In the Dr Dolittle books and subsequent films, a man develops the power to communicate
with animals. It seems that one effect
of broccoli sprout powder (and we assume Sulforaphane), in autism, is an urge to talk, not
only to humans, but also to animals.
Monty, aged
11 with ASD, took his first dose of 2.5ml of broccoli powder (Supersprouts
brand from Australia) and after about half an hour developed euphoria. The laughter later subsided and throughout
the day he was very talkative. This was
relevant speech and not repeating things he had heard previously. Other than the euphoria, which is the word chosen
by elder brother Ted, a nice development was the desire to communicate with the
animal world.
After a
visit to his favourite ice cream shop, he looked up and saw the big railway
bridge. “Bye bye railway station” commented Monty. Walking up the hill we first passed a kitten,
playing by the verge, “Hello baby kitten! Bye bye baby kitten!” Then a big dog appeared “Hello big white dog
and a woman! Bye bye big white dog and woman!”.
This was all rather unexpected.
The next day,
another 2.5ml of broccoli powder and the same result. Euphoria and lots of talking.
Then I
decided to start experimenting with the dose.
I gave 1.25ml three times a day.
After the
breakfast dose, no euphoria but still plenty of speech. After lunch, the second dose and the return
of mild euphoria. After the evening
dose, more euphoria. The half-life of Sulforaphane in people is claimed to
be about two hours.
Based on this limited experience, I think 2.5ml is about right. There is no need for more.
Cost
I paid AU$
110 (US$ 95 or GBP 60) for 300g of broccoli powder including shipping.
2.5ml of
powder weighs 1.1g. So using that daily
dose of 2.5ml the cost would be 35 US cents (22 UK pence).
My earlier assumption
was that a dose of about 18 g of fresh sprouts would produce the required level
of Sulforaphane. In theory, this would be 3 ml of broccoli
powder, if it had 100% of the right enzymes in it and none of the bad stuff (called
ESP, from the last post). I was quite
surprised at the effect of 2.5ml. Johns
Hopkins told me that most broccoli powders are no good; that is why I looked
around before choosing the Australian product.
As a dosage comparison, this supplement is sold in
Australia with a suggested daily dose of 5g, which equates to about 11 ml.
So my “autism dose" looks quite conservative. I think even half the suggested adult dose would make Monty completely hyper.
Note that the dose of the anti-oxidant NAC used in autism
trials is 4X the usual adult dose of NAC and 2X the adult dose for adults with
COPD (severe asthma).
The effect on an adult
I tried a
scaled up dose myself, but sadly no euphoria followed.
Note
Monty is already taking a
potent anti-oxidant called NAC, which has been investigated in an autism trial at Stanford.
The broccoli sprouts produce
a substance called Sulforaphane (SFN). This
substance activates Nrf2 which upregulates “phase II enzymes”; they increase the body’s antioxidant
response. SFN is also an inhibitor of HDAC (Histone Deacetylase)
and this may give SFN the ability to target aberrant epigenetic patterns.
SFN is therefore a secondary
anti-oxidant. It has been shown to improve the
body’s response to cancer and environmental toxins. The chemoprotective properties may result
from SFN’s epigenetic properties or the anti-oxidant properties.
SFN was shown in a recent study at Johns Hopkins to improve autism in young adults. It is not known definitively why it was
effective.
Conclusion
My experiment indicates that, in classic autism, Sulforaphane (SFN)
does provide a marked and immediate benefit over NAC alone, which is what I set
out to determine.
Australian broccoli sprout powder
appears to be a relatively cheap and effective way to make SFN at home.