Age Transformation with Astragalus Extracts

Deaging Plot Corresponding to the Above Table
Based on TA Sciences 8 years per year to 9 years per year rejuvenation rate results obtained for TA-65 at 5 mg/day using the Patton Protocol. B = - 5.2 years per year was initially estimated for astragalus extract, and B = - 5.18684 shows that this was close enough for the data quality available. All model ages in the above drawing correspond to May Day, as treatment started on May 1, 2007, whereas my birthday is on May 13, 1949. After 2.5 years at about 60.5 when bone dry I seemed to be 45 to myself, whereas with oiled hair I seemed to restaurant help to be 40 at 60. This led to the B = - 5.2 years per year estimate for the astragalus extract rejuvenation rate.

Deaging Plot Corresponding to Astragalus Extract Observations after about 2.5 years.
(From 58 to Model Age 45 at 60.5 in 2.5 years, projected to Model Age 25 at 64 in 6.33 years.)
The observed rejuvenation rate is computed at B = -5.18684 years per year, approximately B = -5.2, corresponding to the top line on the chart. At the present time, I may seem to be 45, so that at the B = -5.18684 rate I would achieve a 25 year old appearance at about 64.33 years of age in 2013. The dotted lines are for TA-65 at -8 and -9 years per year. Basic cost is about $55/month, including Chitosan, or $660/year, yielding $4,188 for 6.34 years to 25 at 64. Extra money might be spent on CoQ10, alpha lipoic acid with acetyl L-carnitine, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, multiple vitamins, resveratrol for the off part of the cycle, and other refinements.

Anti-Aging Flight Plan (reminiscent of My World Line by George Gamow).
Here Model_Age = Bt + Starting_Age, B=1 for normal aging, B > 1 for accelerated aging, B=0 for no aging, and B < 0 for rejuvenation, or negative aging. Here initially B= 1 for normal aging, then
B= - 5.2 years/year during the deaging phase, followed by B=0 zero aging until Madame Jean Louise Calment's 122 years, 164 days record is exceeded at 2071.9634 AD, which should be right at the Winter Solstice when shadows are shortest about Dec 22, 2071. About this time the S.Monocerotis skywalker above the Cone Nebula crosses the meridian. Note the "Cross of Years" formed by the 110 and 122.45 barriers. There are thousands of Americans over 100, of whom hardly any will get though the 110 year barrier without medicine. See the associated response of the cloud cover to the inclusion of these charts including the sign of the cross in Visionary Sky 46.5. Note that the B = 0 line in the flight plan can be implemented by using astragalus extract one month out of six, which would lead to a barely discernable jaggle on the B=0 line between 25 and 25 + 5/12 = 25.42 with a five-month rise time and a one-month fall time, since (1/12)(-5.2) = -0.43.
Phase I: For 0 < t < 57.967123 = t0, B = 1, Model Age = Bt.
Phase II: For 57.967123 < t < 64.3, B = - 5.2 years/yr,
Model_Age = B(delta_t) + t0 = (B/12)N + 57.967123,
N = 1, 2, 3,...,76 months, using off-the-shelf astragalus extracts.
Phase III: For 64.3 < t < infinity, B = 0, Model Age = 25.

Estimated Rejuvenation Times = T to Target Model Age t1
from Starting Age t0 for B= -5.2 years/year
with Chronological Age After Treatment = t0 + T.

Treatment Time T(t0, t1) = (t0 - t1)/5.2 years, T(ray, target) = Treatment Time
Chronological Age after Treatment = t0 + T = t0 + [(t0 - t1)/5.2] years. = Final Age 

Treatment Time (yr), Age after Treatment |  Treatment Time (yr), Age after Treatment (yr)
 Start Target Duration  Target Final Age |  Start Target Duration  Target  Final Age
  t0   t1       T        t1    t0 + T    |   t0   t1       T        t1     t0 + T

