Dihydromyricetin (DHM) — Boozing Biohackers NEED this!
DHM is a hangover cure for smart biohackers who like to imbibe, but it’s well worth supplementing even if you don’t drink to excess…
This article is mostly going to focus on decoding what the human studies are saying about DHM and how this squares up with the anecdotal experiences of Biohackers online. For more of my own personal experiences, thoughts, and comparisons please see the written and video reviews in the sidebar.
Storytime
Once upon a time, I used to work at nightclubs, and funnily enough, a bunch of companies selling different ostensible hangover cures would contact me about their products. They would send me their products for me to distribute at the club. The funny thing was that nobody ever seemed to be very interested in them! The drunk club-goers wouldn’t even take the hangover cures when offered them for free. But the companies kept sending them to me and eventually I had this giant box in my apartment full of hangover cures. Although these hangover cures never worked very well, they were the type that dissolved into water and tasted awful.
Dihydromyricetin, which is so painful to spell out that I’m just going to refer to it acronymically as DHM from now on, is I think a major evolution in hangover interventions from those old hangover cures that nobody really wanted!
If You EVER Drink Get DHM
If you’re a pious Mormon, Muslim, or person otherwise committed to never drinking alcohol you don’t need to worry about DHM. But if you do drink, even a little bit, DHM should be in your biohacker cabinet. As science advances and more and more studies are done on alcohol’s effects on the body it’s becoming increasingly clear that even a little alcohol, drunk infrequently has some serious downsides. It’s just awful for the mind and body…
It kills brain cells
It damages your DNA
It destroys sleep quality
It causes premature skin aging
It lowers testosterone
And even if you don’t notice much of a hangover or negative side effects of drinking, it’s silently, conspiring within you to give you cancer. This playlist on alcohol by NutritionFacts.org is worth a watch if you need the motivation to give up boozing (at least temporarily)…
All these downsides are why I urge lifehackers to do 30, 60, or 90 days of no boozing or replace their social drinking habits for less than a dollar a night with Phenibut, a gabaergic supplement for chemically induced social confidence. I’m currently on 90 days of no boozing during which I take the edge off by sipping nonalcoholic beer imprinted with the infoceutical essence of Psilocybin with electromagnetism and quantum colocation using this device…
But as much as I care for my health, I enjoy drinking socially just a little more! So I’ll be biohacking my boozing with DHM.
I’d be interested in trying DHM in combination with the European liquor Absinthe (which ostensibly contains wormwood) because people often say that Absinthe doesn’t intoxicate your mind, it just affects your body — I’ve tried Absinthe a few times and I’m not sure about this. But the two together might be an interesting combination!
Anti-Intoxicant
DHM differs from a lot of other hangover cures in that it has a fairly immediate effect of reducing subjective intoxication. You probably don’t often make an ass out of yourself while drinking but taking some DHM could be conducive to not forgetting people’s names or your keys while drinking. Anyone with much experience drinking knows that there’s a bell curve with drinking where you have a few drinks and you’re extra witty, clever, and verbose but and then after a few more drinks, things devolve. DHM could help you keep your mental edge later into the evening. I think few people drink just to get drunk, most of us drink as a social lubricant or as a prelude to (hopefully!) getting laid or perhaps paid.
Scientific Research
It’s been studied extensively with upwards of 300 scientific publications with over 90 items of human research.
Origin
Despite going by a scary-sounding chemical name this is a natural organic supplement that originates from the Japanese Raisin Tree or Hovenia Dulcis — hey I didn’t know that you could get raisins from a tree! Extracted just from the bark of the tree it goes by the name Ampelopsin but I’ll also just continue to refer to it as DHM to avoid confusion.
Vs Fatty Liver Disease
There was a notable randomized controlled trial conducted in 2015 in China.
With 60 patients with fatty liver disease
Receiving 150 milligrams of either a placebo or DHM twice daily — 300 milligrams total
It concluded…
that dihydromyricetin supplementation improves glucose and lipid metabolism as well as various biochemical parameters in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and the therapeutic effects of dihydromyricetin are likely attributable to improved insulin resistance…
So if you want to show your liver some love supplementing DHM is a good idea or if your personal genotyping results turn up the risk factor gene for fatty liver disease; PNPLA3.
