• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Anti inflammatory supplements

Sarah94

Senior Member
Messages
1,087
Location
UK
What are some good anti inflammatory supplements?

Needs to be ones which cross the blood brain barrier!

I have had good results with curcumin/turmeric (it improved my cognitive function a lot) - but I don't think I can safely take any more of that due to potential interactions with my antidepressant drug.
 

andyguitar

Moderator
Messages
6,595
Location
South east England
If you have not already tried it Co-enzyme Q10 would be worth a try. There is some evidence that it reduces inflammation and it's a good all- round supplement. Yes taking Tumeric with anti-depressant is not a great idea.
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
@Sarah Metcalf
Very few things will cross the BBB. You might have more luck just posting for anything anti-inflammatory that may have helped anyone here.

Having a really bad stretch right now so can't think of anything to add, except to double down on the rec for CoQ10 or Ubiquinol. Will come back down the road when I'm better and can dredge up more info from the deep inner recesses of what's left of brain.
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
PS TO ABOVE ........ As I posted somewhere else, 95% of your serotonin is made in your gut, which has hundreds and hundreds of millions of nerve cells, which is why it's call the Enteric Brain, or The Second brain.

It's also why I'm not a huge fan of anti-depressants.

You might want to apply to the google machine for more info on supporting serotonin production in your gut. Not sure if that would interfere with or potentiate your anti-d, but the Univ of Google can answer that one as well.
 

Sarah94

Senior Member
Messages
1,087
Location
UK
@Sarah Metcalf
Very few things will cross the BBB.

It's interesting, people say that, yet ibuprofen appears to cross the blood brain barrier for me, as it has a small positive effect on my cognition! (But I don't take it regularly, due to risks of it damaging stomach - curcumin has a much bigger effect on cognition anyway).
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
yet ibuprofen appears to cross the blood brain barrier for me, as it has a small positive effect on my cognition! (
@Sarah Metcalf
Altho ibuprofen is one of the limited number of things that can effectively cross the BBB, plasma protein binding limits the brain's NSAID uptake by reducing the free fraction of the NSAID in the circulation.

NSAIDs bind to plasma proteins readily and when bound they cannot cross the BBB, which limits how much NSAIDs actually reach the brain to a very low concentration.

Ibuprofen works by blocking the production of prostaglandins, which cause pain and swelling, or inflammation. Prostaglandins are substances that the body releases in response to illness and injury. They are released in the brain, and they can also cause fever.

@andyguitar
While there is still some argumentation over whether or not Cat's Claw (uncaria tomentosa) actually crosses the BBB, like you, I believe that it does, based on several research papers regarding its use to reduce or completely eliminate the protein tangles and tau accumulations in the brains of Alzheimer's subjects.
 
Last edited: