brain foods- DMAE

[theist 1]

This thread is for sharing info. on herbs and nutrients that nourish the brain and aid in cognitive function, while remaining compatible with a vegetarian diet. Any post here from me will be for the purpose of trying to inspire others to investigate the substance for themselves.

 

Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) is natural occuring in some foods, like certain fish, and is an aid to concentration. Another reson people associate fish wth brain food.

 

It has been synthesized and is suitable for vegetarians.

 

It is a precursor to acetylcholine which is a key neurotransmitter involved in concentration and memory.

 

I buy the Source Natural brand.

 

When trying to find the amount best for one's individual needs I follow the rule of starting small and gradually increasing.

 

In the morning a couple tablets along with some nutritional yeast and added choline really helps me shed me morning lethargy without that over stimulated feeling of too much caffein.

 

Stay lucid.

 

Hare Krsna

[Priitaa 0]

Thank you Thiest,

 

I was taking this for a while and then quit. Glad you put some info up about it, cuz thats what keeps me taking my various supplements. This is a good one too.

[theist 1]

of course Priithaa. please feel free to add something you have found that works well.

[Priitaa 0]

Things for the brain or mind? Hmmmmm Will have to give it some thought.

 

Oh my, what a play on words that turned out to be. LOL Was not the intent but oh well. ha

[theist 1]

accidently clever or cleverly accidental?

[Guest guest]

Just my suggestion:

You see, you can use such medications but it is dangerous because we don't know what side effects they have.

 

The knowledge that we have about the brain is very low. Still the medicines are made to give us brain boosts etc. But we don't really know what causes these boosts or the side effects of such medications.

 

 

[Guest guest]

we don't know much about the complexities of brain function compared to what is there to be discovered. But this also includes the common foods we eat to a certain extent. By experience we can gain confidence that some foods are fine to eat everyday. In some cases it may be discovered that some foods contain chemicals that we should only consume up to a certain point.

 

I find it all mind boggling and way too complex for me to understand.

 

Also these nutients and chemicals work synergistically with each other so taking too much of something good for you may throw off the bodies balance without also adding more of something else. That is why I take all extra b-vitamins and related compounds together, to maintain a balance between them. Nutritional yeast is very good for this. These are water soluble so they wash out of the body rapidly.

 

Concerning acetylcholine, Harvard studies have shown that three grams a day has very marked effects of improving short term memory. But if we exceed that the same neurotransmitter will causes an increase in overall muscle tension.

 

Acetylcholine though has been very well studied and is natural and safe up to that limit at least. It's effects as a memory booster are very well known.

 

Everyone should study this abit before trying.

 

 

[Priitaa 0]

 

accidently clever or cleverly accidental?

 

 

lol It was genuinely an accident. As I was trying to figure out what to post about it sort of typed up that way, and than I laughed and left it.

 

One thing that I am now thinking of may sound very simple, but I know about incredible results. Let me first start with a devotees story.

 

I know one devotee lady who had a child born with significant problems. In addition to going blind, he was becoming mentally retarded (for lack of a better word). He was not born that way, but whatever was wrong with him, it was doing this.

 

She worked in the medical field so turned to mostly to allopathy and ran every test on him possible. It was also very painful for him as a baby. Over time &due to little success there, she began to turn to natural help and tried vitamins. They did not work. She tried B vitamins more than once, with little or no success.

 

Then, and she told me this story herself, (tho I am not exaclty sure which vitamin it was), one day while in her closet, she got a message which she believes came from Krishna (and she is not a sahajiya in the least). It was: "Vitamain B 12, stupid." lol (She added the 'stupid.') She had tried that before, but she needed to raise the dose. Once she raised the dose, he began to turn around!

 

When I knew him he was still a little mentally off (tho better than from babyhood!). However, I heard from some his age (teenagers-young adults) that he is totally normal. Matter of fact, when I asked about him being 'off,' they had no idea why I would ask this about him. That's how well it worked. -- And it was either B12 or B6.

 

Years before that, I read a story in a health magazine about various parents who had chlidren who had been diagnosed with mental retardation and at best, some were considered 'slow.' Long story short, after doing all the doctors insisted and it did not sufficiently help, they gave their chlidren zinc, other minerals, b vitamins and other vitaims, with extremely significant results! Some of those children made a 100% turn around. Others not fully but still made signficant improvement!

 

So I guess my suggestion for helping the brain and therefore mind, would be a good (GOOD) mineral supplement daily and an equally good vitamin supplement daily. Quality.

