# Herbal Supplements



## sop (Apr 7, 2009)

Anybody on here take herbal supplements?
I found out that the best to take are:
Ginko Bilobia (mind health)
Gensing (energy)
St. Johns Wart (clam nerves at night)


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## fit4duty (Apr 12, 2009)

sop said:


> Anybody on here take herbal supplements?
> I found out that the best to take are:
> Ginko Bilobia (mind health)
> Gensing (energy)
> St. Johns Wart (clam nerves at night)



Meditation, education, fruits, vegetables and protien --- Mind health
Training, hiking, climbing, running, living --- Energy
Prayer, reading, meditating --- Calm nerves at night


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## sop (Apr 14, 2009)

that's a lot of stuff


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## Wee-EMT (Apr 14, 2009)

sop said:


> Anybody on here take herbal supplements?
> I found out that the best to take are:
> Ginko Bilobia (mind health)
> Gensing (energy)
> St. Johns Wart (clam nerves at night)




Ginko Bilobia gives you massive headaches

Take a multi and drink lots of water


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## medic417 (Apr 14, 2009)

Best thing to remember is what works for you may not work for others.  In fact what works for you could kill others.  Best advise is not give advise beyond see your doctor for help in deciding the best supplements for you.


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## BruceD (Apr 14, 2009)

sop said:


> Anybody on here take herbal supplements?
> I found out that the best to take are:
> Ginko Bilobia (mind health)
> Gensing (energy)
> St. Johns Wart (clam nerves at night)



Please be cautious:
Ginko : interacts with anticoagulants (Warfarin/coumadin, ASA, and some herbal anticoagulants)
Gensing : interacts with anticoagulants and MAOIs
St. John's Wort : Many interactions, including those used to treat HIV.  It is an inducer of CYP450 - see the list of drugs ref #3 below

Use them at your own discretion, but don't assume safety simply because they are 'natural' also be careful about recommendations.

Ref: 
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030901/923.html
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/stjwort.htm
http://www.medicine.iupui.edu/Flockhart/table.htm


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## WarDance (Apr 14, 2009)

I just take iron, B12 and B6 because I'm anemic, I live at altitude and I'm a runner which is a horrible combination when you think about it!  But those are supplements because I have a legitimate health reason....


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## sop (Apr 17, 2009)

Wee-EMT said:


> Ginko Bilobia gives you massive headaches
> 
> Take a multi and drink lots of water



It depends on how much mgs you take


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## sop (Apr 17, 2009)

BruceD said:


> Please be cautious:
> Ginko : interacts with anticoagulants (Warfarin/coumadin, ASA, and some herbal anticoagulants)
> Gensing : interacts with anticoagulants and MAOIs
> St. John's Wort : Many interactions, including those used to treat HIV.  It is an inducer of CYP450 - see the list of drugs ref #3 below
> ...



true. But do your research.


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## fit4duty (Apr 18, 2009)

I think you are missing the point -- which is its not necessary for most people to be poppin pills when there are other modalities that they need explore to bring their bodies to an optimal level of functioning. If you aren't active, don't have decent dietary habits and have not developed productive strategies to handle stress what good is it to supplement for those things. The supplementation at best in this instance will only bring your body to a "normal" level of functioning. To me that is unacceptable! To get the most out of what it is your are proposing you have need to have:

1. developed and follow a solid dietary regime
2. participate on a regular basis in some sort of physical activity that actually challenges your physiology
3. developed an understanding as to how you as an individual respond and adapt to stressors and what you have to do as an individual to find some senses of balance

Once you have managed to reconcile those items you will find you have achieved all those things that you were looking to get out of your supplementation. Here is the cool part. Once your system is functioning the way its supposed to because you are giving it the things it needs:

physical activity, proper nutrition, mental relaxation​
if you then decide to supplement the results will be phenomenal. Because rather than bringing your body to a normal level of functioning -- you have already achieved that on your own-- you will get a rather significant  boost because there are no deficits that need to be accounted for.

Supplementation is not intended to be a replacement for doing the work needed to bring your baseline status to a normal functioning level. Its intended to provide a boost beyond what you may be normally capable of. But its only truly effective if you've covered your bases first.


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