Nature's Way Gotu Kola experience

Neuro

About 15 minutes ago I took 2 capsules of this brand, so 950 mg total. I'll update the thread later or maybe tomorrow if I start feeling any effects.

Also, I'm not taking anything else at the moment. Just Vitamin D and the occasional multivitamin.

Neuro

Day 2, so yesterday I felt the Gotu Kola kick in within an hour or so and it was subtle but noticeable at the same time. There was a slight increase in physical relaxation but not much mentally. I didn't notice any other acute effects.

But during the day I noticed this:

Attention was a bit more stable and less prone to distractions
Mood was slightly elevated but not in a natural way. It's more like apathy towards negative thoughts and feelings; they're still there but have a lot less power over the mind. Not sure if this is a good effect because it might cause apathy towards important things
Memory was very noticeably improved, especially long-term memory. Random music from over 10 years ago started surfacing into my awareness. Not vivid enough to play the entire song or even segments, but enough to have brief periods of it that I would eventually start remembering.
Vocabulary seems a bit improved
Maybe a decrease in anhedonia. I felt a bit more immersed in a show I watched as well as a single player game I played
Slightly less irritable

Of course it's only the first day so I'm not sure if these effects are placebo or not. I hope they improve with time.

On the other hand, I have also noticed a derealization or distancing effect happening. It's similar to agmatine. I dropped the dose to 1 capsule or 475 mg. Maybe this side effect is transitory and I'll be able to increase the dose later on.

Galaxyshock

Good to hear you seem to be experiencing benefits from Gotu Kola. I've always liked this herb. How strong do you find the anxiolysis? To me it's seriously comparable to 1 mg of Lorazepam without side effects or addiction. I took about a week break from Gotu Kola as the effects seemed to decrease (after using it for several months) but took it again this morning and the nice anxiolysis and positive mood is there again. I currently use Solgar brand Gotu Kola extract though, 3 capsules.

I suspect there's some synergy with Gotu Kola and Panax Ginseng but this is just anecdotal.

Neuro

The anxiolysis is pretty strong I'd say, definitely noticeable. I saw a study that found it useful for anxiety in humans: https://www.nmcth.edu/images/gallery/Editorial/gQTk2u_jana.pdf

The Solgar brand wasn't available on iHerb or I would've bought it.

What kind of synergy do you feel with Ginseng?

Yesterday I didn't feel much benefit, only melancholic depression. I upped the dose to 2 capsules again. I'm starting to feel apathetic tbh.

Galaxyshock

Well I'd rather use other brands than Solgar because it gets quite expensive. 100 capsules for €17 I think, and I need to take three capsules to feel it as it's only 100 mg of extract per cap. Solgar is just the only brand sold locally here.

I feel that with Ginseng the positive mood effect and calmness is potentiated and I felt sort of more awake, focused and even refreshed I'd say. Both Ginseng and Gotu kola seem to decrease reaction time so they could be good for gaming for example. I take other stuff in my stack too but I've noticed the synergistic/complementary effects before. I think I first took Ginseng and Gotu Kola back in 2012. Damn, that's 10 years ago, where has the time gone lol.

Neuro

Had no idea the Solgar brand was expensive. The Nature's Way brand seems affordable for me so I'll just stick with it.

Interesting, Ginseng does indeed decrease my reaction time but I can't say the same for Gotu Kola. Honestly, I've been feeling quite drowsy since I started taking it. I feel a lot slower and find myself getting confused at times, mixing up words. I don't know if this is a transitory effect or not.

Maybe I'm just having a paradoxical reaction. Phenibut used to stimulate rather than relax me.

I took Schisandra and Rhodiola today in addition to 475 mg of Nature's Way Gotu Kola. Maybe they'll help with the side effects.

Galaxyshock

Yeah could be that you don't respond well to GABAergics in general? Gotu Kola is a selective GABA-B agonist and increases GABA biosynthesis by stimulating GAD enzyme.