T(110, 25) = 16.346, Age(25) = 126.346;    T(105, 25) = 15.385, Age(25) = 120.385,
T(100, 25) = 14.423, Age(25) = 114.423;    T(95,  25) = 13.462, Age(25) = 108.462,
T(90,  25) = 12.500, Age(25) = 102.500;    T(85,  25) = 11.538, Age(25) =  96.538,
T(80,  25) = 10.577, Age(25) =  90.577;    T(75,  25) =  9.615, Age(25) =  84.615,
T(70,  25) =  8.654, Age(25) =  78.654;    T(65,  25) =  7.692, Age(25) =  72.692,
T(60,  25) =  6.731, Age(25) =  66.731;    T(55,  25) =  5.769, Age(25) =  60.769,
T(50,  25) =  4.808, Age(25) =  54.808;    T(45,  25) =  3.846, Age(25) =  48.846,
T(40,  25) =  2.885, Age(25) =  42.885;    T(35, 25)   = 1.923, Age(25) =  36.923,

T(110, 35) = 14.423, Age(35) = 124.423;    T(105, 35) = 13.462, Age(35) = 118.462,
T(100, 35) = 12.500, Age(35) = 112.500;    T(95,  35) = 11.538, Age(35) = 106.538,
T(90,  35) = 10.577, Age(35) = 100.577;    T(85,  35) =  9.615, Age(35) =  94.615,
T(80,  35) =  8.654, Age(35) =  88.654;    T(75,  35) =  7.692, Age(35) =  82.692,
T(70,  35) =  6.731, Age(35) =  76.731;    T(65,  35) =  5.769, Age(35) =  70.769,
T(60,  35) =  4.808, Age(35) =  64.808;    T(55,  35)  = 3.805, Age(35) =  58.805,
T(50,  35) =  2.885, Age(35) =  52.885;    T(45,  35) =  1.923, Age(35) =  46.923,
T(40,  35) =  0.962, Age(35) =  40.962.

Home | Longevity | Telomere Reconstruction with Cyclic Telomerase Activation | (7)

Results
August 4, 2009 - I note that Artandi Labs got favorable results for hair restoration by applying telomerase activators (7) directly to the skin or scalp. Probably Terraternal Astragaloside IV skin cream would be the optimal scalp rub for rejuvenation of hair [74s, Index H] based on telomerase therapy for senescent cells in the scalp. Men's Rogaine (Minoxidil) might also help, as my hair seems to be thinning [74s]. Dillons supplies an inexpensive brand of Minoxidil solution. Perhaps Astragalus Root Extract in glycerin would be useful [Links]. This might provide better results than relying exclusively on telomerase activators (7) absorbed from the blood after supplement digestion.

2 bottles/month,
5 droppers/day =
14-day supply.

1-Month Supply
for Cyclic Activation
of Telomerase

3 bottles/month,
6 capsules/day =
15-day supply.

Both together
amount to about
$50.00/month.

In August I added five droppers of Herb Pharm astragalus root extract to 6 Solaray Astragalus Root Extract 200 mg capsules for each day (1200 mg), theorizing that Solaray, which does not quote its astragaloside content in its specification, but only its polysaccharides, might be better applied with astragalosides from the Herb Pharm astragalus root extract, a "5-to-1 menstruum" prepared with ethanol and water. I used 4 x 250 mg capsules per day (1 gram) of Natural Balance Chitosan to improve bioavailability of the astragalosides, taking all the activators and Chitosan together at the same time just before bedtime. The plan is to do this for 15 days before returning to telomerase inhibitors such as resveratrol and melatonin for the final days of the month. I could use half of one $12.00 bottle of Natural Balance Chitosan bottle in this program each month, so that the telomerase activation part of program costs about $56.00/month.

