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Human diet is a major factor in getting oilahuasca working. Many people consume food, drinks and supplements known to inhibit 17bHSD2. Drinks as commonplace as tea and grapefruit juice potently inhibit 17bHSD2. These and other detrimental dietary items explained in this article must be avoided for at least 24 hours prior to using oilahuasca if psychedelic effects are desired. Failure to adhere to these dietary guidelines can completely prevent oilahuasca from working. The 17bHSD2 enzyme is critical for oilahuasca to work. If this enzyme is inhibited by drinking tea or ingesting similar 17bHSD2 inhibitors, it can be impossible to get oilahuasca working. This has been verified by several people. Please adhere to these diet guidelines if you want any success with oilahuasca.
SUPPLEMENTS AND FOODS TO AVOID
Oxidative 17bHSD2 Inhibitors to Avoid
All inhibitors of oxidative 17bHSD2 will prevent activation of allylbenzenes. This enzyme must be induced, not inhibited. It's the single most important enzyme to induce. If oxidative 17bHSD2 is not functioning, allylbenzenes cannot produce psychedelic activity.[1]
Several tests using the potent 17bHSD2 inhibitor quercetin orally in human test subjects have proven that quercetin can completely inactivate allylbenzenes for 3-4 hours if taken prior to taking allylbenzenes.[1] For this reason all sources of quercetin and other potent inhibitors of 17bHSD2 must be avoided.
Naringenin also potently inhibits 17bHSD2. Grapefruit contains large amounts of naringenin, and also prevents the psychedelic action of allylbenzenes if taken before allylbenzenes. Inhibition lasts approximately 4-8 hours.
Galangin, kaempferide, and kaempferol also inhibit 17bHSD2 and need to be avoided.
Here's a list of all known 17bHSD2 inhibitors that should be avoided 4-8 hours prior to using allylbenzenes:
- Quercetin and all food or supplements containing large amounts of it.
- Apples (0.0263% quercetin)[2]
- Cabbage (0.01% quercetin)[2]
- Cranberry (0.025% quercetin)[2]
- Evening-Primrose (20% quercetin)[2]
- Galangin and all food or supplements containing large amounts of it.
- Garlic (0.02% quercetin)[2]
- Grapefruit (contains naringenin, kaempferol, galangin, and quercetin)
- Himalayan Mayapple (1.2% quercetin)[2]
- Kaempferide and all food or supplements containing large amounts of it.
- kaempferol and all foods that contain large amounts it.
- Mayapple (5% quercetin)[2]
- Naringenin and all food or supplements containing large amounts of it.
- Neem (0.1% Quercetin)[2]
- Oats (0.031% Quercetin)[2]
- Onions (4.81% quercetin).[2]
- Orange (4.58% naringenin)[2]
- Tea (10-25 mg/L quercetin, 6.3-17 mg/L kaempferol [3]).[2]
- Tomato (contains kaempferol, naringenin)
- Yuzu (contains naringenin)
See the articles 17bHSD2, Quercetin and Naringenin for more details and references to the facts stated above.
CYP2A6 Inhibitors to Avoid
CYP2E1 Inhibitors to Avoid
- Disulfiram
- Garlic EO
- Kava
Dimethylamine Boosters to Avoid in Some Cases
It's not known which metabolites of the allylbenzenes are the preferred alkaloid metabolites. Avoid these substances if you specifically want to avoid making too many dimethylamine metabolites.
Anecdotal reports indicate that supplementation with piperidine sources improves activation, and supplementation with dimethylamine sources reduces psychedelic activity. The exact reason for this is currently unknown. Some reports indicate that methyl eugenol and myristicin can be inactive in some cases unless used with piperidine supplements.
The dimethylamine alkaloid metabolites of allylbenzenes are probably more easily destroyed by MAO-A or MAO-B or both. The piperidine metabolites, although probably not psychedelic, may act to protect the dimethylamine metabolites from enzyme destruction.
- Choline (causes dimethylamine formation in vivo)
- Dimethylamine
- Lecithin (causes dimethylamine formation in vivo)
- Trimethylamine (causes dimethylamine formation in vivo)
- Fish high in dimethylamine
See the articles Choline, Dimethylamine and Piperidine for more details and references to the facts stated above.
BENEFICIAL SUPPLEMENTS
These have been found to be beneficial based on anecdotal reports. For more details see the article Oilahuasca Activators.
Berberine
Berberine is one of the most powerful activators tested. It potently inhibits CYP2D6, and inhibits CYP2C9 and CYP3A4, while leaving CYP2E1 active. There may be other unknown actions at play. When used with caffeine (inhibits CYP1A2) and steviosides (theorized to inhibit UGT2B7), it's been able to activate elemicin at doses smaller than any other activator tested. It works better than black pepper tea, and produces a cleaner experience. Black pepper has sedative effects in the doses used, and colors up the experience.
