Hi All,
I am a drug free (8 years now) T2 Diabetic (keto and primal). I have recently taken to fasting every Friday with just water and pink salt water. I also have hay fever of biblical proportions. I completely control it with a plant based medicine (Seven Forests Xanthium 12) with no side effects.
Spring is a coming! What does consuming such a plant based medicine do to my fast? Does it make the fast think I just ate something and stop the fast?
Many thanks,
-T
How much of your medication to you consume each day? Read the list of ingredients and look them up on a nutrition database (there are many online). How many carbs do those various ingredients contain? If the total carbs of your daily dose amounts to less than 5 grams, it will have zero affect on fasting. The main objective of fasting is to force your metabolism to produce more ketones and burn more fat. A miniscule amount of ingested carbs is not going to interfere with that in any significant way.
A different story, however, if you’re consuming 10 - 15 - 20 - ?? grams of carbs from this stuff.
In my opinion.
Hi Amwassil,
The herbs used in Xanthium 12 (Cang Er Zi, Ku Shen, Chai Hu, E Bu Shi Cao, Huang Qin, Bai Qian, Stauntoni, Fang Feng, Wu Mei, Ren Shen, Gan Cao, Mu Dan Pi, Wu Wei Zi) are all Chinese traditional medicine and their usage dates back to 2 to 3 thousand years. It would be impossible to look up their carb counts. On the bright side, there is no indication of them being hybridized for unnatural levels of carbohydrates (franken vegis), as that would definitely ruin their pharmaceutical properties. And Xanthium 12 is prepared in the traditional fashion, so it is not an extract.
At the worst during the spring or fall, I only take six a day. Typically I only take two a day. The pills are the size of a large goober pea (peanut), so not a lot of food value. My presumption is that the carb count would be the same as picking wild edible plants from a forest.
My main reason for asking the question is that I am fasting for the repair action involved on my body, not the weight loss. And Doctor Ken Berry (kendberrymd.com) states in his youtube videos (www.youtube.com/results?search_query=berry+fasting) not to consume anything other than water and salt water. He states that eating anything will stop the fasting action as your body will think you ended the fast.
So the ketones may continue (my hands and arms smell like spoiled paint thinner during the fast) but the repair action might not. This is my concern.
Thank you for your response!
-T
The cheapest and easiest way to confirm ketosis is so-called ‘pee sticks’ which you can purchase at pretty much any pharmacy. They measure acetoacetate primarily excreted in urine. They are not necessarily 100% reliable, especially at the relatively low concentrations in urine. But as long as you show ‘some colour’ they confirm you’re in ketosis. You might want to try that while taking your Chinese herbal medicine. Best wishes.
Hi Amwassil,
Keto sticks only test for one type of ketone. I use to use them but stopped when it became obvious from the smell on my hands and the smell of my urine that I was passing a ton of ketones that were the type not caught by the sticks.
From your answer, I take it that as long as I stink of a fruit salad / paint thinner, that my body is still in fast/repair mode.
Blood glucose:
Friday morning: 97 mg/dL
Saturday morning: 89 mg/dL
My Blood Glucose does not drop a lot from the fast. The first time it was dramatic but not since then. My overly helpful liver sees to that.
There are some some fried eggs and a pork chop calling my name. (I ran out of bacon. I will have to fix that shortly!)
-T
I seriously doubt that stuff will matter. Even if there’s a couple grams of carbs in it who cares if it’s keeping you able to be comfortable day to day.
Also, just FYI when you use the term “plant medicine” that typically refers to the fun stuff, not herbal remedies 
Ooops. Around these parts, that kind of stuff is referred to as “Weed”.