Comment · Wed, July 22, 2020 · ND Owner
Polygala Tenuifolia side effects: paraesthesia, tingling and foot pain
Original post in this thread
_vasilescu · 7 points
There's been a lot of talk about Polygala lately, happy to see people find it useful, but I thought it would be worthwhile to report these side effects as I haven't read about anyone experiencing them before with this nootropic.
To get to the point, I began taking 3 x 100 mg of ND's 20:1 Polygala per day and by the 3rd day, I started getting paraesthesia and a tingling sensation all throughout my legs. The following day, I experienced mild foot pain - the soles of my feet literally hurt while walking.
Furthermore (and this might have been just my mind playing tricks on me) I felt scratchy everywhere all day.
Increasing NGF is probably the culprit here, though I haven't been able to find out or understand why some people experience paraesthesia while the majority don't, or if it's even possible to combat this side effect.
I had a similar experience with NSI-189 (as did others), but back then I stupidly tried to push through it and woke up one morning with the soles of my feet hurting so badly that I literally limped in my house for 3-4 days and was unable to go out.
Similar (but much less intense) experience with NAC, and I imagine I'd probably get the same thing if I tried…
What they were answering
_vasilescu · 1 points
It's possible that I might just be sensitive to it (or that the NSI messed me up when I tried it a year ago).
I might go with just 100 mg per day, but you can imagine that I'm a bit wary considering the fact that I'm still getting random itches today and I haven't had any Polygala since Sunday. I just don't want to end up with anything permanent.
Do you have any idea at all what the mechanisms/reasons behind this might be, and if there is potential for long-term damage?
I really haven't been able to find anything on this at all other than some anecdotal reports here and there.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK200938/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16210804/
https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn1950?proof=true1
It's a known mechanism with itching. NGF has been shown to upregulate neuropeptides like substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), both of which are involved in the hypersensitivity of itch sensation. This is not something to worry about as far as long-term damage. It's just sensitizing you to the mechanisms that affect the itchy sensation.
I would personally just drop to 100mg. That's what I take. I prefer lower doses of polygala myself.