I buy these things but I wonder if they are truly pharmacologically-active and not just bullshit. Discuss
The aromatic oils in plants contain the same sorts of chemicals like terpenes as in cannabis, and many are known to be pharmacologically active, including mental effects. Myrcene, for instance, is abundant in most cannabis and also found in verbena, lemon grass, hops, mango, West Indian bay tree, and cardamom.
For example here’s a paper about the psychological effects of mint oil: Volatile Terpenes and Brain Function: Investigation of the Cognitive and Mood Effects of Mentha × Piperita L. Essential Oil
Another one…
Therapeutic and Medicinal Uses of Terpenes
As Tim Minchin said:
Do you know what they call alternative medicine that’s been proven to work?
Medicine.
I mean, a natural medicine doesn’t cease to exist after a pharmacologist “discovers” its use. Willow tree bark is used to make asprin but there are still warnings out there that there is no scientific proof of its efficacy.
Maybe the medicine derived from salicylic acid is the only effective thing about it, or maybe other presently unknown compounds contribute in a way that will later be used to develop a new medicine.
Valerian root for example has been proven in animal studies and other clinical trial to have some effects, and possibly interact with GABA receptors but the mechanism is unknown and it is still described as having no science to back up its uses, despite being similar to Willow in history.
I’m not saying this to encourage people who go 100% naturopathic and might swear that all modern medicine is a poison. Just want to include some nuance in a conversation thats is often way too extreme in its convictions either way.
Not bullshit but not magic either.
For example, L-Theanine is psychoactive, lots of clinical support for that.
Additionally, I would say that the ritual around “sitting down and having a nice relaxing cup of lemon & ginger tea” has some calming benefits in itself - even if those benefits are not from the ingredients in the tea.
For example, L-Theanine is psychoactive, lots of clinical support for that.
Which one is that in, and how much?
I drink a ton of this shit, as far as I can tell it’s just warm and tasty.
Green Tea is one of the best natural sources of L-Theanine I think.
It’s available as a refined “supplement”. I have no idea how much L-Theanine there is in Green Tea vs the refined supplement, and no idea how efficacious the supplement is.
Also no idea in which circumstances you would notice any benefits. The thing about anxiety and stress is that it’s an umbrella term that describes a bunch of different conditions each of which can be caused by a multitude of different issues. Who knows which of those issues L-Theanine might mitigate.
It’s often recommended if you’re going through withdrawals. I’ve heard it recommended for people stopping caffeine (harder than it sounds) or even SNRIs.
Whatever the heck lemongrass actually does, it sure tastes delicious
It never seems to get its own one-man show, its always lumped with at least like 5 other ingredients so I can’t isolate it but I’m sure you’re correct. I love lemon + I love grass so ya
I think the taste can be somewhat prominent in Thai curries and soups at least
A worthwhile thing to keep in mind whether it’s for tea, supplements, or whatever, is that medication is based on things that were observed from “natural” sources.
For example, willow bark was/is/has been used for pain and inflammation. It also contains salicin which is similar to acetysalicylic acid, which you’ll know better as aspirin.
Does that mean all the things people say do a thing work? Not at all. Do some of them have varying degrees of effect of some percentage of people? Yes.
