| The Life Extension Foundation Forums > LEF Public Forums > Dietary Supplements > Gerovital, is it fraud? | Forum Quick Jump
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 |  SteveB Registered Member
       Date Joined Jul 2004 Total Posts : 10 | Posted 7/16/2004 12:09 PM (GMT -5) |   | | | |
 |  LeighDW Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 19 | Posted 1/24/2005 12:07 PM (GMT -5) |   | On the contrary, I think Gerovital H3 is one of the most effective antiaging therapies, and one which has a track record of usefulness. It is important to remember that its inventor (Prof Ana Aslan) made no claims for her product with regard to human life extension, despite controlled trials of mice by other scientists which showed around 30% increase in lifespan (comparable to, say, deprenyl in that respect). What Gerovital certainly does is make people LOOK younger, which in itself is enough to make many people want to use it; this seems mainly due to its effect on the skin and the hair, and its tendency to encourage the body to retain collagen. GH3's other benefits - normalisation of cholesterol, reversible but effective MAO inhibition and potent free radical quenching action make it a truly universalal beneficial therapy. I have used GH3 for several years and have noted dramatic changes in my health and general well being. It is important to remember that, as GH3 works at a cellular level it has an extremely slow method of action, and must be taken for at least six months to a year befoe positive changes start to take effect.
regards, Leigh | | Back to Top | | |
  |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 5/28/2005 11:15 AM (GMT -5) |   | Ttwinlab's DMAE-H3 is made of DMAE and PABA. GH3's main active sustances are DEAE (VERY SIMILAR TO DMAE) and PABA.
CAN Twinlab's DMAE-H3 be as effective as GH3? | | Back to Top | | |
  |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 6/27/2005 2:55 PM (GMT -5) |   | |
I'm A BIT CONFUSED about GEROVITAL GH3. SOMEONE ANSWERS THIS QUESTIONS PLEASE?
1) WHY IT'S FORBIDDEN IN THE US?- It's not forbidden. You can bring it in from outside the U.S. Its main ingredient is also approved in the US as a prescription drug under the name of Novocaine. - Moderator
2) WHAT IS LEFs VIEW ON THIS PRODUCT? - LEF doesn't have an official position on the subject, but has written a couple of articles about it back in the 80s. My own position was stated elsewhere. - Moderator
3) IS IT WORTH BUYING? - If you're not allergic to Novocaine and you have money to play with, it would be worth it to you to satisfy your curiousity. - Moderator Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 6/27/2005 2:59:40 PM (GMT-4) | | Back to Top | | |
 |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 6/27/2005 5:55 PM (GMT -5) |   | ANOTHER QUESTION:
IT SEEMS THAT NOVOCAINE ALONE DOESNT HAVE ANY EFFECTS ON AGING (SEE LEF's guide for anti-aging drugs).
According to LEFs guide TO BE EFFECTIVE novocaine MUST BE COMBINED WITH ADDITIVES introduced by Dr ANNA ASLAN (LIKE BENZOIC ACID WICH INCREASES ABSORPTION OF PROCAINE BY FATS).
IT SEEMS ALSO THAT the FDA didnt approve GH3 because THEY TESTED THE AMERICAN VERSION which (contrary to european version) DOESN'T CONTAIN THOSE KEY ADDITIVES AND THEREFORE HAS NO EFFECTS.
European procaine WAS THE MOST TESTED ANTIAGING DRUG IN HISTORY AND SHOWED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS like: extended lifespan in mice (20%), greater nerve impulse speed and less excretion in the urine of a product associated with aging.
It seems that GH3 (EUROPEAN VERSION) DESERVES A MORE PROFOUND ANALYSIS. | | Back to Top | | |
  |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 7/11/2005 5:22 PM (GMT -5) |   | | lad, have u tried DMAE-H3? Are there any similarities between DMAE-H3 and GH3? | | Back to Top | | |
 |  lad Registered Member
       Date Joined Jul 2005 Total Posts : 140 | Posted 7/13/2005 6:01 PM (GMT -5) |   | Yes, I tried DMAE-H3 in one of my earliest experiments with smart drugs (and not as concerned with aging). I only remember more intense dreams and didn't stay with it long enough to think about anti-aging properties. The whole experience was eclipsed when I took my first capsule of powdered DMAE, which was quite a revelation! The supposed advantage of procaine supplements is that they are more absorbed or prolonged in the system. And there is a slight chemical difference between DMAE and DEAE, which some vendors may pontificate on. Re cortisol, I saw a few scant ref to it, mostly pretaining to the procaine based "Anticort" (which didn't get marketed) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14560037 | | Back to Top | | |
 |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 7/13/2005 6:12 PM (GMT -5) |   | What did u feel when taking powdered DMAE?
