Below are the ADHD natural treatment herbs and supplements that I gave Alexander during his time with us in Mexico. These herbs and supplements took effect during the first 24 to 48 hours after we gave him the first 4 doses of Mucuna pruriens. Alexander was still taking his prescription medications when he received the first few doses of Mucuna and supportive nutrients and there was no danger of these prescription meds interacting negatively with the supplements which made it possible for the parents to slowly ease Alexander off the prescription medications into his natural treatments for ADHD.
Mucuna pruriens, because it contains a high dose of the dopamine precursor L-dopa, allows the brain to manufacture a very respectable amount of dopamine naturally within only about 4 hours. Alexander was still on Focalin during those first 4 doses of Mucuna with Manuka honey, but by the next day, he was ready to be weaned off the Focalin. I’ll talk more in depth about each of these supplements (Mucuna and Manuka) and herbs for ADHD to explain how to help a child with severe ADHD using these natural medicines to regrow dopamine receptors.
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Mucuna pruriens mixed with Manuka Honey
Mucuna pruriens is a bean that contains high amounts of L-Dopa, the natural precursor to dopamine that exists in a number of different foods including other broadleaf beans like fava beans. But the cool thing about Mucuna is that it contains high amounts of L-Dopa, which means that it’s the ideal brain-food for ADHD. Be aware though that there’s a lot of misinformation out there about Mucuna and much of it involves confusion over the drug Levodopa (which is sometimes also called L-Dopa though this pharmaceutical contains two synthetic drugs in one pill and one of these synthetic drugs, carbidopa, causes long-term, serious side effects in those who take it). The natural Levodopa (which is also confusingly known L-Dopa, though it is chemically different from the synthetic “L-Dopa”...natural L-Dopa is produced in the human body from L-Tyrosine and/or L-Phenylalanine, two amino acids that are converted along various pathways into different neurotransmitters and proteins) is very different from pharmaceutical Levodopa. Natural Levodopa / L-Dopa is found primarily in beans and anyone who eats these beans regularly is also regularly consuming natural L-Dopa (which is 100% safe). Eating or consuming Mucuna in the diet is one way to intentionally consume a higher dose of natural L-Dopa in order to overcome ADHD naturally at home.Big Pharma wants to hide the virtues of Mucuna pruriens and natural L-Dopa from non-chemists who don’t understand the difference between synthetic L-Dopa and natural L-Dopa because dopamine deficiency fuels all kinds of industries and keeps people tethered to conventional medicine. As someone who has been taking Mucuna pruriens (eating it in chili soups and drinking it in hot water rather than drinking coffee, for example) on and off for more than 10 years, I can attest to the fact that this bean is not addictive, just as fava beans are not addictive. I often forget to take Mucuna for days at a time, but I do take it intentionally when I know I need to be able to make important decisions quickly. I have suffered no negative effects, but only positive benefits from taking this herb. I’ve watched the same positive effects with no negative side effects (other than perhaps a mildly upset stomach within 30 minutes of consuming particularly high doses of the bean) in other people as well.
But that being said and in the interest of helping parents figure out how to deal with severe ADHD, if you’re scared of using Mucuna pruriens, give your child a daily dose of fava beans instead. Just be aware that fava beans don’t contain as much L-Dopa as Mucuna pruriens, so the anti-ADHD effects may take longer or be less noticeable at first. Follow the rest of the protocol and give your child the other vitamins and supplements to ensure that the L-Dopa in the fava beans can be converted into dopamine expeditiously.
Another alternative to the use of Mucuna pruriens to treat ADHD is the administration of amino acids such as L-Tyrosine or L-Phenylalanine in supplement form. Either of these amino acids will give similar effects to Mucuna pruriens in the treatment of ADHD except they take longer to work. While Mucuna pruriens produces noticeable effects within 4-6 hours, L-Tyrosine and L-Phenylalanine can take 8-16 hours to take effect. Nonetheless they are acceptable alternatives that work through the same natural pathways in the body to cure ADHD.
DOSE - Administer Mucuna 4 times per day (morning, noon, 3:00 PM, and at bedtime): ½ teaspoon (approximately 700 mg) of Mucuna pruriens powder mixed with a ½ teaspoon of Manuka honey.
This is the most important herb that you’ll use to treat ADHD at home. Mucuna pruriens will regrow dopamine neurons within 5 months of continuous use.
NOTE: Manuka honey is expensive in some locations. If you can’t easily obtain Manuka honey, choose raw, unheated honey as an acceptable alternative.
