u/CitronOk9793

Hi guys,

Wondering you experience with cosmic's phenibut, as it's the Russian pharama version which is really nice.

I have a super important social event, I'd like to take 500mg phenibut for. It is one of the most important days of my life, and I've determined alcohol just isn't a fit in my life anymore.

I'd be willing to try a more pronounced dose of phenibut under different circumstances. Issue is,
I have a pointless but grueling work travel scheduled 2 days later, for a week. Think national sales meeting, long days in crowded offices, fluorescent lights etc.

I'm an anxious fella and normally want to rip my face off at those kind of meetings. I am terrified of the potential rebound phenibut anxitety compounding that.

At 500mg, is rebound really a concern? One time isolated usage; no alc mixing.

Also, I know it would be subtle, but does anyone find 500mg to be an effective dose for a good, social day?

Hey boys,

Did we ever get a definite end to the controversy around 3-ad, Travis Dillard never updated his YouTube video on lab results.

Ik Eurofins allegedly tested 3-ad, it seems their people kinda fell off this subreddit.

I never finished my cycle, to answer one of the bros questions.

What I did find it AWESOME for was actually acute usage for sociability.

Before social events, a hefty dose of transdermal 3-ad paired with a little bit of androsteone sublingually (pure drops, don't put transdermals in your mouth!) was really cool for mood, confidence, it killed my desire to drink booze but I was the life of the party.

Stopped using it, no real reason why, lack of clarity on what it was was a big factor though.

Hello,

I'd say a 2-3 times a year I have high stakes social events, things like a best friend getting married, etc. I just cannot tolerate alcohol anymore. Feel like ass, during and after. And it wrecks me for days.

Has anyone with discipline had success deploying phenibut only a few times a year, at lowish dosages and found it actually was sustainable and allowed for a pro social effect in a binge drinking environment?

Years ago in college my friends and I discovered it. Some had no effects, some people abused it heavily. A dose of 1.5-2g ish provided me the most euphoric possible day. So much so that it was concerning and I stopped.

I am a person who can use substances with discipline, I would actually only take it a few times a year, in the 500-1g range. If possible, I don't know if that will actually move the needle.

Curious if anyone has deployed a similar strategy to still enjoy milestone social events, they type you really want to be present and making memories, but can't stand alcohol anymore.

I understand the abuse potential. It is hard to genuinely get a grasp of the risks and benefit's of genuine disciplined use because the main response is don't take it, you'll get addicted, someone's experience abusing it.

Hey everyone,
I've been planning to refine my supplement stack for steroidogenesis, and like many here, I always assumed *Cistanche tubulosa* was a definitive "pro-testosterone" herb. I've taken it for years from them, to good effect. Including the super critical I find very energizing .

However, I recently came across this 2015 study from *Molecular & Cellular Toxicology*:
**"Acteoside reduces testosterone by inhibiting cAMP, p450scc, and StAR in rat Leydig cells"** (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13273-015-0002-x)
For those unfamiliar, **acteoside** is just another name for **verbascoside**. The researchers found that isolated acteoside actually *reduced* testosterone production in rat Leydig cells by down-regulating cAMP and suppressing key steroidogenic proteins/enzymes like StAR (Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein) and p450scc (cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme).
This has me somewhat concerned, especially when looking at higher-end extracts. For instance, Nootropics Depot’s **Supercritical CO2 Cistanche Extract** is standardized specifically to be very high in **acteoside**. If isolated acteoside suppresses the fundamental pathways of Leydig cell steroidogenesis, it makes me wonder if a supercritical extract is actually counterproductive if your primary goal is maximizing testosterone and performance.
I wanted to get the community's thoughts on a few specific points:

1. **Echinacoside vs. Acteoside Balance:** Standard water/ethanol extracts of Cistanche are usually highly standardized for *echinacoside*, which has plenty of literature supporting its role in up-regulating androgen receptors, luteinizing hormone (LH), and overall steroidogenesis. Does the echinacoside in standard extracts meaningfully counter or override this localized inhibitory effect of acteoside?
2. **Supercritical vs. Standard Extracts:** If you are specifically taking Cistanche for T optimization, does this study imply that the high-acteoside Supercritical CO2 extract is *not* ideal for that specific purpose, and that we should stick to the standard extract instead? (Or is the Supercritical extract better saved for its unique neuroprotective/anti-inflammatory benefits?)
3. **Blood Work / Anecdotes:** Has anyone here done explicit, isolated pre- and post- blood work (Total T, Free T, LH) using *only* Cistanche? If so, which extract version did you use, and what did your numbers look like?
   Would love to hear insights from anyone who has looked deep into the extraction pharmacology, or if u/MisterYouAreSoDumb or the ND team have insights on how these two main phenylethanoid glycosides interact in vivo when it comes to hormonal output.
   Thanks!

I see this brand pop up on Amazon. I've been looking for emoxypine but can't find it anywhere. Not familiar with this vendor, has anyone with emoxypine experience tried their product?

I see they have COAs on their website but always reassuring to know if other people have tried it. Kinda scared to give it a go but I can't find emoxypine anther else.

I like eurocomax but I take pregenelone and dhea in another supplement and I don't usually want mucuna.

I'd love to be able to purchase the full spectrum water extract standalone, would also be cheaper. Seeing as that all products in CISTAMAX are sold standalone I'm wondering if it would be possible for eurocomax to be the same way.

Nd mucuna standalone would also be badass.

I really want to try the standalone extract to see its effect