Anyone familiar with a drug called Harmine and its promise for re-growing pancreatic beta cells?

#1

I was reading up on this drug called Harmine which is showing promise for enabling beta cells to regrow themselves. Harmine is part of a psychedelic potion used in Ayahuasca ceremonies, which are a centuries’ old ritual of people in the Amazon (the rain forest, not the online retailer).

Beta cells generally don’t proliferate on their own, but Harmine blocks the mechanism that blocks cellular division. Researchers at Mt Sinai School of Medicine are working on drug combos that involve GLP-1 agonists that amplify the effect of Harmine. This shows great promise for Type 2 Diabetes. They are also working on immune suppressors that would allow beta cells to proliferate in Type 1 Diabetes patients. In other words, this could turn out to be a cure for Type 1 Diabetes with a drug that is not under patent. Can you imagine?

If this works as advertised, it’s a Rapamycin-like story of a wonder drug that is under our noses and not patentable, so big pharma is only really interested if they can make a patentable version. The good news here is the Mt Sinai group got an NIH grant to study dosage safety. Hopefully more public money goes into this before Big Pharma figures out how to make the blockbuster drug that cures Type 1 Diabetes and ameliorates advanced Type 2.

Here’s a short write up: Beta Cell Proliferation Research to Investigate Harmine in Phase 1 Trial

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Experience with GLP-1s
#2

FWIW

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/harmine

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#3

Yes, I’ve been using it for about 2 years to attempt to help type 1. Nothing definitive to report, but at least I’m still in an alleged “honeymoon” period after developing the disease 7.5 years ago at age 52. Usually, cases of late-developing type 1 get slowly worse within the first 5 years, so maybe it’s helped–it’s hard to get a reliable measurement of c-peptide or insulin production when it can vary so much by diet.

Anyway, my regimen with Harmine HCL or harmine freebase/sublingual has been 20-50 mg/day for 5 days, repeat every 2 weeks. I don’t feel a significant mental effect from it, as it is mainly used by others to lengthen highs, not give a high itself.

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#4

Thanks. A few quick questions:

  1. Are you taking any kind of immune system modulator?
  2. Where do you get Harmine from?
  3. Is your diagnosis full type 1 or LADA? I’m not sure that there is really a difference. LADA seems to be a less aggressive attack on beta cells by the immune system.
  4. What led you to taking Harmine. Was it prescribed to you or are you biohacking?
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#5
  1. rapamycin (different week than harmine, since I want growth with harmine), boswellia, GABA, taurine, scullcap
  2. Bounty Botanicals
  3. probably LADA
  4. I just surveyed the research and found it in the news. Biohacking
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#6

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377099602_The_N-Methyl-D-Aspartate_Receptor_Antagonist_Dextromethorphan_Improves_Glucose_Homeostasis_and_Preserves_Pancreatic_Islets_in_NOD_Mice

More specifically, we showed that DXM treatment led to fivefold higher numbers of pancreatic islets and more than twofold larger alpha- and beta-cell areas compared to untreated mice. Further, DXM treatment improved glucose homeostasis and reduced diabetes incidence by 50%. Our data highlight DXM as a novel candidate for adjunct treatment of preclinical or recent-onset type 1 diabetes.

Our vision is to enable a peripheral or even beta cell specific NMDA receptor blockade preventing the excitotoxic action of glutamate, thereby protecting beta cell functioning in people with (pre)diabetes.

https://dom-pubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dom.12576

Effects of dextromethorphan as add-on to sitagliptin on blood glucose and serum insulin concentrations in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, multiple crossover, single-dose clinical trial

#7

Which product do you use, freebase or hydrochloride. How do you take it?

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#8

This is really interesting. I will check it out. Fun fact, apparently DXM should not be taken within 14 days of an MAOI drug, and Harmine is an MAOI. So, if anyone reads this thread, don’t try mixing Harmin and dextromethorphan for an even better result.

