gut health problems like leaky gut. Organic rice will contain much less pesticides than non-organic rice, and rice flour is also the backbone of many gluten-free products.

Third step is to remove the most common food allergens from the diet, these being eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. With some preparatory meal planning, it’s not difficult to eat a nutritious and filling diet without these foods.

Begin Fasting Regularly

Alongside these dietary changes you can begin experimenting with fasting regularly. Start with daily 16:8 intermittent fasting, and then on the easy days in your schedule add in some 24 hour and 48 hour fasts. One 48 hour fast for example will cause a huge improvement in your leaky gut condition, and during this focused two week effort to heal your leaky gut you should aim to complete two separate 48 hour fasts and a few 24 hour fasts. It is possible to keep caloric intake at maintenance while fasting, but if you have some body fat to lose then don’t worry about eating the same volume of food and let your body burn some body fat for energy as that’s beneficial for your health too.

Supplements and Herbs for Leaky Gut

Lastly the whole gut healing process can be helped along significantly by utilizing the gut healing and normalizing properties of herbs like black pepper, dandelion, and chamomile in addition to supplements like multi-strain probiotics and zinc. Herbs are so useful for gut health because they contain abundant amounts of useful flavonoid phytochemicals like apigenin, and a tea brewed from herbs like dandelion and chamomile contains no calories making it the perfect drink to enjoy during fasting. In fact a herbal tea like this makes fasting much easier metabolically and more effective in healing the gut via an upregulation of autophagy.

Black Pepper: One of the main chemicals found in black pepper is piperine, it’s the chemical responsible for black pepper’s pungency. Piperine is a gut health wonder chemical because it improves digestion by stimulating the body to release more digestive enzymes, restores healthy mucous linings, is antimicrobial against pathogens, increases the bioavailability and absorption of nutrients, reduces inflammation and mitigates stress, reduces the toxicity of certain chemicals, and boosts the metabolism. Black pepper and piperine by extension are great for gut health problems because not only does black pepper improve digestion and balance the microbiome, but it also aids in nutrient absorption, and many people who suffer from gut problems like leaky gut have problems absorbing the nutrients they consume.

Nootropics Depot sells a good piperine supplement which is useful taken with meals or during fasting. The main way I dose piperine is to simply grind extra black pepper on all my meals. Piperine makes up 3-10% of peppercorns by weight, so if you grind up enough black pepper, you’ll receive a significant amount (20+ mg) of piperine every time.

Dandelion Root: Dandelion is useful for fasting and healing gut problems because it normalizes gut motility (the speed of food transit through the gut), increases gastrointestinal mucus production thereby restoring protective mucous linings, applies beneficial antimicrobial pressures on pathogens in the microbiome, increases bile production (improving fat metabolism), and helps heal gastric ulcers. In addition to these amazing benefits, the phytonutrients found in dandelion help purify the blood of pathogens, reduce inflammation throughout the body, and heal blood vessel epithelial linings.

Dandelion also boosts fat metabolism, improves blood cholesterol parameters, and reduces unwanted platelet aggregation, which improves energy and oxygen transport throughout the body. Dandelion also aids the autophagy process by inducing unhealthy cells to undergo apoptosis while protecting healthy cells.

Dandelion is a wonder herb, use it often and you’ll be amazed by how much it helps you to heal your leaky gut.

Chamomile Flower: Chamomile is a digestive aid, calms the nervous system, and improves cardiovascular health. Chamomile is one of the best herbs for fasting and gut health because it improves gut motility, applies a gentle antimicrobial pressure to the microbiome, and increases gastrointestinal mucous production. Chamomile improves blood cholesterol levels, reduces excessive platelet aggregation, and normalizes blood sugar levels.

Chamomile is notably calming and increases the parasympathetic activity of the nervous system, which aids in relaxing and improving digestion. Balancing the activity of the autonomic nervous system is foundational to good health. Sometimes during a fast, energy levels will dip and become more volatile, and chamomile tea helps normalize metabolism and promotes relaxation, which smooths out the energy volatility that otherwise might have been experienced. The autonomic nervous system is also responsible for the waves of smooth muscle activity that propel food through the digestive system, and by normalizing these peristaltic waves, chamomile stabilizes gut motility to the Goldilocks zone, with food not transiting too quickly or too slowly through the digestive system

Mountain Rose Herbs sells organic dried dandelion root and chamomile flower which can be blended together into a 1:1 tea blend. Steep with boiling water for 5-15 minutes and drink daily to enjoy the gut health and overall wellness benefits it promotes. Drinking this tea in-between fasts with every or in-between meals is another way to keep autophagy increased and the gut healing.

Multi-Strain Probiotics: Probiotics containing strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria appear to be the most effective in helping with gut health problems, and these probiotic formations have also shown small but consistent benefits for those experiencing IBS. A multi-strain probiotic is usually more effective than a single-strain probiotic, and probiotics should be taken with a meal so more of the beneficial microbes survive the harsh acidic conditions of the stomach and can begin populating in the intestines, specifically the large intestine. I have used the following multi-strain probiotic from Nature’s Bounty successfully, I recommend you try it if you have leaky gut.

Zinc: Zinc has been shown to strengthen epithelial tight junctions, and you can consume more zinc by increasing your consumption of zinc-rich foods like oysters, pumpkin seeds, pulses (beans, lentils, etc), cashews, leafy greens, mushrooms, and avocado. You can also take a zinc supplement. Taking zinc in too high of doses (>25 mg) can cause digestive upset and nausea, and it’s for this reason I recommend the 15 mg Zinc Balance supplement from Jarrow Formulas. This Zinc Balance supplement also comes with 1 mg of copper which helps to keep zinc and copper levels balanced in the body.

Signs Leaky Gut is Healing

The clearest sign that your leaky gut is healing is that your gut motility normalizes and you experience much less bloating and gas after eating a meal. If you are having inflammatory health problems as a result of the leaky gut, then you’ll begin to notice that these issues are decreasing in severity and/or becoming less frequent. For example you might notice your skin clearing up, your brain fog go away, joint pain lessens in severity or vanishes, and chronic fatigue lessens.

These are the initial signs that leaky gut is healing, once intestinal permeability has returned to normal because the mucosal lining is restored and the epithelium is once again strong and intact, then you may notice that foods which previously triggered your leaky gut symptoms now no longer cause problems. To elaborate on this further I will describe how I healed my leaky gut and the changes I noticed.

How I Healed my Leaky Gut

Leaky gut was one of the many gut health problems I had for many years, alongside IBS, small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO), food intolerances to gluten and fructose, gut dysbiosis, and other issues. Yeah it was a handful, and my gut health problems are one reason I started Wild Free Organic.

Restoring the integrity of my digestive barriers was a key step in healing myself of my many gut health problems as leaky gut was one of the main contributing reasons to my IBS and food intolerances.

The main way I healed my leaky gut was by focusing on the following:

• Fasting regularly with intermittent, 24 hour, and 48 hour fasts scheduled at regular intervals.

• Constantly optimizing my diet to increase my vegetable and fiber intake. Introducing more fermented foods like pickles into my diet also helped considerably.

• Reducing environmental stressors like pesticide exposure by shopping organic and by growing my own food. I also switched from drinking tap water which is bad for the gut microbiome to drinking only spring water free of added chemicals like fluoride and chlorine.

• Reducing lifestyle stress by being more mindful of my energy levels and being careful with the intensity of the exercise I did, listening to my body and resting more when needed, and not letting factors beyond my control (like at work) stress me out needlessly.

I hope you found the information in this article on leaky gut and fasting useful, and if you really want to heal your gut then I recommend you continue your gut health and wellness education by purchasing the Holistic Gut Health Guide. Use the code LEAKY10 for 10% off at checkout, and best of luck!

---

Heal Your Gut Naturally

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Purchase

If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.

I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.

I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.

---

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

References:

1. Chelakkot C, Ghim J, Ryu SH. Mechanisms regulating intestinal barrier integrity and its pathological implications. Exp Mol Med. 2018;50(8):1-9.

2. Cleveland Clinic | Disease and Conditions. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases

3. Suzuki T. Regulation of the intestinal barrier by nutrients: The role of tight junctions. Anim Sci J. 2020;91(1).

4. Rudea-Ruzafa L, Cruz F, Roman P, Cardona D. Gut microbiota and neurological effects of glyphosate. Neurotxicology. 2019;75:1-8 5. Zhao GP, Wang XY, Li JW, et al.

5. Imidacloprid increases intestinal permeability by disrupting tight junctions. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2021; 222:112476

6. Wang X, Valenzano MC, Mercado JM, Zurbach EP, Mullin JM. Zinc supplementation modifies tight junctions and alters barrier function of CACO-2 human intestinal epithelial layers. Dig Dis Sci. 2013;58(1):77-87.

Coffee and Digestion - The Complete Guide

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Besides water, coffee is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide next to tea. As a bitter drink containing various phytonutrients, coffee has an effect on digestion that can be quite variable, and depending on the gut heath of an individual, quite noticeable. Coffee exerts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the digestion system while also increasing gut motility and thinning gut mucosa.

Coffee is one of the most well-known foods to effect digestion, most commonly known to cause heartburn or to need to use the restroom soon after consumption in sensitive individuals. There are a few reasons why coffee has these heartburn and/or laxative effects, and in this article we’ll explain why this so frequently occurs for many people. This article will also discuss coffee’s overall effect on digestion and gut motility, the phytonutrients it contains, how coffee can change the microbiome for the better, coffee’s effect on the gut-brain axis, and specific ways to drink coffee so it improves gut health rather than make it worse.

Digestion and the Large Intestine (colon)

Roasted coffee contains thousands of bioactive compounds that together exert numerous biologic effects on the body. Coffee affects the nervous system, brain, cardiovascular system, and the digestive system. Before any discussion on the effects coffee has on digestion can be had, the basics of digestion must be understood.

A Simple Summary on Digestion

Digestion starts before anything is actually eaten, as before eating food just the sight, smell, or thought of it releases digestive enzymes in the mouth. These digestive enzymes assist with the breakdown of food that is chewed in the mouth, and they also prime the stomach to release more stomach acid. Chewing food physically breaks it down into smaller pieces, then it’s swallowed and moves down the esophagus before dropping into the stomach where strong acids break the food down even more at a chemical level. Once the stomach has done its job the slurry that the food has become moves into the small intestine, more digestive enzymes and bile are released, and muscular contractions further break down food into absorbable proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that pass through the lining of the gut and into the bloodstream.

If all is normal, what’s leftover after this are harder to break down food particles, namely soluble and insoluble fibers. It’s in the colon that the microbiome can then break down the final food remnants and produce beneficial compounds, such as short chain fatty acids from fiber. These fatty acids are absorbed by the colon and provide base-load energy to the body. The longer the microbiome of the large intestine has to work on the food there, the more beneficial nutrients can be metabolized by the microbiome to then be absorbed into the body, and this overall increases the stability of human metabolism.

It’s the introduction of new food/energy that stimulates the bowels to release the stool that it has been holding onto, as the body senses it needs to make room for a new influx of nutrients. It’s a balancing act between what new nutrients can be taken in (eating new food) and what nutrients can be synthesized and absorbed from the stool in the large intestine already mostly digested of its fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Gut Health Problems and Incomplete Digestion of Food

A lot of gut health problems stem from the incomplete digestion of food. Certain biologically valuable nutrients and chemicals are only produced by the microbiome in the colon, for example short chain fatty acids, metabolites of polyphenols, and neurotransmitters. If the microbiome consistently isn’t given enough time to breakdown the final remnants of food in the colon, then nutrient and neurotransmitter deficiencies can occur over time.

An easy way to directly experience the ability of the microbiome to very efficiently break down and upcycle food is to fast for 48 hours. If the final meal before a fast is of high-quality and consists of whole foods, like a grain bowl (rice, beans, vegetables, healthy fats like avocado), then once that final meal reaches the colon the microbiome will have plenty to begin breaking down as whole grains and vegetables contains an abundance of material not extractable by the small intestine. If the normal defecation stool volume from that meal is a “1” with a normal eating schedule, then during a 48 hour fast what’s likely to occur is that defecation isn’t induced for the entire two days until a refeed meal is eaten, and then when defecation of that pre-fast meal does occur, the final stool volume may only be 1/2 to 1/4 of normal, or even less.

When there is a physiological need to extract more nutrients from less input, and the microbiome is given time to do this, food is more efficiently absorbed than normal. I’ve personally experienced during many a 2 day fast that my pre-fast meal was nearly completely absorbed. In 2 days the microbiome was able to completely break down and upcycle what I ate before the start of the fast such that I simply absorbed nearly everything. It wasn’t until a normal eating schedule was resumed that “normal” bowel movements returned. What this indicates is that “normal” bowel movements are more wasteful bowel movement as compared to the maximum level of extraction possible under conditions of nutrient scarcity.

Most people haven’t experienced long periods of nutrient scarcity like during a 48+ hour fast so what I described may seem outlandish, but all that’s required to prove this effect and ability for yourself is to go on a 48-72 hour fast. The quality of the last meal is very important to observe this effect, eat only whole unprocessed foods for final pre-fast meal. As shown by this phenomenon, fasting is one of the best ways to improve the functioning of the gut and to come to a better understanding of how the digestive system truly works.

As coffee alters the rate of digestion among other effects, it was important to present the information above as context for coffee’s specific impacts on digestion, which we’ll now dive into.

---

Ready to Heal Your Gut?

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

Purchase

Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

---

Coffee and Gut Motility

One of the most obvious effects that coffee has on gut health for many people is how it speeds up gut motility. Gut motility is the speed of movement of food through the digestion system, and one of the hallmark signs of poor gut health is highly variable gut motility. If some meals sometimes takes days to transit through the digestive system leading to constipation, while other meals seem to transit through the entire gastrointestinal system in under a day or even just hours, and this variability in gut motility is common, then that’s a clear indication that the gut is not in a state of ideal health. This state of variable gut motility is often referred to as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

How does Coffee make you Poop so Fast?

Coffee exerts a diuretic effect on gut motility through its stimulation of the hormone gastrin. Gastrin stimulates the secretion of gastric acid (HCl) in the stomach, aiding the breakdown and digestion of food. For about 90 minutes after drinking coffee the stomach environment is made more acidic because greater amounts of gastric acid are released. The release of gastric acid signals to the body that more food is incoming and therefore an increase in gut motility is observed, specially in the large intestine (colon). Melanoidins found in roasted coffee also increase gut motility through direct activation of the smooth muscles of the digestive system.

