Let me try to be clear.
First, I repeat, I don’t know how creatine can help your sleep. I saw it may help some women’s cognition and depression, not men. From the findings so far (still awaiting studies), my take is that women’s creatine intake is suboptimal and/or its turnover may be faster than in men but evidence is limited.
2- I used the Ginkgo example as a “transporter helper” but maybe not for creatine itself. You can take this example and investigate with another molecule for yourself, your condition, during the present moment of your life. The BBB is very selective and each individual has its own permeability level (hence, maybe another confounding factor among the studies that test brain molecules).
3- Yes, sometimes I add a little dose of Ginkgo extract in my formula (brain). Dose has varied through the years, including big pauses.
4- Good quality Gingko is not cheap nowadays, at least down here. Traditionally, the tree was very popular so I suspect it was affordable for Traditional Chinese Medicine use.
5- Compared to the old days when it was often prescribed, the environment has changed drastically. Excess of toxins, e.g., can disrupt the BBB and gut. The same prescriptions that would work greatly in the past, maybe not so good for many people nowadays. Full of confounding factors. We need to adapt. Although, it seems it still can help patients with cognitive impairments. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3233/JAD-140837
6- I notice some interesting features among the several studies on the extract for brain health. Leaving creatine (close but) behind (because I am biased against the idea of creatine to your brain! - unless you are into plant based diet…), this animal study showed a possibility of G. biloba to improve the passage of molecules through the BBB, in quantities necessary for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. According to Liang et al. (2020), GBE potentially activates gap junctions and improves the paracellular permeability of the BBB via adenosine receptor activation. This could promote the distribution of Ginseng’s active components in the brain tissue. Furthermore, previous studies have shown that the flavone in GBE may be a P-glycoprotein inhibitor, which may aid in increasing the concentration of co-administered medicines in the brain (Zhang et al. 2015a; Fan et al. 2009).
This discussion can be a long one… Have you heard of Shuxuening injection?
Shuxuening injection (SXNI) is derived from the leaf of Ginkgo biloba L. (Ginkgoaceae), and the effective components are flavonoids, bilobalide and ginkgolides (Wang et al. 2019). SXNI is widely used to treat ischaemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, cerebral embolism and cerebral vasospasm diseases clinically in China (Wang et al. 2019; Cao et al. 2020). Dilation of the blood vessels and function improvement of the microcirculation are the main efficacy of SXNI. Shuxuening injection, derived from Ginkgo biloba leaf, induced pseudo-allergic reactions through hyperactivation of mTOR - PMC
Many studies through this path.
PLEASE, I am not affirming anything. All I have written here all hypothesis, ok.
Microcirculation, we need to pay attention about it. Molecules that acts on your macro circulation are not difficult to find. The challenge (IMO) is microcirculation.
Hearing, which can go down with aging is associated to cognition and microcirculation. If you research, you will find studies using SXNI for sudden hearing loss. (I get very excited with this possibility! It’s tough to get old and not being able to enjoy music and to listen nature)
Oh, regards the injection (not extract) this study found the mechanism of the pseudo-allergic reactions some may feel.
As rapamycin is an mTOR inhibitor that can affect the mTOR-VEGF pathway:
Shuxuening injection, derived from Ginkgo biloba leaf, induced pseudo-allergic reactions through hyperactivation of mTOR
“Our work indicates that mTOR-VEGF pathway is hyperactivated in SXNI induced pseudo-allergic reactions, and rapamycin might be a potentially drug to prevent SXNI mediated pseudo-allergic reactions.”
It’s a super fun rabbit hole.
Can we extrapolate this rational to help creatine enter the brain? I haven’t seen studies about that yet…
Before anything, of course, I am presuming you have checked your hormone levels and are doing the basics (before diving into brain molecules). For me, a good old sauna is the best for my sleep.