It's believed that berberine's lack of sedative effects and it's potent inhibition of CYP2D6 and it's inaction on CYP2E1 are why it's more effective than black pepper. CYP2D6 appears to be extremely detrimental to activation and CYP2E1 appears to be vital. Piperine found in black pepper has been shown to inhibit CYP2E1[4] to some degree in humans, which is not good.
Black Pepper Tea
Black pepper tea appears to greatly increase the activity of most allylbenzenes. It's not known how this works.
Black pepper tea provides piperidine. Piperidine is known to condense with the 1'-oxo metabolites of allylbenzenes to form piperidine alkaloids such as 1'-oxoelemicin-piperidine, 1'-oxoestragole-piperidine, etc. But it's not known if the piperidine alkaloids are active. Another action by black pepper may be at play.
To supplement with piperidine from black pepper, make black pepper tea from about 5-10 grams of black pepper. Brew with 1 cup of hot water. Then filter out the solids. This will provide a substantial amount of piperidine. To make the black pepper tea more palatable, one can use the hot black pepper tea to make Cup Noodles soup.
Note that black pepper contains piperine and other alkaloids in addition to piperidine. Piperine inhibits CYP3A4 which is good, but it also has some other actions, such as inhibiting CYP2E1[4] to some degree, which is not good. More tests need to be performed on isolated piperine to determine it's effectiveness. When making black pepper tea, filtering out the solids removes a lot of the piperine. Piperine’s solubility in water is only 9.4 mg per cup. However, piperine is potent, and 10-20 mg of piperine can inhibit CYP3A4. 5 grams of black pepper contains about 500 mg of piperine, but only 9.4 mg will be extracted into 1 cup of water. The rest remains in the solid black pepper grounds. 1 cup of water can hold all the piperidine in black pepper.
See the articles Black Pepper, 1'-oxoelemicin-piperidine, 1'-Oxoestragole-Piperidine, and Piperine for more details and references to the facts stated above.
Gallic acid
Gallic acid induces 17bHSD2, an essential enzyme required for activation. It also induces SULT1A1 and SULT1A3 and must be pared with potent inhibitors of SULT1A1 and SULT1A3, such as EGCG.
See the articles Gallic acid and 17bHSD2 for more details and references to the facts stated above.
Genistein
Genistein induces 17bHSD2, an essential enzyme required for activation. It also inhibits UGT, SULT, and GST. Genistein is still being researched. It's effectiveness has been called into question. Until more data is available, it might be better to avoid genistein. Kudzu, from which it is extracted, was found to reduce psychedelic action by interacting with 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C receptors.
See the articles Genistein and 17bHSD2 for more details and references to the facts stated above.
Glycerol
Glucosamine
Acts as an SSAO inhibitor. When using glucosamine to inhibit SSAO it's probably best use it 1 hour before and then again combined with coffee at the time the allylbenzenes are ingested, and a few times periodically throughout the experience to boost the psychedelic effects. Doses of 1500 mg glucosamine HCl have been tested along with coffee producing very good results. Its possible that lower doses are effective but they have not been tested. Glucosamine has a half life of approximately 15 hours. It's SSAO inhibition is likely to last at least 15 hours or more.
See the articles Glucosamine and SSAO for more details and references to the facts stated above.
L-Lysine (causes piperidine formation in vivo)
Piperidine is naturally found in the human body. Piperidine is made mostly in the large intestine (colon) from excess L-lysine. Some people are low in this amine.
Theoretically the body uses piperidine to make piperidine alkaloids from allylbenzenes.
Piperidine supplementation appears to greatly increase the activity of most allylbenzenes. It's not known how this works. Piperidine is known to condense with the 1'-oxo metabolites of allylbenzenes to form piperidine alkaloids such as 1'-oxoelemicin-piperidine, 1'-oxoestragole-piperidine, etc. While these piperidines are probably not psychedelic, they may act as enzyme inhibitors protecting the actual psychedelic metabolites of allylbenzenes from rapid enzyme destruction.
It can take 3 or more hours for food to reach the colon (this varies dramatically from person to person, and depends highly on other contents in the digestive system). For this reason L-lysine supplements should be take several hours before taking allylbenzenes.
To supplement your piperidine levels using L-lysine, take at least 1000 mg or more of L-lysine approximately 3 or more hours before using the allylbenzenes.
See the articles L-Lysine and Piperidine for more details and references to the facts stated above.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide supplementation increases NAD+ in humans. The 17bHSD2 enzyme uses NAD+ as a cofactor. Without NAD+, 17bHSD2 is not effective.
Steviosides
Steviosides is theorized to act as a competitive inhibitor of UGT2B7. See the article on Steviosides for more details.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 induces 17bHSD2, an essential enzyme required for activation. It also induces glutathione and should be pared with a good depleter of glutathioine such as cinnamon oil (which contains cinnamaldehyde).
Vitamin A
Vitamin A induces 17bHSD2, an essential enzyme required for activation.
