Comment · Wed, February 11, 2026 · ND Owner
Curious on y'alls thoughts on this. I spoke to a ayurveda person (ayurveda is where Ashwagandha and Bacopa come from) and he was like for thousands of years we put the herbs into food and ate it long-term and not made extracts out of it. Should we have skepticism over extracts with this logic maybe?
What they were answering
DoctorBoneMarrow · 2 points
Whoa, thanks! I was familiar with those supplements but not with many of the specific mechanisms you mentioned. Thanks for the info, it's truly interesting.
Looking at a bit more downstream interventions, L-BAIBA also seems interesting. Its synthesis is upregulated by clozapine and is believed to contribute to the therapeutic effect: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/13/5/862
Now, important caveat: that study shows activated astrocytes then INHIBIT overactive dopaminergic neurons.
Yes, I'm aware of that. But even if it's just a mechanistic rationale, I believe it's very promising to target a potential dysfunction upstream.
So just blindly "activating" astrocytes without understanding the downstream effects could be problematic. These supplements work through different mechanisms than D2 antagonism, so the effects might not be identical to what risperidone does. Also, we don't have human trials specifically testing "astrocyte activation" as an endpoint. These are extrapolations from cell culture and animal studies. The mechanistic rationale is solid, but keep that in mind.
You're right, but antagonizing dopamine is problematic and I believe it's a blunt tool for a disorder we don't know yet how to treat precisely. Antipsychotics themselves cause stuttering in some people, VMAT2 inhibitors have the same problem, and "opposite" drugs…
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
L-BAIBA does seem interesting! We brought that out a while back, but it hasn't really gotten very popular. This could be a cool mechanism to highlight. It does activate astrocytes, but doesn't antagonize dopamine. It supports mitochondrial function and activates AMPK, while reducing excess glutamate signaling. It would certainly be one people should try to see how it affects them with stuttering.
Regarding luteolin, the fact that you specified 100mg makes me think you’re already pretty familiar with it. Maybe it's one of the upcoming releases...? Hehee
We have worked on multiple flavones/flavonoids, including luteolin, for years. We didn't think bringing it out as a standalone made sense for us, but we are working on an eye health stack that will likely include it.
You've already mentioned NAC to preserve HSP70, do you know of any other supplements that could be interesting here?
ETAS 50, which is a specialized Asparagus officinalis extract, seems to be one.
https://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2023/9960094.pdf
Have you ever tested the Celastrol content in your Celastrus extract?
No, but it is found in the seeds, and ours is a seed and leaf extract. I will see if we can get the standard and see if we see it in ours.
If your main goal were activating and enhancing lysosomal enzyme trafficking in order to improve astrocyte function, what would you reach for?
I'd say trehalose, NAC, sulforaphane, Na-R-ALA, L-BAIBA, and epicatechin.