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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Verne on February 14, 2008, at 1:57:46
I've tried everything from every part of the world (I was importing lotus petals from Nepal and bark from China) and finally found something that lived up to the hype. Graviola.
I'll probably be blocked soon and wanted to let you of the alternative persuasion know.
I bought the pound bag of graviola powder from iherb, packaged by RainTree Nutrition. It is by far the best anti-depressant, anti-anxiety herb I've ever taken. No contest.
Later I bought "Graviola Max" by RainTree and didn't get the same results. Buy the powder and cap it yourself. Besides, the cost is prohibitive when you buy it pre-capped.
I've been experimenting with supplements for 25 years: graviola is for real. There's tons of research and studies that show it also helps with cancer. I just know it kicks depression and anxiety in the butt.
I slept without nightmares for the first time in years and woke up refreshed. Graviola is good for high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, and, I guess, cancer. Many swear by it and I'll add my signature: this ain't hype.
I'm hyped out with all the African, Indian, Chinese herbs. I've done Ayurveda, the Chinese thing, and countless other alternatives. Finally, something that really works.
Check out Graviola. I recommend the powder and capping it yourself. Raintree's "Graviola Max" does zip strangely, although the powder comes from the same place. Get a Cap 'Em Kwik set or something. Not sure, which is best source.
Finally, whether you cap it, snort it, or brew it, Graviola is the best herb I've ever encountered. I've tried them all.
Verne
Posted by nolvas on February 15, 2008, at 3:40:46
In reply to Graviloa, Muulungu and other Amazon herbs, posted by Verne on February 14, 2008, at 1:57:46
Sounds very good. I will have to investigate its antidepressive and anxiolytic effects.
Posted by cumulative on February 15, 2008, at 9:00:20
In reply to Graviloa, Muulungu and other Amazon herbs, posted by Verne on February 14, 2008, at 1:57:46
I'm sorry to bear bad news in something that works well for you, but Graviola has some pretty honest, scary evidence of serious neurotoxicity to dopaminergic neurons and causing Parkinson's Disease.
Toxicity of Annonaceae for dopaminergic neurons: Potential role in atypical parkinsonism in Guadeloupe
Annie Lannuzel, MD, PhD 1 *, Patrick P. Michel, PharmD, PhD 2, Dominique Caparros-Lefebvre, MD, PhD 1, Jacqueline Abaul, PhD 3, Reynald Hocquemiller, PharmD, PhD 4, Merle Ruberg, PhD 2
1Service de Neurologie, Centre hospitalier universitaire des Antilles et de la Guyane, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
2INSERM 289, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris, France
3Laboratoire COVACHIM, UFR des Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe; France
4Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, UPRES-A 8076 CNRS, Faculté de Pharmacie, Châtenay-Malabry; France
email: Annie Lannuzel (lannuzel@ais.gp)*Correspondence to Annie Lannuzel, Service de Neurologie, CHU des Antilles et de la Guyane, Pointe-à-Pitre, 97159 Abymes, Guadeloupe, France
Keywords
movement disorders parkinsonism neurotoxicology apoptosisAbstract
In the French West Indies there is an abnormally high frequency of levodopa-resistant parkinsonism, suggested to be caused by consumption of fruit and infusions of tropical plants, especially Annona muricata (corossol, soursop). To determine whether toxic substances from this plant can cause the neuronal degeneration or dysfunction underlying the syndrome, we exposed mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in culture to the total extract (totum) of alkaloids from Annona muricata root bark and to two of the most abundant subfractions, coreximine and reticuline. After 24 hours, 50% of dopaminergic neurons degenerated with 18 g/ml totum, 4.3 g/ml (13 M) coreximine, or 100 g/ml (304 M) reticuline. The effects of the alkaloid totum were not restricted to the population of dopaminergic cells since GABAergic neurons were also affected by the treatment. Nuclei in dying neurons showed DNA condensation or fragmentation, suggesting that neuronal death occurred by apoptosis. Cell death was not excitotoxic and did not require toxin uptake by the dopamine transporter. Neurodegeneration was attenuated by increasing the concentration of glucose in the culture medium, which also reduced the effect of the dopaminergic neurotoxin MPP+, a mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitor. Toxin withdrawal after short-term exposure arrested cell death. Acute treatment with totum, coreximine, or reticuline reversibly inhibited dopamine uptake by a mechanism that was distinct from that causing neuronal death. GABA uptake was not reduced under the same conditions. This study suggests that alkaloids from A. muricata can modulate the function and the survival of dopaminergic nerve cells in vitro. It is therefore conceivable that repeated consumption could cause the neuronal dysfunction and degeneration underlying the West Indian parkinsonian syndrome. © 2002 Movement Disorder Society.The mitochondrial complex I inhibitor annonacin is toxic to mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons by impairment of energy metabolism.