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#9

Harmine: Bounty Botanicals

#10

@Deborah_Hall, your questions and comments inspired me to try harmine more intensely, having tried it for a couple of years at doses of 25-50mg once per day for 5 days every 2 weeks, with little effect.

It’s very premature to call my new protocol a success, but I after one round of my new protocol, I have lowered my total daily insulin (bolus+basal) to 6-9 units vs 10-14 before the round. So far, so good.

In summary, I upped the dosage to 50mg twice a day and added natural GLP-1 agonists (since it’s hard to get the injectables) to focus the islet growth on beta cells and not other cells types.

Here are the details of the protocol I plan to continue for a while:
8/12/24 started

7 days of therapy every 2 weeks

50mg of harmine (either Harmine HCL or freebase) twice day, approximately 7am and 7pm; with each dose: 300mg alpha-Lipoic Acid-R (to promote beta cell growth, plus one pill on waking), 750mg GABA (taken with breakfast and dinner, to promote growth, suppress glucagon, suppress immune destruction), 600mg Berberine plus from Doctor Recommended taken with breakfast and dinner (one of the brands with high purity) (for increased GLP-1, which directs cell growth more toward beta cells than other tissues), 50mg DHEA (to promote insulin release)

Also have 800mg scullcap and 2x750mg GABA at night

summary of day:

  • 100mg harmine

  • 900mg alphpa-Lipoic Acid-R

  • 3000 mg GABA

  • 1200mg Berberine

  • 100mg DHEA

  • 800mg scullcap

with meals, regularly consume polyphenols, such as in olive oil and colorful veggies, cinnamon, tumeric, and black pepper, all to promote GLP-1; plus my usual fiber

consider getting a pharmaceutical GLP-1 agonist, such as Exendin see https://youtu.be/izkLuom-8OM at 25:06

after regrowth protocol, stop alpha-Lipoic acid to allow more TGF-beta, which allows more Tregs to develop

I had taken my biweekly rapamycin on the first day, but I’ll experiment with that timing.

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#11

That is wonderful news! The Harmine seems to have made a difference!

How did you decide to do 7 days of therapy every two weeks?

How did you decide how much Harmine to take? In the Stern youtube on beta cell regeneration, he says that they are testing varying dosages of Harmine on human volunteers. At the time they made the video they were up in the 300-500 mg range with no adverse effects. He said that this is well over the amount required to get a therapeutic dose into the blood.

I have been varying and gradually increasing-- now at about 100 mg, Harmine HCl once per day. No felt effects. Have also been taking 3 mg Rybelsus for about two weeks. Feel little or nothing, just kind of off food a bit. 3mg is not a therapeutic dose – just a starter amount to allow the body to adjust.

I increased to 1500 Berberine a day in addition to the 2000 Metformin. I know I should take a break from the Berberine in a couple of weeks.

Also like you, skullcap, GABA, alpha lipoic acid and also gymnema sylvestre and passionflower. I tried the Jinlada tea but it was just so awful tasting I did not continue.

It is too early really to assess, but I will say that my fasting blood glucose has been coming down a bit the past couple days and today it was 90, the lowest it has been since I started measuring.

As you said it can be difficult to get the injectables and not sure I would want to get those from India – refrigeration, handling,etc. So I got Rybelsus since it is a pill form, and apparently not as popular. But it is semaglutide.

Stay in touch and keep me posted on your progress and your regimen.

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#12

I had read in an animal research article that they saw a lessening of growth after about 8 days, so I thought cycling might be wise because of this and to give the body a chance to recover from side effects. I did not like the physical and mental effects. In the past and this time, I start to feel weak after being on berberine for a few days. The scullcap, GABA and the harmine each makes me feel a little dopey and tired. I put up with these effects for the good it might do, but I need a break, too. Within a day I feel back to my previous alertness and energy.

I’ve tried the Rybelsus pills at about 3mg, but didn’t notice an effect, but I might revisit that at higher doses. Even the pills (at full 14mg doses) are a little pricey, but it could be worth it.

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