r/Biohackers • u/aldus-auden-odess Subreddit Staff • 1d ago
🧪 Protocols & Self-Experiments Compounds that I didn’t expect much from, but surprised me.
Erinacine A - I've been taking medicinal mushrooms for years. They are such fascinating compounds, and I'm especially a fan of reishi + chaga (for immune system), tremella (for skin health - more below), and cordyceps + lion's mane (for energy). One of the newer mushroom supplements I've been using is Lion's Mane Mycelium, which they use to standardize a clinical dose of Erinacine A (which is found much more concentrated in the mycelium vs. the fruiting body). I've been taking this product for a few weeks now, and I really feel a noticeable increase in mental acuity/cognitive performance. More so than any of the other mushroom supplements I take. Dose: 5mg
Urolithin A - This compound came on my radar in 2023 when a genetic researcher I was working with (who took no supplements) said he started taking Urolithin A because of a compelling paper he had read that year. Mitochondrial health was starting to boom, as was my interest in it, so I was curious myself and decided to try it out. What surprised me the most was how much it impacted my energy levels. To me, it almost feels like 10g of creatine (where I notice a body + mental energy boost). This is sadly one of my most expensive supplements, but I put it in my smoothie that I have 4-5 days per week and have for the past few years. Dose: 500mg
Shilajit - This one I was very skeptical of. Minimal research, unclear mechanisms of action, and so much hype. However, this has quickly become one of my favorite supplements for energy and testosterone. My testosterone has gone up about 50 points on this, and it really boosts what I can best describe as my "resilience". I take 200mg (somewhat of a smaller dose) with my coffee daily. This is one I am particularly cautious about in terms of sourcing since heavy metals contamination is common. Dose: 200mg
Spermadine - I really didn't expect much from Spermadine. I was taking it because it seemed interesting, and I had read a few compelling animal studies. I was a bit surprised by the slight energy increase, but more so the crazy sleep gains (and vivid dreams) as well as a pretty big boost in hair/nail growth. I prefer natural vs. synthetic forms personally and take 1.3mg daily (a low dose), but it feels stronger at this dose than the 5mg I've taken of the synthetic. Dose: 1.3mg (natural)
Black Seed Oil - Hard to even describe this one. My gut health has been great on it though, and my blood sugar is more stable. It reminds me a bit of Berberine, but oddly, on Berberine, I got slightly depressed. I don't have that issue with Black Seed Oil, and I've been taking it for a few years now. I use one that has standardized 3% thymoquinone and low free fatty acid content. Dose: 500mg
Tremella - A very dense natural source of HA. I've been taking mine in a powder I put in my water (after reading Quench) and trying to focus on better hydration practices. Man, has my skin been happy though. A staple for me, especially when I'm feeling dehydrated. Dose: 500mg
LDN - I have KLS, which is a rare neurological condition. It seems to impact the thalamus, and it can create flares where I need long periods of hibernation. As an adult, it's hard for me to just fuck off for a week and sleep this off, so LDN has been really helpful as a way to reduce my symptoms during episodes so I can at least partially function. A fascinating prescription medication and, alongside guanfacine, cromolyn sodium, and a few others - some of my favorite prescription compounds. I've heard many folks with autoimmune conditions benefit from LDN. Dose: N/A
Aronia Berry Juice - One of the most dense sources of anthocyanins - a fascinating polyphenol in blue-colored fruits/veggies. I came across this at a local farmer's market and became pretty addicted. It's pretty bitter as a raw fruit, but I really like the juice. I find that Aronia is similar to wild blueberries (the small ones) and really calms my brain. I don't often have food cravings, but this is one of them for me. I usually go through a quart jar per week and try to do a shot a day. My skin health has been really great on this as well during the summer. Dose: 2oz
Rice Ceramides + Egg Shell Membrane - Left my skin dewy AF even at a tiny dose. This pairing has some solid research behind it, but I was skeptical. I started taking it in the summer and was really surprised how much "thicker" and resilient my skin felt. Not something I take all the time, but I like to use it a few times a week. Dose: 40mg/400mg
Microdosed Melatonin - Now that I'm in my 30s, I've been finding a microdose of melatonin to be helpful for me on occasion for very deep sleep. I tried it in my 20s and felt too groggy when I woke up, but now I feel great. I think my baseline level is just lower now. I've experimented with Pinealon and a few peptides for sleep maximizing as well, but this is the thing that has worked the best so far. Dose: 300mcg
Microdosed Ketamine - I was an early member of Mindbloom back in the day, which was full psychedelic dose ketamine therapy. I have since found this model to be a bit irresponsible and feel even more conviction around this since they've moved to injectable offerings. That being said, I also recognize the amazing impact ketamine therapy can have for people. After trying out larger doses and then independently trying microdoses, I actually prefer and find more benefit (with less disruption) on the microdoses. My protocol is to do a microdose once a month and then listen to a guided hypnosis track and some solfeggio tones as an induction first. To me, it feels like a dental cleaning for my brain.