See The Astragalus Extract Rejuvenation Program at the 2 Year Point. After 25 months, I am still faintly uncertain about my progress in reverse aging using this technique featuring 5 mg/day doses of astragalosides half of the month. Just after getting out of the shower in the morning, my hair looks nearly black. Late at night and dried out, it seems to have a bit too much grey in it again. The dark moist look can be maintained with a little oil, however. Furthermore, when questioned, kids usually guess my age at about 40 years. I note that Geron recommended 50 to 100 mg of astragaloside IV per day, so that perhaps doses featuring 10x to 20x what I am using would be more effective, especially as purified preparations with consequently fewer side-effects. I may now seem to resemble my model age on the chart above much of the time, but I suppose results will be more definite 2 years from now, when the model age should satisfy 25.2985 years < Model Age < 29.6985 years and my chronological age is 62. Of course, the telomeric DNA repair enzyme telomerase will not quite fix everything, and one's teeth still require treatment to defend against attrition and decay, but defending cells against replicative senescence should cover for many kinds of old age defects, as rejuvenated adult stem cells repair aging tissues and telomerase-activating astragalosides revive many other kinds of aging cells.

Above: SixtyFortyTwo, YouTube, 51 seconds.
Alternate: Astragalus Extract Treatments, Daily Motion, 2 minutes, 32 seconds.
Hair wetted and oiled, Green finds scope for hope in his method.

Sunday May 30, 2009 - With no oil and no water in my hair this afternoon, I see quite a bit of grey in it. On the other hand, with olive oil and/or water in it, it looks quite dark, for instance after a shower. The darkening of brunette grey with such tricks may have something to do with the popularity of baptism and "thou anointest my head with oil" in the Old Testament. I am tempted to double the dosage try 10 mg of astragalosides per day for a change and see if that works any better than 5 mg on a 15 days on, 15 days off cyclic basis.

Astragaloside Sources
The original source for the 5 mg/day astragalosides was GAIA Herbs Astragalus Root Extract, which featured 1 mg of astragalosides per 30 drops, so that 150 drops per day were used on a cyclic basis (2 weeks on, 2 weeks off) until March, 2009. Unfortunately, GAIA Herbs decided to use a formula weakened to about 1/13 of its original strength. This motivated me to switch to 1200 mg/day Solaray Astragalus Extract, which I computed covered the 5 mg/day astragalosides requirement for this test. In fact, subsequent calculational checks always yielded numbers less than 20 mg, but with an uncertain lower limit, as the information on Solaray astragalus extract is inadequate and may not be typical. The 1200 mg of Solaray astragalus extract was taken on a 15 days on, 15 days off basis using 3 bottles of thirty 200 mg capsules each, so that 6 x 200 mg caps/day was taken each day. This seems to be compatible with astragalus dosage limits, although it exceeds Solaray recommendations. Other sources exist, of course. See Longevity Supplement Vendors. Another solution to achieve 5 mg astragalosides per day is Herbal Remedies Astragalus Root Extract, 1.25 mg astragalosides per 250 mg cap, via Nature's Way, ( Standardized 0.5% Astragalosides ), 60 VCapsules per bottle, incuding Astragalus Root, dried extract 250mg (root) 0.5% astragalosides, with Astragalus (root) 250mg. Four capsules yield 5 mg astragalosides plus 1 gram of astragalus membranaceus root, which improves bioavailability. I note that astragalus root contains 0.15 mg/gram astragaloside IV, and that the maximum dose given in Chinese medicine was 33 grams of root, yielding 4.95 mg of astragaloside IV, corresponding to about 4.95/0.093 = 53.225 mg total astragalosides. Doses of up to 60 grams have been reported.