What dosage did u use? | | Back to Top | | |
 |  lad Registered Member
       Date Joined Jul 2005 Total Posts : 140 | Posted 7/14/2005 7:15 PM (GMT -5) |   | 1. very speedy and coordinated
2. 1 capsule (100 to 500 mg?)
Effects wore off in a few months, just as most people experience. | | Back to Top | | |
 |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 7/16/2005 12:06 PM (GMT -5) |   | | What did u feel when taking "original" GH3? Did it compare in any way with DMAE-H3? | | Back to Top | | |
 |  lad Registered Member
       Date Joined Jul 2005 Total Posts : 140 | Posted 7/18/2005 12:13 PM (GMT -5) |   | | I believe I took a version of "KH-3" so I'm not so sure. | | Back to Top | | |
 |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 7/19/2005 2:17 PM (GMT -5) |   | | | |
 |  LeighDW Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 19 | Posted 9/18/2005 5:41 PM (GMT -5) |   | As the original poster of this topic, I think I might answer a few of your queries.
Much has been made on "DMAE H3" which I presume is one of the many copies of the original copyirighted Gerovital H3 which iis produced by Sicomed, Romanian's largest pharmaceutical company, to who Dr Aslan bequeathed her original formula. "DMAE H3" is an outright copy and a fraud ot the original and will not work in the way that GH3 does. It has been produced because, although the U.S considered GH3 a "controlled drug" it cannot stop DMAE from being marketed in the US as a dietary supplement and therefore it is offered as a "substitute" for GH3. Original GH3 relies on a weak covalent bond to enter and remain in body tissues; DMAE may have slight lifting effrects but that effect are short-lived and not cumulative, therefore not accumulating the astonishing benefits of GH3. Also, the other important complex of GH3 (PABA) is entirely absent. The manufucturers of this product have merely tacked on the phrase "H3" at the end to fool consumers into thinking they are buying a real alternative to GH3 which is, in fact, next to useless.
Somebody mentioned the cortisol-hinihibitory action of GH3 as a major contituent in its anti-ageing prophylaxis. This is entirely correct. Cortisol as we age plays havoc on the neuroendocrine system and GH3 keeps it in check, preventing age-related damage and suppressing the "death hormone", while its inhibiton of monoamine oxidase, the enzyme directly resposnsible for decline in brain neurotransmitters in old age, also contributes to its anti-ageing profile.
One contributor called "Lad" raised a question of a product called "KH3". This is yet again another ripoff from Dr Ana Aslan's original formula - albeit not an downright fraud like "DMAE H3". KH3 was developed by German scientists and contains half the procaine normally found in the GH3 tablet; with additional enzymes for those who are poorly able to upsorb nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract. It does work, particularly the elderly, in the same way as GH3; most often one finds that such people begin on KH3 and, when significant improvements in absorption have been achieved, the user then transfers to the full 100 mg GH3 tablet. He also mentioned that he had tried a product called "Vitacel 7" which has been progressively marketed as an "improvement" over GH3 in recent years. All I can say is that Vitacel-7, while drawing on some of the work of Dr Ana Aslan, is quite possibly a marketing gimmick. They seem to have stuck in as many antiodixidants and herbs into their products on the assumption that this will increase the absorption of GH3 by "100%"), if this is at all physically possible (which I doubt it is). Nevertheless, Vitacel-7, while boasting of a "patent" which proves nothing and merely protects the manufacturing process, does not have the 50 years of scientific proof, hundreds of medical studies in scientific journals, and three hundred medical reports, PROVING the efficiacy of Dr Aslan's research. Nor will I doubt they will ever be. My advice would be to seek out the original GH3 (Aslavital) made by a real pharmaceutical company (Sicomed) and take your journey from there.
