WARNING!
Do not use licorice extract: (1) If you are pregnant or nursing.
(2) If you have hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease or liver
problems. (3) If you are taking a diuretic, laxative, or any heart
medication.
If
you use licorice extract, monitor your blood pressure and weight
often and watch for excessive fluid retention. Do not use more than
10 grams per day for any period greater than two weeks.
General
Instructions
Baschetti licorice
extract inhibits the enzyme that deactivates cortisol. Blocking
this enzyme, called 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type two
(11 beta-HSD-2), with licorice extract will increase cortisol bioactivity
up to 6 fold.
The cortisol
balance of a healthy person is maintained by the H/P/A axis at a
particular set point by many complicated feedback mechanisms that
respond to physical and emotional stress. Cortisol need is usually
about 30 mg day in the average person, but can increase to 300 mg
day in periods of extreme stress.
The H/P/A axis
in people with chronic fatigue syndrome does not respond properly
to stress; therefore, in order to feel better, people with this
illness need to compensate for this lack of stress response. They
should avoid stress as much as possible and/or learn to boast their
cortisol with herbs and drugs at a time when need increases.
Keep in mind
that increasing cortisol levels beyond your need will only
trigger feedback mechanisms to lower your own production. In other
words, if you increase cortisol activity excessively with licorice
on a none-stressful day, you will trip feedback mechanisms that
will then lower your cortisol. The effect will be that you will
experience too much cortisol one day and too little cortisol the
next. On the other hand, if you encounter extra stress, you can
easily deplete your cortisol even though you took the right does
of licorice extract.
If you realize
that you took too much licorice extract for the level of stress
in your day, then taking a long walk will burn off the extra cortisol
and help prevent feedback problems. If, on the other hand, you realize
you did not take enough licorice for the amount of stress in your
day, then you should avoid exercise, which will reduce the demand
extra cortisol.
The key then
is to balance your licorice dose along with your anticipated stress
level, using exercise as an added control. It's not easy to do and
requires a lot of practice but it is the best way to manage your
illness.
Be aware that
working out the right dose to prevent feedback from occurring and
still taking enough to counter stress and exercise is the challenge
in taking any herb or drug to treat the adrenal insufficiency associated
with chronic fatigue syndrome.
If your going
be a coach potato all day, you will not need much cortisol. But
if your going to try to live a normal life, and also exercise a
little, then your cortisol requirements will increase dramatically.
The amount of Licorice extract you will need will depend on your
level of stress and physical activity, coupled with how well your
gut flora digest the herb. Each persons requirements will
be different. If you read somewhere that one
particular dose of licorice fits all, keep the above in mind and
avoid this advice completely because the source simply does not
understand the workings of the herb to treat chronic fatigue syndrome.
Sodium/Potassium
Retention
The ratio between
sodium and potassium is like a seesaw. If one goes up, the other
goes down.
Rather than retain
a proper sodium balance, people with chronic fatigue syndrome hold
on to an excess of potassium.
By inhibiting
11 beta-HSD-2 activity in the kidney with Baschetti, cortisol is
allow access to the mineralocorticoid receptors triggering an increased
retention of sodium and a slight excretion of potassium bringing
a person with chronic fatigue syndrome into sodium/potassium balance;
therefore, supplementing with potassium is not needed nor recommended.
Extra potassium can even be counter productive because it lowers
blood pressure.
The extra water
retained due to licorice extract quickly increases overall blood
volume, indirectly increasing blood pressure by increasing the efficiency
of the heart.
The correct dose
of licorice extract also inactivates 11 beta-HSD-2 in the vascular
system for six hours, which increases cortisol activity in the vessels
walls. The increased cortisol boost your vascular system's reaction
to vasoconstrictors, raising blood pressure and reducing fatigue
when standing.
Excessive
Use
In general, people
who suffer ill health from excessive use of licorice extract take
amounts over 50 grams per day, sometimes for months. This amount
of licorice will permanently inhibit the 11 beta-HSD-2 enzyme
and can cause serious side effects.
The safe way
to use licorice extract is to inhibit your 11 beta-HSD-2 for no
more than 6-8 hours per day so that you can get a good boost in
your cortisol bioactivity without causing too much fluid retention
and other side effects. How much you will need to accomplish your
treatment goal will depend on how you metabolize licorice in your
gut, and other factors based on your individual metabolism as discussed
below. Your daily need on this protocol will likely be between 3-5
grams/day, and should never exceed 10 grams/day.
Knowledge is
all it takes to use licorice extract safely. Everyone who ever suffered
ill health from taking too much licorice did so because they did
not know the symptoms of excessive use. No one who knew in advance
the effects of excessive dosage has ever suffered any serious side
effects. Even if you do take too much, two or three days of excess
is not going to cause any harm. Simply being aware of the effects
of licorice extract and listening to your body gives you plenty
of time to balance your dose.
