Fava Beans (aka broad beans)

Symptoms Neurological
#1

I was feeling so awful on Tuesday, that i decided to try something new… I just could not stand the headache and anger spells i ve been having lately. So i tried a small portion of Fava Beans (rich in L-Dopa, dopamine precurssor). To my surprise, in about two hours after having it, i started feeling really relaxed, calm, no brain fog, headache gone. So, on Wednesday morning, i did the same, had the Fava beans again, same amount, about 250 g. The same thing happened, my day was great, i felt like myself BEFORE fin. About 5 pm, the effect started to go away, and i had a little more, and went to the gym. I masturbated and my penis seemed less numb. Orgasm was better too. I can honestly say yesterday was the first day in 3 years that i felt like my self again.
So, dopamine does have a big role for for me… I guess i was very depleated in dopamine to feel such a great effect from this.

Has anyone tried to boost dopamine for a long time, on a constant basis? Any thoughts if this effect (from the beans) will become weaker if i eat them everyday?

1 Like
#2

Additional info:

propeciahelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=168

#3

Thanks Mew!

Well, it seems promising. I don’t think i have the allergies as i have eaten all kinds of beans all my life (in brazil beans are part of everyday diet for everybody - and no, no gas problems lol).

I hope the Fava Beans keep working for me. If i got the same results i got in the past two days from eating this, i would call my self cured. Would not even care about hormones… But it is too early to tell. I will keep this regimen and see how far it goes. I will stop it for a week to have my hormones tested and then start it again.

One funny thing is that i had some bruises on my arm from skin rashes (i always have this now, after propecia), that were taking forever to heal. They healed completely after these two days. So i guess L-dopa might raise growth hormone too, i don’t know.

#4

Is there a connection between dopamine and allopregnanolone? That could be interesting. For me, finasteride caused no depression, just slurring of speech. I feel awesome otherwise.

Also, correieovip, does the increase of dopamine following fava beans last only for a few hours after you eat the beans or does it last for an extended period of time/is it consistent?

#5

Yes, there seems to be a connection between allopregnanolone and dopamine. Allopregnanolone not only increases dopamine but increases dopamine response according to one study that i can’t find the link now (sorry).

“I feel awesome otherwise” man, consider your self lucky, very lucky. I feel so miserable some days, that i had to quit my job. I have headaches that last for days, bursts of anger, i’ve become very impulsive (i was a very calm and patient person), nothing seems to “reward” my brain, so i ve become somewhat compulsive too. Very hard to just “be”. To just stop and relax.

About the beans: First and second days were amazing, but i feel the effect is already getting weaker. The effect, on me, lasts for about 5 hours. To have an effect on the whole day i was having it twice a day. I am taking a break from the beans today. Let’s see how it goes. More and more i feel that i need to live day by day, seeing how to balance my metabolism on a daily basis.

#6

I forgot to answer about the lasting effects. Yes, some of the effect lasts more than the 5 hours. I am feeling in general better than the day before i started this. So there is a lasting effect, yes.

#7

Is the effect consistently longer after you’ve consumed fava beans for a period of time?

#8

I just boiled about 1-2 cups of Fava beans and am about to drink the juice it was boiled in (ugh).

I’ll tell you how it goes. I’ve heard good things about it–we’ll see :slight_smile:.

#9

Lol…nice. Let me know here.

#10

Okay–it’s about two or three hours later after eating the Fava beans.

My experience:

Within about 45mins to an hour, I feel a bit more focused. This intensifies and I notice my mental clarity increases around the two hour mark. Nevertheless, my speech is left at the same place it is prior to eating the Fava beans, that is, whenever I talk, I stop and say “uhh” a lot. E.g., “Have you uh… eaten popcorn today?” No effect there, but I def’ feel more alert, less saddened (not that I consider myself to be sad), and more “in it”.

Around this time, I decide, why not try it out for sexual purposes. Since my girlfriend is sick and was not wanting to fornicate, I resort to masturbating. I’m not terribly horny, but when I sit down and start looking at pornographic movies, I get aroused–and fast. Pornography is very fun, not like when I was 13 years old, but it def’ arouses me. My libido, I conclude, had a slight increase. In terms of pre-orgasmic contractions, these are more pronounced (build-up effect, edging, etc.), but still not pre-Propecia days. Orgasm itself is also more pronounced and a bit stronger, but not what I expected from the author’s testimonial. Erection is just fine.

