Holy Basil

[Rachel1958]

Anyone who has used Holy Basil to help resolve adrenal issues - how long did you take it for?

I've been on it a week and am feeling so much better. But i have an idea i need to keep taking it for a bit?

[humanbean]

I take Holy Basil to reduce my cortisol.

In order to get an effect I had to take a lot to begin with - I was taking 8 capsules a day, when the recommended maximum dose was 4 capsules a day.

I quickly lowered dose to 6, stayed on that for a few weeks, then reduced to 4 a day which I stayed on for months, then finally 2, just at night, which I've been on for absolutely ages - over a year, I think.

I have come off the Holy Basil on occasion, but I get symptoms I associate with high cortisol within 2 - 3 days or so, so I always end up back on it again.

I have read of some people taking it and then being able to wean themselves off it permanently after reducing their cortisol. I think the only thing you can do is experiment.

Which supplement do you take? I take this one :

healthmonthly.co.uk/swanson...

[Rachel1958 in reply to humanbean]

I take that one too! Swansons is such a good brand. 2 twice daily seems to be working for me.

Maybe i should stay on it a while, then just switch to once a day like you did? My high cortisol is morning and lunch time - then higher than desirable at bedtime. But it's worked like a miracle! Symptoms wise anyway!

[humanbean in reply to Rachel1958]

All I can say is experiment to find your ideal dose, and just remember that what is ideal today might not be next month. I've found it helps enormously to reduce jitters and I'm no longer anxious.

Also, if I had to score my insomnia, I'd say that most of the time I would score it as 10 out of 10 for the bad effect it has on me and the disruption it creates in my life, but with Holy Basil that reduces to 8 out of 10. It's not a great improvement in the insomnia but its better than nothing.

[Nico101 in reply to humanbean]

May I ask if it's worth taking this along with supplements to raise cortisol when your cortisol daily rhythm is wonky?

Mine is too low on waking, then too high a bit later, then within range, then too high (by a little, but still) at night.

My cortisol has been too low for years but treatment seems to have raised it, but it's the too high at night I'd like to sort out to sleep better.

[humanbean in reply to Nico101]

Interesting idea, but I don't have any experience of doing what you've suggested.

For what it's worth, (which is zero!) if I had low (or low in range) cortisol first thing in the morning I would be inclined to take adrenal glandulars plus an adrenal cocktail in the morning plus I would optimise nutrients if this hadn't already been done plus I would take a good quality vitamin B Complex with activated versions of the vitamins. I would also take a generous dose of vitamin C, preferably spread throughout the day. If it was possible I might try spreading the B Complex throughout the day too. I would also make sure (in an ideal world) that I didn't eat sugar, ate fairly low carb, I would include plenty of saturated fat in my diet e.g. butter, coconut oil, I would also include plenty of protein. The older people get the more protein they need to maintain muscle mass. I've had loads of attempts to follow a low carb diet from the Diet Doctor website. Sadly my sugar addiction is really severe, and it drives me bonkers. I'm expecting to have type 2 diabetes soon, then I'll really have to get a grip!

When people have poor adrenal function there seems to be a pattern to the way the cortisol levels really go downhill. If someone was to do a hypothetical saliva test and I'll call the samples 1 (first thing in the morning), 2 (late morning / lunchtime(ish)), 3 (late afternoon) and 4 (bedtime)...

To begin with cortisol levels rise all day. DHEA rises too.

Then sample 1 starts to drop. sample 2 starts to rise, 3 and 4 stay high. Dhea drops a little.

Then sample 1 drops further, 2 drops as well, 3 rises and 4 stays high and may even get higher. DHEA drops a little further.

As adrenal function deteriorates the earlier samples drop further and further while the body keeps trying to force later samples to rise. Eventually samples 1, 2 and 3 could be really very low and 4 might be amazingly high, but then that will drop too. DHEA may end up way below range.

Taking adrenal glandulars earlier in the day then (theoretically) ought to reduce the pressure on the adrenals later in the day, and so bedtime cortisol may lower.

I'm not offering to explain this document, but you might find it useful. It's a long time since I read it so I can't really remember it that well :

functionalmedicine.net/pdf/...

Hope it helps.

[Nico101 in reply to humanbean]

Cheers for that. i'll read that tomorrow.

I do almost all of the things you suggested. I do take my B vits at night, though. I read it helps you sleep.

What do you mean by an adrenal cocktail?

[humanbean in reply to Nico101]

If you do a web search for "adrenal cocktail" you'll find loads of recipes. They are all based on creating a drink which contains a source of potassium, a source of sodium (salt), and a source of vitamin C. All adrenal cocktails are home-made and very cheap, and they are all very similar.

[Nico101 in reply to humanbean]

Ah, I see. I do this already via my smoothie - assuming it doesn't matter if there are other things in it besides the vit c, sodium, and potassium?

[humanbean in reply to Nico101]

I wouldn't think it would matter at all. But if you find out it does, let me know.

[Rachel1958 in reply to Nico101]

B vits are energising. They don't help you sleep.

I'm a nutritionist and we were taught take vitamins in the morning and minerals in the evening. In general.

[Nico101 in reply to Rachel1958]

Yes, I've always worked that way. I was surprised to read - on here, actually - that Bs are better at night. I'll go back to my old ways of doing it, then.

I take so many bloody supplements at the moment it's hard to fit them all into a day!

[Rachel1958 in reply to Nico101]

Holy Basil is an adaptogen, so should raise and lower cortisol where necessary. Hope that makes sense! It's working for me, with my wonky cortisol levels, anyway!

[Rachel1958 in reply to humanbean]

I'm very lucky in that my insomnia (not staying asleep and never going in to deep sleep) totally vanished when i started on T3!

[humanbean in reply to Rachel1958]

Ooh, I'm jealous! (I've been an insomniac for decades, and it has made my life 20 times harder than it needed to be.)

[Rachel1958 in reply to humanbean]

Insomnia is awful and miserable. I'm hoping my cortisol levelling out may help me go to sleep too. i take a very low dose of melatonin 2 hours before bedtime currently or i can literally lie awake for hours!

[Nico101 in reply to Rachel1958]

I take cannabis oil and 5-HTP, so I generally get to sleep quite well now.

I didn't sleep well last night, but I think that had to do with eating a lot of home-made choccies too late in the evening:-). I'm trying really hard not to make some now...

[humanbean]

Do you have a link?

[Rachel1958]

Thank you. Is HB Holland and Barratt?

[humanbean in reply to Rachel1958]

I think HB was referring to Holy Basil. Tulsi is another name for Holy Basil. For reasons I've never understood Holy Basil is often called that when it is sold as a supplement, but is called Tulsi when it is put into teabags.

[Rachel1958 in reply to humanbean]

Of course! Doh! I knew that.

My daughter drinks 3 Tulsi tea all the time.

[Nico101 in reply to Rachel1958]

Mine just arrived but it says on the packet that it can be stimulating. That's thrown me a bit.

How close to bedtime to you guys have your HB/tulsi?

I bought the powder, so I guess I'll be making a tea with it. Hope it tastes reasonably good.

[Nico101 in reply to humanbean]

Is HB better as and adaptogen than ashwagandha, do you think?

[humanbean in reply to Nico101]

I don't know. Ashwaghanda didn't agree with me when I tried it (several years ago), although I know its very popular.

[Rachel1958 in reply to humanbean]

It doesn't agree with me either!

[humanbean]

Thanks for the links. I may try it next time I am running out of my capsules.

[Rachel1958]

Thank you!

[Nico101]

Just read the reviews to your link - wow! is it really that good for stress?