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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Ginger for libido and stuttering

Ginger is known for its antiemetic properties. I used ginger in 2005-2007 when I was not taking any supplements. I used ginger along with tea. I cut the fresh ginger into small pieces after scrapping the skin. I boil the black tea powder in water along with these ginger pieces. Then I filter the water into milk powder. Shake well to get the tea with ginger aroma and taste. After consumption of this ginger tea, I noticed the following effects.

  • My stuttering was reduced and my speech was more fluent.
  • My libido was slightly increased with more sensation of the penis.
  • When taken with oat meal, it gives heavy sleepiness.
  • Increased body heat and sweating.
  • Anxiety was slightly reduced since speech fluency was more. However the performance anxiety was not reduced much.
However, when I took this ginger tea when i was taking the supplements (5-HTP, DL-Phenylalanine, magnesium and multivitamin), I had experienced one unique symptom. My talking was jumbled up. The first syllable of the first word is substituted with the first syllable of the second word. For example to say catecholamine control, I said kotakolamine kentrol. This did not happen frequently but happened quite no of times when I was speaking fast and caused some embarrassment. I could not control it from happening. It happened with Tamil and English languages (I stutter more in English than in Tamil).

So, my hypothesis about the ginger effect is:
  • Increase in serotonin (more fluency), possibly GABA (sleepiness)
  • Decrease of dopamine activity in certain areas of the brain (decrease in stuttering, more sleepiness)
  • Increase in dopamine activity in certain areas of the brain (increase in libido)
Research indicates that ginger is having 5-HT3 antagonism - gingerol and galanolactone are responsible for this.

Huang, QR; Iwamoto; Aoki; Tanaka; Tajima; Yamahara; Takaishi; Yoshida et al. (1991). "Anti-5-hydroxytryptamine3 effect of galanolactone, diterpenoid isolated from ginger". Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin 39 (2): 397–9. 

5-HT3 antagonism reduces dopamine release.
Differential inhibitory effects of a 5-HT3 antagonist on drug-induced stimulation of dopamine release. European Journal of Pharmacology
Volume 164, Issue 3, 30 May 1989, Pages 515-519

2 comments:

  1. In every study it shows that ginger inhibits serotonin and the release. Because of this and the balancing act in the brain it increases dopamine. Dopamine gets the body revving increasing brain metabolism, energy and gives you motivated and you find pleasure and fullfillment and control. it things and increases coordination and muscle control. When I eat high protein foods and fish oil and I took a mao-b inhibitor my stuttering got way better. Antipsychotics which decreases dopamine and appetite control, I wasn't a type a person anymore and my stuttering got worse.

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  2. Great feedback.

    I would like to add that ginger contains vitamin b6 which is known to stimulate the striatum (in the brain) which via MRI has been shown to be under active in most people who stutter.
    I wonder if this b6 in ginger attributed to your fluency...

    One way to test this is to buy vitamin b6 (Pyridoxal) and take a large dosage of it, somewhere between 300 to 3000mg and monitor your fluency.

    Ill try this tomorrow.

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