Apparently, there was a rat study where they gave some rats the bodyweight equivalent of 15–20 beers in 2 hours (holy crap! I’m trying to remember the last time I had 15–20 beers — I think there were kegstands involved). In the study, the intoxicated rats promptly lost balance and fell over (I think the same thing happened to me last time I drank that much!) then some of the rats received an injection of a milligram of DHM per kilogram of body weight and they recovered and got back on their little rat feet in 5 minutes. The same amount of DHM would be about 70 milligrams for a 150-pound adult human, although absorption from taking DHM capsules is probably a lot lower.
Vs Alzheimer’s
The most recent trial of DHM analyzed its effect on Alzheimer’s pathology
Here, the primary goal was to assess whether Dihydromyricetin (DHM), a plant flavonoid compound, is effective therapies for AD; it is crucial to know whether DHM will affect microglial activation and neuroinflammation in APP/PS1 transgenic mice…
Taken together, our findings suggest that DHM prevents progression of [Alzheimer’s]-like pathology through inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome-based microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and may be a promising therapeutic drug for treating [Alzheimer’s].
Treatment of Memory Loss
AngelicaMD describes its potential use in treating memory loss
Recent research shows, however, that another substance called dihydromyricetin (DHM), also known as ampelopsin (AMP), may be used to treat memory problems, including dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. This flavanoid compound is purified from a variety of botanical sources, including the oriental raisin tree (Hovenia dulcis), Chinese Senega (Polygala tenuifolia), and the snake wine vine (Ampelopsis Grossedentata). It is a component of ancient Chinese herbal remedies, which have been used in Asia for centuries. The active ingredient, DHM, has been recently isolated and shown to be responsible for the bio-active properties of these herbal remedies.
Interactions with Gut Microbiota
A 2018 paper out of Huazhong University in China identified its benefit in modulating the gut microbiome
Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is the main bioactive constituent in vine tea (Ampelopsis grossedentata), which was predominantly distributed in the gastrointestinal tract and showed poor oral bioavailability…
it was found that [Dihydromyricetin] could markedly alter the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota and modulate the gut microbiota composition.
The gut microbiota plays an important role in the pharmacokinetics of flavonoids. As well, the long-term supplements of flavonoids could alter the gut microbiota composition in turn.
Vs Alcoholism
From a 2012 University of California paper
Alcohol use disorders (AUD) constitute the most common form of substance abuse. The development of AUD involves repeated alcohol use leading to tolerance, alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), physical and psychological dependence, with loss of ability to control excessive drinking…
We demonstrated pharmacological properties of DHM consistent with those expected to underlie successful medical treatment of [Alcohol use disorders]; therefore DHM is a therapeutic candidate.
The notable finding is that reducing the subjective experience of intoxication makes alcohol less appealing and addictive. A consistent self-experimenter reported…
after taking 750 mgs of DHM twice a day for 2 weeks , my perspective was that ,i had no reason to drink, the need for altered states of consciousness that had been with me for 17 years was entirely absent…
after two months of taking it , the idea of drinking, smoking or taking drugs was repugnant to me.
DHM prevents fetal alcohol exposure according to a 2014 paper
Fetal alcohol exposure (FAE) can lead to a variety of behavioral and physiological disturbances later in life…
The absence of adverse side effects and the ability of DHM to prevent [Fetal alcohol exposure] consequences suggest that DHM is an attractive candidate for development as a treatment for prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Vs Immune/Inflammatory-Related Diseases
DHM may be worth the attention of those searching for unconventional treatments for immuno-inflammatory diseases. From a Chinese paper
Increasing evidence demonstrates that pyroptosis, pro-inflammatory programmed cell death, is linked to atherosclerosis; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Dihydromyricetin (DHM)…
Together, these results indicate that the Nrf2 signaling pathway plays a role, as least in part, in the DHM-mediated improvement in PA-induced pyroptosis in vascular endothelial cells, which implies the underlying medicinal value of DHM targeting immune/inflammatory-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis.
