Biohacking?

As I started to re-explore herbal medicine to try to mitigate my injury, I came across the term biohacking. So what is it? Apparently, it’s the practice of utilizing trial and error with different herbs or supplements in order to improve one’s ability, happiness, wisdom, performance, you name it, in a desired area of life.

When I had first started experimenting with herbal medicine and supplements specifically for my injury, it wasn’t long at all before I noticed the sometimes profound effect that various herbs could have on mental state. I found myself becoming more interested in the ability of these herbs to empower oneself overall than simply for sexual function.

So I’m starting this thread as a potential place to discuss the self improvement or self empowerment element of herbs and supplements, henceforth biohacking, beyond just sexual benefits.

One other thing, biohacking can also be when people implant cybernetic devices into their bodies… but it goes without saying that this thread is focused on the herb and supplement faction.

I’m interested in bio hacking. It’s not just herbs and supplements as I’m sure you know. Also there’s a sense of quantifying the results in a scientific manner

What elements of it are you interested in? I only scratched the surface as far as biohacking overall, despite the fact that I personally have done immense degrees of experimentation with herbs and supplements. I did also notice that there was a sense of quantifying results in a scientific manner, while at the same time, it looked like biohacking does place strong value on subjective, anecdotal experiences.

I’ve taken interest in the “feel” of different herbs and how those herbs might work for someone based on their personality, or on the particular challenge that they are trying to deal with.

Inspirit,

Low hanging fruit, have you ever fueled your muscles and brain on beta-Hydroxybutyric acid for an extended period of time?

You tube Ben Greenfield. He’s all about bio hacking. In fact he’s also done the P shot, gainswave and stem cells into the penis.

That is one supplement I haven’t heard of or tried. I just read through this- Beta-hydroxybutyrate or BHB –All You Need to Know | H.V.M.N. Blog and it sounds very interesting. I am going to look into it further. Have you used it?

My recommendation is to not use exogenous. Just let your liver produce it for you. Takes time and discipline to adapt.

I’m guessing our livers naturally produce it, so exactly what must one do in order for their liver to boost production?

Eat Whole Foods, all kinds of fats, replace fruits with vegetables. Don’t eat beans, rice and potatoes.

Essentially force your body to use fat instead of sugar for energy. Sugar is a simple fuel. The body stores fat for a reason, force your body to become efficient at using it. However, the brain requires some glucose, the body is an amazing thing, in the absence of exogenous sugars, your body will create the small amounts of glucose that it needs.

Btw, ketosis is commonly confused as a weight loss hack, it is not. It is a physiological state that corresponds to the bodies natural capabilities. Weight loss is a numbers game corresponding to calorie intake and energy expenditure. The limits might change based on quality, but excess leads to body fat regardless of the quality.

If you are interested in biohacks and have never been in a long term state of ketosis, then in my opinion you might be missing a low hanging fruit.

Like I said, most cannot adapt. Fewer push themselves to their physical limits after adaption.

Those that do, realize metabolic flexibility.

It sounds pretty intriguing but also is clearly a serious commitment. So it’s something a person would have to really plan and prepare for. For me I’m not ready right now, but at some point I’ll look more into, since otherwise I’ll never know what I might have missed out on.

It’s an option, not necessity.

Of course. It’s funny you mentioned it though since only a few days ago someone was telling me about the benefits of the ketogenic diet. Fate maybe? But in all seriousness, I do want to try it for a brief time just to see how I feel on it, somewhere down the road.

It’s definitely worth exploring at some point. When you do, I would try to give it at least 6-8 weeks and really test pushing your physical limits within the third to fourth week of the cycle.

It’s great for some and no so great for others.

That was my first thought. It’s radical body and health modification for improvement. In fact, PE’ers were biohackers long before the term originated.

I guess the term was a lot more broad than I realized. I only found the term recently since I was getting back into herbs, so I associated it mainly with that. I knew there were other things, but didn’t know how general of concept it really was. Back years ago, when I first started experimenting herbs, I don’t remember ever seeing it, so it must be at least somewhat new. But it definitely struck me as cool way of conceptualizing what one can accomplish with herbs.