Sunday, September 11, 2016

Herbs/Supplements to Increase 5-HT2A Receptors (How to Increase 5-HT2A Receptors Naturally)

Now, I may not agree with every separate reasoning why one would want to 'increase 5-HT2A receptors' nor am I a pro-serotonin guy, but there is that undeniable fact that increasing 5-HT(2)A receptors (AKA Serotonin S2 Receptors) will render one more sensitive to the dissociative and psychedelic-effects of various psychoactive drugs [1] [2] [3]. Let's be more clear though, increasing serotonin type 2A receptors is able to confer the following benefits.

  • Rendering one sensitive to mushrooms, salvia, molly and what have you, the effects of all hallucinogenic drugs become more apparent, and one loses their tolerance to them [4] [5].
  • It's possible that increasing this receptor subtype may stimulate the mesolimbic system in the brain and thus increase creativity and maybe even 'magical thinking' [6] [7].
  • Increasing this receptor would increase cortisol secretion [8] [9], so it's possible that some would find benefit from doing so if you they suffer from hypoadrenalism or Addison's disease.

As far as other reasoning, some may increase the receptor just merely to experience the effects, or increasing it may cause behavioral changes which may mimic, or reproduce a long-lost mania. 

Therefore there are some *benefits* if you will, but that doesn't mean this strategy is for everyone. I would not recommend utilizing the practices in this guide if you suffer from any of the following.

  1. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
  2. Schizophrenia.
  3. Mania.
  4. Stress-Issues.
  5. Borderline Personality Disorder.
All of those above issues are outlined by too much serotonin 5-HT2A activity so increasing it further would be foolish if one has those disorders or a predisposition to such.

Now onto the supplements.
(Increasing 5-HT2A/S2 Receptors Naturally with Supplements)
View the exclamation marked box to go to the source or citation in question.

1.) Inositol [!]. Inositol is probably the cheapest way to increase serotonin 2A receptors though it depends on what form you buy. I recommend this one.

2.) St.John's Wort Extract [!]. A powerful herb and anti-depressant which is well-known for sensitizing oneself for the experiences of the mystical and psychedelic chemicals. <Buy it Here>

3.) Ashwagandha [!]. Another anti-depressant and anti-anxiety herb that increases serotonin 2A receptors. It is one of the most notorious anti-anxiety herbs on the planet and almost everyone has success with it. {I recommend Barlowe's brand.}

NOTE: Using all of these at once, each daily, may increase the effects of each other and increase receptors that many times as much as one alone, but may also produce side-effects and interact too much with your other regimen.

St.John's Wort can not be take with psychedelic drugs, it must be taken for at least 3 weeks BEFORE ingesting or smoking any psychedelics.


**OTHER SOURCES / CITATIONS**

16 comments:

  1. Will Muira Puama do for this purpose? Is fear of darkness depends on 5ht2a? I also read that haldol can increase sunlight susceptibility.

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    1. Muira Puama is not something that upregulates 5-HT2A, rather, it's likely an agonist, so no it's not the same thing. As far as 'fear of darkness', I would say serotonin definitely plays a role there, and blocking 5-HT2A would be the way to go as cortisol plays a role with darkness response. Read this book/paper. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717723/

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  2. Inositol is said to eradicate OCD tendencies, so I'm not sure how it would increase them?

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  3. Rat studies are not accurate. I have read studies that herbs act as agonists in humans and antagonists in rats...

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    1. That's wrong. Not a reason in the world that a substance would affect two different species in a totally opposite manner 100% of the time, in fact I've only heard a few cases with substances used in research where that was demonstrated consistently.

      This article is about increasing the number of receptors, not stimulating or blockade anyhow.

      So I'm not sure where you are reading from, but herbs often contain compounds that are being studied constantly, and so making a general rule like that would make no sense no matter which way you look at it.

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    2. Rat studies can't be directly extrapolated and then be applied to humans though, that would be something to take back. These dosages used in studies would vary too much, and based on metabolism would present some issues in finding the right translation for humans.

      I prefer human studies as well, but each study still has to be examined based on the whole of the research.

      If there are future studies, they often cite earlier (Rat/Mouse) studies because of the comparability. They wouldn't have much to say without them, since not all human brains are available in the same fashion. They can't have invalid studies either, so they find the best recourse based on whats available and gets the job done.

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    3. Plus they have to look at concentration per amount of blood, by body weight and current type, something easier done with rodents.

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  4. Your right. Not 100%. But I don't put a ton of stock in rat studies because there are alot of repeat studies in humans that don't touch the same pathways..

    Anyway...

    Do you know a good way to decrease 5ht2a receptors???

    Thanks

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  5. The selfhacked link you provided states that Inositol lowers the functioning of 5HT2A- confused on what the study was actually saying :(

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    1. Inositol decreases the function of specific 5-HT2A-receptors in nerve terminals but long-term increases the actual amount of the receptor. However, it only 'selects' specific receptors to inhibit and these are all in one brain region; the substantia nigra (area of the basal ganglia). Therefore the overall effect is still an increase in 2AR's widespread.

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  6. Increased 5-HT2A signaling is heavily implicated in depression - you may want to add that to the list of disorders in your article.

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  7. this is complete opposite of what selfhacked says, so this being an amateur blog, ignore

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  8. Increased 5ht2a is rather responsible for fear, anxiety and insomnia.
    Then, lower overall activation of 5ht2a can i.e. lead to lower GABA activation. Or it can impact cortisol.

    That definitely can add to developing depression potential

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  9. This is strange, one link stated that Inositol reduces 2A, another stated it upregulates.

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