Hello!

In general (anecdotal) reference to the notes about grape seed extract, one
of which was:

>Dear  Ron     Audrey  and  I  both  took  grape seed  extract  for about
>a week or  ten  days and  had a  very bad experience  with  stomach
>cramps.  She also broke out with ulcers  in the mouth.  The stomach
>pains were not  the ordinaary kind of upset  stomach but severe  burning
>sensation.  She is also taking  pycnogenol  and likes it  very much but
>the grape seed  content  is  very minimal.  The  main ingredient  is the
>maritime  pine and  she claims  it helps her to think  clearly. I swore
>off
>anything  with  grape seed extract after that ex perience.  Good luck
>with yours.  Cloverdale

- - - - - - - -

        When I first took grape seed extract, I had no idea that it would do
anything special; I simply was adding it -- experimentally -- to other
antioxidants I was taking.  Ok, so I read a bunch of stuff in advance about
its constiuents and how to take it, but really had no Grand Expectations.

        The only time GSE has given me stomach trouble was when I failed to
follow it with some food.  Not a lot, just some.  And then the effect was
more like acid reflux.  So I learned, and now take it just prior to meals.

        The effects were unexpected, and my co-workers noticed them first.  I
was able to sit and concentrate on the work at hand much better and for
longer periods than I had in the past.  They said I was "more focused" and
"more peaceful and purposeful" (those were two typical comments, neither of
the people knowing anything I was taking).  No other dietary element
changed.

        Personally, my impression was that my thoughts were more "connected"
and it seemed that I could see whole processes rather than feeling my way
along solution paths (I repair computers and create websites, so
visualizing is essential to me).  I needed less coffee and felt generally
"better" about myself and my work.  It seemed that my previous irrational
bouts of anxiety came less frequently -- almost gone altogether.

        Placebo?  Could be, but I had no indication in my readings that GSE
would do that.

        So I tried it on my 3 year old, the one who can't sit still no matter
what bribes, time-outs or threats are attempted. Mixed it with yogurt,  one
capsule (50 mg) to a whole cup, and gave him a few spoonsful.  Result --
and this has been repeated now dozens of times since June -- he sits
quietly and reads books, or plays "normally" with siblings, and general
behaves pretty decently.  Before, he was a little blond Tasmanian Devil
(Warner Bros. version, not the real thing).  His coloring is better (more
like a 3 year old and less like a psych-ward patient) and he has greater
control over various muscular behaviors.

        Subjective?  Sure is.  Anecdotal?  Absolutely, both in his case and
mine.  Successful?  Well, WE certainly think so.  I can't recommend the
same thing for others, but I am *quite* impressed.

        Notes of caution, based on personal experience:

        1.  As mentioned, take GSE with food.

        2.  I am a 215 lb, 40 year old male, and take 50 mg 2x daily (morning
and evening).  More than that and I get the opposite effect -- irritable
and crabby and even impatient.  Watch your doses.  Friend took 100 mg at a
time and was hating life for a season -- stomach cramps, weirdness, the
whole 9 yards.

        3.  If you mix it with food, versus taking capsules, yogurt hides the
bitterness best.   It's alkaline (think "alum") so it works well in acidic
foods, especially ones that have some sweet/sour aspect -- hence the yogurt.

        4.  Price:  best I have found in the U.S. is at Walmart, where
Schiff's 50 mg 30 count is just $6.96 in the Baltimore/Washington area.
Beats the heck out of the health food stores, and I notice NO effectual
difference between expensive and cheap brands.

        5.  I stopped taking GSE in the evenings unless I had a pile of
night-work to do.  It contains no stimulents, but my brain seemed to "rev
up" with thoughts and (tired tho I was) I was tempted to stay up too late,
fiddling with my latest idea or getting "just a little more" work done.

        Uhh... like now.

        Ooops.  Past my bedtime.

        Great list; this is my first post.

        Thanks for reading.

//Drew


______________________________________________________
Drew the Mac Guy         Editor, Mac-Do-It! newsletter
Baltimore, MD, USA                [log in to unmask]
Send me email and request a free copy!
______________________________________________________
Owner & Senior Tech, Baltimore MacTech Laboratories
>>> Superior Macintosh Service & Website Creation <<<
email: [log in to unmask]    VM Ph: (410) 882-9911