So sorry I missed this post, seraphim. There aren't many herbs I can think of that lower the metabolic rate, but I'm not even close to being an expert on the subject. Since the thyroid and adrenals are the tissues most responsible for the metabolic rate (though, of course, all tissues contribute as a whole), I would say any that stress those glands?Thanks so much @Jennifer this is really helpful! I happen to have a bag of organic cornsilk and will try it out. As far as certain herbs lowering metabolic rate, do you have an opinion on that? Doesn’t licorice cause excretion of K?
The doctor/herbalist (Dr. Morse) whose work I follow stresses that we don't want to keep targeting a gland/tissue after it has regenerated so there's that. And we wouldn't want to take licorice if our blood pressure is high since it could mess with the adrenals so there's that, too.
Other than the caution with poke and blood roots due to their potency, panax ginseng and black cohosh are estrogenic (the latter often used in cases of true estrogen deficiencies) so knowing what we know from Ray's work, I would think they could affect the metabolism negatively if one wasn't legitimately estrogen deficient?
I hadn't read that about licorice root so I did a Google search and looked on webMD under side effects and interactions and got this:
Licorice: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning
The side effects they list are symptoms of weak adrenals so I question if they are the result of taking licorice root when BP is too high to warrant its use?
Under interactions I see this:
Warfarin (Coumadin) interacts with LICORICE
Warfarin (Coumadin) is used to slow blood clotting. The body breaks down warfarin (Coumadin) to get rid of it. Licorice might increase the breakdown and decrease the effectiveness of warfarin (Coumadin). Decreasing the effectiveness of warfarin (Coumadin) might increase the risk of clotting. Be sure to have your blood checked regularly. The dose of your warfarin (Coumadin) might need to be changed.
Warfarin (Coumadin) is used to slow blood clotting. The body breaks down warfarin (Coumadin) to get rid of it. Licorice might increase the breakdown and decrease the effectiveness of warfarin (Coumadin). Decreasing the effectiveness of warfarin (Coumadin) might increase the risk of clotting. Be sure to have your blood checked regularly. The dose of your warfarin (Coumadin) might need to be changed.
My thinking may be off but Coumadin is an anticoagulant, and I've seen referred to as a vitamin K antagonist, and since licorice can cause Coumadin to break down faster leaving it less effective, it seems to me like licorice might somehow help with K retention?
They list under its side effects that it might act like estrogen in the body, but say this under general information:
Licorice is also taken by mouth in combination with peony to increase fertility in women with a hormonal disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome, to treat people with abnormal levels of a hormone prolactin.
Dr. Morse is aware of Dr. John Lee's work on progesterone and from what I understand, Dr. Lee was one of Ray's students, and Dr. Morse has talked about the healing nature of progesterone (its alkalinity) and that estrogen dominance is rampant among society and wouldn't suggest licorice if he thought it were estrogenic, unless a person was legitimately estrogen deficient, in which case he has suggested black cohosh, not licorice root.
And this is listed under interactions:
Estrogens interacts with LICORICE
Licorice seems to change hormone levels in the body. Taking licorice along with estrogen pills might decrease the effects of estrogen pills.<br /><br /> Some estrogen pills include conjugated equine estrogens (Premarin), ethinyl estradiol, estradiol, and others.
Licorice seems to change hormone levels in the body. Taking licorice along with estrogen pills might decrease the effects of estrogen pills.<br /><br /> Some estrogen pills include conjugated equine estrogens (Premarin), ethinyl estradiol, estradiol, and others.
The take away – I have no clue if it depletes K. lol I haven't even had licorice myself to be able to share my own experience with it. The only "evidence" I can offer is Dr. Morse's experience with helping people heal from the most degenerative diseases, which includes aggressive bone diseases like the one I have, and I personally trust the herbs he recommends. My dog's gums completely regenerated within months on one of Dr. Morse's formulas.
After having surgery to remove a tumor on his eyelid, his oral health declined rapidly. This was despite the fact that he had had his teeth cleaned during the surgery and we brushed his teeth daily. His breath was horrid, his teeth developed thick brown plaque and his gums had receded so much the roots of his canines were completely visible.
His vet insisted he have his teeth pulled and said this would leave his tongue hanging out. Not wanting that or putting him through another surgery, I ordered the herbal formula and within a day of taking it, his bad breath was gone and at his next vet visit a few months later, his vet did the routine exam and said his teeth looked great, completely forgetting she insisted he have his teeth pulled just a few months prior.