LITTLELABS (littlel…@aol.com) wrote:
: I am looking for information on what is known of the beneficial health
: effects of Yohimbe root and possible toxic side effects. It seems to be a
: common ingredient in men vitamins at the health food store. Does it make
: you horny or something?
In article <3j3rb8$…@kaiwan009.kaiwan.com>,
richa…@kaiwan009.kaiwan.com (Richard Armenteros) wrote:
>LITTLELABS (littlel…@aol.com) wrote:
>: I am looking for information on what is known of the beneficial health
>: effects of Yohimbe root and possible toxic side effects. It seems to be a
>: common ingredient in men vitamins at the health food store. Does it make
>: you horny or something?
I’m not a pharmacologist, or even a scientifically trained person ..SO….
what I say may be wrong and I’d be happy to be corrected … BUT I’m
pretty sure on this one. Yohimbe is a tropical plant, I believe a vine.
Its active ingredient (or one of them, at any rate) is available by
prescription in the form of Yohimbine Hydrocloride. One of its major
properties is that it is a vasodilator. In some cases of impotance the
vasodilating effects of yohimbine-hydrocloride can help with erectile
problems. Some doctors have used this drug to treat erectile problems
associated with the SSRI drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft. A psychiatrist I
know says that in those cases it’s effective about half the time. I
believe the form found in vitamins is probably just the raw herb. Like
many herbs on the market out there it contains powerful compounds
(otherwise..why take it?) and should be used with discretion and care.
Just because it’s an herb and available on the market doesn’t mean it
should be used willy-nilly.
Steve Klarer (kla…@shore.net) wrote:
: In article <3j3rb8$…@kaiwan009.kaiwan.com>,
: richa…@kaiwan009.kaiwan.com (Richard Armenteros) wrote:
: >LITTLELABS (littlel…@aol.com) wrote:
: >: I am looking for information on what is known of the beneficial health
: >: effects of Yohimbe root and possible toxic side effects. It seems to be a
: >: common ingredient in men vitamins at the health food store. Does it make
: >: you horny or something?
: I’m not a pharmacologist, or even a scientifically trained person ..SO….
: what I say may be wrong and I’d be happy to be corrected … BUT I’m
: pretty sure on this one. Yohimbe is a tropical plant, I believe a vine.
: Its active ingredient (or one of them, at any rate) is available by
: prescription in the form of Yohimbine Hydrocloride. One of its major
: properties is that it is a vasodilator. In some cases of impotance the
: vasodilating effects of yohimbine-hydrocloride can help with erectile
: problems. Some doctors have used this drug to treat erectile problems
: associated with the SSRI drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft. A psychiatrist I
: know says that in those cases it’s effective about half the time. I
: believe the form found in vitamins is probably just the raw herb. Like
: many herbs on the market out there it contains powerful compounds
: (otherwise..why take it?) and should be used with discretion and care.
: Just because it’s an herb and available on the market doesn’t mean it
: should be used willy-nilly.
The active compound in yohimbe, as stated, is the alkaloid, yohimbine.
Yohimbine is a alpha 2 adrenergic blocker, which acts by increasing the
cholinergic
response and decreasing the adrenergic (ADRENALINE) response. Yohimbine
can cause CNS stimulation: increased blood pressure, increased heart rate,
etc.
Yohimbine is used for impotence due to its effect on the cholinergic
system, which is believed to be involved in penile erection. Some studies
have shown that yohimbine is thermogenic, thus it may be useful in weightloss.
Any over-the -counter product that contains yohimbe only contains the
plant, which in the majority of cases does not contain adequate amounts of
yohimbine to be effective.
In message ID <klarer-0803952130170…@slip-0-1.shore.net> on 3/9/95, Steve
Klarer wrote:
: I’m not a pharmacologist, or even a scientifically trained person
: ..SO…. what I say may be wrong and I’d be happy to be corrected
: … BUT I’m pretty sure on this one. Yohimbe is a tropical plant, I
: believe a vine. Its active ingredient (or one of them, at any rate)
: is available by prescription in the form of Yohimbine Hydrocloride.
: One of its major properties is that it is a vasodilator. In some
: cases of impotance the vasodilating effects of
: yohimbine-hydrocloride can help with erectile problems. Some
: doctors have used this drug to treat erectile problems associated
: with the SSRI drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft. A psychiatrist I know
: says that in those cases it’s effective about half the time. I
: believe the form found in vitamins is probably just the raw herb.
