Agnus Cactus!

[Big John]

Hi Guys, I have just got some Agnus Cactus 200mg tabs, I was thinking of taking one pre day. What do U think?
Big John

[geoffgarcia]

AGNUS CASTUS
The common name of this herb is Agnus Castus. It is not a cactus (it is sometimes mis-pronounced "Agnus Cactus"), but a member of the Verbena family.

The name 'Agnus Castus' derives from the Greek for 'chaste'. According to Pliny, writing in the first century, Greek women wishing to preserve their chastity placed leaves of this plant on their beds and slept on them. Pliny's contemporary, Dioscorides, claimed that Agnus Castus preserved chastity because it smells so bad that, when strewn on the bed, it was enough to deter amorous advances from men!

Agnus Castus was certainly used widely by the ancient herbalists. Dioscorides even concurrs with its current uses; "it both brings down the milk and expels the menstrua".

Although not a native plant of the UK, records indicate that it was in use here by 1500. It is then mentioned in Gerard's herbal in the seventeenth century. Until recent years, though, you would have difficulty finding much written in UK herb books about Agnus Castus. It is in the rest of Europe that the herb has had the most use over the past century.

Only in the last ten years has it become popular again in the UK - and, now, in America.

USES OF AGNUS CASTUS
The herb is mainly known as a remedy used by women. I will concentrate on its effects for PMT and menopause - its main uses today.

The effect it has on female hormones is largely a balancing effect. This 'normalising' influence makes it useful in a wide range of situations. And it can be helpful for a large proportion of the time - some studies indicate improvments in symptoms for 90% of sufferers from PMT.

PMT - Agnus Castus can improve; Headache
Breast tenderness
Fatigue
Bloating
Anxiety and other similar psychological symptoms
Irregular cycle
Short or long cycle


MENOPAUSE - Agnus Castus can improve;
Night sweats
Hot flushes (flashes)
Fatigue

Although Agnus Castus is recommended by several sources for increasing breast milk - as referred to by Dioscorides - I have come across little evidence for this.

DOSAGE
Raw herb (powdered whole berry): 1-2 grammes (2-4 capsules) daily.
Fluid Extract: 20-40 drops,
Tincture: 60-120 drops (about 1-2 teaspoonsful, or 3-6ml).

Or follow the instructions on any proprietory pack of an Agnus Castus product being used.

Agnus Castus is usually taken as a single dose first thing in the morning. This is the best time to influence the Pituitary gland - which apears to be the main target of the herb.

Results of using Agnus Castus are often seen within a few weeks. However, if you see no change, don't give up until you have taken it through two periods, if taking it for PMT; or for two months otherwise.

If you begin to obtain benefits, continue using Agnus Castus for 4-6 months, then reduce the dose by half for a few weeks. If the improvement is maintained, leave off altogether. If symptoms return, restore the previous dosage, and continue for a further 2-3 months. If the symptoms keep returning when you try to wean yourself off the herb, see a qualified practitioner in alternative therapy. The Agnus Castus may be a useful 'crutch' for you - but you probably need professional help in treating a more fundamental imbalance.

COMBINATIONS
You may also see Agnus Castus combined with other herbs in combination products. It often happens that a combination of herbs will be more effective than a single herb. There are a number of proprietory examples of formulations for women which include Agnus Castus. Find a product which works for you - either the single herb or a combination of herbs - and then continue with it for a full course of treatment.


CAUTIONS
Do not take Agnus Castus during pregnancy; and it would be wise to avoid it when taking any other product or drug which affects the female hormone system - such as HRT or the contraceptive pill.

Reports of negative reactions to Agnus Castus are few. About one in 50 people may experience mild indigestion, or a mild skin rash. If this happens, stop taking the herb, temporarily, then re-introduce it more slowly.
http://www.alternative-healthzine.com/html/0700_2.html

[Big John]

*****, I thought it was an ESTRO reducer.

[geoffgarcia]

it seems effective in menopausal women...
"the crucial balance between progesterone and estrogen is established” and the main constituents in Menopause-Ease has its effect “not by supplementing or mimicking progesterone but by a distinct influence on the pituitary gland, which in turn generates proper equilibrium of estrogen and progesterone in the body."

here is some interesting info if your looking to reduce estrogen:
Controlling estrogen in males
Bodybuilders who use steroids caught on years ago to drugs that control estrogen in the body. The first drugs to be utilized were estrogen receptor antagonists such as tamoxifen and clomiphene. These drugs worked by binding to the estrogen receptor like estrogens do, but unlike estrogens they are unable to translocate to the nucleus and activate estrogen responsive genes. While these drugs are somewhat effective in countering gynecomastia and testicular shut down, they still retain some estrogenic activity in certain tissues such as the liver. The result of this residual estrogenic activity can be a reduction in IGF-1 production and an increase in sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) production. These are both undesirable side effects.

