Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging

Grapefruit seed extract heals stomach ulcers in Polish study.

Researchers at Jagiellonian University Medical College recently reported that grapefruit seed extract (GSE), given orally to rats dramatically reduced the size of experimentally-induced stomach ulcers. The protective effect was dose-dependent; at a dosage of 32 mg extract per kg bodyweight, the area of ulceration was reduced to 14% of that in placebo-treated rats. The extract induced the growth of microcapillaries, which are associated with tissue healing.^1,2,3

It is not clear whether the anti-ulcer activity occurs by the direct effects of the GSE while it is in the stomach, or by an action occurring later, when some component or metabolite of the extract has reached the stomach lining after being absorbed and circulated in the blood. If we assume that the action is direct, then we can calculate the dosage required for humans by noting that a human stomach has a volume about 500 times that of a rat stomach^4,5, and that the rats used in the ulcer experiments weighed about 200 g. The rat dosage was therefore about 32 mg/kg * 200 g / 1000 g/kg = 6.4 mg. The corresponding dose needed to produce the same concentration of GSE in a human stomach would be 500 * 6.4 mg = 3200 mg.

The brand of GSE used in the experiments was ‘Citro’, made by the company Pharma-Herb s.r.o. in Slovakia. This brand seems to be unavailable east of Germany, and the formula is not published on the manufacturer’s website. How, then can we translate 3200 mg of Citro into a corresponding amount of another brand of GSE, such as the one available from LifeLink? The answer is, we can’t, short of obtaining samples and sending them to a lab for analysis.

On the other hand, one does not have to know the exact dosage in advance. If I were afflicted with stomach ulcers and was not getting relief from my present treatment, I would simply try using grapefruit seed extract, starting at a low dosage and increasing to, say, twice the dosage calculated above for Citro. That means that I would start at about 0.5 ml (0.1 tsp) for five days, and if my ulcer pain persisted I would raise the dose in stages up to as much as 7 ml (1.5 tsp), staying at each stage for five days. I would dilute the extract into a glass of water before consuming it.

Grapefruit seed extract contains substantial quantities of a flavonoid called ‘naringenin’, which can interfere with the metabolism of many drugs and other substances. A list of such drugs can be found on the U.S. Pharmacist website in a table called ‘Table 1: Cytochrome P450 3A4 Enzyme Substrates’.⁶ If you are using any of these drugs (or any other powerful substance, for that matter), it would be wise to confer with a physician or pharmacist before using GSE.

References

[1] Grapefruit seed extract helps stomach ulcers Food Navigator website

[2] Grapefruit Seed Extract May Help Ulcers Heal Web MD website

[3] Gastroprotective effects of flavonoids in plant extracts. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2005 Mar;56 Suppl 1:219-31.

[4] Total Stomach volume of a rat PharmPK website

[5] The Motility of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Chapter II Virtual Hospital website

[6] Overview of Drug Interactions Modulated by Cytochrome P450: Table 1 U.S. Pharmacist website

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LifeLink carries Grapefruit Seed Extract in 57 g (2 ounce) bottles.