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Powdered Oxymatrine (in Capsules) More Potent Than Oxymatrine in a Tablet?
Powdered oxymatrine seems to be more potent than oxymatrine tablets, according to an account I received from one user.
This may be because powdered oxymatrine is better absorbed in the gut than a solid tablet of oxymatrine.
The oral bioavailability of oxymatrine is very low anyway (ref: here), so it is important to try to maximize the absorption of oxymatrine as much as possible.
The "Dizziness Test" May Demonstrate That Powered Oxymatrine is Better Absorbed than Oxymatrine Tablets
You can perform a test yourself indicating that powered oxymatrine is better absorbed than oxymatrine tablets: a "dizziness test".
If you crush your regular oxymatrine tablet into a fine powder, and then swallow this power with some water (it tastes yuk!), or preferably put the powder into an empty capsule and swallow that (so that you don't have to taste the oxymatrine), you will likely find that you get mild dizziness symptoms within an hour. You'll probably find this mild dizziness does not appear when you take oxymatrine as a tablet, but this dizziness will appear when you take same amount of oxymatrine as a fine powder.
This would appear to demonstrate that powdered oxymatrine is better absorbed than oxymatrine tablets, because dizziness is a known side effect of higher doses of oxymatrine.
(EDIT: note however that another interpretation of this "dizziness test" is that with the powdered oxymatrine, you get the whole dose absorbing very quickly, leading to high transient blood levels and the dizziness symptom; but with the tablet, the absorption is slower, so you don't get such high transient blood levels, and this may be why you don't get the dizziness so much with tablets).
Dr Chia's Studies on Oxymatrine for ME/CFS
Dr John Chia reported he obtained good results with oxymatrine tablets in about 25% of the ME/CFS patients that took them (with another 25% of his patients getting some mild improvements, and the remaining 50% getting no improvements with oxymatrine).
Could it be that the patients who did not respond to oxymatrine simply had problems with absorbing oxymatrine in the gut? If these non-responders tried powdered oxymatrine in capsules instead of oxymatrine tablets, then they might also obtain benefits from oxymatrine.
Since ME/CFS patients often have weak digestion, this may make absorption of solid oxymatrine tablets even harder, but powdered oxymatrine in capsules may be easier to digest. So if you have tried oxymatrine tablets and obtained little effect from them, consider trying powdered oxymatrine in capsules.
It may also be an idea to take stomach acid boosting supplements (like betaine HCl) at the same time as taking oxymatrine, as many ME/CFS patients have low stomach acid levels, and this can result in inefficient absorption of supplements and nutrients.
Note that people who have strong reactions to oxymatrine should be careful when trying powdered oxymatrine, as you will be absorbing a higher dose.
Incidentally, if the mild dizziness symptoms of powdered oxymatrine are a concern, just take the oxymatrine before bed, and you won't notice the mild dizziness as you fall asleep. The herb ginger is also good at eliminating dizziness, and 5 to 10 drops of lemon (Citrus limonum) essential oil (diluted in 15 ml of cooking oil) is a very powerful blocker of dizziness and nausea symptoms (lemon essential oil is a potent 5-HT3 antagonist, and this is how it eliminates nausea).
Some Sources for Oxymatrine
Equilibrant oxymatrine tablets (Dr John Chia's brand) available at equilibranthealth
Alternative Medicine Solutions oxymatrine (300 mg oxymatrine per capsule) available here:
alternativemedicinesolution • betterlife • alchemistlab • organicpharmacy • amazon
White Tiger brand oxymatrine (200 mg oxymatrine per tablet) available here:
chineseherbs • acuatlanta • naturalnutritionals • goldenneedleonline • maxnature • biomedonline (Netherlands)
I found the White Tiger brand (which contains both matrine and oxymatrine) caused dizziness for an hour or so after taking each tablet, whereas the Alternative Medicine Solutions brand (which contains only pure oxymatrine) did not cause this side effect.
Note that Dr Chia says oxymatrine is not recommended for people with autoimmune tendencies or seizure disorders.
More info on Dr Chia's research on oxymatrine for ME/CFS given in this post.