 

And that's my contribution. :-)

[theist 1]

Sounds like b-12. Vegans have to be very careful to supplement extra b-12. Nervous disorders and anemia can result from lacking in this and there doesn't appear to be any good vegetable sources.

 

Vegetarians usually get it from dairy but boiling milk can destroy it as well as the process of making yoghurt.

 

All the supplements are made from bacteria and not animal products. We should all be careful to take some sublinqual

tablets.

[Priitaa 0]

Yes, I think it was b12, and your explanation makes it sound correct. Although she was not a vegan, or her family. But its likely that her son's body could not take it up, for whatever reason. Once she gave it to him in high doses, because it was not so much a supplement for him but 'treatment' or in 'therapeutic doses,' then he gradually became a normal kid. The allopaths would never tell a parent such a thing.

[theist 1]

A few years ago the allopaths were still receiving only six hours of nutritional training in med school. Can you believe that?!

 

Things may have changed by now. They also tried(the FDA) to make it illegal to sell vitamins without a prescription from one of these allopaths. The head of the FDA then was I think Kessler.

 

The Republican from Utah, Orin Hatch, saved the day, by pushing through a bill to protect our rights in this matter.

[Priitaa 0]

This is not the first time they tried to take vitamins and minerals off the shelf. I hope they are always stopped.

 

Many doctors who work in the hopsitals do not get enough hours of sleep. Its part of their training, and they are acutally sleep deprived. Imagine how many mistakes must happen due to a doctor who simply needs more sleep! But its actually part of the program, part of what they are suppose to do to show they are deserving. It seems to have more in common with Hazing tho. :-)

[theist 1]

Hazing, that's it. funny but not really. Yeah these doctors are in training and should be well rested and aware as possible. This system is geared towards emergencies. Kind of a patch 'em up and move along sort of approach. Not too wise.

 

When Clinton was president he actually paid medical schools to NOT produce more doctors as he thought there were already too many.

[Guest guest]

I think doctors do great service to krishna. There is an old telugu saying called "Manava seva Madhava seva"

 

"The service to His beings is the service to Him."

 

But this throws my mind into confusion, what if a doctor really saves people and works selflessly, but does not know krishna.. would he reach krishna?

 

I_love_krishna

[theist 1]

would that doctor get a birth where he could be introduced to Krsna?

[theist 1]

Choline has been proven to be very effective in memory improvement. This is well known.

 

What is not as well known is that it has very positive effects on the developing brains of children in the womb. These positive effect shows benefits in improved learning abilities in the child after birth and as the child continues to grow.

 

Pregnant or will be? Please consider extra choline.

 

Do a google search and learn more.

[Priitaa 0]

I_L_K,

 

Doctors are not automatically devotees. At best they are humanitarians. Humanitarians come back to either do more humanitarian work, or to receive the good karma of their good works. Devotees dont want to come back, not even to recieve good karma, because ultimately karma is karma and it means rebirth and entanglement in the material world. But there can be doctors who are 'also' devotees of Krishna. That is different. And like everyone else, whether they go back to Godhead or not depends on their saddhna, service, etc.

[Priitaa 0]

Would choline work for an adult with ADD? I know someone who has this condition. As a child he was put on Ritilin (sp) and he gave that up. He has 'self medicated' for quite a while but has stopped that too. Now he would like to know if there is anything natural he can do.

[theist 1]

Priitaa I also have ADD. And then I made it much worse by consuming large amounts of pyschodelic substances, LSD shrooms, ganja etc.

 

What worked well for me at one point was cylert. An allopathic concoction, prescription only amphetamine related drug. It was great. But then i read it was taken off the Canadian market due to some people having liver failure due to its use. So i quit right then.

 

Choline helps alot as do a lot of other things and herbs.

 

The best by far though has been Calamus root. Vacha in sanskrit. AKA sweet flag. Without this herb I can't finish a book before I have two or three others started. LOL seriously.

 

There seems to be two types on the market. i don't have the botanicle names. Both help but one is much stronger. I hate the taste but some don't and just chew a little peice in their mouth. They say they get immediate benefits.

 

I grind the root up in a coffee blender and then mix the powder with OJ or something else and drink about a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon at a time. A small amount is all one needs. The effects take longer to show up this way than chewing a peice but i hate even the smell.

 

He shouldn't take too much at once or he will induce vomiting. Take throughout the day everyday and the effects of ADD will disappear. Yes I mean disappear.