Sorry to hear it's not quite working like it seemed initially. Combining other herbs might help, Gotu Kola seems to go well with various herbs and meds. Perhaps if you buy some GInseng at some point you could try that combination too.

Neuro

Yeah, maybe I don't respond well to GABAergics. But I'm having both positive and negative effects from Gotu Kola. Fasoracetam was similar in this regard and it also affects the GABA receptors.

I don't want to stop the Gotu Kola, I feel like overall it's having a positive effect. I'll give it time and see if it gets better.

Yeah, I'd like to try Ginseng but I don't know where to get it from. It's too expensive on iHerb.

Gotu Kola combined well with Schisandra and Rhodiola yesterday. I didn't have any noticeable negative interactions between them.

Neuro

Just an update. I've been feeling very irritable, drowsy, tired, and depressed these past few days. Stopped taking Gotu Kola yesterday.

Galaxyshock

Sorry to hear that. It seems you get some positive effects from various herbs/meds but either they stop working or the side effects become too much.

I think you've mentioned Rhodiola was one of the best things for your anhedonia, but does it work that well these days anymore? Hmm well this is off-topic, perhaps Rhodiola deserves its own thread.

Neuro

Thanks, yeah I'm not sure why I always seem to get transient effects from herbs/meds that otherwise have good initial benefits.

For me, I think Gotu Kola is still good for acute dosing. It noticeably decreases anxiety and agitation, but induces apathy after a few days. So it should be fine to take it a few times a month if needed.

Yeah, Rhodiola was by far the best for anhedonia, specifically emotional anhedonia. For example, it would make music have meaning, story-driven games would become adventures and I would get invested in the characters, same thing for movies and TV shows. I also would generally be more appreciative of beauty and aesthetics.

In short, it's like it would activate the right side of my brain, based on the notion that the right side is 'artistic'. I'm not sure if this is a myth or just an exaggeration.

Neuro

Gotu Kola is a rather impressive herb. After stopping, the apathy started to decrease within a day but the anxiolytic effects remained for 4 days.

I also noticed a marked reduction in rumination and intrusive thoughts. It's quite good, I think I might take it a few times a week. Hopefully it will still have benefits.

Galaxyshock

I also noticed that some of the anxiolysis remained when I took a break from Gotu Kola. I noticed I was still more comfortable in social situations but of course part of that is from the exposure. But it kinda felt like the effects of Gotu Kola were still there "in the background".

Neuro

I took a single capsule yesterday, 475 mg, and it took a few hours before the anxiolytic effect kicked in but once it did it kept increasing until it plateaued.

Haven't taken it today but I can still feel some of the anxiolytic effects. Gotu Kola is an interesting herb and I'll likely start taking it every n days, once I figure out the optimal dosing schedule. Not sure if taking a higher dose at once would be more or less beneficial.

Galaxyshock, have you tried this type of dosing schedule with Gotu Kola?

Neuro

Yeah, it's definitely an interesting herb. Maybe it can induce a semi-permanent effect through exposure therapy? The anxiolytic effect doesn't seem active, but passive. As in, there's no drug-like feeling. The anxiety isn't killed, it just doesn't arise. Perhaps this is what allows the effects to remain in the background after stopping?

I'm also thinking of taking it a few times a week at night to maintain its effects. It seems to make me drowsy during the day.

Galaxyshock

Nope, I always took it daily since I didn't get side effects.

I meant to buy Gotu Kola from local supplement shop but they no longer sold it. I'll have to order it online at some point.

Neuro

I don't think I'll be taking it every n days, I still had side effects from just one dose. I don't know why I'm so sensitive to Gotu Kola, but unfortunately it has too many adverse effects compared to benefits to make it worth taking. It makes me even more numb and apathetic than usual.

Does that local supplement shop no longer carry it or just out of stock temporarily? I noticed on iHerb that the Solaray Gotu Kola extract is now discontinued: https://ca.iherb.com/pr/solaray-gotu-kola-aerial-extract-250-mg-60-vegcaps-discontinued-item/89455