This is very dangerous. Prozac and Zoloft are both equivalent to Heart Yang
Boosters (Warming, Spirit-supporting herbals), and Yohimbe is very Hot. This
kind of combination is ruinous to long-term health. Beware!
P_Iann…@lamg.com (Paul Iannone, P.O.B. 66843, L.A., CA 90066).
Subject: Re: Wild Yam Extract
From: Steve Dyer, d…@spdcc.com
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 05:04:50 GMT
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
In article <D4srFz….@spdcc.com> Steve Dyer, d…@spdcc.com writes:
>In article <3j2lbn$…@brtph500.bnr.ca>, Emily Smith <emi…@bnr.ca>
wrote:
>>Has anyone tried using Wild Yam Extract (cream) for luteal phase
problems?
>>If so, I’d be interested in hearing from you.
>If you think this is going to have any effect on your reproductive cycle
>because this it presumably has "steroid precursors", you’re wasting your
time.
>You see, the term "steroid" is very generic–there are lots of compounds
in
>all sorts of plants which contain (inactive) steroids, sterols, saponins,
>and related chemicals. The hormones your body makes also contain the
same
>chemical skeleton, though what makes them active (and what makes so many
>superficially related chemicals act so differently), is the particular
>substituents on the steroid structure. That’s why eating eggs, which are
>loaded with cholesterol, won’t "cure" female, male or adrenal
insufficiency.
>Neither will any other non-hormonal sterol, such as you might find in
yams.
>The hucksters who push this stuff rely on the fact that most people
>aren’t trained to recognize pseudo-scientific nonsense when it’s
>put before them. Don’t waste your money on this stuff.
>–
>Steve Dyer
>d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com
True, true. There is, however, no arguing the simple, bald fact that many
women are helped by the use of "Wild Yam" cremes, extracts, etc. Most of
those marketed (as opposed to a simple pharmaceutical-grade tincture of
Dioscorea villosa which has rather unrelated value as a mild prostaglandin
inhibitor) work very well for MOST women (some have adverse reactions, and
sensibly cease its use). The value, particularly in early menopause, when
the corpus luteum fragility is often an early sign of the transition, lay
with a secondary compound used in these OTC products.
They usually contain Natural Progesterone. Period. Real progesterone.
Usually pharmaceutically synthesized from soy bean phytosterols (cheap raw
materials in the world market, some products use progestrone derived from
pregnant mare urine…all or purchased from the drug industry, and
available
OTC because of an older FDA ruling that classed topical use as cosmetic,
not medical. The term "Natural" simply means that it is not an orally
active drug analog that has been engineered to get past the stomach and
liver and retain progesterone activity. Oral progesterone is one of
several
purely synthetic testesterone-related compounds.
Natural Progesterone is, however, identical to luteal progesterone. Taken
orally it is 99% digested into nutrients. It is only active when
injected;
and when used topically, it is stored awhile in SOME subcutaneous fat and
slowly released into the bloodstream.
This is why Wild Yam preparations often help…the OTHER stuff down the
constituent list…Natural Progesterone.
There is little question that this mode of application has many attractive
advantages…no prescription or doctor costs, and it ENDS in the liver
(the way steroid hormones are meant to), rather than STARTING in the liver
as the result of absorption from the gut.
The downside is…it is STILL an exogenous hormone, derived from the
pharmaceutical industry. It does what it does, no precursors need apply,
and this whole subset of the "herb industry" (supplying pharmaceuticals
because of an FDA loophole) is simply selling the image of self-help,
instead supplying hormone therapy, and without allowing women to make
choices based on fact. They are being lied to.
(Nothing new about that, however)
Michael Moore (hrbmo…@rt66.com)
(GOPHER and WWW)
gopher://president.oit.unc.edu:70/11/../.pub/academic/medicine
/alternative-healthcare/Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine
(ANONYMOUS FTP)
sunsite.unc.edu /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine
—————————————————————–
All the SWSBM teaching and clinical manuals, JPEGs of Medicinal Plant
photographs and class announcements can be obtained at these sites.
> True, true. There is, however, no arguing the simple, bald fact that many
> women are helped by the use of "Wild Yam" cremes, extracts, etc. Most of
> those marketed (as opposed to a simple pharmaceutical-grade tincture of
> Dioscorea villosa which has rather unrelated value as a mild prostaglandin
> inhibitor) work very well for MOST women (some have adverse reactions, and
> sensibly cease its use). The value, particularly in early menopause, when
> the corpus luteum fragility is often an early sign of the transition, lay
> with a secondary compound used in these OTC products.