Contrary to what your Government would have you believe, GH3 is NOT illegal in the United States, despite the fact that they would like you do believe so (the FDA still lists GH3 as a "controlled drug"!!). A 1994 Court ruling (US versus Roger Sless) put Gerovital H3 firmy in the dietary supplement class, just as it is in Europe. The fact that you have to go to such lengths to obtain it is testament to how much the government (FDA and the pharmaceutical giants) would like to keep this product off the market, or the very least labelled as "quackery"
The most effective and impoved form of GH3 (renamed "Aslavital") was researched and perfected in 1980 and has quicker and stronger actions on the human body. Anywobody interesting in GH3 or the new formula is quite welcome to write to me at the address below for more infoirmation and/or queries:
leighwilks@hotmail.com
-Would you share the references concerning GH3's cortisol inhibitory action? Thanks! - Moderator Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 9/18/2005 5:44:25 PM (GMT-4) | | Back to Top | | |
 |  LeighDW Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 19 | Posted 9/18/2005 8:36 PM (GMT -5) |   | Without having to devle to deeply into the scientific reports, its seems definite that GH3 has a definite anti-cortisol action. In 1984 paper pharmaceutical researcher Alfred Sapse expounded the disease-promoting power of chronic, excessive, stress-released cortisol. He gave a short list of substances that could oppose cortisol's negative actions. GH3 was one of five anti-cortisol agents Sapse recommended (46). And as Murphy and Wolkowitz point out, "Major depression is associated with a high incidence of cortisol hypersecretion ... this hypercortisolism is the most well-replicated biological abnormality in major depression ..." (47) Thus, GH3's anti-cortisol action may also enhance its antidepressant effect. Because of cortisol's power to induce liver Tryp pyrrolase, the Tryp-destroying enzyme, GH3's ability to reduce cortisol may also provide antidepressant effect through enhancing brain Tryp, and hence, brain 5-HT status. Thus, one tablet of GH3, taken once or twice daily (AM/PM) on an empty stomach may be a safe yet effective antidepressant, alone or in a combination with others.
Hope this helps, there are other studies available but at present I am too tired to trawl the records looking for them!
- What journal did the abovementioned report appear in? - Moderator | | Back to Top | | |
  |  alfax Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 241 | Posted 9/19/2005 8:16 PM (GMT -5) |   | leigh
U mentioned that, concerning DMAE H3:"the other important complex of GH3 (PABA) is entirely absent".
THAT AFIRMATION IS DOWNRIGHT FALSE: "DMAE H3 is a concentrated solution of the PABA salt of DMAE stabilized with benzoic acid".
AS READ ON THE PRODUCT LABEL: "Each serving(10 drops) contains 150 mg PABA and 100 mg DMAE | | Back to Top | | |
 |  LeighDW Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 19 | Posted 9/19/2005 8:18 PM (GMT -5) |   | The paper in question is Sapse, A. (1984) "Stress, cortisol, interferon and stress diseases" Med Hypoth 13: 31-44.
It is interesting to note that, encouraged by the work of earlier scientists (Cohen, S. & Ditman, K.S. (1974) "Gerovital H3 in the treatment of the depressed aging patient") and the work of Dr William Zung who favourably compared GH3 to the trycyclic antidepressant imipramine (Zung. W.K. et al (1974) "Pharmacology of depression in the aged: Evaluation of GH3 as an antidepressant drug") Dr Sapse attempted to gain FDA approval for GH3 as an antidepressant. The FDA initially approved but, alarmed by GH3's growing reputation as an "anti-ageing" drug, promptly withdrew its support, making Sapse's company ("Rom-Amer") bankrupt and GH3 unavailable to the general public. Since that time Gh3 has been a predominantly European, not American phenomenon.
- the abstract (referenced below) doesn't show that procaine inhibits cortisol. Would you happen to have the full text? - moderator
| Med Hypotheses. 1984 Jan;13(1):31-44. |
|
Stress, cortisol, interferon and "stress" diseases. I. Cortisol as the cause of "stress" diseases.
Sapse AT.
. . . When pharmaceuticals with potential cortisol antagonistic capabilities, were used in diseases totally unrelated, but having in common, elevated levels of cortisol, alleviation of symptoms and/or diseases would occur.