Caffeinated and decaf coffee significantly increase motor activity of the colon, activating greater propagated and simultaneous contractions. Eating a meal causes an increase in colonic motor activity as well (gotta make room), and caffeinated coffee is comparable in effect to consuming a meal. Caffeinated coffee is about 25% stronger in this effect than decaf coffee.

At least one-third of the population is susceptible to being stimulated to defecate soon after drinking regular or decaf coffee, with the effect more frequently observed in women then men. Within five minutes of drinking coffee rectosigmoid colon activity increases significantly and lasts for 30 minutes of more. The rectum is the final section of the colon a few inches long that attaches to the anus, and the sigmoid colon is the 1.5 foot long (40 cm) section of the colon just before the rectum. Coffee stimulates muscular contractions in these sections of the colon in a large percentage of the population, and this can cause rapid defecation for sensitive people, especially those who have IBS.

The colon stimulating effect of coffee is generally beneficial for people who regularly experience constipation, whereas people who suffer from already rapid gut transit times should stay away from drinking coffee.

Coffee and Frequent Bowel Movements

If coffee is consumed multiple times per day, as is commonly done by a large percentage of the population, then it’s ability to trigger waves of increased colon motor activity can result in bowel movements becoming more frequent, even to the point where it is problematic.

This is significant for reasons made clear by the earlier section on digestion and also in the microbiome section below. If food that recently made it to the large intestine is being released preemptively, then the body is missing out on a lot of beneficial compounds and metabolites only the microbiome can produce. Without a consistent stream of short chain fatty acids from the colon, metabolism suffers and energy volatility is more likely to be experienced. One of the functions of the large intestine is also to draw water out of the remaining food/waste, and frequent bowel movements can make dehydration a very real problem, or at least make dehydration more likely to occur.

In 1992 it was published in the British Medical Journal that nearly one quarter of the general population has smooth muscle dysfunction and other symptoms consistent with irritable bowel syndrome. Considering that the majority of the world’s population on average has become less healthy in the 30 years since that study, it’s likely that IBS affects an even greater percentage of the population now than it did in 1992.

Coffee Digestive Issues

Before we get into all the ways coffee improves digestion let’s finish covering how coffee can cause digestive issues for people with sensitive gastrointestinal systems. How is it that coffee can cause digestion problems while also having the ability to improve gut health?

Certain herbs have a dual ability to improve a bodily system or to cause problems. A good example of an herb that does this is cannabis. Cannabis that contains an even ratio of cannabinoids like THC and CBD if used in moderate amounts occasionally is neuroprotective and stimulates neurogenesis, increasing connectivity within the brain while also boosting creativity overall. Cannabis that is too high in THC though, and if used in excessive amounts, can cause mental health problems like paranoia, insomnia, and anxiety, and long term use of cannabis in this way can shrink the gray matter of the brain and cause memory problems. The dose of certain herbs like cannabis or coffee is critical in how their consumption will affect the body, and what’s also important is the state that the body is in prior to use.

Coffee (and cannabis, among other herbs) has the characteristic of exacerbating certain health issues if a bodily system is already out of balance. Think of it as a wake up call, with coffee highlighting preexisting health issues by making their symptoms more obvious, and in this manner this effect is beneficial in diagnosing health problems. So if drinking coffee is causing digestive issues like heartburn, stomach pain, or diarrhea, then that’s a big sign that coffee consumption should be stopped until gut health is improved, because when the gut and microbiome are healthy, coffee has a net positive influence on the digestive system and gut microbiota as we’ll see later.

Coffee and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common gastrointestinal disorder, with up to 30% of the population or more having regular symptoms consistent with IBS. Most people with gut health issues never seek the help of the medical system, and as a result the prevalence of gut health issues is thought to be much larger than what’s reported in the literature. Irritable bowel syndrome is most prevalent in people in the 20-40 and over 60 age groups, and women in their 30’s-40’s in particular seem to have higher rates of IBS

The main symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain which is relieved by defecation, abdominal distension, more frequent and looser bowel movements progressing up to diarrhea, general digestive pain, and heartburn. Less common symptoms of IBS that are still experienced at a higher rate than in the normal population include rectal bleeding and the passage of mucus. Underlying these symptoms of IBS are smooth muscle abnormalities.

What is Smooth Muscle?

Smooth muscle is a type of non-striated muscle that is activated by the autonomic nervous system to apply pressure to various organs by contracting. Smooth muscle is a critical component of the digestive system, as it’s waves of smooth muscle contractions that cause food to move through the gut. Smooth muscle contractions are stimulated by nerve impulses, certain hormones (like gastrin), and other chemicals released by various organs. Smooth muscle contractions are much slower but sustained longer than skeletal muscle contractions. The amount of intracellular free Ca2+ is a key regulator of smooth muscle tone and contractility.

Why does Coffee make my Stomach Hurt?

Coffee lowers lower esophageal sphincter pressure while simultaneously stimulating the production of gastric acid via gastrin. For sensitive individuals with thin stomach mucosa linings and/or preexisting stomach ulcers, increases in stomach acid can cause stomach pain, and with the sphincter valve separating the stomach from the esophagus becoming more relaxed, the chance of acid reflux also increases.

If drinking coffee is causing stomach pain then the consumption of coffee should be ceased and steps should be taken to heal the stomach back to normal function. Coffee has not been shown to modify gastric wall compliance, wall tension, or sensory function.

Why does Coffee give me Diarrhea?

Alongside its effects on the stomach, coffee also increases contractile pressures in the rectosigmoid area of the colon, which can cause an increased and sometimes very rapid need to defecate. Both the possible symptoms of heartburn and diarrhea from drinking coffee point to coffee’s ability to affect smooth muscle function, and both of these symptoms are also common to IBS irrespective of coffee consumption. Basically if smooth muscle function is dysfunctional overall, then the smooth muscle stimuli that coffee causes can be too powerful and further exacerbate symptoms of IBS.

Having covered how coffee can trigger the same pathways already imbalanced in those who have IBS, we’ll now discuss the phytonutrients coffee contains and how these nutrients can benefit gut health and the microbiome.

Coffee Phytonutrients

Roasted coffee contains thousands of biologically relevant compounds, and many of them have beneficial antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and metabolism boosting health effects. Together these chemicals influence the functions of the digestive system, cardiovascular system, nervous system, and the gut-brain axis.

Coffee and Caffeine

The most well-known chemical found in coffee is caffeine. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that is rapidly absorbed into the body by the stomach and small intestine. Caffeine increases fat oxidation, in general boosts metabolism, and has been shown to improve cognition, especially for the elderly. One cup of black coffee contains ~95 mg of caffeine, and the upper bound for caffeine that shows health benefits is ~300 mg per day. Consuming more than 300 mg of caffeine per day causes significant hormonal alterations and can cause health problems best avoided.

If you have a built-up caffeine tolerance that you want to reset, and/or also want guidance on how to best use and dose caffeine, then read our guide on the subject for more information.

Coffee Polyphenols

Coffee also contains abundant polyphenols, which possess strong antioxidant properties. The polyphenols in coffee are not greatly effected by the decaffeination process. Flavonoids, a subgroup of polyphenols that are abundant in coffee, significantly increase the expression of proteins at epithelial tight junctions, improving their strength and reducing intestinal permeability which is a good thing. Weak tight junctions are a key symptom of leaky gut, food intolerances, and food allergies.

The polyphenol chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a major component of coffee, and chlorogenic acids have a regulating effect on glucose and lipid metabolism, which is why they have anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity effects. One-third of free chlorogenic acids are absorbed in the small intestine and the rest of the polyphenols reach the colon where they are broken down into simpler molecules by the microbiome. Polyphenols influence the microbiome directly (more on that below) while also requiring microbial activity for their alteration into other compounds that have beneficial health effects when absorbed by the body.

Coffee Melanoidins and N-Methylpyridium

The chemical composition of green coffee beans is noticeably altered by the roasting process, and two of the notable chemicals produced from the heat-driven Maillard reactions that occur are melanoidins and N-Methylpyridium.

Melanoidins are brown pigment chemicals that are created when sugars and amino acids combine under high heat. Melanoidins have several health promoting properties such as being antimicrobial, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antitoxin, and antioxidant in nature. Melanoidins are mostly indigestible and therefore act as dietary fiber, being fermented in the gut by the microbiome. People who drink a lot of coffee along with eating other foods that have undergone Maillard reactions (like crusty bread) may receive up to 20% of their dietary fiber from melanoidins. Melanoidins have a pro-motility on the gut not only because of their fiber effect but also through direct activation of the smooth muscles of the digestive system. In addition to melanoidins, dietary fiber is present in coffee.

N-methylpyridium (NMP) is an interesting chemical found in coffee that exerts an opposite effect on the stomach than coffee in general, as it reduces gastric acid production by stomach cells. NMP is only generated by the roasting process, and as such darker-roasted coffee contains more NMP than lightly roasted coffees, up to twice as much. For people who want to enjoy coffee and its health benefits but want to reduce their chance of experiencing heartburn and increased gut motility, drinking a darker roasted coffee is recommended.

Coffee and Gut Microbiome

On average 75% of feces are water, with the remaining 25% being solid materials. Bacterial biomass make up 25-55% of the solids in feces (6-14% total). This bacterial biomass is composed of dead and also living bacteria, and therefore as you can see, every bowel movement changes the microbiome because it’s removing a portion of the total microorganism population out of the body.

Coffee through its ability to trigger increased smooth muscle activity for the colon can cause defecation, and through this mechanism coffee influences the development of the microbiome. Microorganisms divide and reproduce on very fast timespans on the timespan of 20 minutes to 24 hours, with bad pathogenic bacteria typically dividing faster than good symbiotic bacteria. The longer stool stays in the colon, the longer the microbiome has to divide and evolve, which changes the overall population characteristics and diversity of the microbiome. If a healthy meal is eaten rich in vegetables and fiber, then symbiotic microorganisms will increase in population numbers, whereas if a junk food meal is eaten containing lots of highly processed foods and chemicals, then pathogenic microorganisms will better be able to survive and expand in population.

Coffee’s ability to trigger defecation can then be considered good or bad for the microbiome depending on the context. If the content of the stool in the large intestine is of a poor quality, then triggering defecation is a good thing as it’ll reduce the growth of pathogenic bacteria and remove toxins from the body. If the stool is composed of what’s left of a healthy meal from whole unprocessed foods, then triggering defecation early won’t be advantageous as valuable nutrients will be lost and symbiotic microorganisms will have less time to diversify and expand their populations.

Here’s the thing though, in my personal experience it’s the current contents of the digestive system that determine coffee’s defecating activating effect. When I eat healthy meals full of whole unprocessed foods, such as a rice and bean bowl with vegetables and avocado on top, coffee doesn’t trigger any significant increase in motor activity in the colon. If I eat a lower quality meal though, then I can definitely feel that coffee creates a stronger urge to use the restroom. At the beginning of the article I discussed how coffee can improve gut health because it highlights existing gut health issues like IBS by making the symptoms worse, and diet quality is a factor as to why that is the way it is. If you’re struggling with eating a good diet, resetting your dietary beliefs is an important step towards eating healthier.

If low quality junk food is in the digestive track, then it behooves the body to push it out quickly and hope for a higher quality meal to follow. Of course if junk food continues to be eaten then nutrient deficiencies develop and other health issues can compound, but having a longer transit time for these foods wouldn’t necessarily be better than a short transit time due to the presence of toxins in the food.

“There’s no way to win by eating poor quality food”

The benefits of coffee on the microbiome are further amplified by the abundant polyphenols that coffee contains. Coffee decreases populations of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Clostridium spp., and Bacteroides spp., while increasing populations of beneficial microorganisms like Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., and this is thought to be primarily an effect of polyphenols, as polyphenols from things like herbs have shown similar effects.

Polyphenols both influence microbiome populations, and are also metabolized into different beneficial chemicals by the microbiome. By containing abundant polyphenols, dietary fiber, and melanoidins coffee exerts a strong influence over the microbiome and shifts microbial populations towards greater symbiotic function and away from pathogenic overgrowth. Drinking herbal teas are another way to shift the microbiome towards greater symbiosis, as an herbal tea blend like a 1:1:1 chamomile, peppermint, and dandelion tea contains abundant flavonoids and each of those herbs is already well-known for improving gut health.

Coffee and the Gut-Brain Axis

Coffee as a natural source of many chemicals like caffeine and polyphenols exerts an influence on the gut-brain axis, from changing emotional status to altering neurogenesis and neurodegeneration. Caffeine is the main psychoactive compound found in coffee, easily crossing the blood-brain barrier and stimulating the sympathetic nervous system in addition to the overall central nervous system. Caffeine increases extracellular dopamine concentrations and causes a greater expression of dopaminergic receptors and transports, leading to an overall cognitive improvement, especially amongst the elderly.

Additionally caffeine reduces the activity of the Gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) system and modulates GABA receptors. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts on the central nervous system, lessening the ability for nerve cells to create, transmit, and receive signals to other nerve cells. Through this inhibitory effect GABA can produce a sense of calm as it reduces the activity of the nervous system, but as with anything too much GABA isn’t beneficial. Chronic caffeine intake is related to a long-term reduction in GABA, and that is also not good, as GABA plays a role in controlling stress, anxiety, and feelings of fear.

The gut-brain axis is also heavily influenced by the microbiome because it’s the microbiome that produces a large portion of the neurotransmitters the body uses, directly producing dopamine, GABA, and norepinephrine, and indirectly influencing the bodies natural production of serotonin in epithelial enterochromaffin cells (intestinal epithelial cells that play a governing role in intestinal motility and secretion). The gut microbiome also regulates stress hormones produced by the HPA-axis and sends direct signals to the brain via the vagus nerve. Through these interactions with the brain the microbiome has a strong ability to influence human behavior.

A Better Coffee

After learning everything that has been outlined in this coffee and digestion guide, there are a few key takeaways to remember:

• If currently experiencing gut health problems like IBS (either knowingly or unknowingly) coffee consumption has the possibility of increasing the negative symptoms being experienced as it’s a mechanism to bring consciousness to the problem and attempt to shift the microbiome to a more favorable symbiotic state.

