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Posted 12/12/2020 1:38 PM (GMT -5)
I just now took my morning dose of herbs/supps/meds and felt worse immediately with pain in my head. It eased off, though. I have noticed this a lot lately, although I don’t have it every time.

My herbs are nothing but knotweed, ashwaganda, maca, and the Calm the Cascade formula I added in late November. Overall I have been feeling less pain and inflammation during the day lately, but my sleep has gotten much worse.

I was thinking yesterday about how I have been feeling better during the day and assumed it was due to the Calm the Cascade. It is Chinese skullcap, turmeric, kudzu, licorice, meadowsweet, and ginger.

I may have had this immediate negative reaction before I even added Calm the Cascade. I think I did.

As I am writing right now, I feel inflammatory pain rising all over. Feels like brain and nerves are being inflamed.

Why would I feel worse immediately after taking herbs?
Posted 12/12/2020 1:40 PM (GMT -5)
I also have been having hormonal symptoms similar to mild PMS - increased productivity, sharp anger, trouble sleeping. Does licorice affect hormones? I have taken it before but don’t recall any issues.
Posted 12/12/2020 1:55 PM (GMT -5)
Yes, essentially licorice affects aldosterone, it has a aldosterone-like action on the body.

Remove Calm the Cascade from the equation an see how you feel. Problem with that supplement and many muti herb, is that it has many herbs mixed. I always avoid buying supplements with tons of herbs mixed, i prefer to buy them alone and separately. It allows you to see wish is good and bad and to exclude them one by one. That is impossible in this type of multi herb supplements. I always say to everyone, that herb supplement manufacturers, have the wrong idea that mixing a lot of herbs together, has some kind of increment or miracle combination, that is false and a fantasy they have, unless the supplement is researched, wish most times or never is. Because most of time people get bad side effects on them and have no clue from what herb or mix is the culprit. I advise everyone to take supps separately because of this issues.
Posted 12/12/2020 2:23 PM (GMT -5)
Licorice is very synergistic (many herbs are) and that's why it's often included in multi herb formulas. It does not sound like it would be the licorice in particular (what Buhner calls "pseudoaldosteronism") , but perhaps an MCAS reaction from one or more of the herbs?? We talked about this in a recent thread.. over time I sorta developed a reaction to the one or more herbs in the protocol I had taken for years.. wasn't pain in the head for me tho.. more like heart palps and anxiety

Post Edited (potsnpans) : 12/12/2020 12:32:13 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/12/2020 2:57 PM (GMT -5)

WalkingbyFaith said...
I also have been having hormonal symptoms similar to mild PMS - increased productivity, sharp anger, trouble sleeping. Does licorice affect hormones? I have taken it before but don’t recall any issues.

if I'm not mistaken licorice is used to hormones or menopause I could be wrong. I also thought licorice was used for something for the blood. I take most of the herbs u r on and I have been sleeping worse it seems bt it was due to the melatonin so I'm stopping that. I guess we can herx anytime as random as it may seem
Posted 12/12/2020 3:29 PM (GMT -5)
I suppose the "hormonal symptoms" could indeed be from the licorice..

Lots of info in this thread:

Garzie said...
It prevents the metabolism of cortisol to cortisone and thereby maintains cortisol at higher than normal levels in a dose-dependent fashion
Also seems to have a hormone-like interaction and is known to reduce testosterone in men and women. Resulting in reduced libido etc

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=4211919#gsc.tab=0
Posted 12/12/2020 4:13 PM (GMT -5)
Licorice also has blood pressure effects and definitely gives me headaches if I don't take the deglycyrrizinated kind. Sadly this prevents me from taking some otherwise-appealing herbal blends.

I think any of the adaptogens can affect hormones, and not always in the directions we hope.
Posted 12/13/2020 7:59 PM (GMT -5)
Walking

I stopped all herbals about 3 weeks ago now. I feel better not taking them, and I'm done arguing with the Lyme doc how great they are.

Maybe MCAS maybe allergies IDK, I am still pouring on the abx though and feeling better. The herbals seem to be only tolerable for me for a short period of time.

The antihistamines Claritin and Benadryl really help to control feeling like crap.

I hope you can sort it out.
Posted 12/14/2020 11:20 AM (GMT -5)
Sorry to hear you are feeling bad, WBF. You have gone through so much. The mixed herbs are always a problem for me as some help and some cause problems. It's always a trial by error or guessing game.
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