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Multivitamin
Children with ADHD are often severely under-nourished. A diet that contains a lot of fast foods, refined sugars, and a lack of nourishing fruits, vegetables, and meats can contribute to ADHD. As a parent, you do the best that you can to feed your children well, but if your child develops a nutrient deficiency, it can be hard to pull out of that tailspin without administering supplements or a special diet. Also, kids with ADHD (and adults too!) often crave foods that are bad for them as a result of underlying infection. A good multivitamin that’s designed for ADHD kids can provide nutrients that a child’s body needs to grow, repair, and produce the neurotransmitters that children need in order to function properly at home and in society.DOSAGE - administer 1 dose of a multivitamin per day in the morning. Choose a multivitamin that does not contain iron.
A natural alternative to a multivitamin is Moringa powder or Moringa capsules. Moringa is a nutrient-dense herbal supplement that often contains a better nutrient profile than multivitamins without any of the fillers and additives that multivitamins contain. The moringa powder can be added to the honey mixture that also contains Mucuna or amino acids.
Vitamin B6
Without adequate levels of vitamin B6, the body won’t be able to convert the L-Dopa in Mucuna pruriens into dopamine in the brain. Administer at least 25 mg of vitamin B6 to children daily.DOSAGE - For kids, administer 25 mg daily; Adults with ADHD should take 50-100 mg daily.
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Magnesium
NOTE that if you are giving your child daily doses of Cinchona officinalis for an underlying Streptococcus pyogenes infection, be sure to separate magnesium supplementation by at least 2 hours from Cinchona dosing. Magnesium can inhibit proper medicinal activity of the quinine in Cinchona officinalis. But magnesium is also essential for proper absorption and metabolism of Mucuna pruriens, so be sure to take the proper dose daily, being mindful of the Cinchona officinalis to separate these two medicinal agents by at least 2 hours.The magnesium supplement that we recommend are an important part of the ADHD natural supplements list. Magnesium calms the body and it’s also a necessary component that the brain needs in order to convert L-Dopa into dopamine in the brain. Many children with ADHD are deficient in magnesium.
DOSAGE: Administer magnesium once or twice a day to treat ADHD naturally. Administer magnesium citrate powder, which can be added to the Mucuna-Manuka Honey mixture in the morning and at night.
Teach your child that the magnesium helps calm their muscles and that they can take more magnesium if their body feels like it can’t seem to rest or sit still (note that the quinine in Cinchona officinalis is FDA approved to treat restless legs syndrome, but it should not taken at the same time as magnesium - the quinine will calm restless body movements during the time of the day when you are not administering magnesium). If your child asks for a bigger dose of magnesium powder during the day, you will then know that their body feels like it can’t sit still, which will help you with making a differential diagnosis about additional natural treatments your child may need later on.
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NAC / N-Acetylcysteine -
NAC is an important medicine for general health, but if you’re wondering how to overcome severe ADHD, NAC will help by balancing your child’s glutamate system while providing consistent support in regard to detoxification of the brain. This supplement is optional, but it can be a very helpful adjunct medication for ADHD.The glutamatergic system in the brain controls mental excitability so NAC is important as a treatment for ADHD. The FDA is currently trying to make NAC into a prescription medication even though it has an extremely low toxicity level and in fact is used to detoxify the body from various poisons (like acetaminophen overdose, for example). The reason why the FDA wants to diminish public access to NAC is because it can be used to cure COVID (as well as the common cold, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses) by thinning mucus. So don’t underestimate the value of this natural treatment for ADHD.
DOSAGE - Administer NAC twice daily for severe ADHD: Administer 600-1000 mg in the morning and 600-1000 mg in the evening.
Cod Liver Oil or EquaZen Pro Fish Oil for Kids -
The Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are often severely deficient in children with severe ADHD. It’s essential that you supplement with fish oil. Put it in smoothies if you think your child won’t take this stuff. The lemon flavored cod liver oil tastes fine and shouldn’t set off any alarms. If your child is allergic to fish, find a source of Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s that does not contain fish (flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, and borage oil are all good choices).DOSAGE - Administer once per day in the morning: 1 capful or 1 tablespoon.