Since licorice
extract causes water retention and increased blood pressure, monitoring
these two consequences is the most practical way to accurately gage
your dosage and help you arrive at the correct amount of herb for
your own individual need.
What you are
trying to accomplish is a little extra fluid retention because retaining
fluids is the prime signal that the glycyrrhizic acid in the licorice
extract is increasing cortisol bioactivity. This way you can be
assured that the extra cortisol is soon going to help you.
You can monitor
fluid retention in many ways. Some people carry excess water in
their legs, ankles and feet and easily notice a slight puffiness
in these areas. Others carry extra fluid in the face and hands and
can often see extra water in their eye lids and/or notice a difference
in the way a ring fits. The way your hands feels when making a tight
fist will also be noticeably different if you are retaining extra
water. Another great way to monitor fluid retention is to weigh
yourself at various times of the day before you start taking LE.
Keep your pre LE weight levels in a safe spot so you can refer back
to them. Keep in mind that most people notice extra fluid retention
after being on their feet for an extended length of time so be sure
to know your pre LE weight during all hours of the day, especially
after 6-7 PM at night.
But don't think
just because you notice extra water retention that this is an unhealthy
condition. Most people with reduced adrenal output have been dehydrated
for years and have grown accustomed to their body in this state.
This means you might need to become familiar to the way your body
feels properly hydrated.
Keeping close
tabs on your blood pressure will be difficult unless you buy a pressure
cuff. Purchase one that you can operated both in the standing and
setting position without anyone's help. Take your BP 2-4 times per
day and keep a written record next to your weight and licorice use.
Remember to take
your BP setting, laying down, and after you been standing upright.
In the upright position remain on your feet and still for as long
as you can (30 minutes if possible) leaning ever so slightly against
a wall to keep from falling. Keep a journal of these numbers and
times and show it to your doctor.
Mixing
You will need
a glass measuring cup, a 1 liter container, a metal tablespoon,
and one quart of whole milk. You may substitute 1 pint of "half
and half" cream mixed with 1 pint of water if you are on a high
protein diet.
Work over a plate
so that you can collect any spillage. Put one cup of water into
the glass measuring cup and bring to near boil in a microwave oven.
Slowly add 3 level tablespoons of licorice extract into the hot
water and stir until most of the powder is mixed in the water. Let
the mixture cool for several hours, stirring 4-5 times as it cools
to make sure all the powder is completely dissolved in the water.
Pour the mixture into the 1 liter container and add one quart of
whole milk or cream/water mixture. Shake and keep cold.
Remember...
3 level tablespoons mixed in one cup of hot water and added to one
quart of milk yields one liter of liquid mixture.
Dosage
and Administration
Many people
with adrenal weakness have had a first-time negative experience
with licorice extract simply because their cells were starving for
cortisol. As a result of cortisol hunger, the cells increase the
cortisol receptors on the outside of the cell wall. When these people
began increasing cortisol activity with licorice, the cells with
upregulated receptors scooped up excessive cortisol and overloaded
the cell and the person felt like crap and immediately stopped what
they needed most. If you feel bad when starting licorice just lower
the dose until the negatives effects go away then increase the dose
slightly over the next few weeks until you get to the right dose
for you.
After you have
recorded your base weight and BP, start your licorice extract by
drinking 1/2 cup (125 ml or 4 ounces) each morning for three days
as a breakfast drink when you first get up. The gut bacteria required
to convert glycyrrhizic acid into its bioactive metabolite needs
a non-nutrient environment so do not eat breakfast or consume any
food or sugar for at least two hours after consuming licorice. Coffee
or tea without sugar is okay.
Notice how you
feel and compare your base weight and BP. You should notice some
fluid retention and a slight increase in BP.
After three days,
increase your dose to a full 8 ounce glass (250 mL).
As mentioned
many times, licorice extract increases cortisol bioactivity by blocking
the enzyme that deactivates cortisol, but it takes about three hours
for the herb to maximally to its job. Therefore, if you take the
proper dose at 9 AM, the best effect will occur at noon and slowly
tapering off in the afternoon.
If you didn't
get a good response by noon, chances are good that you had no cortisol
in your system. Licorice can increase cortisol activity by as much
as six fold, but cortisol must be present before you will feel any
effect. And, since stress burns up extra cortisol, stress will also
alter the way you respond to licorice extract. You could be a good
responder one day due to no stress, and a weak responder the next
day due to too much stress burning your extra cortisol.
Expect Baschetti
to give you at least a 30% reduction in your overall symptoms. Additional
recovery may require that you address red cell health, insulin resistance,
lack of exercise, and many other general conditions.
