Commentary

Dear Mr. Morgenthaler,

Thank you for the “Health & Wellness Update.” I look forward to each issue, and the solid information it provides.

Praise for
Smart Publications
Health & Wellness Update

"For sometime now I have enjoyed reading Smart Publications. They are beautifully structured, well written and educational"

"Wealth of information for anyone that chooses alternative healing methods. It's an education in itself just to read one of these newsletters! Every time I get one I read it from cover to cover! Easy to understand and easy to decipher when looking for products. Well done! It's a joy to read."

Smart Drugs & Nutrients:

How to Improve Your Memory and Increase Your Intelligence Using the Latest Discoveries In Neuroscience

VOLUME 1 in the Smart Drugs Series

by Ward Dean, M.D. & John Morgenthaler
$12.95 - 224 pages, softcover (Out of Stock)

• Table of Contents
• Previous Section
• Next Section
  

Sec 5: Other Cognitive Enhancers

Acetyl­L-Carnitine (ALC) | Caffeine | Centrophenoxine (Lucidril) | Choline & Lecithin | AL721 (Egg Lecithin) | DHEA | DMAE | Gerovital (GH­3) | Ginkgo Biloba: A Nootropic Herb? | Ginseng | Hydergine | Idebenone | Phenytoin (Dilantin) | Propranolol Hydrochloride (Inderal) | Thyroid Hormone | Vasopressin (Diapid) | Vincamine | Vitamins | Xanthinol Nicotinate

Gerovital (GH-3)

Gerovital was developed in Romania in the 1940's by Dr. Ana Aslan at her government-sponsored geriatric clinic. Professor Aslan had been injecting procaine, a local anasthetic, into patients with painful arthritis, in order to relieve their joint pains. Many of her patients noted improved memory, less depression, more energy, restoration of normal hair color, improved skin tone, and a generalized feeling of well-being. These striking results encouraged her to carry out additional studies to test the effects of procaine on thousands of people. She found that by adding benzoic acid as a preservative, and potassium metabisulfite as an antioxidant, the procaine molecule was stabilized, and the effects were even more dramatic than with procaine alone. She called her "improved" form of procaine Gerovital or GH-3. She later added pyridoxine (vitamin B6), mesoinositol, and glutamic acid to procaine to form yet another version which she called Aslavital. Aslavital is claimed to have even greater effects than GH-3 on memory, atherosclerosis, and other degenerative conditions (Stroescu, 1988).

GH‑3 is one of the most popular rejuvenation products in the world. GH-3 is also said by some researchers to be a powerful long-term antidepressant. Dr. Aslan's findings have been met with much skepticism, and studies done outside of Dr. Aslan's clinic have had mixed results.

Procaine in GH-3 is broken down in the body into the B vitamin PABA (para‑amino­benzoic acid) and DEAE (diethyl­aminoethanol). The DEAE molecule is very similar to DMAE (see the section on DMAE) and has some similar effects.

GH‑3 has been shown to inhibit an enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO), an enzyme in the brain. MAO breaks down monoamine neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. As people get older, MAO activity increases, breaking down these neurotransmitters too rapidly. Dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine trigger feelings of pleasure, serenity, and calmness. People using GH‑3 report increased energy levels, alertness, and improvement in mood. These effects may be due to the MAO-inhibiting action of GH‑3.

One study showed that procaine improved oxygen utilization in the brains of old rats to levels that were equal to those in young rats, suggesting that this may be another way that GH‑3 accomplishes its effects.

GH-3 is approved by the Romanian equivalent of the U.S. FDA for treatment of "old age phenomenon", to include neuritis, neuralgia, cerebral and peripheral atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and arthritis, among others. Recent studies have reported GH-3's effectiveness in a number of conditions, including mental retardation in children (Aslan, 1980a; Aslan, 1980b), Parkinson's disease (Aslan, 1982), and Alzheimer's disease (Vlachou-Economou, 1988). Several studies have compared the efficacy of GH-3 with piracetam, resulting in similar improvements in central nervous system functioning (Stroescu, 1985; Stroescu, 1986). A third study resulted in even greater improvements in cognitive functioning when piracetam was combined with Aslavital (Stroescu, 1986).

Other studies have failed to replicate these findings about GH‑3. Many of the studies which claim to discredit GH-3 used straight procaine rather than the GH-3 preparation from Romania. The researchers believed, for good reasons, that procaine is identical to GH-3. The developers of GH-3 however, claim that the trace amounts of other ingredients are significant.

Precautions: There are no reports of serious negative effects of GH-3, except rare allergic reactions.

