/sci/ - Science & Math

>>12551628
I take NAC and 3-5 grams vitamin C in the morning. I generally try to eat fats instead of starches or protein, though it varies and I haven't really optimized that. I don't drink caffeine unless there is an actual reason. Confounders for my testimony are that when I've needed to do a lot and sustain it I've tended to get high af on cacao which achieves exactly what you seem to be after in the short term (especially when fasting), but in the long term net burns you out and really modifies how your mind works (the mode and direction of the claritym divergent and lateral thought is emphasized, convergent thought is reduced) and how energy is allocated throughout the day. The stories from central and South America are true, "a man who has eaten cacao can easily march all day and all night with no food", however do not let it deceive you, there is a cost and you can't draw on that indefinitely. Cacao is a drug and should not be abused. Otherwise I would make sure my vitamin D was adequate, and would eat brazil nuts for selenium. There are a ton of herbs that can facilitate mental clarity but I don't really feel like listing them because let's be real, no one is into that shit. However in short:
-Polygonum multiflorum
-Gotu kola (centella asiatica)
-Ashwagandha (withania somnifera)
-Ginkgo leaf (ginkgo biloba)
-Rhodiola rosea
-Ginseng (very estrogenic, not a male herb long term)
-Schisandra berry
-Shatavari (asparagus racemosus, very estrogenic)
-Bacopa monierri

Caffeinated:
-Guarana seed
-Yerba mate
-Guayusa

Exercise, intermittent fasting, cutting added sugar out of the general diet, and so on also help a lot.

>>12482088
The pharmacology of cacao is relatively complex, and it depends greatly on the form you consumed, what you consume it with, and your individual particularities.

I think the primary mechanism is dilation of blood vessels, phenylethylamine induced dumping of dopamine stores, and nutrients which spur increased serotonin and dopamine synthesis. There are several angles.

Cacao doesn't actually contain much, if any caffeine. Its primary methylxanthines are theobromine and theophylline. iirc it takes ~5 seconds for the intra and extracllular concentration of methylxanthines to become equal. Inside the cell caffeine, theobromine, etc causes the endoplasmic reticulum to release its Ca2+ stores (and the other polyphenols also do this via ryanodine receptors). One of the short term effects is increased NO synthesis, and in turn increased cGMP etc, which is connected to nrf2 (which is connected to BDNF). Long term, NO overwhelms these systems and starts going to down the NO + superoxide pathway, yielding peroxynitrite, H2O2, and hydroxyl radical. So its beneficial effects are ultimately redox mediated. The polyphenols also accumulate in, modulate, and restructure the hippocampus.

Otherwise, there is anandamide. It's unclear how bioavailable this actually is. There are (psychoactive) mold toxins and consensation byproducts like salsolinol. Despite lowering cortisol levels and preventing epinephrine release, it actually has a strong suppressive effect on the vagus nerve (parasympathetic). It contains compounds which strongly inhibit digestive enzymes dealing with starches and fats. Having these incompletely digested components emptied in the gut modifies gut flora behavior, this is another possible mechanism. Cacao is very high in magnesium.

I discovered this the same way you did. The effects of all the different forms of cacao vary. Chocolate liquor, cocoa butter or the cocoa mass alone. Raw, roasted, whole beans, nibs, etc.

>>12482088
The pharmacology of cacao is relatively complex, and it depends greatly on the form you consumed, what you consume it with, and your individual particularities.

I think the primary mechanism is dilation of blood vessels, penylethylamine induced dumping of dopamine stores, and nutrients which spur increased serotonin and dopamine synthesis (and norepi downstream). There are several angles.

Cacao doesn't actually contain much, if any caffeine. Its primary methylxanthines are theobromine and theophylline. iirc it takes ~5 seconds for the intra and extracllular concentration of methylxanthines to become equal. Inside the cell caffeine, theobromine, etc causes the smooth endoplasmic reticulum to release its Ca2+ stores (and the other polyphenols also do this via ryanodine receptors). One of the short term effects is increased NO synthesis, and in turn increased cGMP etc, which is connected to nrf2 (which is conected to BDNF). Long term, NO overwhelms these systems and start going to down the NO + superoxide pathway, yielding peroxynitrite, H2O2, and hydroxyl radical. So its beneficial effects are redox mediated. The polyphenols also accumulate in, modulate, and restructure the hippocampus.

