[Lotus]

What happen to reishi?, although imo extract works better, there's some pretty strong evidence out there about reishi, and not all the products are the same, finding a good brand/manufacturer is key.

[markeis]

What does reishi do ?

[spanky (aka Lola)]

This thread is quite long, but if you go back to the pages in the mid-to-late 30 range, you will see discussion about the anti-androgen effect and inhibition of 5 alpha reductase --> DHT effect of reishi, as well as possible anti-prostate cancer benefits.

I've been taking reishi in caps for about 3 months but would like to try extract. Is there a brand that is recommended? Also, for significant AA effect and 5a-r inhibition, what dosage would be required?

[elainecd]

I use Host Defense brand, both caps and extracts.
I buy at local health food store, its also direct and many other sellers.

Very high quality

http://www.hostdefense.com/products/mush...hi-extract

[Lotus]

Thanks spanky and Elaine, and yes lol this thread is long. We've covered relish quite a bit, so there's plenty of info on it. Choosing a quality product needs more investigation, here's just some examples of the products that look interesting. They range in price and quality, many more to choose from. Feel free to add.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-s...mg-90-caps

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/natures-w...g-100-caps

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-p...-ml-liquid

Host Defense (looks good, thanks Elaine)
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=reishi+host+defense&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=25915117597&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=s&hvrand=3297491365091305128&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_1eqgf0jpn7_b

https://www.herb-pharm.com/products/prod...ail/reishi

http://www.znaturalfoods.com/Red-Reishi-...act-Powder

Reishi info
Anti-androgen effects of extracts and compounds from Ganoderma lucidum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19235153

Anti-androgenic activities of Ganoderma lucidum
http://reishi.setamed.com/articulos/art20.pdf

Guide to Reishi Mushrooms
Red Reishi / Ganoderma lucidum / Ling
http://reishi.com/FAQ.htm

http://www.adaptixtea.com/Red-Reishi


The highest concentration (maybe?)
http://www.amazon.com/Reishi-Extract-Pol...B00N50KT9Y

______________________________

When the ratio of the extract is listed on the label 1:1 or 1:5 it's referring to the weight of the herb/plant and volume of the solvent used (alcohol/water).

Manufacturers use different extraction processes, some might use solvents (alcohol) or high pressured cold water. Or some will go with CO2 extraction or Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE). You'll also get different explanations on how these results are obtained. For instance, this one comes from herb inc.

Liquid Extract Strength

The strength ratio listed on liquid extracts is a weight to volume ratio (gram:ml)

1:1 = 1 gram (1000 mg) per 1 ml (20 drops)
1:2 = .5 grams (500 mg) per 1 ml (20 drops)
1:4 = .25 grams (250 mg) per 1 ml (20 drops)
1:5 = .2 grams (200 mg) per 1 ml (20 drops)
2:1 = 2 grams (2000 mg) per 1 ml (20 drops)

Note: Simply because a company used 1 gram of plant to 1 ml of alcohol does not mean you are necessarily getting 1 gram worth of plant matter per 20 drop dose - this depends on how readily the active constituents of a plant dissolve in alcohol.

Also, Fresh Extract and Dry Extract strengths cannot be compared. Fresh Extracts will often appear to have a stronger ratio because the company must compensate for the water mass of a fresh plant by adding more of the plant. Thus, a 1:5 Dry Extract is frequently stronger than a 1:1 Fresh Extract, depending on the plant in question. Herb Pharm extracts tend to follow Pharmacopoeia guidelines for selecting fresh or dried plant, Gaia tends to follow a "fresh is better" approach; there is most likely validity to both arguments.

Gaia brand extracts use a method known as "double maceration" - a 1:1 extract from Gaia is a 1:2 extract in which the plant material is replaced with fresh plant material after the first extraction. This may or may not make an extract stronger depending on the plant and the solubility of the plant's active constituents.
In summary, it is nearly impossible to tell how strong an extract will be until you try it yourself. "Standardized" extracts, in which a company tells you the concentration of active constituents (most companies will only test their product once despite seasonal crop variations), are not necessarily stronger than a normal extract. The best advice we can offer is to find a brand you like and stick with it.

[spanky (aka Lola)]

Thanks, Lotus. I have many bottles of Reshi caps on hand right now, but think I may give extract a try when the currently opened bottle runs out.

[Lotus]

Call it the year-end measurement update, I thought I'd also share this post from earlier this year, no I'm not considering transitioning, it's just some good info to pass along.

Happy New Year.

When it comes to breast growth this is something to consider even though transition isn't in your future.


Often during transition, the breast area values (numbers) do not show much change. At first glance, one may feel that not much change is happening. Usually, more changes are occurring than you realize. Keep in mind that your muscles are diminishing as fat is redistributing itself towards a normal female form. The change in breast size is seen by looking at the numeric differences between the chest, bust and rib cage measurements. Additionally, the overall decrease in one's frame size (size decrease due to overall loss of muscle mass) is seen in these measurements.

The true degree of breast growth in the transgendered woman is often hidden by the fact that the chest wall diminishes as quickly as the breasts enlarge. Therefore, the overall breast measurement may stay the same even though it has enlarged by an inch or more because the chest wall has diminished by that amount.


So the changes happening, or not happening may in fact be giving you the idea there isn't any growth. This is why measurement would be a good indication in terms of your growth.

http://transgendercare.com/medical/resou...efault.asp

[AquaA]

Lotus your boobs are gorgeous!!! And that cleavage is so sexy... Amazing progress.
You just got me super excited about the new year, can't wait for another year of NBE for more progress... You are an inspiration my friend, just shows that determination, patience and a good attitude is all that we need to reach our goals. Happy growing!

[elainecd]

2015 is my year for boobs!

[Lotus]

Hey thanks AA, I hope your NBE dreams come true in 2015.
Good luck