This is a
brief post to pass on some information from Natasa, who reads this blog and has
a big interest in the role of calcium channels in autism.
The readers
of this blog who are doctors express a preference for drugs over supplements,
but for many others the reverse is true.
One problem for the others is how to access prescription only drugs.
Natasa has
pointed out the Olea europaea Leaf Extract (OLE) that is used by
some parents in their “antifungal/antiviral autism protocols”, is actually an
L-type calcium channel blocker.
In Southern Europe Olea europaea leafs are known as a folk remedy for
hypertension (high blood pressure).
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
In
Southern Europe Olea europaea leafs are known as a folk remedy for
hypertension. Cardiovascular diseases are still the leading causes of morbidity
and mortality in industrialized countries with hypertension being one of the
main risk factors.
AIM OF THE STUDY:
We
investigated effects of a commercial Olea europaea leaf extract (OLE) on
isolated hearts and cultured cardiomyocytes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Isolated
rabbit hearts were perfused according to the Langendorff technique and
connected to a 256-channel epicardial mapping system. Voltage clamp experiments
were performed in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes using a perforated-patch
technique.
RESULTS:
OLE
caused a concentration-depended decrease in systolic left ventricular pressure
and heart rate as well as an increase in relative coronary flow and a slight,
but not significant prolongation of PQ-time. There were no significant changes
between the groups in the activation-recovery interval and its dispersion,
total activation time, peak-to-peak amplitude, percentage of identical
breakthrough-points and similar vectors of local activation. Voltage clamp
experiments in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes showed a significant
decrease in maximum I(Ca,L) by OLE which was reversible upon wash-out.
CONCLUSIONS:
OLE suppresses the L-type calcium
channel directly and reversibly. Our findings might help to understand the
traditional use of OLE in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Verapamil is
part of my suggested Polypill for classic autism. Several readers of this blog are successfully
using Verapamil, this inexpensive L-type calcium channel blocker.
Many other
readers are unable to access Verapamil.
As many other
parents are already using OLE as a treatment for autism, it would seem
plausible that it is the calcium channel blocking effects that make it
effective. You can search on Google to
see the dosage they use.
Interestingly a randomized controlled double-blind
crossover trial in New Zealand found that olive leaf extract capsules significantly
improved insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β-cell responsiveness in
middle-aged overweight men.
OLE is known
to be an antioxidant, which is another useful property. As we have seen before, antioxidants do
improve insulin sensitivity. We also saw
how Verapamil protected pancreatic β-cells from damage that
leads to type 2 diabetes. This is why
older people on Verapamil, for high blood pressure, tend not to develop type 2
diabetes.
It does look like OLE could have some of the autism benefits
of Verapamil, as well as other properties.
Verapamil is
standardized and extremely cheap, so I will be sticking with that. Olé!