Comment · Fri, March 20, 2020
Is Chaga a 5AR inhibitor?
Original post in this thread
WeAreTheAperture · 2 points
Per the title, is Chaga a 5AR inhibitor? I'm looking for ways to boost immunity but had a really better experience with Reishi. got super weepy, demotivated and practically depressed.
What they were answering
[deleted] · 1 points
Great. I thought so. I was just surprised at how Reishi affected me in the negative, while my experience with Cordyceps was very positive. Reishi and Bacopa make me feel terrible psychologically and the only common element I can ascertain between the two is 5AR inhibition.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb
Wait, where is the evidence that bacopa has 5 alpha reductase activity? Bacopa's effect on motivation is likely due to an up-regulation of tryptophan hydroxylase, which increases the production of 5-HTP, which competes with L-DOPA for the aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase enzyme to convert into serotonin and dopamine, respectively. So the prevailing theory for bacopa's motivation-killing effects is a lowering of dopamine due to an oversaturation of the AADC enzyme by 5-HTP.