• If gut health is good then coffee consumption can further improve gut health by modulating the microbiome towards greater symbiotic integration with the host by increasing populations of beneficial microorganisms such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, while also providing the body a rich source of health boosting polyphenols, fiber, and other unique compounds.

• Coffee consumption within reasonable parameters (<3 cups a day) improves brain health, especially for the elderly.

The darker the roast the less likely coffee is to trigger the excessive production of gastric acids thanks to greater concentrations of N-methylpyridium, and darker roasted coffees also contain more melanoidins which have beneficial effects on the colon.

With all this taken into consideration, when eating a healthy diet and with a healthy gut, drinking a dark roast black coffee has little chance of causing gut health disturbances and overall has gut health and metabolism boosting benefits. The cardiovascular and cognitive systems also benefit from reasonable coffee consumption.

Coffee can be made even better though!

When certain herbs are added to coffee, it improves the metabolic effects of coffee while smoothing out the increase in sympathetic nervous system activity that coffee causes, which can lead to energy volatility in some individuals. And if the autonomic nervous system is already unbalanced between sympathetic and parasympathetic states, with the sympathetic nervous system being too dominant, then drinking coffee can make that imbalance worse.

Adding cacao, ceylon cinammon, chaga mushroom, cistanche, and a small amount of honey to a black coffee creates what I call a dark mocha, and having enjoyed a bunch of dark mochas in my time it’s my experience that they have a much greater beneficial nootropic effect than regular black coffee while also improving energy metabolism noticeably. While a dark mocha still has a stimulant effect, it’s much more even keel and balanced than a regular cup of black coffee (or a cup of coffee with sugar), and the metabolism boosting effect seems to last all day rather than just for a couple hours.

I encourage you to learn more about why adding these ingredients to coffee makes it even better as it’s a good introduction to herbalism and it should significantly improve your day to day if you drink coffee often.

---

Heal Your Gut Naturally

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Purchase

If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.

I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.

I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.

---

References:

1. Iriondo-DeHond A, Uranga JA, del Castillo MD, Abalo R. Effects of coffee and its components on the gastrointestinal tract and the brain–gut axis. Nutrients. 2020;13(1):88.

2. Jones R, Lydeard S. Irritable bowel syndrome in the general population. BMJ. 1992;304(6819):87-90.

3. Bitar KN. Function of gastrointestinal smooth muscle: from signaling to contractile proteins. The American Journal of Medicine. 2003;115(3):15-23.

4. Rubach, Malte, et al. Identification of a coffee compound that effectively inhibits mechanisms of stomach acid secretion in human gastric parietal cells. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 239. American Chemical Society, 2010.

5. Rose C, Parker A, Jefferson B, Cartmell E. The characterization of feces and urine: a review of the literature to inform advanced treatment technology. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. 2015;45(17):1827-1879.

6. Strandwitz P. Neurotransmitter modulation by the gut microbiota. Brain Research. 2018;1693:128-133.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

More Articles on Gut Health and Coffee

Apigenin is Nature's most Powerful Flavonoid

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated May 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

In the English Ballad Scarborough Fair, most well-known as sung by Simon and Garfunkel in their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, a man and women ask of each other impossible tasks so the other may demonstrate their true love, and sprinkled throughout the song is the refrain of “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme”.

To many curing cancer and other chronic inflammation-based diseases likewise seems an impossible task, but if the herbs of the ballad are sprinkled liberally throughout life then true healing is no longer out of reach thanks to the presence of a unique and very powerful anti-cancer phytochemical contained in all those herbs known as apigenin.

In this article we discuss the health benefits of apigenin, what foods to eat to receive more apigenin into the diet, and other high-density ways of supplementing apigenin so you can enjoy all the amazing health benefits of this unique flavonoid phytochemical.

Curly parsley from my 2021 summer garden, zone 7a. Yum!

Pharmacology of Apigenin

Apigenin is a phytochemical flavonoid (more specifically a flavone) naturally produced by plants shown to exhibit several biologic activities such as being an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-cancer, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective.

Apigenin is synthesized in a number of plants as secondary metabolite via the shikimate pathway* (how all flavonoids are synthesized). Once apigenin has been produced by a plant it’s bound to sugar molecules in various ways creating what are known as glycosides which are another class of powerful health-promoting phytochemicals. Flavonoids like apigenin are produced by plants for functions like protection against ultraviolet light, defense against insects, fungi, and microorganisms, as antioxidants, and as plant hormone controllers. Just as plants use flavonoids to improve their lot in life, so too can we, with flavonoids like apigenin and quercetin (among many others) raising the efficiency and stable functioning of biologic systems.

Note* - The reason pesticides like glyphosate are so effective at killing bacteria, fungi, and plants is because they turn off the shikimate pathway. Non-organic produce having been grown with disrupted shikimate metabolism will therefore contain much less of the valuable phytochemicals that our bodies crave! Something to consider next time you’re purchasing vegetables and are wondering whether to buy conventional (sprayed with glyphosate) or organic (not sprayed with glyphosate) fruits and vegetables.

Apigenin Bioavailability

Apigenin glycosides are more bioavailable than free apigenin as free apigenin has very poor water solubility.

In the intestines, apigenin is extensively metabolized into forms more readily transported to the liver before being distributed out to tissues of the body. Any apigenin that makes it past the small intestine transits to the colon where it also has biologic effects before eventually being eliminated from the body. Remaining apigenin from the tissues (and some from the liver) are eventually processed by the kidneys and excreted via urine.

From the whole-food source of parsley (the densest source of apigenin known), the excretion half-life for apigenin was observed to be about 12 hours. There exist significant individual variation in the bioavailability and excretion of apigenin, but in general apigenin is absorbed slowly by the body and eliminated slowly by the body (important to discuss further, see side effects section below). No difference in the mean excretion of apigenin has been observed between men and women.

If apigenin is taken in reasonable amounts the long half-life of apigenin proves to be one of its main benefits as a wellness promoting phytochemical. The longer a chemical can stay in the body, the more time it has to exert biologically-relevant effects, and by eating a diet high in apigenin, over time the body builds up consistent levels of apigenin in the bloodstream that keep inflammation low, among many other health improvements.

Apigenin Benefits and Uses

If you’ve read through the herb section of Wild Free Organic, you’ll have found that the theme of many health-promoting herbs is that they are always possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals in the body which otherwise would cause oxidative stress and DNA damage. Inflammation isn’t bad per-say as it is vitally important in the healing process, but the out-of-balance modern lifestyle has inflammation elevated way beyond normal levels chronically for many people. And the natural antimicrobial properties of herbs keep the gut’s microbiome healthy and in-check while also sweeping the bloodstream clear of pathogens which increases immunity.

When antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties are combined together thanks to flavonoids like apigenin, and biologically relevant amounts are consumed consistently, beneficial actions at the cellular scale are felt at the human scale for example as reductions in cancer, improved sleep and less anxiety, better gut health, and optimized hormone levels for men and women. Apigenin is most popularly known for its anti-cancer, anti-mutagenic, and chemoprotective effects so we’ll start there when discussing the health benefits of apigenin.

Apigenin for Cancer

In most situations when a cell undergoes a genotoxic mutation DNA repair mechanisms kick in and repair the damage or the cell undergoes apoptosis (programmed cell death) and is terminated. If the DNA damage isn’t fixed and the cell doesn’t undergo apoptosis then the mutated cell begins to deviate from its normal behaviors and becomes cancerous.

Apigenin plays an important role in cancer prevention by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation in mutated cells. Apigenin triggers various anti-cancer pathways and activates tumor suppressive genes. Apigenin also further combats the rise and spread of cancer through its binding action to certain proteins and also in how it adjusts certain cellular receptors in their expression and density. Apigenin bolsters all of these anti-cancer effects but also inhibiting excessive platelet adhesion thereby improving the transport of oxygen, nutrients, and immune cells throughout the body.

One special trait of apigenin is that it is able to overcome the multi-drug resistance some tumor cells have by inhibiting the viability of the mutated cells while increasing their cellular uptake of doxorubicin (a chemotherapy medication).

Apigenin is one of the most powerful anti-cancer phytochemicals currently known and for anyone who has cancer reading this I would suggest you read the full research paper linked as the sixth reference for this article (see end).

Apigenin for Sleep

Apigenin binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain which, if taken in high enough doses, can trigger muscle relaxation and sedation.

Chamomile is a common source of apigenin, and chamomile is well-known for it’s relaxation and sleep benefits, which can be partly ascribed to apigenin’s neurochemical interactions. Not only does chamomile activate the "rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system, it also improves day-time functioning because 8-12 Hz alpha brainwaves are increased in power. Alpha brainwaves are the gateway between wakefulness and sleep, and strong alpha brainwave activity in general is correlated with higher levels of consciousness.

Apigenin for Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other mental health issues are central nervous system (CNS) related disorders, and apigenin’s influence over the CNS is beneficial in reducing these mental health issues. There is increasing awareness surrounding the effectiveness of phytochemicals like apigenin or sulforaphane in treating mental health issues, and an important thing to know then if seeking to use natural alternatives for mental health treatment is the effectiveness of a bioactive compound is determined in part by its ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier. Of the many flavonoids that exist, apigenin is near the top of the list in its ease of penetration of the blood brain barrier.

Apigenin reduces anxiety, depression, and other central nervous system disorders through a few different factors. Apigenin upregulates the production of brain-derived neurotropic factor, an important protein for nerve cell growth and survival. Apigenin lowers stress-induced alterations in the brain and it reverses mild stress-induced increases in corticosteroid hormones. Apigenin possibly has a role in modulating the neurotransmission activity of noradrenalin, dopamine, and serotonin, and by doing this apigenin helps to prevent abnormal behavior.

The beneficial neuroprotective effects of apigenin listed in the next section are also applicable to this section.

Apigenin is Neuroprotective

As a neuroprotective agent, apigenin reduces oxidative damage, neural inflammation, and activation of the central nervous system’s immune microglial cells. Apigenin has been shown to cause a reduction in amyloid deposits in the brain and it has an ameliorating effect on Alzheimer’s disease. Apigenin causes improvements in memory, most notably spatial learning and memory.

Possibly one of apigenin’s most important effects is that is has a neurovascular protective effect, helping to keep the brain well supplied with oxygen and nutrient-rich blood. Not only does apigenin have an easy time passing through the blood-brain barrier, its presence also maintains the healthy status of the brain’s vascular network, which is a win-win.

Apigenin for Gut Health

Not all flavonoids will be absorbed in the small intestine, and any flavonoids (like apigenin) that reach the colon beneficially interact with the microbiome there. Flavonoids and their metabolites alter the microbiome by inhibiting the growth of various pathogens while increasing the beneficial genera such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Through these actions gut health is improved because endotoxin production is reduced, the conversion of primary into secondary bile acids is increased, and overall nutrient absorption increases. Flavonoids are one of the best things to ensure you’re getting adequate amounts of in your diet if looking to heal gastrointestinal issues or maintain good gut health. Flavonoids improve intestinal barrier function by strengthening epithelial tight-junctions which has a big impact on reducing gut inflammation.

If you are experiencing gut health problems then the Holistic Gut Health Guide is the all-in-one-guide you need to begin healing your digestive system and microbiome.

Apigenin for Women

As women age hormone levels decline, notably progesterone which affects the functioning of various neurotransmitters like GABA. Women with lower progesterone levels at any age have a greater likelihood of experiencing depression, anxiety, irritability, and insomnia. Headaches, migraines, and mood changes are more common, as is irregularity in the menstrual cycle. Apigenin has some effect in improving progesterone levels and thus can help mitigate the effects of low progesterone levels in women of all ages.

Apigenin for Men

The two main ways apigenin specifically helps men is in regards to their hormonal and prostate health.

Apigenin and Testosterone

Apigenin broadly improves the function of Leydig cells, the cells responsible for testosterone production in the testes. Apigenin also reduces heat-induced damage to the extremely heat sensitive Leydig cells. Apigenin enhances steroidogenesis by increasing the sensitivity of Leydig cells to cAMP stimulation.

In addition to improving steroidogenesis, apigenin can promote skeletal muscle hypertrophy and myogenic differentiation of muscle cells through its actions as a potent aromatase inhibitor (like most plant flavonoids). Aromatase is an enzyme that converts androgens like testosterone into estrogenic hormones like estradiol, and by inhibiting the action of aromatase enzymes throughout the body more androgenic hormone levels can be maintained.

Apigenin for Prostate Health

Plant flavonoids like apigenin induce apoptosis in prostate carcinoma (epithelial cancer) cells by inhibiting fatty acid synthase, a long chain fatty-acid synthesis enzyme that is over-expressed in prostate cancer cells. Apigenin also changes various cellular pathways the inhibits the growth of prostate cancer. One of these pathways is the uptake and accumulation of apigenin in the nuclear matrix of a cell, binding apigenin to DNA which reduces oxidative DNA damage and apoptosis in healthy prostate epithelial cells.

One of the main concerns regarding any chemotherapy treatment is how it also damages and kills healthy cells alongside mutated ones. By protecting healthy cells and by fighting cancer in its own way apigenin is truly a miracle flavonoid that is easily and safely added alongside existing cancer treatment options.

What is Apigenin Found In?

As a plant-created flavonoid apigenin is found in a variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Most commonly apigenin isn’t found in its free form but bound as one of its various glycosides. For example apigenin does not occur in living chamomile flowers, instead residing in the plant as apigenin 7-glycoside and its derivatives. Once harvested some of the apigenin glycosides convert into free apigenin.

Whether an apigenin containing food is eaten fresh or dried (a denser source), the apigenin will be absorbable.

Herbs High in Apigenin

Parsley is the richest known source of apigenin and there is nothing else that comes close. Fresh parsley contains ~2.2 mg of apigenin per gram of fresh parsley. With its water content removed dried parsley is an even denser source of apigenin coming in at ~45 mg/g.

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is another source of apigenin that’s well-known, with dried chamomile flower containing 3-5 mg/g.

Peppermint contains 0.055 mg of apigenin per gram of fresh leaves, and the apigenin density is higher in dried peppermint.

Thyme contains ~0.025 mg of apigenin per gram of fresh leaves, and dried thyme has a higher apigenin density.

Oregano contains ~0.025 mg of apigenin per gram of fresh leaves, and dried oregano is an even denser source of apigenin.