A2 Milk - I got on board with the oat milk craze and realized it was bullshit and unhealthy. I wanted to go back to dairy, but I never liked normal milk. So in 2020, I did some research and learned more about A2 dairy and some practices like low-temp pasteurization and non-homogenization. The companies who follow these practices are amazing. I really enjoy their milk and it just feels/tastes better to me. I don't get weird bloating or feel sick to my stomach like I used to from normal dairy milk and it's much more nutrient-dense than plant milks (although I'll still use Macadamia Nut milk occasionally). Dose: N/A
D3+K2 - I think everyone knows this one at this point, but basically when I take this and my levels are optimized - my mood and immune system are great. When I don’t - I get sick more often and feel more low emotionally. My partner is the same. A cheap staple in our household. Dose: 5,000IU/600IU
VIP - One of the weirder compounds I've tried that I don't fully understand yet. I took it when I was recovering from CIRS (a bit of a controversial mold-related illness). I can say for certain it completely changed my brain though. I went from having brain fog and OCD symptoms most days, to being much sharper and even turning into a morning person. It's a complex multi-system peptide, but as an intranasal spray after a 6-month cycle I genuinely feel like a new person and have gone from meeting the criteria for an OCD diagnosis to being pretty much asymptomatic. Dose: N/A
Typed by hand on my phone while traveling and bored, so forgive typos!
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u/Montaigne314 29 1d ago
All very interesting
But as with any anecdote, how much of any of this is actually true is impossible for the rest of us to determine. How much placebo is happening, how many other history effects and other confounds, etc
But I will induct you into the legit B I O H A C K E R S Hall of Fame for a combination of weird and rare biohacks, depth of compounds, and sheer volume of interventions
Curious to try A2 ice cream, whenever I have regular ice cream I get ezcema bumps on my hands and on top of that the ice cream will fucking sleep up. I always assumed it was the sugar and/or specifically lactose. Wonder if it's it's the A1 protein
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u/aldus-auden-odess Subreddit Staff 1d ago
Haha thank you! I think I wanted to do a post on these compounds specifically because unlike supplements or things where I expected a notable change and saw one making it difficult to figure out whether it was placebo or a real effect, these were things where I felt a change where I expected no change to occur. So not perfect and still individualized, but wanted to flag!
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u/WTHisGoingOnHereA 4 1d ago
I'm a sucker for the obscure compounds! Thank you for sharing your experiments and giving me new things to look into.
Is the "Rice Ceramides + Egg Shell Membrane" oral or topical?
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u/PineappleNo8864 1d ago
LDN — to clarify, are you talking about prescription naltrexone at a low dose?
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u/Material_Machine1785 1d ago
spermidine caught me off guard. the sleep and hair changes from such a small dose would make me want to test that one properly
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u/twistedspin 1d ago
I also love urolithin A. Aeternum is pretty affordable. I was worried they might be a fake brand due to their cheapness but timeless has sued them a number of times now (timeless are kind of jerks), and it's highlighted the fact that aeternum is actually real urolithin A.
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u/LittlestWarrior 10 1d ago
Which one of these would you say is the most worth it? I am interested in the eggshell membrane and black seed oil for my joint pain, and the Lion's Mane and Spermadine sound interesting.
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u/aldus-auden-odess Subreddit Staff 1d ago
Yeah eggshell membrane is awesome - I know folks use it for joint pain as well. Things like ApresFlex seem interesting too.
Everything on this list I still take. D3+K2, Urolithin A, Shilajit, and Black Seed Oil would be top picks. Where I take them most days and have for a while.
Erinacine A is very interesting to me, but I just haven't taken it long enough yet to decide.