This is only my first experience, and I def’ no notice some effects from the beans. It’s like a toned-down natural wellbutrin almost. I’d like to try more 300-350 grams worth), as I only had about 200-250 grams. I think the beans are promising as they did help out a bit.

Unforunately, unlike pharmaceuticals (which in this case would be Levodopa or any dopamine agonist) where you know exactly how much of the chemical compound you’re putting in your body, it’s impossible to accurately dose the amount of Fava beans needed. Each person has a different metabolism, weight, etc. Fava beans have different amounts depending on season, size, part of the plant, etc. So you gotta guess and check the amount that works for ya’.

I’d try it out–doesn’t hurt. NOTE: They are very difficult to come across. The only place where I could find them was at Whole Foods (an organic grocery store).

#11

Update on the Fava Beans routine.

Unfortunately, some of the results of having the beans on a daily basis didn’t last too long for me. The effect gradually decreased, and so i decided to stop it. It seems that my brain was very defficient on dopamine, so the first days i had the beans, the effect was very strong, but as i kept the regimen, it seemed to fade. Anyways, i still think this can be very useful. Some of the effects are long lasting in my opinion. I am definetely not as depressed as i was back then. I feel my mood has stabilized. I am definetely more calm and pacient. I can sit down and read a book now (i simply couldn’t stay still before).
On the other hand, libido has gone down again… well, at least i can use my time to read a book now.

#12

Do any of you guys consume any of the following products on a relatively consistent basis: onions (especially red onions), broccoli, tea (green, black, white), tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruits), red grapes, red wine, soy (soymilk, emaname, other soy), capers, apples, cherries, raspberries, cranberry, chokeberry?

When I began Propecia I began to eat better than I had for my hair, so I started downing green tea and soy on a daily basis. I’m looking for a possible drug interaction much like it’s been found that grapefruit interacts with certain drugs.

#13

I think that mucuna prurien contains more l-dopa than fava beans

maybe you should try

#14

I’m under the impression that if fava beans work, they work in the same way as alcohol and/or caffeine do, by making people feel a bit better for a few hours but it doesn’t get to the root of the problem.

#15

Caffeine? Maybe a little, as it’s a stimulant and has an effect on Dopamine release.

Alcohol–certainly not. Alcohol is a downer, and tends to have quite opposite effects. Alcohol messes with sexual function.

Fava beans are theoretically stronger because you are absorbing a large amount of an immediate dopamine precursor (L-Dopa), depending on how much you consume of course. I do notice an effect even the day after eating them. As with other dopamine agonists I’ve tried, my anxiety has increased quite a bit. I feel more focused and stimulated.

I’d try it out. Eat as much as you can (I could only eat 10 oz before I was just like fuck this), and try to drink the juice you boil it in (if you boil it). I do notice an effect. As mentioned, it’s like Wellbutrin, but it’s libido enhancing effects aren’t as strong (but anxiety is just as strong).

Try it…!

#16

Valerian root is an herb they sell at stores that supposedly affects GABA receptors. Anyone tried this?

#17

I have. It does induce a nice feeling of relaxation similiar to a very light dose of xanax. I got mine here ethnosupply.com/ I get the loose stuff and make a tea out of it. I’ve also tried other herbs from here with so, so results.

#18

So does it help with the slurred speech side effect?

#19

I was over the slurred speach by the time I started takiing it. It is great at night. A time when I usually get restless and uncomfortable. It helps with mild anxiety and restlessness

#20

Sound’s ridiculous, but taco bell’s beans do the trick for me in terms of feeling better from mental sides and moods. Nothing for the headaches; darn!
They use pinto from what I understand. I read that pinto beans help improve moods and lower estrogen. This has worked for me almost every single time. Chili’s queso bean dip with chips, is another excellent helper as well. Odd as hell, that a pinto bean works for me more so than a fava! What the heck?

This only helps confirm, that the central nervous system/endocrine is somehow positively affected/altered, by us eating food. Before making the horrid mistake of taking finasteride, my moods, or how I was feeling were never, ever altered, by food consumption until now.

Sounds silly, but just try eating at the bell or chili’s and order this late in the evening, or before falling sleep, and get back to me. I’m convinced that most of you with mental, mood or brain fog issues will benefit. Let me know.