Sage, rosemary, and tea leaves are other sources of apigenin. Lastly one important thing to note regarding the apigenin content of herbs, and this also applies more broadly to all polyphenols found in herbs, is that there typically is a significant increase in total polyphenols from April to September, so the apigenin content of food does vary with the seasons.

Fruits and Vegetables High in Apigenin

Since apigenin is a common flavonoid it’s found in some concentration in most fruits and vegetables.

Celery is a vegetable known for its high apigenin content, and all parts of the celery plant contain apigenin in different ratios. Celery seed has the densest concentration of apigenin at 0.8 mg/g, whereas celery hearts have a lower density of 0.02 mg/g, and celery stalk is even lower still at only 0.003 mg/g.

Other fruits and vegetables known for their apigenin content are rutabaga, green chili peppers, onions, and oranges.

Liposomal Apigenin

The health benefits of apigenin are becoming more well-known in the medical field and it’s common to be recommended liposomal apigenin for a variety of health reasons. A liposome is a spherical drug delivery vehicle made of a lipid bi-layer that increases bioavailability of the nutrient encapsulated within it into the bloodstream. Apigenin is already very bioavailable and liposomal apigenin is only really useful in the context of shuttling the majority of the apigenin into the bloodstream, whereas normally the tissues of the digestive system will absorb and use some apigenin themselves, some apigenin will make it into the bloodstream, and some apigenin will also make its way to the microbiome of the large intestine.

There are benefits to letting apigenin naturally be distributed throughout the body, specifically having apigenin make it to the microbiome is very valuable for the gut-brain axis, metabolic health, and the cardiovascular system. The microbiome produces biologically useful secondary metabolites from flavonoids like apigenin, and for this reason supplementing with a natural source of apigenin like dried parsley is preferred.

Apigenin Side Effects

There is some concern that exist regarding apigenin and its potential to build up in the body based on its half-life in rats, which is 92 hours. The half life of apigenin in humans though is 12 hours, and there is little evidence to suggest that apigenin builds up to dangerous levels or promotes adverse metabolic reactions when consumed as part of a normal diet.

Direct supplementation of high doses of isolated apigenin can result in liver toxicity over time, and its for this reason that I believe its best that those who wish to supplement with apigenin capsules don’t supplement with them daily and instead follow a more holistic approach, sticking with whole foods and herbal teas. Information for those interested in supplementing with high doses of apigenin and for others who want to follow the holistic approach is below.

Supplement Apigenin

There are two main methods to follow when supplementing with any compound or chemical. The first method is to supplement with the desired chemical just 1-3x at a high dose for an acute effect. The second method is to incorporate into the diet natural sources of the desired chemical for much broader long term health benefits. With good understanding of what a chemical does and its safety profile methods 1 and 2 can be combined. We’ll start with the low-dose daily way to add apigenin into the diet and then progress upwards towards the most potent forms available.

Chamomile, Dandelion, Peppermint Tea for Apigenin

An excellent way to add extra apigenin to the diet is to drink a 1:1:1 chamomile, dandelion, and peppermint herbal tea. This herbal tea blend is so powerfully healthy for you because of the presence of flavonoids like apigenin, quercetin, and hundreds of other health-promoting phytochemicals.

All three of these herbs are powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and natural antimicrobials. Drinking this tea will boost your immune system and help you get over a cold/flu/covid faster, will reduce symptoms associated with inflammation-based and autoimmune diseases, and is excellent for healing the digestive system and keeping it functioning at a high level. I’ve writen more about the benefits of drinking herbal teas for improving gut health and for use during fasting, and if you’re currently facing gut health problems I highly encourage you to learn more.

Drinking herbal teas is one of the best preventative health strategies that exists. Each cup is packed with biologically useful phytonutrients that the body craves, and with so many different herbs that exist it never gets boring. Drink a cup or two of chamomile/dandelion/peppermint tea a day and with the 12 hour half life of apigenin it’s not an issue if a few days are missed every now and then. All three of these herbs are extremely safe with no known toxicity concerns.

Mountain Rose herbs sells organic dandelion root, chamomile flowers, and dried peppermint leaves.

Dried parsley for Apigenin

Dried parsley is a ridiculously dense source of apigenin coming in at ~45 mg/g. While pure apigenin supplements do exist as you’ll see below, dried parsley is the best way to supplement with high amounts of apigenin because in addition to receiving the apigenin you also receive all the other useful vitamins, nutrients, and phytochemicals that parsley has to offer. Parsley is a dense source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, calcium, and iron. All of the components that make up parsley aid in the bioavailability and health effects of the other components in what’s known as the entourage effect. So when using dried parsley to intake higher levels of apigenin (for example to aid in the fight against cancer), you not only receive abundant apigenin but lots of other health promoting goodies that would not come when supplementing with apigenin in a standardized pill form.

You can purchase dried parsley in the spice section at the local supermarket or save some money by buying dried parsley online. You can purchase dried parsley on amazon, where it’s usually sold in greater quantities and cheaper in price than the supermarket, or from my favorite supplier of herbs, essential oils, and other health and wellness products Mountain Rose Herbs who also sells organic dried parsley leaf.

Easy ways to incorporate dried parsley into your diet is to mix it into different spreads like cream cheese and hummus, to sprinkle it liberally on top of meals like a grain bowl, mix it into soup or paste-type dishes, you get the idea.

Pure Apigenin Supplements

Highly standardized apigenin supplements can be useful under certain circumstances. For example if someone is having severe gut health issues and even dried parsley is likely to cause too much gastrointestinal upset, then a pure apigenin supplement can be useful combined alongside herbal teas. Nootropics Depot sells a few different supplements that contain apigenin, most notably they sell a raw 98% apigenin powder that’s also available as 98% apigenin capsules.

---

Try Herbalism

A final message to leave you with is to never underestimate the healing power of natural remedies, a great introduction being herbal teas. A lot of supplements are very expensive and have poor safety and quality testing. For the same price or less as a few different health supplements an entire assortment of health-promoting herbs can be acquired through a supplier like Mountain Rose Herbs. Try natural herbal remedies at least once and see if they can help you. A good place to start learning more about herbs is on the herbs section of this website.

---

References:

1. Ali F, Rahul, Naz F, Jyoti S, Siddique YH. Health functionality of apigenin: A review. International Journal of Food Properties. 2017;20(6):1197-1238.

2. Nielsen SE, Young JF, Daneshvar B, et al. Effect of parsley (petroselinum crispum) intake on urinary apigenin excretion, blood antioxidant enzymes and biomarkers for oxidative stress in human subjects. Br J Nutr. 1999;81(6):447-455.

3. Salehi B, Venditti A, Sharifi-Rad M, et al. The therapeutic potential of apigenin. IJMS. 2019;20(6):1305.

4. Pei R, Liu X, Bolling B. Flavonoids and gut health. Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 2020;61:153-159.

5. Higdon J. Flavonoids. Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/flavonoids

6. Shankar E, Goel A, Gupta K, Gupta S. Plant flavone apigenin: an emerging anticancer agent. Curr Pharmacol Rep. 2017;3(6):423-446.

---

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

Articles on Herbalism and Nutrition

Herbal Teas and Fasting for Gut Health

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Some of the most foundational health problems are gut health issues. The gastrointestinal system has some of the strongest connections to the bloodstream, is closely tied to the immune system, provides the raw inputs for energy metabolism, is a huge production center of neurotransmitters for the brain and nervous system, and in general is one of the largest sources of inflammation in the body because of the microbiome and from the rigors of digestion itself.

What this means is that if the gut is in a state of dis-ease, then it’s likely that not only will gut health problems exist but also other maladies such as chronic inflammation and pain, weakened immunity or auto-immune issues, poor energy metabolism, skin problems, or mental health issues. Returning the digestive system to a state of normal function is often the root-cause fix that will resolve those other health issues. It’s very common for people who have healed their gut to report that their depression/anxiety/insomnia or other mental health issues go away, for their skin inflammatory conditions such as acne, psoriasis, or eczema to vanish, or for chronic pain and fatigue to disappear.

The digestive system is a complex web of interactions between many different organs and also trillions of microorganism that live inside it known as the microbiome. When it comes to healing the gut, the digestive system is too complex to be successfully healed by examining it through a narrow window and then treating one or two identified symptoms. Instead the best methods for improving the entire functioning of the gut are holistic in nature. In my experience of 10+ years of gut healing and gut health mindfulness I’ve found that the most powerful all-encompassing holistic tools that can be used to heal the gut are fasting (abstaining from food) and drinking herbal teas.

Fasting removes all caloric inputs, volume, and bulk from the digestive system, allowing the epithelial cells and mucous layers that make up the lining of the digestive system to regenerate while also giving the immune system time to reset and restore to normal protective functioning. Herbal teas (with the right herbs of course) are packed full of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals which give them anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and adaptogenic properties which beneficially amplify the fasting process.

In this article you will learn about:

• How fasting is beneficial for gut health

• How herbal teas benefit gut health

• How fasting and herbal teas can be used in conjunction to heal gut health and microbiome problems.

---

Ready to Heal Your Gut?

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

Purchase

Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

---

Fasting and Gut Health

Life is driven by metabolism, and there are two default mode networks for metabolism. One is anabolism, the growth and creation of new tissues, which naturally is an inflammatory process. The other is catabolism, the anti-inflammatory process that repairs and recycles old and worn out bodily tissues. To be optimally healthy time spent in both anabolism and catabolism is required, generally in equal amount (unless already out of balance).

Modern culture has most people spending an excess of time in an anabolic state, the main symptoms of which are being overweight or obese and having generalized inflammation throughout the body. If anabolic pathways are seriously out of balance then life-threatening conditions like cancer (the out of control growth of mutated cells) is often the result.

Fasting and Inflammation

The reason fasting is so powerful in healing gut health problems, and in general many many inflammation based health problems is because it activates the other default mode network for human which is catabolism, otherwise known as autophagy. Food intake is one of the greatest drivers of anabolism, and removing all food from the equation turns off the “energy spigot”. The brain and body still require energy for cognition and movement though, so a beautifully complex sequence of events takes place if the energy spigot turns off which has the body switch to a protective healing state known as autophagy. During autophagy malfunctioning cells are terminated through a process known as apoptosis, and their still functional components are recycled and distributed to where they are needed. Cells that can be repaired are patched up, and the body begins to burn stored bodyfat for energy. After a couple days of fasting once all glycogen stores are used up the body begins producing ketones from bodyfat so the brain can continue to operate successfully.

Fasting is a cellular deep cleaning that sees the different systems of the body repair and be recharged with the vital nutrients that they need to function properly. Inflammation goes down dramatically. Once food is reintroduced, the body switches back to catabolism and the healthy cells remaining divide to restore tissues and organs back to their normal sizes. For example during a seven day fast the size of the liver can contract by as much as 50% and then with the reintroduction of food it will regenerate back to its normal size and function, but now it’s composed of a much greater number of healthy functioning cells.

There are many ways to trigger catabolism, but the most powerful way is to simply fast and abstain from eating any food. The longer the body requires catabolic processes to heal to return to balance, the more time must be spent catabolic, and if using fasting for this purpose, longer fasts and/or more frequent fasts will be needed. The great thing about fasting is that it is completely free, can be done anywhere and doesn’t require any specialized devices or drugs, and is a relatively safe natural process that the body wants you to do from time to time.

Fasting and Gut Microbiome

Fasting has a powerful ability to heal the gut because of how it actives system-wide autophagy, and the other way it powerfully improves gut health is through the evolutionary pressures it places on the microbiome. The microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms that live “inside” the body but in reality outside the tissues of the body. The microbiome feeds off the food constantly being consumed, and a helpful microbiome will work symbiotically with the host to break down nutrients normally not digestible like plant fibers. A pathogenic microbiome, one that doesn’t work with and serve its host, will feed off the nutrients normally reserved for the host like sugar and starches, growing their populations while also producing waste components in the process. Pathogens dream of entering into the body at large where ample nutrients float through the bloodstream, and if the gut is compromised then this task is made easy and they slip past epithelial tight junctions. Once pathogens are in the bloodstream the responsibilities of the immune system ramp up dramatically which creates chronic inflammation if pathogens are constantly slipping into the bloodstream from the gut.

By removing all food, fasting applies an evolutionary pressure to the microbiome that selects for microorganisms that can survive during times of nutrient scarcity. Microorganisms that are comfortable chewing and subsisting on long-transiting foods like fiber will survive in greater numbers than microorganisms that feed off quick nutrients like sugar that are quickly in short supply during a fast. Fasting is a great way to cleanse the microbiome.

The microbiome of the gut is one of the main sources of neurotransmitters in the body, and a 48 hour fast for example will not only heal the digestive system and reduce bodily inflammation but by changing the composition of the microbiome it will change neurotransmitter ratios and their production for better cognitive function and mental health. Neurotransmitters are how the microbiome influences behavior.

For the reasons laid out above one can already see how fasting is a tremendously powerful way to improve gut health and overall health and wellness. Combining fasting with herbal teas amplifies the healing and regenerative processes while also making a fast easier and safer to complete.

*Read to the end to receive a 10% discount on the Holistic Gut Health Guide, the all-in-one gut health eBook that will help you solve your gut health problems once and for all!

Fasting and Herbal Tea

The biggest issue with fasting is the fact that new energy input is removed from the system which requires a metabolic shift. It’s the metabolic shift to burning body fat for energy that is one of the primary benefits of fasting, but if that mode of metabolism hasn’t been used often or recently, then it can be difficult to maintain adequate energy levels during a fast. Practice makes perfect, and the more time is spent fasted in general, the easier fasting becomes, but for those very new to fasting who have weak metabolisms, pursuing any ways to make fasting easier and safer (avoiding low blood sugar dips) is highly encouraged.

Drinking herbal teas are an amazing addition to fasting because not only do they help heal the digestive system and balance the microbiome through their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, but certain herbs also improve metabolism by regulating fat oxidation and blood glucose levels. Below is a list of the most useful and readily accessible herbs for fasting and gut healing, and afterwards I’ll share the herbal tea blends that I recommend for fasting.

Dandelion for Gut Health and Fasting

Dandelion is one of the most common herbs worldwide and it’s well known for it’s herbal uses. The entire dandelion plant from flower to root is edible, and dandelion (especially dandelion root) is a powerful digestive aid, blood purifier, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, cancer fighter, and metabolism booster.

