We get a lot of questions for more details about cycling Pine Pollen Tincture and cycling Tongkat Ali, two of our more powerful hormonal herbs. This article aims to give you all the details you could possibly want to know on how to cycle pine pollen vs tongkat ali.
What is Cycling?
First of all, the whole concept of cycling is largely from steroids. The term anyway. Changing the use of herbs over time has been recommended ever since herbs were around.
While these herbs are far from steroids in their nature, there is an important lesson we can learn there. The hormones in the body work based on negative feedback loops. If one hormone goes too high, typically this will signal a different hormone to start increasing, which then acts as an inhibitor of the original hormone production.
That’s really an oversimplification. Sometimes more hormones mean more hormones. Other times more hormones mean fewer hormones. For example, typically high (normal) testosterone reinforces and helps keep itself there, but if other things go awry high testosterone can be converted into estrogen via the aromatase enzyme. This means you’ll end up with less testosterone and more estrogen, which is generally not what guys want.
So, the idea of cycling is that if you’re introducing a hormone into your body, or ramping up your own production based on something like an herb, your body may down-regulate what would be its normal production.
Then, you stop taking that thing and your body brings back it’s production to normal. At that point, you get back on it, and so the cycle repeats, hence the term cycling.
Will I Break My Natural Hormones?
No, I don’t think so. Maybe…if you did something like drank a shot or whole bottle of Pine Pollen Tincture at once!
The recommendations for cycling are made partly just as a precaution. After all, these are not steroids. Yet, we recommend doing it because it’s erring on the side of caution.
Secondly, we recommend it because most people can notice that there may be a build up and then fade away from the effects. When they cycle, i.e. give the herbs a break and then come back to them, they notice the strong effects once again.
Why Cycle Pine Pollen Tincture and Tongkat Ali But Not Others?
First off, why do we recommend cycling these two herbs, and only these two herbs, out of everything we have to offer?
It’s because both Pine Pollen Tincture and Tongkat Ali are potent endocrine stimulators. Many of our other herbs are also active on the endocrine system, but not to the degree that these are.
That includes not needing to cycle Pine Pollen Powder. We see this as more of a food. We talk about it as androgen balancing, while the tincture is more androgen boosting.
Is it Not Good to Cycle Other Herbs?
Does this mean you can’t cycle other herbs? Of course, you can. It is completely natural to take certain herbs on and off over time. While there is a time and a place for sticking to one herb every single day for even a year or more, you’re not likely to take anything every single day for the rest of your life.
As with all things, we want you to learn how to listen to your body, and trust its intuition to be your guide. Then there is a natural ebb and flow of consuming herbs. So it’s not really a cycle, but it kind of is.
How Do You Recommend Cycling?
For Pine Pollen Tincture we generally taking a dropperful or two per day and being consistent with that as you consume a whole bottle. Then, after you’ve finished the bottle lay off of it for a week or two. Then start again.
For Tongkat Ali, we generally recommend five days on, two days off approach. For example, you take the twice-daily dose Monday through Friday, then don’t take any on Saturday or Sunday. Repeat this cycle.
What is the Best Way to Cycle?
Two answers:
1. We don’t know.
2. What is best for one person, wouldn’t necessarily be for the next.
Can you reverse the above, that is, take Pine Pollen Tincture for five days on and two off, then Tongkat Ali for a month straight before laying off it? Sure, you can.
There is also the intuitive approach, where you take things when you feel you need them. If your intuition with herbs is just getting started you might think of this more as a random approach.
One of our partners, Mark Wilson, highly recommends taking one of seven herbs each day, and rotating them daily through the week. He swears by this and has many of his followers getting good results with it.
Again, which of these is best?
One, there really aren’t any scientific studies that have vetted one cycling method versus another around these herbs. (And combining it with other herbs would further complicate the manner.)
Second, just because some cycling method may be best for one person, doesn’t mean it would work the same for you. Everyone is individual. Your hormones may be better off with consistently taking these herbs for a month, then giving it a break. Another individual may get the best boost off a single dose once per week.
You’re going to have to experiment to find what works best for you. (I know some people don’t want to hear that, they want the best way to be handed to them on a silver platter. But I’d rather tell you the truth then lie to you so that you can be lazy about it.)
Can I Cycle These Herbs, While I Consistently Take Other Herbs?
Yes.
Should Adaptogen Herbs Be Cycled?
Adaptogens tend to work best when you stay on them for weeks or months. Laying off them for some period of time once in a while is probably good.
But this is best answered depending on how they work for you and which adaptogen you’re talking about. For example, Ashwagandha seems pretty gentle for me so I could do that longer and do so. Rhodiola I find strong and stimulating, so it probably wouldn’t work taking it too long for me.
Should Neurotransmitter-Influencing Herbs Be Cycled?
This would include herbs like Mucuna, Bacopa, Albizia, and others.
Neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and many others are like hormones in many aspects. They’re chemical messengers. And some operate on some similar feedback mechanisms in the body.
So, should these be cycled? Not in any way specifically that we can refer too. Again, it is likely good to lay off these herbs once in a while, but there is nothing definite we can say.
Because they’re neurotransmitters, and different people have different amounts, one herb could be very different in how it affects one person vs. another.
Any other questions about cycling Tongkat Ali, Pine Pollen Tincture, or our herbs? Ask your question in the comments below.
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Lost Empire Herbs
Hi Logan, longtime customer from the unnamed superhero days… The first herb I started taking was pine pollen, and it had great effects, and I’ve been a regular with other formulas and single herbs and tinctures since. I’ve been taking a lot of them pretty consistently for about 7-8 years now and it seems like the effects have dwindled a bit. Do you think it’s wise to take a bit of a break, and perhaps let my body reset itself back to baseline settings?
Breaks can definitely be helpful. They help to sensitize the body and mind to the effects in any case.