Dosage: One GH-3 tablet is taken daily for 25 days. Then no tablets are taken for five days before another round is begun. In its injectable form, GH-3 is used every third day for a month, then rest for one month before beginning another round. This complicated schedule was devised by Dr. Aslan to allow the restorations of enzymes necessary to break down procaine, and to "desensitize" the body to the effects of procaine. This schedule is too difficult for many patients to follow. One to two injections per week on a continuing basis seem to provide equivalent benefit.

Sources: In the U.S. GH‑3 can only be purchased in Nevada. It is available over the counter in Romania, most European countries, and Mexico or by mail order from the sources listed in Appendix A (see page 165). Other names include: Gerontex H3, Gerovital, Gerovital H3, KH3, and Sex‑Ex.

References:

"Gerovital‑H3: The Youth Drug." Anti‑Aging News. Janu­ary 1981, p. 2.
Aslan, A., et al. "Long‑term Treatment with Procaine (Gero­vital‑H3) in Albino Rats." Journal of Gerontology. 1965, Vol. 20, p. 1.

Aslan, A. "The Therapeutics of Old Age: The Action of Procaine." Blumethal, H. T., ed., Medical and Clini­cal Aspects of Aging. New York: Columbia Universi­ty Press, 1962.

Aslan, A., Balaceanu, C., Manoiu, A., Erdos, M., Konig, V., et al. "The Effects of Gerovital H3 Treatment in Parkinsonian Syndromes." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriat­rics. 1982, 3: 3, pp. 201-213.

Aslan, A., Vrabiescu, A., Dobre, M. "Aslavital for Children in Mentally Deficient Subjects." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 1980, 1: 2, pp. 189-194.

Aslan, A., Vrabiescu, A., Dobre, M., Polovrageany, E. "The Aslavital Treatment in the Recovery of Mentally-Deficient Children." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 1980, 1: 1, pp. 93-98.

Bailey, H. GH‑3. New York: Bantam Books. 1977, pp. 284‑85.

Ostfeld, A., Smith, C.M., Stotsky, B.A. "The Systemic Use of Procaine in the Treatment of the Elderly: A Review." Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. January 1977, Vol. 25, pp. 1‑19.

Pearson, D., Shaw, S. Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach. New York: Warner Books, 1982.

Pelton, R., Pelton, T.C. Mind Food & Smart Pills. New York: Double­day, 1989.

Samorajski, T., Rolstein, C. "Effects of Chronic Dosage with Chlor­proma­zine and Gerovital‑H3 in the Aging Brain." Aging Brain & Senile Dementia. New York: Plenum Press, 1976.

Smigel, J.O., et al. "H3 (Procaine Hydrochloride) Therapy in Aging Institutionalized Patients: An Interim Report." Journal of American Gerontological Society. 1960, Vol. 8, p. 785.

Stroescu, V. "The Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology of Procaine, Gerovital H3 and Aslavital." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 1988, 9: 4, pp. 427-437.

Stroescu, V., Constantinescu, I., Brezina, A., Hamzeh, B., Vrabiescu, A. "Experimental Studies on the Nootropic Effects Exerted Upon the Central Nervous System by Gerovital H3 Versus Procaine and Pyracetam." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 1985, 6: 2, pp. 105-111.

Stroescu, V., Constantinescu, I., Brezina, A., Niculcea-Lungulescu, A., Vrabiescu, A. "Experimental Trial on the Combined Action of Procaine and Pyracetam Upon the Central Nervous System." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 1989, 10: 2, pp. 105-115.

Stroescu, V., Constantinescu, I., Brezina, A., Sotirescu, D. "Experimental Studies into the Nootropic Effects Exerted Upon the Central Nervous System by Aslavital Versus Procaine and Pyracetam." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 1986, 7: 2, pp. 115-121.

Thomas, R. "Procaine. Will It Keep You Younger Longer?" The Medical Journal of Australia. June 11, 1983, pp. 543‑5.

Verzar, F. "Note on the Influence of Procaine, PABA, and DEAE on the Aging of Rats." Gerontologia. 1959, Vol. 3, p. 351.

Vlachou-Economou, S. "Clinical and Therapeutical Researches with Aslavital Long-Term Treatment in Alzheimer's Disease." Romanian Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 1988, 9: Supplement 1, p. 47.

Walford, R.L. Maximum Life Span. New York: W.W. Norton, 1983.

Zwerling, I. "Effects of a Procaine Preparation (Gero­vital‑H3) in Hospital­ized Geriatric Patients: A Double Blind Study." Journal of American Gerontological Society. Vol. 23, p. 8.