Threshold Doses, Simulations, and Elevated Dosages
It might be better to start out with higher doses of astragalus extract to exceed any thresholds that may exist for telomerase activation, then to use smaller doses. I note that telomerase has a half-life of 24 hours once it has been created. Simulations with superimposed exponentially decaying concentrations of telomerase exhibiting a 24-hour half-life and initial height proportional to the dose of astragalus extract may be useful in envisioning an optimum program of application. Time integration over the total telomerase concentration might be used to estimate telomere growth.
The maximum dose of astragalus root used in Chinese medicine, 33 grams correponds to 33 x 0.15 mg of astragaloside IV = 4.95 mg of astragaloside IV. If Solaray Astragalus Root extract were a typical 10-to-1 extract, then half a bottle of 15 capsules would yield 200 x 15 mg of extract, or 1.5 x 3 grams = 4.5 grams of astragaloside IV, corresponding to about 4.5/0.093 mg = 48.39 mg of total astragalosides. Then 12 days of treatment would cost about 6 x $8.50 = $51. One might wait for several days for telomerase levels to come down before applying telomerase inhibitors like resveratrol, green tea extract, silymarin, and garlic for the balance of the month. To get bioavailability up, perhaps 1 gram of chitosan should be taken, and the dose should be applied after exercise to elevate interleukin 6 and get the Hsp90 heat shock protein level up for transport of the telomerase activator into the nucleus of the cell. On the other hand, for more effective treatment though mail-order sources on credit, RevGenetics offers 100 mg capsules of astragaloside IV (Astral Fruit) packaged with 5 mg of chitosan at 30 caps for $50.00, and Terraternal also offers 40 mg astragaloside IV capsules, 30 capsules for $40.00. TA Sciences TA-65 is not presently available like a mail-order drug, but is only available together with an evaluation program including measurements of telomere length, although a program is available from a number of physicians.
It seems clear that cellular aging in the future will be preventively treated, so that aging will not be observed after some arbitrary point, say 25 years of age. About two months of treatment per year using astragaloside IV, TA-65, or astragalus root extract will be required, plus continued attention to DNA defense with antioxidants and antiglycating drugs and careful attention to dental care, diet, and exercise.

Reducing Cancer Probablility with Telomerase Activation
Since many cancers up-regulate telomerase as a part of their program for cellular proliferation, there is some concern that telomerase activation may promote cancer. However, if one does not have cancer in the first place, long telomeres make the patient more immune to cancer, especially in the case of cancers directly related to telomere shortening to the point of M2 crisis, as in epithelial carcinomas such as breast cancer and a subset of the epithelial cancers, the adenocarcinomas. That is, if you do not have cancer, activating telomerase with medicines like astragalus membranaceus extract definitely reduces the probability that you will get cancer. However, dangerous, poisonous compounds such as arsenic exist that also activate telomerase, but which have carcinogenic properties, so that they should be avoided. In general, avoid dietary fat from beef that feeds bacteria that create carcinogens responsible for colon cancer, and avoid burned meat or burned chicken, which may contain carcinogenic benzopyrenes and polycyclic hydrocarbons. If one protects one's DNA with antioxidants and antiglycating drugs, such cocoa powder (antioxidant), vitamin C (antioxidant and antiglycating), vitamin B1 (antiglycating), and vitamin B6 (antiglycating), one can reduce reactive oxygen free radicals (ROS) to avoid damaging DNA and inducing cancer. Brocolli sprouts containing sulforaphane are also antioxidant and cancer-preventing. Following an anti-cancer diet and avoiding carcinogens should make it safe to use telomerase activation half of the time. Furthermore, telomerase activation from astragalus extract is quite gradual, and probably should not be confused with pouring gasoline on a fire when a cancer does exist. Cellular targeting techniques involving pathways other than the telomerase pathways can probably used to treat most cancers, so that one could use telomerase activation to treat aging while using alternative methods to manage cancer. In any case, it seems safe enough to use cancer-preventing strategies while using telomerase activation, since hTERT is not an oncogene.
Note that some drugs that are beneficial in anti-aging medicine are telomerase inhibiting, such as resveratrol, green tea, quercetin, garlic, silymarin, and vitamin E. The program of cyclic telomerase activation that I use avoids mixing telomerase activators and telomerase inhibitors at the same time. Instead, one uses telomerase activators for 2 weeks, then telomerase inhibitors for two weeks. However, I use nitric oxide telomerase activation for endothelial cells all month long, using 5 grams/day arginine and 200 mg to 1000 mg per day citrulline with exercise to promote nitric oxide formation favorable to endothelial rejuvenation, which reduces the probability of atherosclerotic plaque formation leading to cardiovascular disease, heart attack, or stroke.