Zinc
This product contains 15 mg of vitamin C (which is a negligible amount) and 5 mg of zinc. Give your child 3 tablets of Frunatta zinc to fulfill the necessary daily requirements for converting L-Dopa into dopamine. Studies have shown that children with ADHD are often severely deficient in zinc. Supplementation often relieves a number of the ADHD symptoms within days. With the zinc contained in the multivitamin, your child will receive 15 mg + 4.13 mg of zinc total per day (19.13 mg).DOSAGE - administer the total zinc requirement (3 tablets) at two different times of the day per day to prevent stomach upset: 1 tablet in the morning with the multivitamin and 2 tablets in the evening.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Zinc supplementation is necessary but it can leech copper out of the body. Copper is absolutely essential for ADHD patients because copper is the primary nutrient that we need in order to overcome iron deficiency. Iron deficiency causes anemia and other serious issues related to poor oxygenation of tissues in the body, but you should not give your child iron supplements to correct this problem. Giving an iron supplement can make things much worse.
Instead of giving a copper supplement, which may or may not be absorbed by the body, we recommend an unconventional treatment that works miracles: red wine! Kids with ADHD respond very well to receiving 2 to 3 doses of red wine diluted somewhat with water and sweetened with stevia. Red wine helps the body absorb nutrients and it contains trace amounts of iron and copper that are not toxic to the body.
Note that giving iron supplements is like feeding pathogens that cause iron deficiency. Iron in foods can be taken in by the body without worsening an infection. Copper, in contrast, is given in only trace amounts.
Administer 2 to 3 doses of about ¼ to 1 teaspoon throughout the day to rebuild the blood supply and overcome low-level infection as with Streptococcus pyogenes which can cause severe symptoms of ADHD.
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Vitamin C -
Vitamin C is another extremely valuable vitamin that assists in a number of mental-health related chemical conversions in the body. I let Alexander choose how many Vitamin C Dinosaur Pills he took each day to give him some control over his own process of healing. The vitamin C pills that I recommend contained 125 mg per pill and I let him take between 1 to 5 per day. Adults can take up to 6000 mg per day in divided doses.Vitamin C helps the body absorb and use iron that’s found naturally in the diet.
DOSAGE - Administer in the morning. Start with a lower dose and work up to 5 pills by increasing the dose by 1 pill per day. Thereafter, take 1 to 5 pills. Adults can take a 1000-1500 mg vitamin C supplement up to 4 times daily.
Lugol’s Iodine
Iodine is a complex topic, but an important one when it comes to ADHD and general health. Iodine deficiency is a major cause of obesity in the United States where bromine is still used as an insecticide and the water is fluoridated such that the fluorine and bromine compete with iodine in the body, causing thyroid and reproductive organ dysfunction that goes unnoticed by doctors. Iodine deficiency leads to general poor health due to low immunity. The use of iodine for the prevention of COVID-19 by healthcare workers demonstrates the importance of this substance, but few people, unfortunately, are aware of the difference between Lugol’s iodine and Povidone iodine and how to use these two substances to prevent and treat COVID and how daily supplementation with Lugol’s iodine can promote general health, particularly mental health, and educational development in children.DOSAGE - On the first day, administer 1 drop of 2% Lugol’s iodine via the skin or in drinking water (do not take directly, it’s important to dilute the iodine in water, 2 drops on the second day, 3 drops on the third day and so on and so forth until the child is taking 1 drop for every year according to their age (so a 7 year old should be taking 7 drops per day). For adults, follow the same pattern, but work up to 20 drops per day.
CBD Drops
We added 3-4 drops of 1000 mg CBD (or 8 to 12 drops of 250 mg CBD oil) to most of the batches of Mucuna and Manuka honey that I gave Alexander and noticed that without CBD, Alexander would tend to get more restless and his parents would get frustrated with him at these times. But parents who live in states where CBD is not legal can do the other parts of this protocol listed above and will likely find that the Mucuna, NAC, and supportive supplements will make a huge difference in their child’s behavior even without the CBD. CBD was definitely not the core medicine used to treat ADHD, but played more of a supportive role. The core herb was Mucuna pruriens and in some children Cinchona officinalis treatment was also necessary to overcome underlying infection that was causing ADHD symptoms.DOSAGE - Administer 3-10 drops of CBD with every dose of Mucuna and Manuka honey.
CBD Lotion
We let Alexander administer CBD as a roll-on if he felt like he needed it. He only rarely asked to use it, but I always knew when he asked for it that he was feeling uncomfortable or unpleasant in some way, which gave me extra information about how he was feeling at those times. Using the CBD roll-on lotion allowed me to tune into him more closely in addition to the medicinal effects of the CBD roll-on itself.DOSAGE - With guidance, the child can decide when and if a dose of the roll-on lotion is necessary.