 

Hippies try to get high on this herb and chew large doses. All they usually get is sick.

 

In Ayurveda it is said to clear the subtle nadis and it is said that past practioners of kundalini yoga would take it to help prepare the sushumna for the appearance and movement of kundalini-shakti.

 

Wonderful herb.

 

I hope he tries this and let's us know how it worked for him.

 

PS buy in bulk and skip the expensive pre-capsulated versions. It is rather cheap in bulk considering how little one must use.

 

Hare Krsna

[Priitaa 0]

Thiest,

 

Thanks! He would never take another allopathic med tho. His mothers a nurse and has shoved ritilin down his throat since he was a kid. He's fed up. Said he felt it turned him toward drugs - something I always suspected about giving ritilin to children. He said he would wake up all wired, but then his mother would give him this and it immediately brought such a good feeling over him, which he liked so much, that when he got older he turned to intoxiation. (But he doesn't place blame on her.)

 

He may take the calamus root though, but won't take a number of products at one time. So I'm wondreing what would be the most potent couple of things for him.

 

And I know someone who will infuence him to take the herbs, etc. Plus, he expressed a bit of a desire to do so.

 

He is new to Krishna consciousness and sort of pulled into it due to who he fell in love with (a gurukuli), and not by desire. Tho he is favorable, but he's not jumping up and down in ecstasy or anything. ha So to tell him about Ayurveda or nadis, he will listen (and I found it fascinating!), but do you know any modern medicine explanation of how it works? Or even american herbal info would get his attention.

 

He's a very intelligent guy, can spit back facts he reads just as perfectly as he read them. Did well in school. But he's a bit spacey. He deals with retaining knowledge by completely abosrbing himself in whatever he's doing and shutting out the world. If he's reading, he can't hear his name if its called. Sometimes even if it's screamed. If he's working on a project, same thing. Tho he's not a big tv or movie watcher, when he does, same thing. He's smart, just spaced out at times. Like, when he puts his tools down, he forgets where he put them quite often. -- Don't know if this info about him helps or not.

 

The American Calmus, I think I read its not suppose to make you high, not sure. But does it work as well?

 

Most herbs should not be taken on an empty stomach or will usually cause a person to vomit. Tho some are more geared that way.

 

I understand what you say about buying it in bulk and all, but I am suspecting he wont drink much of it in tea form, whereas he may be more inclined to take it in capsuled form. I hope this will still work.

 

Anyway, disappear? ADD will disappear? That sounds too good to be true! This calamus root sounds promising! Now I have to convince him.

:-)

 

Thanks.

[Priitaa 0]

Sorry Thiest, I guess I asked too many questions.

 

I just became hopeful and therefore too zealous about it. Didn't mean to overwhelm you.

[theist 1]

I don't feel overwhelmed in anyway. I am not sure what you are talking about. Did I not get back to this thread soon enough? If that's it I apologize and will in the morning.

 

Hare Krsna

[Priitaa 0]

ha Guess I wasn't clear.

 

Basically I was just wondering if there is any information on this herb and the brain which is not from Ayurveda, but from American Herbalists? That would help convince this young man. But if not, thats ok.

[theist 1]

Not sure Priitaa. I just read about it in one of Frawley or Lad's books and tried it. It worked so well but I never really did any futher investigation on it.

 

I could see some pharmecutical concern studying it annd trying to isolate the active ingredients in hopes of making something they could patent. I haven't seen any western herbals that speak of it either.

 

I just bought another pound a couple of days ago. i ran out about a month ago and proceeded to fall into a pretty deep funk. I realize now how dependent I am on it for mental stability.

 

It is so nice. It works as a stimulant and also a nerve tonic at the same time. I am naturally prone to depressive states and this keeps my head above water.

 

But I don't want to give anyone the impression that it is just for people with similar problems. Its not. It is a great aid to anyone doing any sort of meditation.

 

So maybe try some yourself and tell him how it works for you along with this other info.

 

As to how to take it. The best way seems to be to chew a small piece. I can't do that. I make a fresh powder in a small coffee grinder and then stir it in orange juice or swallow a couple vegi-caps. The vegi-caps seems to be the least effective so you have to take several throughout the day.

 

Also if making a brew one can get a slow cooker and put in many other herbs with it to cover the taste. I leave it on overnight at low heat. I use licorice, fennel etc. This is really a very good way to get full potency.

 

Be well

 

Hare Krsna

[Priitaa 0]

Thanks Thiest,

 

All this information is very helpful. I may print it out if thats ok with you.