[mochaccino]

Brace yourself Wahaika. Here comes the flood of questions

I'm going to start by listing the additional herbs you suggested and try to explain what I think they do. I'm just doing this to make sure we are on the same page about what these herbs are for and why I should take them. Feel free to correct me or add to this.

Hops:
Contains a strong phytoestrogen, 8-pn. It also contains xanthohumol which is antagonistic to testosterone, and it can apparently lower the level of free testosterone over time. It also inhibits 5-alpha reductase.

Nettle root:
Blocks SHBG by binding to it. Prevents DHT from binding to receptors. Inhibits 5-alpha reductase like most anti-androgens.

Blessed Thistle:
I haven't been able to figure out if it contains a prolactin mimic, or if it increases endogenous prolactin, or if it does something else entirely. I do know lots of women feel that it increases milk production.

Pumpkin seed oil:
Inhibits 5-alpha reductase. I don't know whether it does so by the same mechanism as saw palmetto. If so, I don't really understand why I need both, unless the oil does something else as well.

Alfalfa:
Contains the phytoestrogens, Daidzen and Genistein.

Barley:
I'm extremely confused by this one. Both barley grains and barley grass seem to be nutritious foods and nothing more.

Goat's rue:
Raises endogenous prolactin indirectly because it's a dopamine receptor agonist.

Here are my questions:

1) Are any of these herbs meant to somehow counteract the drop in testosterone caused by hops? You seemed to be worried about hops' effect on testosterone the last time I asked you about it.

2) Why do you believe I need so many anti-androgens? Is it to raise my free testosterone or is it because you suspect I already have too much testosterone? If you are trying to raise my free testosterone, is it because you're trying to free it up to aromatize into estrogen? In other words, are you mainly trying to raise my estrogen or reduce my overall androgens by including all these anti-androgens? I'm sure it would accomplish both things, but I'm not sure what goal you actually had in mind.

3) Does Pumpkin seed oil lower 5-alpha reductase differently than Saw Palmetto? Is it different than saw palmetto in some other way?

4)Why Alfalfa? Why these particular phytoestrogens (in alfalfa)? Are you trying to cover all my bases by including a wider range of phytoestrogens than I had in my last program?