7,8-Dihydroxyflavone for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet

7,8-Dihydroxyflavone for Health & Longevity

Created on 09/17/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 – Audit

A plant compound sold as a supplement on one idea: that it stands in for a growth protein the brain uses to keep nerve cells alive. Recorded effects span memory, mood, body fat and hearing-nerve repair, all in animals. None has been tested in a person, so every claimed benefit and hazard sits at the lowest evidence grade. (Full Review)

Protocol

Consumer dose range
25–50 mg once daily
Capsules are sold at 25 mg. No dose-finding study supports any of these figures.
Best time of day
Morning, before 10:00
The short half-life means late dosing adds no meaningful overnight exposure while risking sleep disruption.
Single versus split dosing
Single morning dose
The plasticity effects in animals followed once-daily dosing, the only regimen with supporting precedent.
Time to effect
Memory and metabolic change
2–4 weeks
Animal work, with daily dosing. Unknown in humans.
Mood-related endpoints
Days
Animal work only. Unknown in humans.
Shortest informative window
12 weeks
The point at which a trial is either extended on evidence or stopped.

Benefits

Contraindications
  • TRK-inhibitor cancer drugs (larotrectinib, entrectinib)
  • Hormone-blocking therapy: tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole, letrozole)
  • Current or prior hormone-receptor-positive cancer (estrogen receptor-positive breast or endometrial cancer, 1% or more nuclear staining)
  • Neuroblastoma or NTRK-fusion tumour, whether treated or in surveillance
  • Epilepsy not fully controlled (one or more seizures in the previous 12 months)
  • Established peripheral sensory nerve damage, or more than 50 mg daily of supplemental pyridoxine
  • Advanced liver disease (Child-Pugh Class B or C) or estimated filtration rate below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²
  • Pregnancy, attempting conception, or breastfeeding
  • Under 18 years of age
Key Interactions
  • Antidiabetic drugs (metformin, glipizide, insulin)
  • Glucose-lowering supplements (berberine, alpha-lipoic acid, chromium picolinate)
  • Vitamin B6 supplements (pyridoxine, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate) and B6-depleting drugs (isoniazid, penicillamine)
  • COMT-competing drugs (levodopa, entacapone, tolcapone)
  • Over-the-counter acetaminophen
  • Other catechol and flavonoid supplements (quercetin, luteolin, myricetin, green tea catechins)
  • Antiepileptic drugs (levetiracetam, valproate, lamotrigine)
  • Aerobic exercise and sauna

Risk & Side Effects

  • High:
  • Medium:
  • Low:
  • Speculative: Vitamin B6 pathway disruption; seizure-threshold effects and dose reversal; estrogen receptor activation; tumour promotion through TrkB signalling; catechol oxidation and reactive quinone formation; overstimulation and disrupted sleep

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
Plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate 30–110 nmol/L The compound blocks the enzyme that clears it; excess damages sensory nerves
ALT and AST ALT 10–26 U/L (men), 10–19 U/L (women); AST 10–26 U/L Catechol flavones are cleared hepatically; detects liver strain early
Fasting glucose 75–86 mg/dL Rodent data show glucose lowering; detects additive low blood sugar
Fasting insulin 2–5 µIU/mL The primary readout of the claimed metabolic benefit
HbA1c 4.8–5.3% Confirms whether any glucose change holds over three months
hs-CRP Below 0.5 mg/L Tests the anti-inflammatory claim made for the compound
Estradiol; total testosterone in men No established target on this compound; the change from the individual's own baseline is what is tracked The compound activates the estrogen receptor, so a shift matters more than an absolute value
Complete blood count with differential No functional target specific to this compound; the change from the individual's own baseline within conventional limits is what is tracked A broad safety net where no toxicity data exist

Cadence: Full panel at baseline before a first dose, then at 12 weeks, at 6 months if use continues, then every 6 to 12 months. Vitamin B6 and fasting glucose add a 4-week check and a further check at any dose change.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Sleep onset latency and number of night wakings, recorded nightly for the first two weeks
  • Subjective energy and afternoon fatigue, scored daily on a fixed scale
  • Cognitive clarity, word-finding and short-term recall, judged against a fixed weekly task rather than impression
  • Mood and loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities, scored weekly with the same instrument each time
  • Any tingling, numbness or burning in hands or feet, recorded as present or absent daily
  • Training capacity and recovery, tracked through existing workout logs rather than recall