Dandelion is especially useful for fasting and healing gut problems because it normalizes gut motility (the speed of transit of food through the gut), increases gastrointestinal mucous production thereby restoring protective mucous linings, applies beneficial antimicrobial pressures on pathogens in the microbiome, increases bile production (which improves fat metabolism), and assists in healing gastric ulcers.

In addition to all these amazing benefits the beneficial phytonutrients found in dandelion help purify the blood of pathogens while also reducing inflammation and healing blood vessel epithelial linings. Dandelion also boosts fat metabolism, improves blood cholesterol parameters, and reduces unwanted platelet aggregation which improves energy and oxygen transport throughout the body. Dandelion also aids the autophagy process by inducing unhealthy cells to undergo apoptosis while protecting healthy cells.

Dandelion can be wild harvested or purchased from my favorite supplier of herbs Mountain Rose Herbs.

For use in an herbal tea steep dandelion root for 5-15 minutes with boiling water.

---

Chamomile for Gut Health and Fasting

Like dandelion chamomile is also a very well-known and widely used herb worldwide. There are multiple types of chamomile and even though their chemical composition differs they all generally have the same health benefits. Chamomile is a digestive aid, calms the nervous system, and improves cardiovascular health.

Chamomile is one of the best herbs for fasting and gut health because it improves gut motility, applies a gentle antimicrobial pressure to the microbiome, and increase gastrointestinal mucous production. Chamomile improves blood cholesterol levels, reduces excessive platelet aggregation, and normalizes blood sugar levels. Chamomile notably is very calming and increases the parasympathetic activity of the nervous system, which aids in relaxing and also improves digestion. Balancing the activity of the autonomic nervous system is foundational to good health. Sometimes during a fast energy levels can dip and become volatile, and chamomile tea helps normalize metabolism and promotes relaxation which smooths out the energy volatility that otherwise might have been experienced.

Chamomile and dandelion are very similar in their herbal uses, and together mixed in a 1:1 ratio they make a fantastic herbal tea which is useful for general health and wellness but also specifically for gut health and fasting.

Chamomile can be wild harvested or purchased from my favorite supplier of herbs Mountain Rose Herbs.

For use in an herbal tea steep chamomile flowers for 5-15 minutes with boiling water.

---

Green Tea for Gut Health and Fasting

Green tea is in many ways is a perfect fasting aid because it increases fat oxidation and raises energy levels while also having a calming influence through its natural L-theanine content (an amino acid). Green tea polyphenols are also potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatories which help heal the epithelial linings of the gut.

I have already written about green tea fasting so I encourage you to read my article on it which goes in depth.

Many different types of green tea can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs and Pique Tea, or in a supplemental form from Nootropics Depot. Learn more about the herbal uses of green tea.

Herbal Tea Blends for Fasting and Gut Health

Combing herbal teas and fasting is the most powerful way to heal the gut and therefore completely revitalize your health and wellness. Healing the gut will aid in fat loss and boost metabolism, improve mental health, reduce inflammatory skin conditions, reduce/eliminate autoimmune issues as well as food intolerances and food allergies, and reduce stress on the immune system.

My favorite herbal tea for use during fasting but also for keeping the gut healthy in general is a 1:1 blend of dandelion root and chamomile flowers. Green tea is also an excellent fasting and gut health aid. While fasting is extremely powerful in healing the gut, fasting cannot be done forever and at some point calories are required to survive. The benefit of fasting with herbal teas is that once the fast is complete the herbal teas can continued to be used in order to extend the gut healing benefits out beyond the fast (and even to the next fast) and to help with the digestion of the healthier food that is now being eating which further aids in the shifting of the microbiome from pathogenic to symbiotic.

There are other herbs which improve digestion like ashwagandha, chaga mushroom, and reishi mushroom and all of these herbs can be used independently or mixed together into a blend for use during fasting. I’d also be remiss to not make a note of the powerful gut health benefits of black pepper and its main active ingredient piperine.

I hope you found the information in this article on how to use herbal teas and fasting together to improve gut health useful, and if you really want to heal your gut then I recommend you continue your gut health and wellness education by purchasing the Holistic Gut Health Guide. Use the code HERBALFASTING10 for 10% off at checkout, and best of luck!

---

Heal Your Gut Naturally

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Purchase

If you read all the way here then it’s clear to me that you’re ready to do what it takes to finally restore your digestive system and gut microbiome back to healthy and optimal function.

I wrote the Holistic Gut Health Guide to help you accomplish exactly this! It contains all the information that you need to understand the gastrointestinal system, gut-brain axis, and microbiome in-depth, and the Holistic Gut Health Guide also educates you on the natural methods you can holistically use together like fasting and herbalism to transform your health from the inside out.

I’m so excited to be able to help you along your gut health and overall wellness journey with the Holistic Gut Health Guide! Please contact me with any questions you have and wishing you the best.

---

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

Other Herbs Useful for Gut Health and Fasting

Healing a Relationship with Cannabis

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated August 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Cannabis is an amazing plant with many profound qualities. Using cannabis responsibly can profoundly change one’s life and assist with an evolution in consciousness. Because of its powerful effects on human physiology and psychology, cannabis has held a prominent place spiritually and medicinally in human culture around the world for thousands of years. It is a very powerful herb capable of changing perception of time and reality, and though its use is most likely to cause an awakening of consciousness, it does possess some narcotic properties which have the potential to be abused.

I have gone through many different phases of using cannabis in my five years with the plant, from initial exploration to only using it spiritually and then overusing it on a daily basis, and in this article I’ll share what I’ve learned in the process of healing my relationship with cannabis back from overuse to conscious use.

Smoking the Devil’s Lettuce

The alternate label of “Devil’s Lettuce” for cannabis was coined sometime during the late 19th or early 20th century as an anti-cannabis movement sprung up. No doubt the abusive use of cannabis by some morphed into a widely held belief that cannabis had no valid recreational, medical, or spiritual use. Dark negative labels were placed onto the plant, casting a shadow over its potential to heal various ailments and awaken human consciousness. Cannabis (and psilocybin containing magic mushrooms) is still characterized as a schedule 1 drug under the United States Controlled Substances Act which states that “it has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.”

While cannabis does have a potential for abuse, it’s not a high potential, especially not when compared to the other drugs on the Schedule 1 list that deserve to be there like heroin and bath salts. Points two and three, that it has no valid medical use and a lack of accepted safety practices, are blatant lies by the United States government. Cannabis has been used medicinally for thousands of years and has an extremely strong safety profile.

A further issue with classifying cannabis as a schedule 1 drug is that it’s changed the economics of growing cannabis. Cannabis cultivation was driven to the black market, and overtime high-THC strains became dominant. Whereas a 15% THC strain used to be considered very powerful, now local dispensaries in legal states regularly sell cannabis with THC concentrations above 30%. THC is the main psychoactive in cannabis, and when cannabis is not balanced in its cannabinoid ratios between THC, CBD, CBN, CBC, and others, the narcotic properties of cannabis are amplified. By labeling cannabis as a narcotic and criminalizing its usage, the United States government created the very thing they were seeking to destroy.

I lay out this history because in states and countries where cannabis is legal for use, or if someone has a hookup, they are usually at the mercy of the cannabis available for purchase. Most dispensaries I’ve gone to have at least one or two strains of cannabis that were grown outdoors and organically (and ideally it’s a 1:1 THC to CBD hybrid) but those options exist among dozens or even hundreds of other cannabis products that are out of balance in their cannabinoid ratios, may have been heavily processed and distilled, were grown with pesticides and fertilizers, and may have been grown under artificial lighting in microbiologically “dead” soil. Cannabis grown under unnatural conditions produces unnatural cannabis that has much greater addictive properties, can cause health problems, and may disturb mental health.

Cannabis and the Bioelectrical System

To understand how an abuse of cannabis can develop, and how to then heal that dysfunctional relationship to cannabis, it’s important to fist learn the basic of how cannabis effects the body.

Running parallel to the nervous system is the endocannabinoid system, and the two are both components of what’s known as the bioelectrical system. The bioelectrical system is what controls the flow of energy and information throughout the body, and its cannabis’s effects on the bioelectrical system that give it many of its healing abilities. For example consider how cannabis can stop epileptic seizures and Parkinson’s muscle spasms; epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease both being disorders of the bioelectrical system.

Cannabis’s activation and balancing of the bioelectrical system is also responsible for its ability to increase human consciousness. A person’s bioelectrical status is not the sole determining factor in their state of consciousness, but it’s typically the largest factor. The bioelectrical system has a very powerful influence on health, wellness, and consciousness, and cannabis along with magic mushrooms provide a pathway towards healing bioelectrical imbalances and then further evolving the bioelectrical system. The evolutionary path Homo sapiens has taken for millions of years now has been to further increase our bioelectrical abilities; our big brains prove that. This drive to evolve the bioelectrical system to better feel subtle energies is innate in us and encoded into our very DNA. In fact, bioelectric fields alter DNA expression and optimizing human bioelectricity has the ability to radically change a person inside and out.

Cannabis is Food for Human Consciousness

Humans have a strong evolutionary drive to increase their bioelectrical capabilities (as it has proven successful for our species) and cannabis is a herb that harmoniously activates the bioelectrical system when grown under biodynamic conditions.

The reason why so many people have broken and abusive relationships with cannabis is because they’re using low quality cannabis.

A certain amount of bioelectrical activation is required to reach certain thresholds of consciousness. This activation is dependent not solely on THC but also other cannabinoids like CBD as well as phytochemicals like terpenes. Cannabis that is grown removed from nature (sun, rain, soil microbiome, fungal networks, etc) is imprinted with less consciousness and energy than cannabis that is grown in harmony with nature. Even if grown in a poor environment, the genetics of cannabis still provides it some unique goodies like abundant terpenes and cannabinoids, and for people who instinctually are seeking out a way to evolve bioelectrically, lesser quality cannabis will still do more for them than a simple banana ever will.

Food allows us to draw the best parallel to what’s happening here. The nutritional quality of food has been declining for decades now as monocrop industrial agriculture has been destroying the soil microbiome and draining the soil of nutrients. The nutrient quality of a tomato from the 2010’s was remarkably less than the nutrient quality of a tomato from the 1850’s, and while the nutritional quality of most of our food has plummeted, our nutritional needs have remained the same. It might take eating two tomatoes to now receive the nutrition of eating one back in the day, and with some fruits and vegetables the number is much higher. Eating more and more food to receive the same amount of nutrition places unwanted stress on the body, which then can lead to inflammation, obesity, and disease.

Like our food supply, most cannabis now is heavily deficient in the nutrients the body desires except for THC of which there is now an overabundance. And so just like the overeating epidemic that we have, there is an overconsumption of cannabis epidemic that is occurring as people smoke/vape/ingest more and more in an attempt to reach those critical thresholds required for bioelectrical and consciousness advancement. More consumption that does less places a much greater stress on the body, resulting in physical and mental health symptoms. As cannabinoid receptors become overly activated, over time they downregulate in their action potential and the entire endocrine (hormone) system adapts in a way to encourage a cessation of use.

Armed with this knowledge it’s now clear to see how this unbalanced relationship with cannabis can be healed and again placed on the right trajectory.

Resetting Cannabis Usage

There are a few methods that are very useful in resetting a dysfunctional relationship with cannabis. I found my relationship with cannabis became dysfunctional when I began using cannabis once a day or more and I wasn’t using cannabis of the highest caliber. Everyone is different in how they use plant medicines, but in general I recommend that cannabis should be used sparingly and respectfully. Allow time in-between each use to really integrate the lessons realized from the prior use.

The first and most important thing to do in resetting cannabis usage is to completely stop using cannabis and cannabis derived products. This is known as a T-break, and where one person might require only a 2 week T-break, someone else might require a 3 month T-break or longer. Ceasing all usage of cannabis allows cannabinoid receptors to return to normal in their distribution and effect. If cannabis receptors are completely out of balance, even in someone switches from poor quality cannabis to high-quality cannabis, the system will still be overloaded and the beneficial effects of the good cannabis won’t be felt. Then if the effects aren’t easily observed, the person may think “bugger this, I’m not spending extra on this fancy weed! I’ll keep smoking my regular stuff, or even better let’s see if they have a higher THC strain available”. Only with a T-break can cannabinoid receptors and the entire hormonal system be reset to baseline, a necessary step.

After a t-break of sufficient duration, and you’ll have to be honest with yourself to know how long that will be, then the second step to healing a relationship with cannabis is to only use high-quality cannabis and to say no to everything else. The bare minimum as I see it is outdoor organically grown cannabis, and if it’s not possible to find a 1:1 THC:CBD strain, then get a hold of both a THC strain and a CBD strain grown organically outdoors without pesticides and mix them together for use. Being very mindful of pesticides is very important because smoking or vaporizing cannabis coated in pesticides volatilizes them and causes major health problems with continuous exposure.

After a successful T-break and now armed with high-quality weed, the next step is to break old habits by establishing a new intention behind using the plant and to create a ritual around that. Rituals are a powerful way to bring awareness into a situation, and for example you could create a ritual where you only use cannabis if surrounded in nature with plans to do yoga, grounding, or meditation (three bioelectrical activities themselves) during the high. Set an intention, say a few words about what you’d like the cannabis to help you do, whether that’s increase your level of consciousness or simply to help you relax, and then have a small amount. Wait and see how it feels, stay in the present and shift your awareness internally. If guided by spirit to have more, then have some more, but follow your intuition not past behaviors. By creating and following the right ritual, old behaviors can be broken and forgotten and in their place a new relationship to cannabis can blossom.

The final thing that can be done to help reset a relationship with cannabis is to change the method of usage. If you smoke cannabis then switch to using a dry herb vaporizer like those sold by Healthy Rips. Vaporizing is healthier and more efficient. If you vaporize excessively experiment with cannabis lotions and creams. Mix cannabis with other herbs like chamomile, lavender, or mint and see how they blend together synergistically. By changing the method of delivery you can experience new ways that cannabis can activate your bioelectricity which provides a new perspectives to examine your past usage from.

I hope you found this information useful, it’s a summarization of what I’ve learned about cannabis in my five years of use and how I reset my relationship with cannabis successfully where I no longer feel I “need it”. Please share your cannabis relationship stories in the comments below.