PMID: 6200751 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Post Edited By Moderator (DDye) : 9/19/2005 8:24:23 PM (GMT-4) | | Back to Top | | |
 |  LeighDW Registered Member
       Date Joined Jan 2005 Total Posts : 19 | Posted 9/20/2005 5:59 PM (GMT -5) |   | | In response to the Moderator, I regret that I dont have access to the full text of Sapse's report and the online text is an abridged version. However the fact that Dr Sapse was the developer of Anticort, a procaine-based drug designed to suppress cortisol, shows that he firmly believes procaine hydrochloride to be a cortisol inhibitor. In reply to the comment made by Alfax, I stand corrected. Okay, so "DMAE H3" does contain PABA. It is still a copy of GH3; if it isn't, then why use the term "H3" for their product? Dr Aslan's biggest mistake was not copyrighting the term "Gerovital H3" but being the naive socialist she did not foresee that her product would be pirated in capitalist countries the world over. This is why she DID copyright the reformulated GH3 ("Aslavital") in 1980. If people wish to use "DMAE H3" or any other copycat product and they feel benefit from it, more power to them, but I have found the original European formulation to be far more effective than PABA/DMAE supplements alone. It is just a shame that the FDA and the American government feel fit to classify GH3 as an "unapproved new drug" thereby denying their citizens a supplement that has been freely enjoyed by Europeans for half a century. (I have just checked with the FDA - despite losing their battle in court, they are still seizing imported GH3.) The term "protecting the interests of the pharmaceutical giants" springs to mind. | | Back to Top | | |
 |  biknut Registered Member
       Date Joined Jun 2005 Total Posts : 85 | Posted 3/22/2006 8:15 PM (GMT -5) |   | | This study is based on Anticort. The active ingredient in Anticort is procaine and it is very similar to GH3. The main difference is the stabilizer.
1: J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2003 Dec;307(3):1148-57. Epub 2003 Oct 14. Related Articles, Links
Inhibition of adrenal cortical steroid formation by procaine is mediated by reduction of the cAMP-induced 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase messenger ribonucleic acid levels.
Xu J, Lecanu L, Han Z, Yao Z, Greeson J, Papadopoulos V.
Division of Hormone Research, Department of Cell Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3900 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
Elevated glucocorticoid levels are associated with many diseases, including age-related depression, hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Cortisol-lowering agents could provide useful complementary therapy for these disorders. We examined the effect of procaine and procaine in a pharmaceutical formulation on adrenal cortical steroid formation. Procaine inhibited dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP)-induced corticosteroid synthesis by murine Y1 and human H295R adrenal cells in a dose-dependent manner without affecting basal steroid formation. Treatment of rats with the procaine-based formulation reduced circulating corticosterone levels. This steroidogenesis-inhibiting activity of procaine was not observed in Leydig cells, suggesting that the effect was specific to adrenocortical cells. In search of the mechanism underlying this inhibitory effect on cAMP-induced corticosteroidogenesis, procaine was found to affect neither the cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity nor key proteins involved in cholesterol transport into mitochondria, cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage enzyme _expression, and enzymatic activities associated with cholesterol metabolism to final steroid products. However, procaine reduced in a dose-dependent manner the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA) activity and the dbcAMP-induced HMG-CoA reductase mRNA levels by affecting mRNA stability. These data suggest that the inhibitory effect of procaine on cAMP-induced corticosteroid formation is due to the reduced synthesis of cholesterol. This modulatory effect of procaine on HMG-CoA reductase mRNA _expression was also seen in dbcAMP-stimulated Hepa1-6 mouse liver hepatoma cells. Taken together, these results suggest that procaine may provide a pharmacological means for the control of hormone-induced HMG-CoA reductase mRNA _expression and hypercortisolemia.
PMID: 14560037 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14560037
Here is the whole published study.
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/307/3/1148#FIG2 Post Edited (biknut) : 3/22/2006 8:53:22 PM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
  |  mee Registered Member
       Date Joined Nov 2006 Total Posts : 25 | Posted 12/5/2006 11:03 AM (GMT -5) |   | I've just purched a 2 month supply of the ampules and tablets to see if it will help with my greying hair.
Can anyone offer any advise on what dosage to take? i'm a 28 year old male in good health i'm only taking the gerovital to help stop the greying hair but i'm lost on what dosage to take. i'v seen one doctor recomend 1 ampule every 5 days with no break and others say to take 2 tablets a day for 25 days and then a 5 day rest. Then there's ana aslan who recomends taking it in courses with long rest periods. Any help will be very appreciated. Are there any books on gerovital anyone can recommend ? | | Back to Top | | |
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