Thanks go to wjrf for bringing this info about powdered oxymatrine to my attention.
Powdered oxymatrine seems to be more potent than oxymatrine tablets, according to an account I received from one user.
This may be because powdered oxymatrine is better absorbed in the gut than a solid tablet of oxymatrine.
The oral bioavailability of oxymatrine is very low anyway (ref: here), so it is important to try to maximize the absorption of oxymatrine as much as possible.
The "Dizziness Test" May Demonstrate That Powered Oxymatrine is Better Absorbed than Oxymatrine Tablets
You can perform a test yourself indicating that powered oxymatrine is better absorbed than oxymatrine tablets: a "dizziness test".
If you crush your regular oxymatrine tablet into a fine powder, and then swallow this power with some water (it tastes yuk!), or preferably put the powder into an empty capsule and swallow that (so that you don't have to taste the oxymatrine), you will likely find that you get mild dizziness symptoms within an hour. You'll probably find this mild dizziness does not appear when you take oxymatrine as a tablet, but this dizziness will appear when you take same amount of oxymatrine as a fine powder.
This would appear to demonstrate that powdered oxymatrine is better absorbed than oxymatrine tablets, because dizziness is a known side effect of higher doses of oxymatrine.
(EDIT: note however that another interpretation of this "dizziness test" is that with the powdered oxymatrine, you get the whole dose absorbing very quickly, leading to high transient blood levels and the dizziness symptom; but with the tablet, the absorption is slower, so you don't get such high transient blood levels, and this may be why you don't get the dizziness so much with tablets).
Dr Chia's Studies on Oxymatrine for ME/CFS
Dr John Chia reported he obtained good results with oxymatrine tablets in about 25% of the ME/CFS patients that took them (with another 25% of his patients getting some mild improvements, and the remaining 50% getting no improvements with oxymatrine).
Could it be that the patients who did not respond to oxymatrine simply had problems with absorbing oxymatrine in the gut? If these non-responders tried powdered oxymatrine in capsules instead of oxymatrine tablets, then they might also obtain benefits from oxymatrine.
Since ME/CFS patients often have weak digestion, this may make absorption of solid oxymatrine tablets even harder, but powdered oxymatrine in capsules may be easier to digest. So if you have tried oxymatrine tablets and obtained little effect from them, consider trying powdered oxymatrine in capsules.
It may also be an idea to take stomach acid boosting supplements (like betaine HCl) at the same time as taking oxymatrine, as many ME/CFS patients have low stomach acid levels, and this can result in inefficient absorption of supplements and nutrients.
Note that people who have strong reactions to oxymatrine should be careful when trying powdered oxymatrine, as you will be absorbing a higher dose.
Incidentally, if the mild dizziness symptoms of powdered oxymatrine are a concern, just take the oxymatrine before bed, and you won't notice the mild dizziness as you fall asleep. The herb ginger is also good at eliminating dizziness, and 5 to 10 drops of lemon (Citrus limonum) essential oil (diluted in 15 ml of cooking oil) is a very powerful blocker of dizziness and nausea symptoms (lemon essential oil is a potent 5-HT3 antagonist, and this is how it eliminates nausea).
Some Sources for Oxymatrine
Equilibrant oxymatrine tablets (Dr John Chia's brand) available at equilibranthealth
Alternative Medicine Solutions oxymatrine (300 mg oxymatrine per capsule) available here:
alternativemedicinesolution • betterlife • alchemistlab • organicpharmacy • amazon
White Tiger brand oxymatrine (200 mg oxymatrine per tablet) available here:
chineseherbs • acuatlanta • naturalnutritionals • goldenneedleonline • maxnature • biomedonline (Netherlands)
I found the White Tiger brand (which contains both matrine and oxymatrine) caused dizziness for an hour or so after taking each tablet, whereas the Alternative Medicine Solutions brand (which contains only pure oxymatrine) did not cause this side effect.
Note that Dr Chia says oxymatrine is not recommended for people with autoimmune tendencies or seizure disorders.
More info on Dr Chia's research on oxymatrine for ME/CFS given in this post.
Thanks go to wjrf for bringing this info about powdered oxymatrine to my attention.
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