Vs Diabetes
DHM is not really a Nootropic but it improves the cognitive impairment that goes along with Diabetes due to a brain-derived neurotrophic factor mechanism, from a 2018 study
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) leads to cognitive impairment (CI), but there have been no effective pharmacotherapies or drugs for cognitive dysfunction in T2DM…
In conclusion, our results suggest that DHM is a promising candidate for the treatment of T2DM-induced cognitive dysfunction.
Another 2018 study concurred
Dihydromyricetin can improve the cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetic mice. The mechanism may be through hypoglycemic effect and activation of BDNF protein expression in hippocampus.
Vs Acute Lung Injury
From a 2018 study
Here, we investigated the effect of DHM on [Acute Lung Injury] and the underlying mechanism by bioinformatic analyses and animal experiments…
The present study supports a potential clinical application for DHM in treating [Acute Lung Injury] and provides a novel design that combines in silico methods with in vivo experiments for drug research.
Vs Endothelial Dysfunction
From a recent study
Accumulating studies demonstrate that dihydromyricetin (DMY), a compound extracted from Chinese traditional herb, Ampelopsis grossedentata, attenuates atherosclerotic process by improvement of endothelial dysfunction.
Taken together, these data demonstrated that miR-21-mediated DDAH1/ADMA/NO signal pathway plays an important role in TNF-α-induced endothelial dysfunction, and [dihydromyricetin] attenuated endothelial dysfunction induced by TNF-α in a miR-21-dependent manner.
Vs Cancer
From a paper out of Dalian Medical University
Here we aim to investigate whether dihydromyricetin (DMY), a dihydroflavonol compound with anti-inflamatory, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-tumor actions, reverses MDR in MCF-7/ADR and K562/ADR and to elucidate its potential molecular mechanism. ..
These fundamental findings provide evidence for further clinical research in application of [dihydromyricetin] as an assistant agent in the treatment of cancer.
Another study out of the Military Medical University drew a connection between the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer naming DHM as a treatment option
The aim of this study is to identify that the progression to CRC is influenced by cholic acid, sodium butyrate, a high-fat diet, or different dose of dihydromyricetin (DMY) interacted with gut microbiota.
In recent decades, the association among diet, gut microbiota, and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been established.
But it’s unclear about actually how effective an option it is.
Performance Enhancement of Exercise at Altitude
A 2014 animal study out of a Chinese Military Medical University found that it’s something of a mitochondrial biohack for (at least simulated) exercise at altitude:
Dihydromyricetin (DHM) is the major bioactive constituent of rattan tea. Our aim was to investigate the possible mechanism and the effect of DHM in counteracting hypobaric hypoxia (HH)-induced exercise intolerance…
DHM improves physical performance under simulated high-altitude conditions via protecting mitochondrial biogenesis and modulating mitochondrial dynamics in skeletal muscle cells.
A Rapid Antidepressant
A recent Chinese study identified its fast-acting antidepressant effect
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent illness that affects large populations across the world, and increasing evidence suggests that neuroinflammation and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are closely related to depression.
The present data indicate that DHM exerts a more rapid antidepressant-like effect than does a typical antidepressant, in association with enhancement of BDNF expression and inhibition of neuroinflammation.
Mechanism of Action
It improves Mitochondrial respiratory capacity via SIRT3 signaling and as explained on Longecity…
DHM binds to the GABA B receptor and blocks the ability of alcohol to bind to it and block it. GABA are inhibitory receptors, and when they don’t inhibit neurons they overreact, leading to the phenomena of [drunkness]. But DHM binds, yet does not completely inhibit GABA b, so (to simplify) you keep your wits about you and stay coordinated. The dopamine-releasing effects of alcohol do not seem to be blocked completely. You aren’t drunk, yet you are not sober either.