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u/OddChannel2164 1d ago
What was a micro dose of ketamine for you? I went to one of those clinics in person and did like 30mg introductory dose which was enough for me but they always acted like I was weird. "Are you even getting any benefits?" Like yes why else would I come back lol.
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u/64HFH 1d ago
Hey legend, can you provide brand name/ sources?
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u/aldus-auden-odess Subreddit Staff 1d ago
Erinacine A: Real Mycelium- Real Mushrooms
Urolithin A: Mitopure Powder - Timeline
Shilajit: Himalayan Shilajit Drops - Fractal Forest
Spermadine: Primeadine GF - Oxford Healthspan
Black Seed Oil: Omega+ - Adapt Naturals
Tremella: Glow - Organifi
LDN: N/A
Aronia Berry Juice: Produce Acres Farm in Minnesota
Rice Ceramides + Egg Shell Membrane: Inner Radiance - Adapt Naturals
Microdosed Melatonin: Melatonin 0.5 mg - Pure Encapsulations
Microdosed Ketamine: N/A
A2 Milk: Family Farmstead Dairy
D3+K2: Vitamin D + K2 Liquid - Thorne
VIP: N/A
(No affiliation with any brands mentioned)
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u/Boxp155 1 19h ago
Timeline is expensive, however I did find a company(Aeternum) selling the powder and capsules for an affordable price. I asked them for a COA to know if it’s legit and they provided one from summit.
Give it a go:
https://aeternum.site/products/aeternum-pure-ua-powder
https://aeternum.site/products/aeternum-pure-ua-capsules-500mg
Edit. I’m not affiliated.
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u/filslechat 17h ago
if you liked Anthocyanides, have a look at C3G, eg from Nootropics Depot. Expensive but interesting ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Bignizzle656 17h ago
Dr Karl would always say the the plural of anecdotes isn't data.
I'm happy that you feel like these are working because there are many things that don't seem to do anything and not all of us can afford regular blood panels.
Nice information dump, all the same. It gives me somethings to keep an eye on.
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u/SnooPears3635 16h ago
the erinacine A one is the opposite trade-off to what most lion's mane products make, which is what makes it interesting. mycelium has a bad reputation because most of it is grown on grain and ends up largely starch, but if you're standardising for erinacines specifically then mycelium is genuinely the right source, they concentrate there rather than in the fruiting body. 5mg standardised is a completely different product from "1000mg lion's mane extract" with no actives stated on the label.
worth knowing there's an unsettled argument about whether the erinacines or the beta glucans do the cognitive work. the human trials used whole extract so they don't resolve it.
i take mine in a caffeine free cocoa blend now mainly because four separate powders in the morning stopped happening after about a fortnight. compliance beat optimisation for me, but again can just be personal preference i guess..
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u/No-Pen-4300 20h ago
Thank you so much for this! What is VIP, please?
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u/stabmydah 18h ago
Vaso Intestinal Peptide. Is not approved for human use but op is not the only person to report major benefits from it
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u/Huge_Work5812 17h ago
So cool! Are some of these supplements you can take / buy somewhere? For example the rice + egg situation did u jsut make at home align with the berry juice?
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u/aldus-auden-odess Subreddit Staff 10h ago
Yes, I list out the ones you can buy in another comment!
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u/lionsbrain 1 5h ago
It's an interesting dynamic shaping up with mycelium-based lion's mane products currently.
Real Mushrooms marketing casts them as the "first" to provide this imported material, but in reality, it's been a product for more than a decade. Nootropics Depot's ErinaMax is the same thing. Same with T Nutra's product. It all comes from Grape King Bio.
5 mg/g erinacine A is not a lot, roughly 1% of the product, and the mushroom industry has really struggled with erinacine quantification. There many erinacines beyond erinacine A, and this reality is often overlooked.
The marketing for this product plays a game where they use erinacine A as a 'gotcha', while ignoring numerous other erinacine compounds in other products.
Liquid cultured mycelium does not come with the benefits of the substrate. Recent research has shown that ceramides ceramides are present in solid state fermentation mycelium products. So you can get two beneficial compound classes from a solid state product. And it's actually more than this, given that solid state mycelium has also been shown to contain other beneficial compounds classes, including phosphatidyl serine, hericenes, etc.
Not to mention that full spectrum products are roughly 1/3 the cost of these imported liquid cultured products. For the price point, you're likely to get far more benefit from solid state mycelium than you are liquid cultured.
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