Neuroscience. 2003;121(2):287-96.
The death of dopaminergic neurons induced by systemic administration of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I inhibitors such as 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+); given as the prodrug 1-methyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) or the pesticide rotenone have raised the question as to whether this family of compounds are the cause of some forms of Parkinsonism. We have examined the neurotoxic potential of another complex I inhibitor, annonacin, the major acetogenin of Annona muricata ( graviola ), a tropical plant suspected to be the cause of an atypical form of Parkinson disease in the French West Indies (Guadeloupe). When added to mesencephalic cultures for 24 h, annonacin was much more potent than MPP(+) (effective concentration [EC(50)]=0.018 versus 1.9 microM) and as effective as rotenone (EC(50)=0.034 microM) in killing dopaminergic neurons. The uptake of [(3)H]-dopamine used as an index of dopaminergic cell function was similarly reduced. Toxic effects were seen at lower concentrations when the incubation time was extended by several days whereas withdrawal of the toxin after a short-term exposure (<6 h) arrested cell demise. Unlike MPP(+) but similar to rotenone, the acetogenin also reduced the survival of non-dopaminergic neurons. Neuronal cell death was not excitotoxic and occurred independently of free radical production. Raising the concentrations of either glucose or mannose in the presence of annonacin restored to a large extent intracellular ATP synthesis and prevented neuronal cell demise. Deoxyglucose reversed the effects of both glucose and mannose. Other hexoses such as galactose and fructose were not protective. Attempts to restore oxidative phosphorylation with lactate or pyruvate failed to provide protection to dopaminergic neurons whereas idoacetate, an inhibitor of glycolysis, inhibited the survival promoting effects of glucose and mannose indicating that these two hexoses acted independently of mitochondria by stimulating glycolysis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that annonacin promotes dopaminergic neuronal death by impairment of energy production. It also underlines the need to address its possible role in the etiology of some atypical forms of Parkinsonism in Guadeloupe.Annonacin, a lipophilic inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, induces nigral and striatal neurodegeneration in rats: possible relevance for atypical parkinsonism in Guadeloupe.
J Neurochem. 2004 Jan;88(1):63-9.
In Guadeloupe, epidemiological data have linked atypical parkinsonism with fruit and herbal teas from plants of the Annonaceae family, particularly Annona muricata ( graviola ). These plants contain a class of powerful, lipophilic complex I inhibitors, the annonaceous acetogenins. To determine the neurotoxic potential of these substances, we administered annonacin, the major acetogenin of graviola, to rats intravenously with Azlet osmotic minipumps (3.8 and 7.6 mg per kg per day for 28 days). Annonacin inhibited complex I in brain homogenates in a concentration-dependent manner, and, when administered systemically, entered the brain parenchyma, where it was detected by matrix-associated laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, and decreased brain ATP levels by 44%. In the absence of evident systemic toxicity, we observed neuropathological abnormalities in the basal ganglia and brainstem nuclei. Stereological cell counts showed significant loss of dopaminergic neurones in the substantia nigra (-31.7%), and cholinergic (-37.9%) and dopamine and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein (DARPP-32)-immunoreactive GABAergic neurones (-39.3%) in the striatum, accompanied by a significant increase in the number of astrocytes (35.4%) and microglial cells (73.4%). The distribution of the lesions was similar to that in patients with atypical parkinsonism. These data are compatible with the theory that annonaceous acetogenins, such as annonacin, might be implicated in the aetiology of Guadeloupean parkinsonism and support the hypothesis that some forms of parkinsonism might be induced by environmental toxins.
Posted by nolvas on February 15, 2008, at 14:18:08
In reply to Oh no. I'd stay away from Graviola. neurotoxin., posted by cumulative on February 15, 2008, at 9:00:20
Shame about that, I found some more advice on this page regarding Graviola.
Posted by Sigismund on February 15, 2008, at 18:42:55
In reply to Re: Oh no. I'd stay away from Graviola. neurotoxi, posted by nolvas on February 15, 2008, at 14:18:08
So this is soursop?
Not that I've ever had it, but I've read of it.
This is the end of the thread.
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