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
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