Later on, bodybuilders discovered aromatase inhibitors. These drugs work by blocking the production of estrogens in the body through binding to the enzyme aromatase. Aromatase catalyzes the transformation of aromatizable androgens (i.e. androstenedione, testosterone) into estrogens such as estrone and estradiol. By actually blocking the production of estrogens altogether, aromatase inhibitors do not share the undesirable estrogen agonist activity of estrogen receptor blockers. Instead they function as true anti-estrogens, and because of this have arisen as the most preferred compounds for combating estrogen.
6-OXO™, the first effective all natural aromatase inhibitor Before I go into detail about 6-OXO™, I would like to give a very brief review and commentary on the current variety of estrogen blocking supplements.

The first estrogen blocking supplement to be introduced, and perhaps the most popular one to date is the isoflavone chrysin. Yes, chrysin has some good in-vitro (“test tube”) research on it that demonstrates it blocks aromatase. However, for years many experts including myself have contended that it suffers from very poor bioavailability, and therefore is ineffective in-vivo. Recently, an article has been published in a very reputable journal that substantiates this suspicion. [1] So chrysin, as promising as it once seemed, unfortunately appears to be a total bust.

After chrysin there was Indole-3-carbinol and Di-indoylmethane . These related compounds work by shifting the metabolism of estrogens away from strong estrogen compounds (16-hydroxylated) and towards weaker estrogens (2-hydroxylated). This can have benefits for women prone to breast cancer as 16-hydroxylated estrogens are quite notorious for promoting estrogen dependent breast cancer. However, there has never been any benefit demonstrated in men for reducing estrogen related effects or for increasing androgen levels. In fact, these compounds may actually REDUCE androgen levels. [2] So for males looking to reduce estrogen and raise testosterone, I-3-C and DIM are poor choices.

In addition to these aforementioned compounds there have been a slew of other compounds sold for estrogen control purposes. These include bioflavonoids such as quercitin, herbs such as Vitex Agnus Castus, and phytochemicals such as resveratrol (3,5,4’-trihydroxystilbene). None of these has ever been substantiated by any research to reduce estrogen levels or to increase testosterone levels.

6-OXO™
After years of research into natural estrogen blockers I finally discovered a compound that really truly works, in males, to both reduce estrogen and increase testosterone. Its called 6-OXO™, which is short for 3,6,17-androstenetrione.
6-OXO™ is what is known as a suicide inhibitor of aromatase. This means that 6-OXO™ binds to the aromatase enzyme in a permanent and irreversible manner, rendering it inactive. The result of this is an eventual diminishment of aromatase enzyme in the body and a concomitant reduction in estrogen levels. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] A corresponding increase in testosterone production is usually experienced as well.[8]

It is important to note here that this deactivation of aromatase enzymes by 6-OXO™ does not mean that your body becomes permanently deficient in the ability to synthesize estrogen. Your body will react to the deficiency of enzyme by producing more enzyme to replace that which has been deactivated. Therefore, when you stop taking 6-OXO™ your aromatase enzyme level will quickly catch up to normal and full estrogen production will resume.

6-OXO™ is all natural as it is known to be an androgen metabolite formed in the adrenal [9] and placenta [10]
http://www.ironmagazine.com/review29.html
for even more info I highly recommend you research on google
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=estrogen+reducing+supplement

[Big John]

Thanks geoffgarcia

[migs]

does that mean that 6-oxo is a good product ?

[ecliptic]

6-oxo is mostly used in PCT for cycles of prohormones. Its a good product when it comes to PCT but to cycle it alone you probably wouldn't notice much effects. It basically inhibits estrogen to kickstart natural testosterone in cases where prohormones have shutdown natural test production.