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japanese knotweed question

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Posted 8/7/2016 12:11 PM (GMT 0)
has anyone else noticed an increase in drowsiness and better sleep with JK? i was on 1 tsp 4x a day of the root powder and was sleeping 10 hours a night...went off for a week and lyme insomnia was back( had a blood test so stopped all blood thinners)....have restarted in last couple of days and once again sleeping like a log with continued drowsiness upon waking, so the sleepiness appears to be pointing at the JK...was curious to those who did Buhner, and worked youre way up the dosage if you found this same effect?
Posted 8/7/2016 12:29 PM (GMT 0)
I'm very fortunate that I haven't dealt with insomnia as it might relate to these infections (low thyroid can cause interrupted sleep in me but always resolves once my thyroid levels are restored to my optimal).

And, I never noticed any sleep effects from JK when I was dosing it at 9AM, 3PM and 9PM.

However, now that I'm taking larger doses of JK 4x daily with the last dose just before bed, I'm finding that I sleep much deeper and can sometimes have vivid dreams. I don't have drowsiness upon waking, though.

Do you use Eleuthero? That might help with the drowsiness.
Posted 8/7/2016 12:35 PM (GMT 0)
yes definitely vivid dreams!! ive been taking about 5 grams a day of root powder across 4 dosing periods...which is about 1/3rd of the max dosage that he recommends working towards (15 grams)...i had thought that my increased drowsiness/fatigue was from a herx, but now im thinking it might be how my body deals with knotweed in higher dosages...a google search did find it listed as an ingredient in a sleep aid...
Posted 8/7/2016 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
well no one else has commented although i know alot of you have used it, so if japanese knotweed doesnt make others sleepy/drowsy, then is this increased fatigue im feeling a herx? i was more clear headed/less tired for the few days i was off it, and just am confused now, if the increased fatigue after restarting it is 1) lyme disease in general 2) my reaction to jp or 3) a herx...
Posted 8/7/2016 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
I've never had any fatigue from JK, and to be honest I can't remember hearing it.
Could likely be a herx, what's your detox regiment looking like?

Could also be the Lyme itself, but if you notice it while on JK and you don't notice it when you decrease or stop it, then I'd lean towards herx.

Either that or they mixed up your herbs and sent you ashwagandha instead :p
Posted 8/7/2016 9:39 PM (GMT 0)
I guess it's possible. We are all unique in our body chemistries. I have seen others post that they have more restful sleep with the JK.
Posted 8/9/2016 10:41 AM (GMT 0)
ive decided to discontinue the Japanese Knotweed...i notice that my brain fog is particularly more apparent when i am taking the root powder, 3 tsp a day....

i was assuming it was a herx, but i felt better before i started the protocol to be honest....cats claw when taken alone seems to cause me to herx (neck more sore for example), but the JK when taken alone just makes me foggy and unable to think, which is the opposite of its intended use, if i understand correctly...

has anyone else not been able to do Japanese Knotweed?
Posted 8/9/2016 11:39 AM (GMT 0)
in reading some archived posts, it seems like the root powder has been problematic for some, not so much for those doing tinctures...

for jk root powder buhner recommends 1 tsp 3x a day, working upto 1 tbsp 3x a day...i measured it, and a teaspoon is 3 grams, so at the lowest dosage he says to start with in his newest book youre ingesting 9 grams a day...i guess its an apples/oranges comparison but thats a whole lot more than standardized tablets with would be 500 mg for one pill (if im correct)

i really want to be able to use it but it just seems to mess with my brain
Posted 8/9/2016 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
The lowest dose listed in Buhner's recommendations is not necessarily the starting dose. He's quite clear that everyone needs to start slowly and slowly titrate.

He also emphasizes that his herb/dosing recommendations are just that. We each need to find what works for us.

That said, why don't you try 1/4 tsp once daily for awhile and then slowly titrate up as able?

You could very well be herxing from the JK.

Have you tried increasing your detoxing to see if it makes a difference?
Posted 8/9/2016 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
yes i have been doing 5 or 6 different detoxes- im seeing my first LLMD next monday so am just going to not take anything til she starts me on whatever abx...

i thought it was a herx from the jk for a month, but im just brain fogged and groggy (like i took too many sleeping pills)...

ill start adding at 1/4 tsp i guess after im on the abx, bc i know buhner said JK especially aids abx coverage across the blood brain barrier...just that the brain fog that the jk gives me at 1 tsp (or brain herx?) would prevent me from doing my job, bc im all spaced out-im a HS teacher

thank you for your input
Posted 8/9/2016 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
Even starting on an 1/8 or a pinch would be ideal.

Not everyone's maximum dose is the same. Your maximum may be only a 1/4, 2 times a day.

Or you could be like me and my max on Japanese Knotweed was 2 droppers full of the tincture, 4 times a day. That stuff was like water to me.

And when I took sida acuta, I took 1 drop and wow. I knew right away that I could not take that herb.

See, we are all different. And we all have different minimums and maximums.

I agree with stopping until you see your llmd on monday. Good idea.

But don't stop the detoxing.
Posted 8/10/2016 1:42 PM (GMT 0)
artermix, let me know how you progress w/ the 2/3 tsp 3x daily (i was using root powder from 1stchinese herbs)...it took about a week for my brain fogginess to actually increase...

i was suprised to see that one tsp of root powder is 3 grams , while his recommended Green Dragon Botanicals capsules have 450mg....so at 2/3rds of a tsp, thats 6 grams a day. which is equivalent to 4 pills taken 3 times a day....

i think i went in too fast, and each day i got more brain fog, hypothetically bc i was brain herxing and the toxins were coming faster than i could detox them...

i read his newest book and when he said "start at 1 tsp 3x a day" i did just that, but i think it is not a safe dosage to start with obviously for me...i wish it was a little more clear, but maybe i should have been more careful....as for cats claw he says start with 1 pill 3 times a day, which i did....
Posted 8/10/2016 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
To clarify a few things about Buhner's recommendations as shared in his new Lyme book....

Firstly, he is still recommending Eleuthero....not necessarily as part of the core protocol but, to help with fatigue, adrenal function and immune support.

Secondly, his dosing recommendations are not starting doses. They are recommendations for what might be therapeutic doses for the people who use his protocols.

All of his books emphasize the need for each person to start slowly (lower than the recommended dose) and slowly titrate until they find the dose that feels right to them.

I know it's hard to plod through all of the information in Buhner's books. For those who are unable, I suggest you post questions here before you start anything. Doing so can minimize difficulties.

And, yes, keep on detoxing and slowly add to it.
Posted 8/10/2016 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
thank you cd3764, point well taken.... i have been doing eleuthro and cats claw 1 pill 3x a day for what its worth...
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