---

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

Exploring Subtle Energies

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated June 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

A star goes supernova and obliterates its solar system with a gamma ray burst, momentarily outshining its galaxy. An electron decays an energy level and releases electromagnetic radiation, breaking a DNA bond.

These two examples demonstrate that energy permeates the universe at all scales, and as highly sophisticated lifeforms humans are well suited to experiencing many of the energies of the universe.

Some energies are literally blindingly obvious (looking at you Sun!), while others are more subtle and pass unnoticed to the unobservant.

I was first drawn to the exploration of subtle energies as my research into geophysics and astrophysics began to branch at times into metaphysics. Here was a world of endless possibilities, questions at every turn, and few answers...I was mesmerized! I often found myself pondering metaphysics during my job while performing a seismic survey or while I was using a magnetometer to measure Earth’s magnetic field. I began to question how simple geophysics like sound waves and electric waves in the crust influence an individual:

“How does a 0.2 Hz seismic microtremor generated from ocean waves change how our bodies resonate in an environment compared to 20 Hz microtremors generated from a nearby highway?”

“How do Earth’s electromagnetic fields like the Schumann resonances interact with human biology”

Overtime the more I learned and the more questions I asked the more a cohesive view of energy developed in my mind. Energy is all things, from the stone along the side of the road, to the star 150 kilometers away from Earth, to you.

Naturally at some point in the quest to better understand energy one begins studying the “subtle energies” and the effects of subtle energies:

What causes how you feel during a full moon?

Why does some water feel more alive that other water?

Why do some people, places, and things just make you feel uncomfortable?

What are Subtle Energies?

Our ability to observe and identify subtle energies is thwarted by our limited scientific methods and instrumentation, and for that matter we’re also limited in the study of subtle energies by the limits of our biology. Subtle energies are inherently difficult to study because they will always be at the edge of our resolution, but it’s vitally important that we try our best at all times to better understand subtle energies because the impacts they have can be quite enormous.

For example, during the embryonic stage cellular voltage gradients across cells determine DNA expression and cellular function. Apply the brain’s cellular voltage gradient to a section of the tail of a frog embryo, a mini brain will develop in the tail (1). An electromagnetic field at the cellular scale is a textbook example of a subtle energy, too small to probably feel yet here we observe this subtle energy forever changing the course of that small frog’s life.

While it may be easier for subtle energies to affect our existence at earlier stages of life, the countess subtle energies that surround and permeate each and every one us at all times have a large impact on our body, mind, and spirit. Exploring and better understanding subtle energies and how they impact you is not solely for those who were born with increased sensitivity to subtle energies, but for all people. In many ways human evolution has led us towards the exploration of subtle energies, it’s a birthright that comes along with our big brains and advanced consciousness.

How to Feel Subtle Energies

There are a few methods that I use to better feel subtle energies in myself and of my environment. Everyone is different so they may not work for you, but I encourage you to try these methods and discover for yourself how well they work.

Quiet the Mind: Meditation is one of the best ways to feel subtle energies as its a way to quiet the activity of the body and the mind. Just as you can’t hear a pin drop in a loud room, with a busy internal bioelectrical environment subtle energies can pass and exert their effects undetected. The main route to the detection of subtle energies is through meditation, and the more you practice the more sensitive you become.

Increase Brainwaves: Better feeling subtle energies comes with the territory of greater consciousness. One proven way to increases consciousness is to increase brainwaves frequencies and amplitudes. Listening to binaural beats is one way to entrain brainwaves to the binaural beat frequency. Another way to stimulate brainwaves is with certain herbs like green tea and chamomile, both of which boost 8-12 Hz alpha brainwaves.

Explore with Psychedelics: Once the brain was fully matured around the age of 25 and if mentally stable, responsibly delving into the world of psychedelics with substances like cannabis (THC) and magic mushrooms (psilocybin) is a powerful way to interact and feel subtle energies. Psychedelics interact with subtle energies in ways modern science does not yet understand, and direct experience of the manipulation of reality as we perceive it is one way to better understand the complex nature of our existence.

Connect with the Earth: Spending time in nature, which itself is a mesh of subtle energies, is one way to develop a feeling of the unseen and unheard. Even better is to spend some time grounding while in nature, placing your feet, hands, and/or body in direct contact with the conductive ground surface of our planet. The Earth is a sea of subtle energies, waves of free electrons sweep across the surface of the planet every second. Meditating while grounding is an excellent way to explore certain subtle energies and how they affect your autonomic nervous system and beyond.

And for another example of a subtle energy, think about how reading this article made you feel.

For those who have felt and experienced subtle energies, which is most everyone at some point in life, please share your experiences in the comments below!

---

References:

1. Pai VP, Lemire JM, Pare JF, Lin G, Chen Y, Levin M. Endogenous gradients of resting potential instructively pattern embryonic neural tissue via notch signaling and regulation of proliferation. Journal of Neuroscience. 2015;35(10):4366-4385.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

Piperine Improves Digestion and Enhances bioavailability

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated July 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

There exists a phytochemical that dramatically improves digestion while also boosting the bioavailability and absorption of nutrients. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory, has neuroprotective effects, and can even reduce the toxicity of certain chemicals. With such a broad range of health effects, it almost seems too good to be true that piperine exists, and lucky for us it is 100% real and one of the main reasons why black pepper is the “king of spices” worldwide.

White pepper contains the greatest percentage of piperine

Piperine is the main active ingredient in black pepper, white in color and makes up 3-10% of a peppercorn by weight, and piperine is responsible for the pungency of black pepper. If the oxidized black skin of a peppercorn is removed, this creates what is known as white pepper, and white peppercorns have a greater percentage of piperine than black pepper does. This article examines the different uses of piperine, in particular its ability to dramatically enhance the bioavailability of certain chemicals like curcuminoids and psilocybin, and how to best supplement with piperine.

Piperine Health Benefits

Because piperine stimulates quite a few different pathways throughout the body, it has a wide range of health uses depending on what health issues are present and how it is dosed. The main health benefits of piperine are:

1. Increases bio-absorption of vitamins and trace elements

2. Improves digestion

3. Decreases fat accumulation

4. Antimicrobial

5. Effective against acute inflammation

6. Piperine ameliorates chronic mild stress

7. Stimulates anti-cancer pathways

8. Reduces the extent of toxicity for certain chemicals

Piperine is an inhibitor of MAO activity, which is a potential treatment path for depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Piperine also can increase serotonin and dopamine levels under conditions of stress. Piperine’s effects on cancer, inflammatory diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases is still actively being researched into, and at this moment in time piperine is best known for it’s ability to enhance the absorption of other compounds like curcuminoids (antioxidant anti-inflammatories found in turmeric).

---

Ready to Heal Your Gut?

sale

Holistic Gut Health Guide eBook

Sale Price:$12.95 Original Price:$18.95

Together the digestive system and microbiome are the foundation of health from which everything else is dependent on.

The Holistic Gut Health Guide contains all the information you need to identify and understand the gastrointestinal and microbiome problems you may have while also providing you the most effective natural methods you can use to heal your gut. No gut health problems are unsolvable, give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

Purchase

Some of the information in the Holistic Gut Health Guide isn’t common knowledge but when implemented it is highly effective in healing the gut and shifting the microbiome towards symbiosis. Give yourself every possible advantage along your gut health journey by reading an implementing the advice shared in the Holistic Gut Health Guide.

---

Piperine Curcumin Bioavailability Enhancement

Curcuminoids are the yellow to orange pigments found in turmeric. There are many different curcuminoids but the main and most common of them is curcumin. The issue with curcumin is that it has nearly zero physiological effects on the body if taken by itself because it has terrible bioavailability, measured at less than 1%. The bodies ability to absorb curcuminoids is limited due to its poor solubility in the aqueous phase of the digestive tract and what does reach the bloodstream is rapidly metabolized and excreted. A lot of time and effort has gone into increasing the absorption of curcumin, and piperine has proven to be one of the best ways to increase curcumin’s absorption and therefore increasing its health effects, the main ones of which are:

1. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

2. Anti-depressive and is neuroprotective

3. Dramatically reduces symptoms of osteoarthritis

4. Improves prostate health

5. Reduces inflammation of the digestive system

Piperine works synergistically with curcumin by inhibiting curcumin's rabid absorption by the liver and intestinal wall, thereby increasing the absorption of curcumin by 2000% (20x better). Now able to pass into the bloodstream in much greater quantities thanks to piperine, curcumin can circulate throughout the body and past the blood-brain barrier for much more powerful full body anti-inflammatory effects. It takes about one hour after supplementation for curcuminoids and piperine to reach max concentrations in the blood, and they are metabolized almost completely a few hours later.

Most studies that observed the bioavailability enhancing effects of piperine on curcumin used a ratio of 5 mg piperine to 500 mg curcumin, and as a result most supplements are formulated with the same ratio. New research is currently being done where the amount of piperine relative to curcumin is increased, and being considerate of all the health benefits piperine has of its own, increasing the ratio by 4x by supplementing with 500 mg curcumin and 20 mg piperine is worthwhile to try.

Piperine for Psilocybin Absorption

Because piperine has been shown to increase the ability of various phytochemicals (curcumin, green tea EGCG) to be absorbed into the blood stream, there is a growing interest in if piperine can aid in the absorption of other compounds like psilocybin. Psilocybin is a chemical produced by over 200 species of fungi that is water soluble and is biologically inactive. Once in the body though, psilocybin is rapidly metabolized into psilocin which creates psychedelic effects such as hallucinations, feelings of euphoria, changes in perceptions, and space/time distortions, and for these reason psilocybin is often used for spiritual journeys or in the treatment of mental illness.

Though good scientific evidence is very limited in regards to piperine’s ability to increased the absorption of psilocybin, mechanistically it should work as piperine in general increases gastrointestinal function and absorption ability. My personal anecdotal experience backs this up (N=1) as I’ve experimented with psilocybin using magic mushrooms while also taking some piperine. Piperine in theory is the perfect pair for psilocybin because it also has neurologic functions and can cross the blood-brain barrier like psilocin. Taking 1.5 grams of magic mushrooms paired with 25 mg of piperine increased the effect of the magic mushrooms noticably for me, to the point where it felt like I actually took about 2-2.5 grams of mushrooms. My experience in pairing piperine and psilocybin together is limited but it seems piperine makes magic mushrooms about 20-30% more potent simply by increasing the amount of psilocybin that successfully passes through the digestive system into the bloodstream.

Since psilocybin is water soluble, one effective way to use magic mushrooms is to powder them and stir that into a chamomile tea steeped in 170F water. Take the piperine supplement while drinking the tea.

Piperine for Medicinal Mushrooms

It’s also very likely that piperine increases the absorption and effect of medicinal mushrooms like reishi and cordyceps. Medicinal mushrooms have powerful immune-boosting and cognitive-enhancing health effects, and it’s worth keeping a piperine supplement on hand for use in boosting the absorption of herbal supplements like curcumin or medicinal mushrooms.

How to Supplement with Piperine Capsules

Piperine is one herbal supplement I always keep on hand because it enhances the absorption and actions of many other herbal supplements like turmeric and green tea. If herbal supplements do include piperine into their blend, it’s usually in amounts of 2-5 mg per serving, which is quite low. To supplement with piperine by itself or in conjunction with other herbals use 0.25-0.5 mg piperine per kg of bodyweight. A good starting dose is 10-25 mg.

Nootropics Depot Piperine

Nootropics Depot conveniently sells piperine extract in 10mg capsules. Piperine is highly sensitive and will degrade quickly when exposed to light, so supplementing with piperine in capsule form instead of with a powder is not only easier to dose but also lowers the amount of degradation that will occur due to light exposure.

The 10 mg capsules also make experimenting with piperine dosages quite easy. If interested start with 10 mg a few times and then increase to 20 mg or beyond. This is especially useful when digestive upset is being experienced. Consuming black pepper is one way to help ease digestive ailments, but it can be difficult to consume enough black pepper directly to be especially effective, but piperine can be supplemented at whatever 10 mg increment desired.

---

References:

1. Butt MS, Pasha I, Sultan MT, Randhawa MA, Saeed F, Ahmed W. Black pepper and health claims: a comprehensive treatise. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2013;53(9):875-886. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2011.571799

2. Rahman Khan Z, Moni F, Sharmin S, et al. Isolation of bulk amount of piperine as active pharmaceutical ingredient (Api) from black pepper and white pepper(&lt;i&gt;piper nigrum&lt;/i&gt; l.). PP. 2017;08(07):253-262. https://doi.org/10.4236/pp.2017.87018

3. Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353-6.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

The Best Nootropic Coffee

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated March 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Your life will never be the same after trying out this secret nootropic coffee recipe because afterwards you’ll never go back to a regular cup of coffee.

In the United States of America where 146 billion cups of coffee are enjoyed per year, and worldwide where that number is MUCH larger, this coffee drink might even change the world.

One reason coffee is so popular is because each cup contains ~100 mg of caffeine. Caffeine is a mild stimulant that increases alertness and focus, wards off sleep, and boosts the metabolism. Caffeine is the most widely used nootropic worldwide and coffee makes it easily to consume a physiologically and psychologically relevant dose. So how do you improve upon the world’s most widely consumed nootropic beverage?

Well in my quest to make the perfect coffee, one that’s smooth, not too bitter, packed with micronutrients, and doesn’t create any anxiety or jitter I turned to herbalism, experimenting with many different recipes, and one day I blended together the ultimate cup of joe.

This super coffee is such a health and productivity hack that I honestly shouldn’t share it with anyone, but I’m feeling magnanimous so here goes.

The Dark Mocha Rises

One of the main drawbacks of coffee is that it can sometimes cause jitteryness and anxiety, especially when multiple cups are consumed and when plenty of extra sugar is added. Instead of creating a triumphant feeling of focus and productivity, you’re left feeling worn and emotionally snappy.

Bulletproof coffee was the first to address this issue by replacing sugar with a fat like butter or coconut oil, in the process taking the paleo community by storm. The blend of fat and coffee nicely enhances alertness and focus while boosting fat metabolism, providing all day energy without any blood sugar crashes. Why stop with one improvement when we can go one step further with what I call the dark mocha.

A typical mocha combines coffee with steamed milk and chocolate, delicious. A dark mocha is different.

Instead of mixing in cream and sugar, a dark mocha starts with a cup of black coffee and mixes in 100% pure cacao along some honey and a few synergistic herbal supplements.

