Is about ten days I noticed a big improvement in my symptoms (+70 / 80%), tremor and bradykinesia, since taking two caps at a time of chinese skullcap in association with magnesium citrate and potassium, at empty stomach. After about 1 hour or so, my symptoms disappear almost completely, but the effect lasts a few hours (2 or 3), then I take another 2 caps and sometimes another again in the late afternoon. I can say that if I did not take these caps should increase the frequency of doses of Ldopa to feel better. I have yet to understand how this works exactly.

Chinese skullcap should be a powerhouse. Depends on what you think are the causes of PD and what is happening beneath the surface. If you believe, as I do, that there is a hell of a lot more going on than we are taught to believe, then the center of the stage is taken up by inflammation and the chemicals (cytokines) that come with it; oxidative stress damaging brain tissue; activated microglia causing havoc; rogue proteins; failing mitochondria and so on. Chinese skullcap seems to address them all.

Consider these (PMID links)-

1. Brain Inj. 2009 Feb;23(2):146-53.
Scutellaria flavonoid supplementation reverses ageing-related cognitive
impairment and neuronal changes in aged rats. (19191093)

2. J Biol Chem. 2004 Jun 25;279(26):26846-57. Epub 2004 Apr 19.
The flavonoid baicalein inhibits fibrillation of alpha-synuclein and disaggregates existing fibrils. (15096521)

3. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2011 Mar;10(2):184-91.
Flavones from root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi: drugs of the future in
neurodegeneration? (21222632)

4. FASEB J. 2003 Oct;17(13):1943-4. Epub 2003 Aug 1.
Flavonoid wogonin from medicinal herb is neuroprotective by inhibiting
inflammatory activation of microglia. (12897065 )

5. J Biol Chem. 2004 Jun 25;279(26):26846-57. Epub 2004 Apr 19.
The flavonoid baicalein inhibits fibrillation of alpha-synuclein and
disaggregates existing fibrils. (15096521 )

Many thanks Rick, your links are like a gold mine, as always. Have you already seen this?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v40tk2pspv...Skullcap_b.pdf

Take a look to the conclusions at the end of the document.

Thanks for the paper. It is good to see the Chinese taking their traditional medicines seriously.

It sounds like you are doing well thus far, but be on the alert for what I call a "saturation effect." Several times I have had a very hopeful response to botanicals only to have it disappear after a couple of weeks. It might be good to skip a day each week or to rotate two or three herbs or something similar if that becomes a problem.

Onward through the fog!

Hi Rick, what do you think about Bacalein dosage? In the document that I posted yesterday, researchers say 400mg/Kg for rats is the optimal dose the tremor disappear. But which is the equivalent dose for humans to reach same result?

I discovered that if I take my L-dopa pill (eq. Sinemet) together with Chinese Skullcap, Magnesium Citrate and potassium, in the morning (example at 07:00 am), my ON period goes from 3 to 6 hours, almost (example at 01:00 pm). Not so bad.


I think Chinese Skullcap must have a "lift" to reach the brain, (example magnesium citrate or anything else, like Vitamin C to trespass BBB).

No idea on dosage. Researchers have some kind of mutant rats that eat chemicals by the pound it would seem. I try to start out low and titrate up with an eye out for safety. And as for increaseing absorption you might read up on using a carbo shot to induce insulin release which in turn will move some things around. Not always desired though. Potassium, for example, can be shifted out of the blood into the cells and trigger hypokalemia (low potassium) is you inherited a particular metabolism. Just go slow. You have the rest of your life. -Rick

Also today improvements have occurred and they are very good, my wife saw this, too. But I have to make a clarification, the effect after taking Bacaleina, Magnesium, Potassium (mix), may also occur after two hours or more, and I also observed well, that if I add to this mix the pill of L-dopa , ON effect extends up to six hours from when it starts (and this happens even if I reduce the amount of L-dopa for a time). For example, this morning I took the mix +150 mg of L-dopa at 06:45 am and at 01:00 pm I felt that I was beginning to get out of the ON period, so I took the mix +100 mg of L-dopa (not 150mg as always) and after 1/1, 5 hours I returned to ON, and it lasted until 07:00 pm or so. After I retrieved the same mix +100 mg of L-dopa (not 150mg as always) and the ON effect is still present, so today I did not take 50 +50 mg of L-dopa, and this is good because less L-dopa means delay as much as possible the beginning of dyskinesias induced by L-dopa. The experiment continues ...

sorry for my english.

What brank Chinese skullcap are you taking? I am surprised that the two health food stores I went to, do not even carry this!

Hi Lurking, the brand that I'm taking is Solgar. The brand is international, but each seat also sells products that can be different from one country to another. In Italy I found this, and with this amount of active ingredient:

http://www.solgar.it/prodotto.php?id_prodotto=134

I take three caps for a time, even three times a day, in combination with magnesium citrate and potassium, or also with vitamin C and carnitine and arginine, to increase the effect, (in addition obviously L-dopa to extend the effect ON ).
I hope that the saturation effect, which Rick said, will not come soon.

Another important thing that I have noticed, is to take these things not too close to meals, to avoid "interference".

Hi all,

After about 20 days, improvements are almost stable. At today "on" period extended up to 6 hours consecutively. L-dopa dosage decreased down to -50mg x3. At today 100mgx3 (not 150mgx3).
I hope this moment will continue as long as possible. Much less bradykinesia and tremor.
Fingers crossed.