> They usually contain Natural Progesterone. Period. Real progesterone.
Could anyone list OTC products which contain natural progesterone or if
any contain natural estrogen?
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
In article <3j6arl$…@mack.rt66.com>, Michael Moore <hrbmo…@rt66.com> wrote:
> Subject: Re: Wild Yam Extract
> From: Steve Dyer, d…@spdcc.com
> Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 05:04:50 GMT
> In article <D4srFz….@spdcc.com> Steve Dyer, d…@spdcc.com writes:
> >In article <3j2lbn$…@brtph500.bnr.ca>, Emily Smith <emi…@bnr.ca>
> wrote:
> >>Has anyone tried using Wild Yam Extract (cream) for luteal phase
> problems?
> >>If so, I’d be interested in hearing from you.
> >…
> >Neither will any other non-hormonal sterol, such as you might find in
> yams.
> >The hucksters who push this stuff rely on the fact that most people
> >aren’t trained to recognize pseudo-scientific nonsense when it’s
> >put before them. Don’t waste your money on this stuff.
> >–
> >Steve Dyer
> >d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com
> True, true. There is, however, no arguing the simple, bald fact that many
> women are helped by the use of "Wild Yam" cremes, extracts, etc. …
> Natural Progesterone is, however, identical to luteal progesterone. Taken
> orally it is 99% digested into nutrients. It is only active when
> injected;
> and when used topically, it is stored awhile in SOME subcutaneous fat and
> slowly released into the bloodstream.
> This is why Wild Yam preparations often help…the OTHER stuff down the
> constituent list…Natural Progesterone….
> Michael Moore (hrbmo…@rt66.com)
> (GOPHER and WWW)
> gopher://president.oit.unc.edu:70/11/../.pub/academic/medicine
> /alternative-healthcare/Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine
> (ANONYMOUS FTP)
> sunsite.unc.edu /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
> Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine
> —————————————————————–
> All the SWSBM teaching and clinical manuals, JPEGs of Medicinal Plant
> photographs and class announcements can be obtained at these sites.
How can natural progesterone be obtained commercially–under what name(s)
and at what locations (pharmacies?, herb shops?) I would like to try it
as I have just suffered through terrible side effects from a synthetic
progesterone. My suffering lead me to an article which mentioned natural
progesterone as a treatment for hormone imbalance. Any help from any one
will be appreciated. E-mail is OK to grans…@best.com.
Jennifer Gransaull
grans…@best.com
You can buy ProGest or other mexican yam creams at healthfood stores or
co-ops. Mexican yam extract IS natural progesterone. These creams are
usually 3% yam extract. I use ProGest myself. I *think* there may be an
estrogen cream, but I can’t remember what it’s called, and as far as I
know, you can buy it only from places like Women’s International
Pharmacy, by mailorder.
As far as "natural estrogen" goes, soy products contain natural estrogen,
so if you eat soy milk, tofu, etc., you’re ingesting natural estrogen.
Hope this helps,
Anne Washburn
qua…@vnet.net
Subject: Re: Wild Yam Extract
From: Anne Washburn, qua…@vnet.net
Date: 6 Mar 1995 16:17:20 GMT
In article <3jfcig$…@ralph.vnet.net> Anne Washburn, qua…@vnet.net
writes:
>You can buy ProGest or other mexican yam creams at healthfood stores or
>co-ops. Mexican yam extract IS natural progesterone. These creams are
>usually 3% yam extract. I use ProGest myself. I *think* there may be an
>estrogen cream, but I can’t remember what it’s called, and as far as I
>know, you can buy it only from places like Women’s International
>Pharmacy, by mailorder.
>As far as "natural estrogen" goes, soy products contain natural
estrogen,
>so if you eat soy milk, tofu, etc., you’re ingesting natural estrogen.
>Hope this helps,
>Anne Washburn
>qua…@vnet.net
Sorry, but I know FOR A FACT that ProGest (and most of the other similar
topical creams) contains pharmaceutical progesterone. Please believe me.
I think the topical use is often a FAR better approach…but it is NOT
Wild Yam, Mexican Yam, or any other crude or galenic (herbal) preparation
that does the stuff…it’s Real Progesterone. As for the foods you
mentioned, they are NOT physiologic estrogens, but they contain plant
steroids. The ONLY precursor or crude substance any of us can use to
make OUR steroid hormones…is low-density cholesterol or recycled
steroids. There are a FEW herbs with crude hormone-mimicking effects.