Experiential
According to this rather amusing Canadian guy, the onset of DHM effects on intoxication is pretty rapid, it decreases the feeling of intoxication…
Mr. Happy on Longecity reported
It was a strange sensation — as the DHM kicked in, you could almost feel the alcohol buzz draining from the top of your head down. Initially, you feel semi-sober, but your muscles, etc are still buzzed. The feelings of alcohol-fueled confidence and silliness are still mostly there, but your higher faculties have returned, so you can make sensible decisions.
Another Longecity biohacker reported that it relieves some of alcohol’s negative effects
I found 200 mg — 400 mg very effective in blocking alcohol intoxication and alcohol-induced headaches. I used to have crippling headaches right after drinking alcohol but now I don’t feel it until many hours later, and this may be due to the antagonism wearing off.
He went on to report
…I tested around 400 mg and it worked very well at eliminating the hangovers alcohol used to cause about an hour I started drinking. I was also quite sober despite having zero tolerance and was able to keep up with my friend who goes to bars often and has way higher tolerance. This substance is the shit. It has to be taken before drinking for maximum effect though, I gave some to my friend after he was piss drunk and it didn’t help him much.
Another anecdote reported that it took the fun out of drinking
I doubt that; my experience taking just before drinking is that alcohol-induced euphoria doesn’t happen, so the nasty effects of drinking are not masked. Felt stick to my stomach, uncoordinated, and had no desire to continue drinking when I’d reached my limit, versus otherwise being happily able to down another few drinks.
An English biohacker meticulously did some brain training while drinking and dosing DHM
l played games luminosity as I do every day to test and improve my problem-solving skills, reflex times & mental flexibility — my score was along the bell curve of improvement seen for the last 3 months. Then I drank half a glass of whisky waited 15mins and attempted to play the same games on [Lumosity] (i am quite sensitive to alcohol as rarely drink ) and in fact, found the games to be confusing and taxing and gave up without finishing them simply as I could not continue them…
…after testing DHM on Cambridge brain sciences and [Lumosity], I can say that for me at least it is a nootropic.
Taking DHM is a great idea for people whose jobs might involve some social drinking, like
Bartenders
Entertainers
Salespeople & Entrepreneurs
Event organizers
Sex workers
Gives you a clear head. Taken before drinking you don’t get dizzy and uncoordinated, though I wouldn’t say you’ll feel exactly sober. After a few drinks, you tend to sober up, at least as far as the worst effects of drinking are concerned. It appears to protect the liver… and ameliorates the toxic effect of acetaldehyde on the liver, which helps counteract the effects of a hangover. A DJ in Montreal I met, tried it before going to work about midnight. He usually has a few drinks while working, and reported his head was totally clear the next day. He’ll use it again. If you are a female whose date is trying to get her drunk, you’ll find it useful. IF you are playing poker and drinking and don’t want to lose your shirt, you’ll find it helpful.
For one Biohacker it’s a veritable hangover cure
DHM is great for hangovers. A little scary great, actually. By scary I mean it could turn you into an alcoholic if you really love drinking but stop only because you hate hangovers. If I take DHM before drinking I’ll still get drunk and feel about the same. It’s the hangover that it cures — at least for me.
Another biohacker reports that it vanquishes hangover-induced anxiety
I have been using it every time I drink alcohol and it has helped a lot with the anxiety associated with withdrawal/hangover for me the next day.
I went through a bottle of the stuff myself, did some drinking, and experienced no discernible hangovers.
Sources
Double Wood Supplements in the USA offers the gold standard of supplements, including purity-tested, COA-verified capsuled Dihydromyricetin.
We do sell Double Wood’s DHM in the new Limitless Health crypto store and it’s 1/3 of the Herculean Hangover Hacks biohacker bundle which includes NAC and Glutathione, formidable hangover busters that DHM shares synergies with. If you don’t have crypto, you can order it here on Amazon.
Cofactors
A couple of notable cofactors are mentioned in the anecdotal reports.
Piracetam — The biohacker who experimented with Lumosity reported that…
DHM has a wonderful synergistic relationship [with] piracetam. 750mgs of DHM and 750mgs of piracetam.
