An inexpensive Indian herb used for memory and calm for two thousand years, with research broad in animals and thin in people. Nothing has been tested against a placebo. Young adults reported better delayed recall after two months. Combining it with the anti-seizure drug phenytoin is the one documented harm; verified identity and metal testing outrank dose refinement. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Seated blood pressure | 110-125 / 70-80 mmHg | The herb lowers blood pressure; detects additive drops |
| Thyroid-stimulating hormone | 0.5-2.0 mIU/L | Screens for the thyroid suppression seen in animals |
| Free T3 | 3.2-4.2 pg/mL | The specific hormone reduced in the animal study |
| Fasting glucose | 75-86 mg/dL | Guards against additive lowering with diabetes drugs |
| LDL cholesterol | Below 100 mg/dL, or below 70 mg/dL with added cardiovascular risk | Tracks the animal lipid-lowering signal in humans |
| ALT | 10-26 U/L in women, 10-33 U/L in men | Herbal products can cause unpredictable liver injury |
| Whole-blood lead | Below 1.0 µg/dL | One-fifth of Ayurvedic products carry detectable lead |
| Plasma phenytoin | 10-20 µg/mL total, only where phenytoin cannot be stopped | Co-use lowered levels and broke through seizure control |
| Delayed-recall test score | No established target; the change from the individual's own baseline is what is tracked | The endpoint that both human studies actually moved |
Cadence: Baseline fasting panel plus seated and standing blood pressure on two separate days; blood pressure twice weekly for the first four weeks, then monthly; thyroid function and glucose at 8-12 weeks; lipids and liver enzymes at 12 weeks; then every 6-12 months for as long as use continues.