A few of these, like Licorice, can be useful. Most are not. If a
woman has low estrogen or progesterone levels it is because the
metabolic STIMULUS is low. Metabolic approaches, using diet, herbs,
visualization, body work, etc. are the only native ways to elevate
hormones, presuming that the low levels are WRONG. If soybeans supply
necessary nutrients that are lacking, or the change in diet results in
a change in metabolism (usually the case) then FINE. But it isn’t
because there is a "hormone" in soybeans. A lot of the writings on
the subject are pseudo-science and warped medicine as viewed in a
fun-house mirror. Like I say, some topical steroid use SEEMS to be
a far preferable approach (lacking any pathology). But it isn’t
"natural"…it just works sometimes. Mexican Yam was, 50 years ago,
chosen as a cheap source of a saponin that, using a purely synthetic
avenue, could be transfromed into progesterone.
WE don’t make progesterone that way in our bodies. The saponin from
Mexican Yam would act as an irritating laxative. If we continued, it
would start to weaken the bonds between red blood cells and hemoglobin
and we would start getting hemolytic anemia. Making progesterone from
Mexican Yam extracts can be done in the pharmaceutical lab, but it has
NO relationship (Marker degradation method) to OUR synthesis of ANY
of our steroid hormones.
Michael Moore (hrbmo…@rt66.com)
(GOPHER and WWW)
gopher://president.oit.unc.edu:70/11/../.pub/academic/medicine
/alternative-healthcare/Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine
(ANONYMOUS FTP)
sunsite.unc.edu /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/
Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine
—————————————————————–
All the SWSBM teaching and clinical manuals, JPEGs of Medicinal Plant
photographs and class announcements can be obtained at these sites.
Steve Dyer (d…@spdcc.com) wrote:
: If you think this is going to have any effect on your reproductive cycle
: because this it presumably has "steroid precursors", you’re wasting your time.
: You see, the term "steroid" is very generic–there are lots of compounds in
: all sorts of plants which contain (inactive) steroids, sterols, saponins,
: and related chemicals. The hormones your body makes also contain the same
: chemical skeleton, though what makes them active (and what makes so many
: superficially related chemicals act so differently), is the particular
: substituents on the steroid structure. That’s why eating eggs, which are
: loaded with cholesterol, won’t "cure" female, male or adrenal insufficiency.
: Neither will any other non-hormonal sterol, such as you might find in yams.
I’m confused now. I have in my hand the Feb. 1995 copy of the Harvard
Women’s Health Watch newsletter which mentions that natural progesterone
is extracted from yams. They also mention that this ‘natural
progesterone’ is generally not available in the US. They aren’t exactly
wild-eyed radicals and I’ve generally found them to have their shit
together re: pharmacology.
The article also goes on to mention that it was shown in in PEPI
(Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions) Trial that women who
took estrogen combined with natural progesterone had higher HDL levels
than women who took synthetic progestin. This study was published in the Jan. 18, 1995
issue of JAMA according to the article.
———————————————————————–
Camilla Cracchiolo, RN cami…@primenet.com
Shrine of the Cybernetic Madonna BBS 213-766-1356
"The board that Hates Rush Limbaugh *and* Newt Gingrich With A Passion"
———————————————————————–
In article <3jlkdc$…@news.primenet.com>,
Camilla Cracchiolo <cami…@primenet.com> wrote:
>I’m confused now. I have in my hand the Feb. 1995 copy of the Harvard
>Women’s Health Watch newsletter which mentions that natural progesterone
>is extracted from yams. They also mention that this ‘natural
>progesterone’ is generally not available in the US. They aren’t exactly
>wild-eyed radicals and I’ve generally found them to have their shit
>together re: pharmacology.
It might be synthesized from the dioscin found in yams, since that’s a
cheap source of raw sterol material to start with, but "extracted" isn’t
quite the right word. That’s like saying that plastic is "extracted"
from crude oil. Well, sure, if you skip a "few" steps.
If you’re interested, why not ask the author of that article where
they got the information about yams, and what they really meant?
I suspect you’re reading very lazy lay usage.
>The article also goes on to mention that it was shown in in PEPI
>(Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions) Trial that women who
>took estrogen combined with natural progesterone had higher HDL levels
>than women who took synthetic progestin. This study was published in
>the Jan. 18, 1995 issue of JAMA according to the article.
Whatever the effects of progesterone supplementation might be,
a study of its effects is orthogonal to the question of whether
yam extract contains progesterone, which it doesn’t.
–
Steve Dyer
d…@ursa-major.spdcc.com