Pure cacao powder contains a good blend of fat, fiber, and protein which together function better than butter or coconut oil in stabilizing blood sugar and without creating an oily coffee. Cacao also has a delicious flavor and melts easily into a warm cup of coffee. Add to that some honey to cut some of the bitterness, Ceylon cinnamon for flavor and for it’s insulin sensitizing effects, and chaga mushroom and cistanche for a wealth of health and longevity benefits, and you have the ultimate cup of coffee. Here’s the recipe.

Dark Mocha Recipe:

• 1 cup (8oz) black coffee

• 1 tbsp cacao powder

• 1 tsp honey

• 1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp chaga mushroom powder

• 1/8 tsp cistanche powder

Instructions:

Brew a cup of black coffee using your favorite coffee beans and pour into a shaker bottle.

Add cacao honey, cinammon, chaga, and cistanche

Blend together for 1-2 minutes until the cacao and honey are fully dissolved. Drink from the bottle or pour into a mug.

Some of the cinnamon, chaga, and cistanche will slowly settle out over time, so give the coffee the occasional swirl or stir with a spoon to keep everything suspended.

The Health Benefits of a Nootropic Coffee

It’s common knowledge that many herbals exist which are great for health and wellness, and incorporating cacao, cinnamon, chaga, and cistanche into coffee (is it a coincidence they all start with the letter C?) makes it real easy to boost the beneficial energetic and cognitive effects of coffee and one’s overall health at the same time.

No messing around with pills or brewing a pot of tea to practice herbalism, simply turn on the coffee machine, scoop the different powders into the cup, and mix. This nootropic blend is so good that it can also help curb a coffee dependency, because a second, third, or fourth cup of coffee won’t be needed to keep alertness, focus, and productivity high. To better understand why this is, let’s learn about the health benefits of each herbal ingredient in the dark mocha.

Health Benefits of Cacao

Cacao is best known for it’s voluptuous flavor and mood-boosting effects, widely considered an aphrodisiac by many. Cacao contains procyanins which are strong anti-inflammatories and have been shown to increase longevity and be neuroprotective. Cacao flavonols reduce mental fatigue and improve cognition during sustained mental effort, also reducing anxiety and depression. Cacao is also good for the heart and cardiovascular system at large and has insulin-sensitizing effects.

The balanced combination of fat, fiber, and protein in cacao also makes it an excellent addition to coffee helping to stabilize it’s more jittery effects.

Health Benefits of Ceylon Cinnamon

Ceylon cinnamon has great flavor and is a well-known anti-diabetic herbal. Cinnamon reduces blood sugar spikes, improves glucose utilization in cells, and can reduce fasting blood glucose alongside cholesterol levels.

Using Ceylon cinnamon instead of cassia cinnamon is important because ceylon cinnamon contains much lower levels of coumarin, a compound that is toxic to the liver in high doses. To receive a concerning dose of coumarin more than an ounce (28 grams) of Ceylon cinnamon would have to be consumed, which is nowhere close to the 1/2 tsp amount recommended in the dark mocha recipe above.

Health Benefits of Chaga Mushroom

Chaga Mushroom is typically found growing on birch trees and is best known for it’s immune system boosting and anti-cancer properties. Chaga mushroom fortifies the cardiovascular system, helps with digestive upset, increases work capacity, and is a potent antioxidant with gene-protecting properties. Chaga is well tolerated in large doses and therefore has a strong safety profile.

Chaga is also a general immune system enhancer which possesses anti-tumor properties. Chaga has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine and is now used the world over.

Health Benefits of Cistanche

Cistanche is a plant found growing in arid deserts that contains a wealth of plant compounds such as glycosides, lignans, polysaccharides that boost health across the board. Cistanche fortifies the kidneys and renal system at large, increases learning and memorization ability, protects against neurodegenerative diseases, improves immunity, increases longevity, is an endocrine adaptogen (often boosting testosterone levels), and helps with chronic fatigue syndrome. Cistanche has a strong safety profile and has been used for thousands of years, first in traditional Chinese medicine and now worldwide.

Cistanche also strengthens the cardiovascular system and improves endurance, prevents bone loss, and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in general. Cistanche is one of the ultimate herbs for increasing general longevity and vitality, and it goes great with coffee.

Note - I’ve used cistanche (at greater doses than what’s in this recipe) to boost my free testosterone levels over 50+%. Learn more about the Cistanche and Cholesterol Protocol.

The Best Super Coffee

The combination of coffee, cacao, cinnamon, chaga, and cistanche is a match made in heaven. All are dark brown and ready to please your palate, together enhancing your energy, mental cognition, and health in a way few supplements can match. If you want to make the dark mocha 100% plant-based and vegan, substitute the honey for a sweetener like agave syrup.

If you’re consuming more than 300 mg of caffeine per day, switching to a dark mocha will help in reducing daily coffee consumption simply because more cups of coffee won’t be needed. The synergistic effects of the cacao, cinnamon, chaga, and cistanche make one dark mocha all that’s needed to maintain all-day focus and cognitive performance.

Alternatively if you are struggling with your high consumption of coffee and running into negative symptoms as a results, I recommend undergoing a coffee tolerance reset in order to resensitize to the beneficial effects of coffee. Lucky for you I’ve written the complete guide below, check it out!

Nootropic Coffee Ingredients

The ingredients needed to blend together a dark mocha are sold from Mountain Rose Herbs and Nootropics Depot.

Raw Cacao Powder

Ceylon Cinnamon

Chaga Mushroom Powder

Organic Raw Cacao Powder

Mountain Rose Herbs grinds raw whole beans harvested from the tropical plant Theobroma cacao to produce their raw cacao powder. It is not roasted as is typically done.

Standard dose is 2 - 5 grams.

Organic Ceylon Cinnamon Powder

Ceylon cinnamon is true cinnamon and is preferable to use compared to cassia cinnamon because it contains dramatically lower levels of coumarin as discussed earlier.

Standard dose is 0.5 - 2 grams.

Organic Chaga Mushroom Powder

The Mountain Rose Herbs chaga powder is milled from the entire sclerotia. As a whole milled powder it contains the full spectrum of beneficial health compounds found in chaga such as beta-glucans and triterpenes.

Standard dose is 0.5 - 3 grams once daily.

---

Cistanche is not available from Mountain Rose herbs and instead can be purchased from Nootropics Depot, as can a more finely milled chaga powder.

Cistanche Tubulosa Powder

The cistanche product sold by Nootropics Depot is highly standardized, containing a minimum of 50% echinacosides and 10% acetoside, overall delivering more echinacosides and acetoside per gram than most other cistanche products.

Standard dose is 200 mg once daily.

Chaga 1:1 Mushroom Extract Powder

The chaga mushroom powder sold by Nootropics Depot is very finely milled which makes it excellent for stirring directly into a drink like coffee without creating any unpleasant clumps or graininess.

Standard dose is 500 mg once daily.

Beta-Glugan (β-Glucan) minimum content: 8%

Contains Triterpenoids

---

References:

1. Malcom Stuart, et al. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Crescent Books, New York.

2. Latif R. Health benefits of cocoa: Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. 2013;16(6):669-674.

3. Ranasinghe P, Pigera S, Premakumara GS, Galappaththy P, Constantine GR, Katulanda P. Medicinal properties of ‘true’ cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a systematic review. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013;13(1):275.

4. Shashkina MYa, Shashkin PN, Sergeev AV. Chemical and medicobiological properties of chaga (Review). Pharm Chem J. 2006;40(10):560-568.

5. Li Z, Lin H, Gu L, Gao J, Tzeng CM. Herba cistanche (Rou cong-rong): one of the best pharmaceutical gifts of traditional chinese medicine. Front Pharmacol. 2016;7.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

Turmeric Curcumin Bioavailability and Supplement Guide

Article by Stefan Burns - Updated June 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!

Turmeric is a flowering plant (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family and the bright orange rhizome it grows is used as a spice, most notably in India. Turmeric has many medicinal properties due to it’s unique blend of essential oils, plant polyphenols, and it’s main active ingredient curcumin which is a pigment chemical that gives turmeric its bright orange color.

Turmeric and its main active ingredient curcumin have become popular supplements worldwide because of their anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant capabilities (1). There are many different ways turmeric and curcumin supplements are formulated, and some formulations are more effective than others because of their superior bioavailability.

This turmeric and curcumin buyers guide discusses the health benefits of turmeric, the science of how to increase it’s bioavailability, and the characteristics the best turmeric and curcumin supplements share.

Whole turmeric rhizome, slices, and powder

What Are Turmeric Supplements Good For?

The different active compounds of turmeric are known as curcuminoids, and for thousands of years Ayurvedic and Tradition Chinese Medicine have held turmeric root in high esteem due to its healing properties. Turmeric and its curcuminoids are helpful for a variety of health conditions such as cognitive ailments, pain, poor digestive function, and diseases that are inflammation based. I recommend incorporating turmeric spice into the diet for a generalized heath benefit and to also keep a curcumin supplement readily available so it can be used whenever pain or inflammation is experienced in excess. Curcuminoids are especially excellent at relieving pain, such as joint pain, a headache, or generalized discomfort. For those with ongoing health conditions which curcuminoids would help with, using a turmeric and curcumin supplement daily is a safe and practical option.

The drawback to turmeric is curcuminoids are not very bioavailable under normal circumstances. There have been many different attempts made to find a way to increase the bioavailability of curcumin, and this has flooded the supplement market with different turmeric and curcumin formulations some of which are well formulated and effective, and others which will have minimal health effect.

Without reading the research papers directly, detailed information regarding how to best take turmeric and curcumin supplements is hard to find, and this comprehensive guide to turmeric/curcumin supplements solves that problem by explaining the different type of turmeric supplements that exist on the market, their bioavailability and effectiveness, and the health benefits different formulations have on different systems of the body.

Curcuminoids

Curcumin is the yellow to orange pigment found in turmeric. The more alkaline the curcumin the darker the color. Curcumin has a massive catalogue of studied health benefits (2). It's anti-inflammatory, anti-depressive, a minor antioxidant, dramatically reduces symptoms of osteoarthritis, improves prostate health, reduces mucositis, and so much more. Curcumin is one of the most well researched supplements known, and more is still being discovered. It is mostly the curcuminoids in turmeric that give turmeric its noted health benefits.

Most pure curcumin supplements consist of a blend of different types of curcuminoids, such as curcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin (BMC), and demethoxycurcumin (DMC), which all together usually total around 500 - 750 mg per serving. When analyzed, curcumin is the dominant curcuminoid at 60%, with BMC and DMC coming in around ~20% each.

The issue is that curcumin has nearly zero physiological effects on the body if taken by itself. Like turmeric powder, curcumin has terrible bioavailability, measured at less than 1%. Curcumin’s bioavailability is limited due to its poor solubility in the aqueous phase of the digestive tract. The body also rapidly metabolizes and excretes it. Bioavailability is also different between the sexes, with women on average reaching double the blood concentrations of curcumin compared to men. The reason for this difference in bioavailability between the sexes is unknown.

To fix the bioavailability problem, scientists have various methods to increase the bioavailability of curcuminoids in the body, and supplement manufacturers have created different formulations based on these scientific studies.

Turmeric and Curcumin Bioavailability

The reason so many different types of turmeric and curcumin supplements exist is because turmeric isn’t highly bioavailable in the human body under normal circumstances. If taking a supplement consisting of pure turmeric powder and nothing else, only 1-2% of the curcuminoids that make up part of the turmeric spice will enter into the bloodstream. Curcuminoids make up about 6% of turmeric by dry weight, so if taking a 1000 mg turmeric supplement, then ~1mg of curcuminoids will enter into the bloodstream, an insignificant effect.

Curcumin’s bioavailability is limited due to its poor solubility in the aqueous phase of the digestive tract. Furthermore, curcuminoids are rapidly absorbed by the tissues of the digestive system, limiting their ability to enter into the bloodstream. The digestive system, particularly the small intestine, is under constant stress from having to digest food and being in contact with the microbiome, and as a result it’s inflamed to some degree. Curcuminoids being potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds are quickly absorbed by the tissues of the gut for their own use.

Bioavailability is also different between the sexes, with women on average reaching double the blood concentrations of curcumin compared to men. The reason for this difference in bioavailability between the sexes is unknown.

If interested in using turmeric for its digestive healing effects, then taking plain turmeric without any bioavailability enhancement is desirable because it will specifically target the tissues of the gastrointestinal system and little else.

If curcuminoids are able to enter into the bloodstream in large quantities, then they exert their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body, reducing pain and inflammation and enhancing cognition.

Methods of Increasing Curcumin Bioavailability

Curcumin is the main active ingredient found in turmeric responsible for its potent health and wellness benefits. Increasing its bioavailability increases its medicinal effect. That said, other compounds exist in raw turmeric that are health promoting, such as turmeric essential oils. Extracting more curcuminoids from turmeric increases the potency of its health effects, but for the complete benefits of turmeric, whole turmeric must also be consumed. The methods below describe how curcumin bioavailability can be increased, but keep in mind that the most effective curcumin supplement will also be one that incorporates some portion of powdered turmeric into its formulation.

Turmeric Dual Spectrum X:1 Extract

One way to achieve the synergistic health effects of raw turmeric while still receiving enough curcuminoids is to take a turmeric supplement concentrated through extraction.

Extraction is used to refine and purify a product. An extract is prepared using alcohol or water, and at the end of the concentration process the resulting extract is more potent. Depending on the level of extraction, curcuminoids can be much more heavily concentrated or just lightly more concentrated. With the right extract formulation, it is possible to create a turmeric supplement which retains all of the beneficial compounds of the turmeric rhizome while still increasing the potency and concentration of the main active curcumin compounds.

Curcumin with Piperine Supplements

Piperine is an enzyme inhibitor found in black pepper, giving black pepper its iconic pungency, and it has been shown to increase the bio-availability of curcumin (and by extension, turmeric) by 20x (3). Piperine works synergistically with curcumin, inhibiting curcumin's rabid absorption by the liver and intestinal wall. This inhibition allows curcumin to circulate into the blood stream for full body anti-inflammatory effects. Curcuminoids and piperine together enter into the blood stream rapidly peaking sharply about an hour after ingestion before being fully metabolized about 2-3 hours later.