Otherwise, there is anandamide. It's unclear how bioavailable this actually is. There are (psychoactive) mold toxins and consensation byproducts like salsolinol. Despite lowering cortisol levels and preventing epinephrine release, it actually has a strong suppressive effect on the vagus nerve (parasympathetic). It contains compounds which strongly inhibit digestive enzymes dealing with starches and fats. Having these incompletely digested components emptied in the gut modifies gut flora behavior, this is another possible mechanism. Cacao is very high in magnesium.

I discovered this the same way you did. The effects of all the different forms of cacao vary. Chocolate liquor, cocoa butter or the cocoa mass alone. Raw, roasted, whole beans, nibs, etc.

>>12308521
A large dose of cacao (both butter and solids) acts like a dissociative mix of dextroamphetamine and alcohol. Adding mucuna pruriens, kava, or phenibut can increase it. Otherwise, yerba mate, guayusa, or guarana seed is more like adderall overall.

Cacao et al (many herbs come to mind, rhodiola, eleuthero, ginseng, ashwagandha (low dose)) will still gradually deplete you though. I originally started because I found it improved nerve pain and allowed me to continue functioning at a reasonable level through very high and unyielding stress, infrequently eating or sleeping, and whatever else I needed to do. While the suggestions of diet, exercise, nutrition, and high quality rest is the most sensible overarching method, I think it's obvious it won't allow you to quickly scale to extremes or brute force yourself into a certain state. Regardless, now nearly 10 years later I'm fairly addicted and caffeine (on the rare occasion I consume it) doesn't do anything noticeable other than make me drowsy. Be wary of the line between use and abuse.

>>12129546
-Cacao
-Guarana seed, yerba mate, guayusa
-Polygonum multiflorum
-Mild sedatives like tulsi, wormwood, ashwagandha, passionflower, kava, phenibut

Scientifically speaking, this will get you high af. Mixed with wormwood and ashwagandha. perfect.

Why does chocolate consumption almost completely prevent a sweat response within any context, for around a day or two after even a relatively small amount? I go out in the sun and rapidly overheat, blood pressure drops, heart rate rises, etc. No sweat. Strenuous physical labor, no sweat response.

Why might this be? Likely not allergy or histamine release.

There's that familiar feeling again. When the present state of research can't satisfactorily answer the most base of questions, and every scrap of literature you read contradicts another. Then you get the reviews that read like opinion pieces.

I just read a whole review, complete with a few hundred citations, that was essentially trying to say the only pharmacologically relevant components of cacao seeds were flavan-3-ols, methylxanthines (mainly theobromine), magnesium, and some other antioxidants. The rest of it was a snotty half minded display of trying to "debunk the myths". Clearly this fuckhead has never been high on chocolate, subjectively it is absolutely nothing like other caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine containing sources. Nor does it behave the same with longterm administration. I would know, the majority of the good parts of it disappear and it leaves a bit dull.

No. I want to know how it actually works. I want to know what it actually is relative to the human machine. This is ridiculous that it seems it still isn't known to what extent isoquinolines can be absorbed through the intestines. And through all their bitching about "lul anandamide myths, weed heads too xd" they neglect to mention the presence of endocannabinoid reuptake inhibitors. The nature of which, isn't known either.
[Character limit]

Are there any botanists here? Where do you go for research?

I'm trying to determine where the tetrahydroisoquinoline (eg salsolinol) present in theobroma cacao seeds, actually comes from. I don't think it's synthesized by, or a metabolite of, the tree / fruit itself. It seems more likely it occurs from fermentation after harvesting, but I don't know.

I've just been going through pubmed and Google scholar, thought there might be a better resource. I also can't find high quality and complete studies detailing the average composition of cacao nibs. Most studies are focusing on cadmium content from growing in volcanic ash rich soil, and following citations is of no help.

Thought there might be a better way.