Fudan University's Huperzine A Tinnitus Study

It's certainly possible. And I have no problem trying Huperzine A.

But if big pharma is going to attack a supplement, why go after something so niche as Huperzine A? It's not exactly as mainstream as say Nicotinamide Riboside.

 

I've been using ConsumerLab.com for years as an independent supplement tester. The subscription is very inexpensive. I was surprised to find they tested five Huperzine A supplements. GNC, Source Naturals, and Swanson all passed the testing, so you are getting what is advertised.

 

How did it go?

 

No clearly delineated change, some terrible days and some better ones - I can say it did not seem to trigger any spike as many things do for me.

 

I tried the Nutricost brand that was posted about here. It definitely is doing something. Dreams were more memorable, but it was also harder to fall asleep and I felt like the sleep I was getting wasn't very good (I was taking it before bed). I did notice tinnitus improvement, but it was uneven, and could have just been due to chance (i.e. low tinnitus days). It wasn't consistently down. I was only on it a ~week too, so not really enough time to give it a fair shake. I did not like the sleep I was getting, and I was worried it was raising my blood pressure.

I may try it again later. Kind of wish I'd bought one of the confirmed brands. I forget how unregulated supplements are, you never really know what you're taking.

 

So I just got some Huperzine A in the mail and took 200 mcg two hours ago and must say that the first effect is interesting. I feel less brain fog. It might be placebo but that does indeed help not focusing on tinnitus.

I will continue the test and report back in a week.

 

Here's the full paper.

It doesn't list specific product names...

Can someone share the product name for the purest Huperzine A available out there?

 

I ordered one bottle too, I will report back in a few weeks. If nothing else, I hope it at least boosts my cognitive abilities a bit...

 

This is the one I use. They say it's third party tested but I never requested any analytical certificate.

https://www.amazon.com/Huperzine-Double-Wood-Supplements-L-Huperzine/dp/B0767MS2KF

Someone in the comments noted it was a mix of active and inactive isomers meaning the yield is only about 50% per pill of the dosage, so if you can find a wholly natural one I'd try that.

 

Did anyone else develop hives after taking this? I'm debating getting back on, but I've got itchy hives on my arms, which I think may have been due to the Huperzine A.

 

No Hives here!

 

I've been off it several days and I'm still getting hives, though at a slower pace. It may be unrelated, I won't know until I try it again. They're incredibly itchy though. I wonder how long Huperzine A stays in the body?

Poking around online, I found this which said 2/7 patients developed a skin rash:

Effects of Huperzine A in Treatment of Moderate to Severe TBI

So it's a real side-effect, but due to the small sample size it's unclear how common it is.

 

Sorry to hear that you have gotten this side effect. I did some digging and found some interesting tidbits.

Pharmacokinetics of huperzine A following oral administration to human volunteers

- Huperzine A acts as a reversible inhibitor of AChE and antagonist of the NMDA receptor.
- It is also involved in regulation of oxidative stress and enhances level of antioxidants in the peripheral organs and central nervous system

It seems that Huperzine A has a rapid onset in plasma of about 5-10 minutes and a half time of 12 hours.

This is my 4th day report regarding Huperzine A and I must say that I am kind impressed by a few things with regards to it.

• First, I must say that it has had a positive mood effect on me in almost an antidepressant way.
• Second, it feels as my mind is clearer, less brain fog.
• Third, I do find my mind having clearer images of the past when thinking about it.
• Fourth, vivid dreams, I mean really vivid dreams. I would have to go back to childhood to find as vivid dreams as I have now. They are also mostly pleasant.
• Fifth, in regards to tinnitus I would say that it is in many ways less intrusive. I wouldn't say that the tinnitus itself is much lower but it feels thinner.

In regards to placebo I would say that I have tried so many different solutions to the tinnitus problem that my placebo reaction is mostly non existent. There is one uncontrolled thing here and that is that I do use Lenire from time to time since I find it does give me some calm after a few days of use. I stopped that a week before starting with Huperzine A and it could have some kind of effect.

I will try the combo of Lenire + Huperzine A to see if it makes a difference in anything in the near future.

On top of this I will cycle off Huperzine A after 20 days and stay off for two weeks to see if a change is noticeable.

Also as a side note, I finally got to visit my mom since she got the final Pfizer jab three weeks ago. I slept in the room where I spent 8 months with tinnitus and hyperacusis hell and it is incredible to feel the different state I am in now compared to then. How much less tinnitus I have and how my hyperacusis tolerance has gone from 42 dB to 75 dB.

 

This is getting interesting. May I ask you when do you take Huperzine A? Before going to bed, empty stomach etc...?