When used in supplements, piperine is most often listed as biopiperine. Most studies which have researched the effect of piperine on curcumin absorption have used 20 mg of piperine per 2 grams of curcumin, and most curcumin/piperine supplements use 5 mg of piperine per 500 mg of curcuminoids, which is the same ratio.

Piperine is a bioavailability enhancer for more than just curcuminoids, and it has it’s own long list of health benefits (gastrointestinal aid, cognitive enhancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) that overlap quite a bit with curcumin. Ancient Ayurveda knew this, and it’s why black pepper and turmeric spice are paired together for some many dishes in India.

Nootropics Depot sells a curcumin + piperine supplement which contains 1000 mg of 95% standardized curcuminoids and 6 mg of piperine.

Micellar Curcumin Supplements

Micellar curcumin is a special type of curcumin supplement shown to have better bioavailability that curcumin paired with piperine. Curcumin is a lipophilic molecule, meaning it is poorly water soluble, and that in large part is why curcumin is so poorly bioavailable. A micelle as shown to the left is a collection of lipid (fat) molecules that can simultaneously interact with water and lipids.

When curcuminoids are encapsulated in micelles, their ability to enter into the bloodstream skyrockets, and they stay active in the body for much longer

Through a special chemical process, curcumin molecules can be contained inside micelles. Protected by the micelles which are able to interact with water soluble materials and membranes, the curcumin is much more easily transported though the digestive system and into the blood stream.

Micellar curcumin is incredibly bioavailable (4), more so than curcumin taken with piperine, and curcumin concentrations in the blood stream stay elevated for up to a day as compared to a few hours with curcumin and piperine supplements. This approach to increase curcumin bioavailable is completely independent of enzyme inhibition which is how piperine works.

Because the addition of micelles increases the bioavailability of curcumin so dramatically, its health effects can be too potent at times, and caution is recommended. In a study measuring micellar curcumin’s bioavailability (4), the researchers took note of the side effects observed. Out of 13 women and 10 men total, 7 women and 3 men experienced mild nausea. Since curcumin is ~2x more bioavailable in women in men, we’d speculate that more women experienced nausea than men because they received too much curcumin. 1 woman even vomited! The nausea prevalent with use of micellar curcumin did not occur when those same men and women used the other two formulations (Micronized Curcumin and Meriva® type formulation). Unless you have a serious health condition that would benefit from all day elevated curcumin blood levels, I would stick to the safer and more widely available curcumin with piperine supplements.

Nootropics Depot sells a Longvida curcumin supplement which uses micellular technology to dramatically increase the bioavailability of curcuminoids.

Micronized Curcumin Supplements

Micronized curcumin is effectively “crystallized” curcumin. The method one study used to create micronized curcumin involved mixing 25% curcumin powder with 58.3% triacetin (an anti-fungal) and 16.7% panodan (an emulsifier) and spraying and soaking the solution onto porous silicon dioxide crystals (basically glass, inactive physiologically) (5). The resulting micronized curcumin powder contained ~15% curcumin.

Micronized curcumin was found to be 9x more bioavailable than regular standardized curcumin averaged between men and women. Micronized curcumin was also shown to be more bioavailable in women compared to men. Compared to regular curcumin, the micronized version was more bioavailable, but still less so than curcumin with piperine.

Micronizing curcumin is a complex process which uses a lot of chemicals, and I would stay away from micronized curcumin supplements for these reasons.

Curcumin with Turmeric Essential Oils Supplements

As discussed, it is turmeric/curcumin’s poor water solubility that negatively affects its bioavailability. When taken with fats, curcumin’s bioavailability improves.

It is also usually the case that when an herb or root with medicinal properties is taken in its original whole form a type of entourage effect occurs. With the entourage effect, the secondary compounds which are normally standardized out can now contribute to and boost the overall health effect, and the benefits of supplements that take this into account this holistic nature are broader in their beneficial medicinal effect.

The essential oils found within the turmeric root are some of those secondary compounds, and it’s been shown that when standardized curcumin is taken with turmeric essential oils the bioavailability of curcumin improves significantly (6). This increase in bioavailability is because of the synergistic effect these plant compounds exhibit, and also the fact that the essential oils add fat to the supplement, aiding assimilation into the blood stream.

One formulation that employs this tactic is known as BCM-95 (Biocurcumax), and it’s been shown to be 7x more bioavailable than standard curcumin (7). BCM-95 is more bioavailable than curcumin with piperine, and with piperine added to a BCM-95 curcumin formulation, I think the bioavailability would be improved even further, possibly rivaling or surpassing the bioavailability of micellar curcumin due to the entourage effect.

Curcumin with Emulsifiers (lecithins)

Emulsifiers such as lecithins have also been used in an effort to increase the bioavailability of curcumin. The idea is that the emulsifiers help to carry the curcumin through the gut and into the bloodstream. Meriva is one such formulation, and overall bioavailability is improved compared to just curcumin, but not by much. In one study, a reference dose of 1800 mg of standardized curcuminoids, was compared to a Meriva formulation (8). Compared to the reference dose, the Meriva formulation was 5.5x more potent and stayed in the bloodstream for longer. Interestingly, the Meriva formulation dramatically boosted the bioavailability of demethoxycurcumin (DMC), a less prominent curcuminoid.

The specific physiological effects of just DMC are not well studied yet, and it is unknown why the addition of lecithins to standardized curcuminoids dramatically increases the bioavailability of DMC compared to the other curcuminoids.

Fermented Turmeric Supplements

Fermented turmeric is yet another supplement type. During fermentation curcumin is metabolized by bacteria into a different yet similar compound called tetrahydrocurcumin (THCC). Typically chemical reactions result in more stable compounds, and it’s been observed that THCC is more stable than curcumin. Likely as a result of it’s increased stability, THCC has a longer half-life of 323 minutes in plasma versus 111 minutes for curcumin.

One study which measured the effect of fermented turmeric observed that 36 hours of fermentation using Aspergillus oryzae at 25°C reduced regular curcumin levels from 2.0 mg/g to 0.79 mg/g (9). The reduction in curcumin in fermented turmeric is offset by the creation of THCC, though the exact ratios of how fermentation converts curcumin to tetrahydrocurcumin is unknown.

With rats, tetrahydrocurcumin appears to be more bioavailable than curcumin (10). In general its been observed that rats absorb curcumin much easier than humans. Like curcumin, THCC was found to primarily be absorbed by the intestine and liver. No studies have been performed measuring tetrahydrocurcumin’s bioavailability in humans or rats when paired with piperine or encapsulated in micelles.

Fermented turmeric is highly experimental and as of now it’s medicinal effects are poorly quantified. Fermented turmeric doesn’t appear to be unsafe in any way considering normal usage, but the effects on your body are not well researched. Below are two non-comprehensive lists laid out in layman’s terms outlining some of the benefits of curcumin over THCC, and vice versa. Nootropics Depot sells a Curowhite curcumin supplement which is standardized to 25% to contain dura, hexa, and octa curcuminoids.

Curcumin Benefits over Tetrahydrocurcumin:

• Curcumin was more effective than THCC in preventing skin tumors in mice

• Curcumin was more effective than THCC as an antioxidant

• Curcumin induced apoptosis (cellular death) of leukemia cells but THCC did not

• Curcumin, but not THCC, was effective in reducing amyloid plaque burden and amyloid aggregation (think Alzheimers)

• Curcumin, but not THCC, inhibited Ca(2+) influx through CRAC for activating immune cells

• Curcumin, but not THCC, inhibited entry of hepatitis C virus genotypes into human liver cells

• Curcumin inhibited type A influenza virus infection to a greater extent than THCC by interfering with viral hemagglutination activity (red blood cell clumping)

Tertahydrocurcumin Benefits over Curcumin:

• THCC was more active than curcumin as an antioxidant

• THCC was more active than curcumin for suppression of LDL oxidation

• THCC was equal to curcumin in potency for suppression of histamine release

• THCC was more active than curcumin in normalizing blood glucose and improvement of altered carbohydrate metabolic enzymes in diabetic animals

• THCC was more active than curcumin in increasing plasma insulin in diabetic rats

• THCC was more active than curcumin for antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic (blood lipid lowering) effects

• THCC was more active than curcumin in a hepatoprotective role in CCL4-induced liver damage in rats and alcoholic liver disease model rats

• THCC was more active than curcumin as an antihypertensive

Comparing Curcumin Supplement Effectiveness

Below are the different well studied curcumin supplements compared across three markers, Cmax, AUC, and Tmax.

• Cmax is the peak concentration reached in blood plasma, expressed in nmol/L.

• AUC (area under the curve) is the concentration in blood plasma over time, expressed as nmol/L * H

• Tmax is the time it took to reach Cmax. Higher values for Cmax and AUC are typically better.

A lower value for Tmax is preferred if you are looking for a fast acting curcumin supplement for immediate pain relief. A higher Tmax value indicates a broader effect.

Cmax (nmol/L)

• 7.1 - 2g Curcumin

• 41.6 - 410mg Micronized Curcumin

• 489 - 2g Curcumin, 20mg Piperine

• 1240 - 2g BCM-95®

• 1765 - 297mg Meriva

• 3228 - 410mg Micellar Curcumin

AUC (nmol/L * H)

• 65.6 - 2g Curcumin (measured for 24 hours)

• 217.2 - 2g Curcumin, 20mg Piperine (measured to zero after 3 hours)

• 582.7 - 410mg Micronized Curcumin (measured for 24 hours)

• 1460.4 - 297mg Meriva (measured for 24 hours)

• 8690 - 2g BCM-95® (measured for 8 hours)

• 12147.7 - 410mg Micellar Curcumin (measured for 24 hours)

Tmax (H - hours)

• 0.69 - 2g Curcumin, 20mg Piperine

• 1.1 - 410mg Micellar Curcumin

• 3.0 - 2g BCM-95

• 3.8 - 297mg Meriva

• 7.5 - 2g Curcumin

• 7.5 - 410mg Micronized Curcumin

If choosing a turmeric/curcumin supplement based purely off of the blood markers above, micellar curcumin is the clear winner, with the BCM-95 formulation coming in second and the Meriva formulation coming in third.

There are other important considerations besides just Cmax and AUC values though. Anytime a drug, supplement, or food is ingested, body chemistry is altered. Care must be taken when taking supplements, as too much of even a good thing can have negative health effects. Take for example that curcumin strongly activates AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase), an very important enzyme which governs metabolism (aka fat oxidation or fat storage).

With micellar curcumin, curcumin concentrations in the blood are elevated very strongly and for a long time, overly activating AMPK and other systems throughout the body. If using a curcumin supplement everyday as many people do, using a micellar curcumin supplement will strongly influence AMPK 24/7, and over a long duration the effect this will have hasn’t been studied yet. Positive or negative, the effects are currently unknown. The high reports of nausea from the use of micellar curcumin is also troubling. With a supplement to be used often, exerting caution is always the best approach. Start conservatively, gauge how it affects your body, both physiologically and psychologically, and tweak the dosing from there.

Micellar curcumin was the front runner based on having the highest Cmax and AUC values, but with these concerns noted, I recommend a more conservative approach, and a curcumin formulation that is more holistic in nature.

Where to Buy Curcumin Supplements

After studying into the health benefits of curcumin and how its bioavailability can be increased, the best marketplace I have found for curcumin supplements is Nootropics Depot. They carry three different types of curcumin supplement, each having their unique bioavailability differences which are worth trying separately.

Curcumin + Piperine Capsules

The standard curcumin supplement they sell is a blend of 1000 mg of 95% standardized curcuminoids and 6 mg piperine derived from black pepper. This is a good curcumin supplement that is readily bioavailable and can be used for a wide range of purposes, from treating headaches to joint pain or to boost metabolism.

Longvida Curcumin Supplement

Nootropics Depot also carries a Longvida curcumin supplement. Longvida curcumin has been coated in a blend of highly purified fatty acids and phospholipids, which increases greatly increases curcuminoid bioavailability into the bloodstream. Each capsule contains 400 mg of the Longvida opimized curcumin extract.

Curowhite Curcumin Supplement

Lastly Nootropics Depot carries a Curowhite curcumin supplement which is a blend of tetra, hexa, and octa-curcuminoids standardized to at least 25%. These hydrogenated curcuminoids have differing effects physiologically than regular curcuminoids and are worth experimenting with.

1-2 servings of the any of the curcumin supplements sold by Nootopics Depot will be enough to use for digestive relief, pain relief, headaches, inflammatory diseases, and for general health and wellness purposes.

Mountain Rose Herbs also sells a variety of turmeric products, from the rhizome itself to different supplements and teas.

---

References:

1. Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. Curcumin: A Review of Its' Effects on Human Health. Foods. 2017;6(10)

2. Kamal Patel. Curcumin. Examine

3. Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353-6.

4. Schiborr C, Kocher A, Behnam D, Jandasek J, Toelstede S, Frank J. The oral bioavailability of curcumin from micronized powder and liquid micelles is significantly increased in healthy humans and differs between sexes. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2014;58(3):516-27.

5. Schiborr C, Kocher A, Behnam D, Jandasek J, Toelstede S, Frank J. The oral bioavailability of curcumin from micronized powder and liquid micelles is significantly increased in healthy humans and differs between sexes. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2014;58(3):516-27.

6. US Patent 7883728B2

7. Antony B, Merina B, Iyer VS, Judy N, Lennertz K, Joyal S. A Pilot Cross-Over Study to Evaluate Human Oral Bioavailability of BCM-95CG (Biocurcumax), A Novel Bioenhanced Preparation of Curcumin. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2008;70(4):445-9.

8. Cuomo J, Appendino G, Dern AS, et al. Comparative absorption of a standardized curcuminoid mixture and its lecithin formulation. J Nat Prod. 2011;74(4):664-9.

9. Kim SW, Ha KC, Choi EK, et al. The effectiveness of fermented turmeric powder in subjects with elevated alanine transaminase levels: a randomised controlled study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013;13:58.

10. Pianpumepong Plangpin, Et al. Study on enhanced absorption of phenolic compounds of Lactobacillus‐fermented turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.) beverages in rats. International Journal of Food Science & Technology 47(11). November 2012.

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

Disclosure: Wild Free Organic is a member of various affiliate programs and if a purchase is made through one of our affiliate links a small commission is received. This does not affect your purchase price. Visit our disclosure page for more information.

---

Other Articles on Natural Supplements