Helpful
Hints and Additional Information
Baschetti licorice
extract contains ~91 mg of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) per gram. Three
level tablespoons weights 18 grams, equivalent to 1,638 mg of glycyrrhizic
acid. Since in the above mixing instruction you used 18 grams to
mix a liter of liquid (~34 ounces or 1,000 mL), each 100 mL contains
~163 mg GA. One 8 ounce glass = 250 mL = ~407 mg of glycyrrhizic
acid. Two cups = 500 mL = ~814 mg of glycyrrhizic acid.
So, remember...
one 8 ounce glass of your mixture contains about 400 mg of glycyrrhizic
acid.
Research has
shown that healthy people, who do not have hypertension and are
not salt-sensitive and who do not have weak adrenals, can safely
consume up to 1000 mg of GA per day, for periods of 3-4 weeks. A
person who needs the effects of licorice may be able to consume
safely twice this amount for months without any ill effects. In
other words, don't worry about overdosing! Chances are if you feel
the effects of "too much licorice" it is because you are not yet
accustom to the herb. Just ease the dose down a bit and slowly increase
upwards again.
You should find
out after a few months that your ideal dose should be less than
500 mg/day. (Some customers get good results with ~300 mg day.)
You may require more or less depending on the condition of your
gut flora. And, don't forget, people who NEED the effects of licorice
will be able to safely consume 2-3 times as much as the healthy
subjects mentioned above.
Women may experience
salt and fluid retention during the pre-menstrual period and may
want to reduce their dose depending on how much fluid they normally
retain during this time.
The condition
of micro flora in your gut will also acutely effect your licorice
extract dose. Even though glycyrrhizic acid is considered the major
bioactive molecule in licorice, very little is found in the blood
of those who are taking this herb because Glycyrrhizic acid is not
readily absorbed. It must first be metabolized in the lower parts
of the intestine by a special strain of bacteria into 18 beta glycyrrhetic
acid (18 beta-GA). This special bacteria has been identified as
Eubacterium sp. Strain GLH (Glycyrrhizin Hydrolyzing).
Accordingly,
when licorice extract is taken orally, the pharmacological effects
and the side effects are both caused by 18 beta GA. If the bacterial
content of your gut is not favorable to the hydrolysis of glycyrrhizic
acid into 18 beta GA, you will not get much of an effect from licorice
no matter how much you take. On the other hand, if your gut flora
favors hydrolysis, you will get a rather positive response from
a much lesser amount of licorice.
This hydrolysis
of glycyrrhizic acid can change over time and either improve or
reduce metabolizing efficiency. If you are taking antibiotics or
have recently taken any other drug that would alter your gut flora,
your ability to metabolize glycyrrhizic acid into 18 beta GA will
be greatly altered. If you have problems metabolizing licorice,
continue to take the herb because glycyrrhizic acid in the herb
will go about creating the correct gut flora and you will start
to notice improved effects within a few weeks.
Whole grade-A
milk is preferred. Use goats' milk if you are allergic to cows'
milk. Use lots of lactate enzymes if you have a problem digesting
lactose. Click here for milk alternatives.
The licorice/milk
combination will slowly restore your ability to digest milk sugars
so do not be concerned if you need lots of lactate enzyme. Licorice
has been used for 2,000 years to help people with digestive problems
and promote the healing of ulcers. Licorice also protects the stomach
against damage by aspirin, an excellent drug for those with weak
adrenals.
Glycyrrhizic
acid inhibits hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase and prostaglandin
reductase, two enzymes that metabolize gut prostaglandins (E2; F2)
into an inactive form. Prostaglandins promote improved gut conditions,
aspirin protection and the healing of ulcers by stimulating mucus
secretion and cell proliferation in the stomach. By inhibiting the
enzymes that inhibit prostaglandins, licorice will improve minor
irritable bowel symptoms and aid the lactase enzyme in digesting
milk.
You will notice
an improvement in digestion in a few weeks, and will be able to
drastically lower the amount of lactase enzyme after several months
on licorice.
Taking too much
licorice extract can trigger feedback mechanism and cause you to
feel worse. If this occurs, stop taking licorice for 4-5 days and
allow you body a period of adjustment before resuming. Don't be
afraid to experiment. Keep in mind that each person is different
and must find their own dosing schedule.
Weigh yourself
several times during the day before you start taking licorice extract,
then compare your weight after you begin the herb. The idea is to
take enough licorice and milk to cause a slight retention of extra
fluids equal to no more than a few extra pounds of water weight.
Remember, your weight will normally vary at different times of the
day, so compare your weight at the same time every day.
Monitor your
blood pressure daily and discontinue this product if your BP increases
more than 20 points on the high side or 10 points on the low side.