 

200 mcg after breakfast usually. I haven´t tried to take a second dose as a trial due to the Acetylcholine buildup, but I will continue to take the 200 mcg for about 14 days before having a flush out period to confirm its effects.

It is indeed interesting. The amount of thinning of the tinnitus is indeed interesting, it does dissipate in the eve and that is probably due to the half-life of the substance.

But out of all the things I have tried this rates highly at the top of perceived efficacy.

 

So glad this is working for you!

Did I misunderstand or does the drug seem to help your hyperacusis also? Did you have pain or loudness hyperacusis?

 

I would love to try this just for possible positive effects on memory and concentration, but I do not like the idea of more intense dreaming. Every dream I've had for the past year now has been nightmares about my ex-fiance... I don't need more of that.

 

It has no effect on my hyperacusis. That has steadily improved from the worst days. My hyperacusis is now in very good levels even before trying Huperzine A.

I have quite pleasant dreams on Huperzine A. Generally all positive and crazily without tinnitus which I haven't had for quite a long time. Makes me fall asleep again to dream more.

 

The trial with Huperzine A is for people with presbycusis and tinnitus.

People that have already tried Huperzine A do not get the full effect because their tinnitus is part of a dysfunctional brain.

Is this a correct theory?

 

Nope.

 

In the middle of a terrible spike, for ten quid, I decided to give this a go... Some peaceful dreams would be nice

 

I'm not sure why it's being tried for presbycusis but I would wager it's not because everyone else had a dysfunctional brain.

 

I can't discern any difference in my tinnitus since I bought this, but I had a few days where my light sensitivity / mild visual snow seemed to be a bit inhibited.

 

Began with Huperzine A 200 mcg this morning (~8 hours ago); I took it on an empty stomach together with Magnesium Citrate, Omega-3 1000mg and NAC 750 mg. No effect whatsoever so far - tinnitus seems unchanged, cognitive impact is null. Of course I did not expect this to be amphetamine. I will give you an update in a week or two.

 

Hi @patorjk -- According to this article, it sounds like your hives could very well have been caused by increased acetylcholine levels from taking Huperzine A. The article also comments on acetylcholine levels affects on sleep and dreams. -- I think Huperzine A will likely be beneficial for those who typically have lower than normal acetylcholine levels, and no help at all or even deleterious for those whose levels are normal or above normal. -- It's also mentioned in the article that acetylcholine levels can be raised by eating foods that are high in choline (I believe egg yolks have the highest % amounts of choline of any food).

2) Hives
Scientists think that high acetylcholine may contribute to hives, as immune cells produce histamine in response to it.

According to one unverified hypothesis, people with hives seem to have higher acetylcholine in the skin, but their cells are less sensitive to it. This causes issues with sweating and histamine release. Drugs that block acetylcholine are being investigated for preventing outbreaks, but their effectiveness is still uncertain.
​

and

Takeaway
Acetylcholine is usually seen as the “good guy” since it activates the “rest-and-digest” system and promotes wakefulness. It might also induce lucid dreaming.

However, experimental research suggests an association between too much acetylcholine and certain health problems. Still, it’s hard to define “excess acetylcholine” since this neurotransmitter can’t be directly measured and its levels may vary across different brain areas.

Nonetheless, scientists think that a dominance of acetylcholine may be linked with depression and hives. Natural compounds like forskolin and kava may supress acetylcholine activity, but their health benefits are uncertain.​

 

Noted biohacker, Tim Ferriss, recommends 200 mg of Huperzine A 30 minutes before bed. He says it can increase REM sleep by 20-30%.

https://tim.blog/2009/09/21/how-to-lucid-dream/

 

I've been taking it at least every other day from where I indicated in my last post I received it (too lazy to keep track). Although some days my visual snow seemed to reduce a bit, no clear tinnitus improvement. I have 120 tablets and taking every other day could conceivably go for 240 days, but not sure if that is wise/foolish/makes no difference at all.

 

Huperzine A does not have any effect on me. I will probably discontinue it soon.

 

I assume most people who don't notice any effect already have adequate levels of acetylcholine in their body.

Congratulations!

 

I received a bottle of the Life Extension Huperzine A 200mcg yesterday afternoon directly from Life Extension. Took one capsule and an hour later my tinnitus WENT UP by 10-20 db. This morning, the next day, it's back to normal. Life Extension gave me a full refund. I've been on a daily regimen of 100mg "high absorption" magnesium, 50mg ubiquinol, 1000mcg B12, 300mg alpha lipoic acid, and (once at night and once in the morning) 120mg Tebonin gingko and 1 capsule of Thorne ReservaCel (niagen + resveratrol). I also take 3mg melatonin at night. The gingko and niagen has clearly helped, particularly on a lower tone from my right ear.