A couple of biohackers have confided in me that Piracetam and alcohol can be a brilliant social stack for confidence and verbal wittiness. I certainly don’t recommend this but if I were going to try it adding DHM would be a good idea as it decreases the subjective experience of drunkenness.
A Biohacker in Texas describes an anxiolytic DHM stack
I have used dihydromyricetin and kudzu root to relieve stress. That combination is very effective because kudzu root is an agonist at a serotonin ANTI SEIZURE receptor site (5ht2c) so you can take doses of antagonists with confidence of safety.
Daily drinker Ben Greenfield, in Boundless, suggests Molybdenum and Thiamine to red wine lovers…
Sulfites are common in wines and contribute to irritability, insomnia, and headaches. They also bind to and prevent the absorption of vitamin B1, which is necessary for energy and focus. Taking about 500 mcg of molybdenum helps reduce the effects of sulfites on your mental performance and vitamin uptake. You should also consume about 50 mg of thiamine before drinking, as thiamine can prevent sulfites from binding to vitamin B1. (p.45)
Usage and Dosage
- According to animal studies, you can take it before, during, or after drinking and it has a beneficial effect. Although, some animal studies found that it’s most effective when taken 30 minutes before drinking.
- Maybe you keep your supplements in a refrigerator, don’t do that with DHM.
- A Canadian biohacker gives some usage recommendations…
Observations are: When drunk, before bed, take 1/8tsp (650mg) and you will regain much of your mental capacity. You are still uncoordinated, and if you are way too drunk, will still feel the need to puke. If taken the morning after, it clears your head up and seems to relieve the symptoms of a hangover. I am unsure of upping the dosage though to see if it has a greater effect. I am wary of toxicity effects and am unable to find a reference to a safe dosage. I will be selling these locally before Christmas in 650mg gel caps as a hangover cure.
Recommended dose by body weight
1400 milligrams for a 150lb/68kg person
1800 milligrams for a 200lb/90kg person
2300 milligrams for a 250lb/113kg person
Hangover Recovery Stack
If I’m ballin’ on a budget my go-to is activated charcoal which you can find in any decent pharmacy, which cleans up the toxins in your body from the alcohol. You want to take it before or during drinking. If you’re an activated charcoal snob the very best kind is coconut charcoal — yes coconuts are SO healthy that even the coconut shells themselves, burnt into charcoal are good for you! Although I wouldn’t combine activated charcoal and DHM as activated charcoal tends to drag out of your body whatever supplements you’ve taken recently.
Another booze-beating supplement worthy of your attention is…
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is another efficacious booze biohack, 1000 milligrams prevents the majority of the toxicity that occurs when you drink alcohol. Can you combine the two? Yes, one user reported
I heard about DHM, dihydromyricetin, this is against the glutamate rebound.
1.2g should be taken before sleep, the DHM will suppress the ‘drunkness’ feeling
and reduce the glutamate rebound (Waking up after 4–5h of sleep being unable to fall back to sleep and increasing anxiety during the day).
If I had a night of heavy drinking ahead of me, I’d dose…
- Pre-Drinking — Activated Charcoal before drinking alcohol.
- During Drinking — DHM 2–3 hours later to reduce intoxication after I’ve been drinking for a few hours.
- Post Drinking — N-Acetyl Cysteine at the end of the night after I got home to clean up toxins.
Side Effects
It’s a flavonoid, it’s pretty benign stuff. Unless you’re taking it at ridiculous dosages there’s not much concern with side effects.
Conflicts: I couldn’t find any conflicts.
Risk Grade: A
It’s an exceptionally safe supplement…
- I analyzed several hundred anecdotes from DHM users on Reddit and Longecity and came across zero reports of negative or undesirable side effects.
- There’ve been no studies done administering it to children.
- There’s one clinical trial totaling 60 human subjects.
- You can safely take up to 4 grams.
Conclusion
DHM is a very safe Nutriceutical with a range of promising applications that will hopefully be properly evaluated by human clinical trials in the coming decades, for the time being, it belongs in the biohacker cabinet of any social drinker.
