catuama extract

[jacky]

just recieved a new extract that is comparable to the trademarked catuama extract on the current market.

the ingredients are the same...this is the ratio order from largest amount of herb to smallest with the trademarked product known as catuama.
catuaba extract. (trichilia catigua) relative of the coca plant
guarana extract.
pytchopetalum olacoides (muira puama)extract
zingiber officinale (ginger root extract)

with the new blend of the same herbs:
the blend ratio is different of course, and the single ingredients are extracted materials some standardized, some not.....

with this other extract the ratios are a bit more confusing as the standarized guarana and ginger extracts are not labeled as 2x,5x etc...they just give the standardized percentage of caffeine and gingerol content...

ptychopetalum olacoides is a 10:1 extract, meaning that 10 grams or raw root is extracted resulting in 1 gram of extract...
the catuaba or trichilia catigua (or eryrthroxylum catuaba) is a 4:1...

so with this new extract there is more ptychopetalum olacoides than anything...
there is also a higher content of ginger per gram...


there is approx. 55 milligrams of caffeine in each gram of this extract.

when I was taking the trademarked blend I had to more than double the daily dose, I was taking one pill a day and started taking 3 a day. a package of 30 1/4 gram gel caps is how the catuama extract is packaged, supposedly a months supply I geuss, but I need 3 a day at least.

what I find interesting about this blend of herbs is that some data points to a cross tolerance with morphine when the extract is taken on a daily basis. but I am not aware of any such claim with the individual ingredients....leading me to wonder if this is a "synergistic" effect, or if this is due to a specific herb that has not been realized yet for this effect....

little over a year ago, while dependent on a consistantly good source of poppy seed tea and commercial kratom and around 200 milligrams of tramadol a day I started taking near a gram a day of the catuama extract, over a period of 8-10 days I dropped my dose of each component on a daily basis while continueing the catuama extract...I noticed no energy loss, if anything it was INCREASING, as was my SEX drive. the poppy seed tea can have some strange and somewhat painful side effects, so it was nice to cut that back the most. I was able for the most part to cut my opiate/opioid doses down in half...which was really nice as I was riding the tolerance bull, hang on till it kicks your ass. I got a new job at this point, and needed to work two jobs pretty much for two weeks. So I decided to start upping my dose of opiates again to give me the Umpphh to have energy for my life once 15 hours of work a day was finished. I took the catuama extract this whole time as well, and have really never experienced such a good adaptogen. if anything I would add a little rhodiola to the mixture.
this type of herb potentiation, or lessening of withdrawl symptoms, could have some vast influence on some peoples life, one mans stimulant is another mans opiate maintenance tool.

the herb blend is also mentioned in articles relating data about serotoninergic and dopaminergic activity, so the blend is suspected of anti-deppressant type of support.
ginger alone is interesting as a pain reliever/anti-inflammitory, possibly related in part to the action of 1,8 cineole.
catuaba is used as a stimulant, and I believe is similiar to other plants like coca in that is contains tropane type compounds
ptychopetalum olacoides has some data pointing to neuroprotective, memory retrieval, sexual enhancement actions that the herb may have..
guarana is an excellent source of caffeine, without the opioid antagonist effect that coffee might produce I might suspect...


so now my goal is to start using the same herbs again...but for a cheaper price than the boxed, advertised, and gel capped original.

Ill report more when I have more information.

[jacky]

annoyingly I cannot paste the information that I want that outlines the data that supports catuama's effect on analgesia in mice, and how naloxone interrupted that support...

so here is the title of the article so you all can at least look up the info yourselves...

"analgesic effect of the herbal medicine catuama in thermal and chemical models of nociception in mice"

pretty interesting..

[HistoryofMadness]

I believe this is the abstract, no?

Research Article
Analgesic Effect of the Herbal Medicine Catuama in Thermal and Chemical Models of Nociception in Mice
Zulma R. Vaz, Luiciana V. Mata, João B. Calixto *Department of Pharmacology, CCB, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88015-420, SC, Brazil

Keywords herbal medicine Catuama; Trichilia catigua; Paullinia cupana; Ptychopetalum olacoids; Zinziber officinalis; morphine; mice; antinociception; abdominal constriction; formalin; capsaicin; tail-flick; hot-plate; rota rod

Abstract
The antinociceptive effect of the herbal medicine Catuama and the hydroalcoholic extract (HE) of each plant present in this extract were investigated in chemical and thermal models of nociception in mice. The extract of Catuama (200 mg/kg, p.o.) caused time-dependent and long-lasting antinociception against acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin and capsaicin-induced licking and also in the tail-flick and hot-plate assays. Its maximal analgesic effect was reached 6 h after its oral administration and this effect lasted for at least 12 h. When given 6 h prior to testing (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.), the extract elicited dose-related antinociception, but at 400 mg/kg, its analgesic effect was greatly reduced. The antinociception caused by the extract of Catauma, like those produced by morphine, was largely antagonized by naloxone. The daily administration of the extract (200 mg/kg, p.o. for 4 days) or morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c. for 4 days) produced progressive tolerance, an effect which was reverted by naloxone (5 mg/kg, i.p.). In addition, the Catuama extract showed cross-tolerance with morphine. The Catuama antinociception was not due to its non-specific effects such as muscle relaxation or sedation of animals, nor was it secondary to its antiinflammatory property. When analysed separately the hydroalcoholic extract (HE) obtained from Trichilia catigua, Paullinia cupana, Ptychopelatum olacoids, Zinziber officinalis (200 mg/kg, p.o., 6 h prior) all inhibited acetic acid-induced pain (82%�2%; 66%�2%; 42%�2% and 30%�4% of inhibition, respectively (p<0.01). In the formalin test the HE of P. olacoids; P. cupana; T. catigua and to a lesser extent, Z. officinalis (200 mg/kg, p.o., 6 h prior) also inhibited both phases of formalin-induced pain (p<0.01). Thus, antinociception caused by the Catuama extract seems to be dependent on the interaction of the several active principles present in these plants. The mechanisms underlying the antinociception caused by extract of herbal medicine Catuama is still not completely understood, but a significant number of these effects are related to its interaction with the naloxone sensitive opioid system. Together, the results indicate that the herbal medicine Catuama may constitute a useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of clinical pain. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[jacky]

thats the one, thanks