How Butea superba works exactly is not known. One theory is that the phenols in Butea superba inhibit the enzyme Rho-kinase 2, and thus indirectly cause the amount of nitrogen monoxide in the
blood vessels to rise. [J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Dec 18;144(3):483-9.] Some supplements manufacturers take this theory so seriously that they add extracts of Butea superba to their NO
boosters.
In 2012 nutritionists at Mahidol University in Thailand published a case study about a 35-year-old man who complained that his sexual interest had increased alarmingly. [Indian J Endocrinol
Metab. 2012 May;16(3):485-6.]
When the researchers examined the man's blood they discovered a possible cause. The amount of DHT in the man's blood was sky high. Normal values are between 250 and 990 picograms per millilitre,
but the man had a DHT concentration of 1512 picograms per millilitre. The researchers' diagnosis was hyperandrogenemia.
The man had been taking a capsule containing a locally-produced Butea superba extract daily for a couple of weeks. Exact quantities are not mentioned in the report. The man had started taking the
supplement because he was afraid he was losing his hair.
In Asian countries men and women sometimes use extracts of Butea monosperma and Butea parviflora to counteract baldness, but the man had mistakenly thought that Butea superba would have the same
effect. Instead of this, however, the supplement he used had increased the amount of testosterone that was converted into DHT.
DHT has more affinity with the androgen receptor than testosterone does. The researchers suspect that the increase in DHT concentration explained the man's out-of-control libido. They suggested
the man stop taking the supplement.
Ergonauts thinking of experimenting with Butea superba would do well to read up first on the side effects of this herb. High doses 16 g or more of Butea superba can damage your genes. [Biosci
Biotechnol Biochem. 2010;74(5):923-7.]
A supplement containing extra vitamin D can boost the positive effects of circuit training on body composition discovered sports scientists at Kyung Hee University in South Korea. This is
probably because the combination of circuit training and vitamin D supplementation makes the muscles more sensitive to insulin.
The researchers performed an experiment with over fifty women, all of whom were over 65 and overweight. Most of them had type-2 diabetes and all of them had too little vitamin D in their blood.
In developed countries most people have less vitamin D in their bodies than Testolone RAD-140 Powder scientists
consider optimal. [Mayo Clin Proc. 2013 Jul;88(7):720-55.]
The researchers divided the women into four evenly sized groups.
One group took 1200 units vitamin D daily.
A second group did circuit training that took 30-60 minutes three or four times a week. The training consisted of push-ups with Testosterone Acetate Steroid knees against the floor, running on the spot, squats, walking in place, good morning
exercises, step-ups, stair-climbing, side lunges, high jumps with open arms, and leg-lifts. The 10 kinds of movements above were performed without any break time in 1 set, which lasted for 1
minute, the Koreans wrote.
A third group took vitamin D and did circuit training as well.
Finally there was a control group that got no extra vitamins and didn't train either.
Results
The combination of supplement and circuit training had a better effect on body composition than supplementation and circuit training separately.
The figure above shows that none of the strategies had a convincing effect on the fat percentage. But when the researchers looked at the fat in the abdominal region they observed that circuit
training did lead to a decrease in this fat. The combined strategy seemed to work a little better than circuit training alone.
When the women's blood was analysed it became clear that it was the combination of circuit training and vitamin D supplementation that made the women healthier. The combination [D+T] lowered the
concentration of triglycerides considerably.
The insulin sensitivity of the women in the combination group increased dramatically. The Koreans believe that this explains why the combination of vitamin D supplementation and circuit training
improved their subjects' body composition.
From the results of this study, it was concluded that vitamin D intake and
circuit training for 12 weeks would have a positive effect on the abdominal fat and blood lipid of elderly women with vitamin D deficiency and type 2-diabetes, the Koreans write in summary. In
particular, the most important information obtained in this study is that in situations where vitamin D intake is combined with exercise training, the improvements in body composition, abdominal
fat, blood lipid, and insulin resistance index are greater than situations with one single treatment.