7,8-Dihydroxyflavone

Other names 7,8-DHF

7,8-DHF is a compound that exists naturally in the leaves of several trees. It is used by some self-experimenters to improve mood, memory, and focus. It is also sometimes used to aid in learning and studying. But is it effective? Read on to find out what the science says.

This nootropic has no healthy human placebo-controlled studies that meet our inclusion criteria. Negative side effects can occur if used carelessly, so make sure you’re aware of the risks of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone.

Browser our suppliers for 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone

Benefits

Read about the effects of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone in relation to the amount of evidence we've found

Why do people use 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone?

People who self-experiment with 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone often state they use it to improve their:

There is a lack of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of 7,8-DHF for any of these purposes, especially in healthy humans

Summary of state of science of 7,8-DHF in 2020

7,8-DHF is underresearched, with no human studies published.

Can 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone improve your mood?

It is not known whether 7,8-DHF effectively boosts mood in healthy humans due to the lack of high-quality data on it.

Hippocampal neurogenesis is one mechanism by which proven anti-depressants appear to work. [5] In a study on mice with traumatic brain injury, it was found that 7,8-DHF increased hippocampal neurogenesis. [6]

In one animal study [7], 7,8-DHF improved measures of mood in chronically mildly stressed mice after continuous administration, but not after the first dose. Similar results were found in two other animal studies, with mood improvements seen after one day and one week of use, respectively. [8][9]

However, the body of research on 7,8-DHF as a mood-booster is not large or good enough for us to be able to give a definitive and valid answer to whether 7,8-DHF is effective as a mood enhancer in healthy humans.

Can 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone help you learn and remember better?

It is impossible to know whether 7,8-DHF is an effective memory enhancer in healthy humans due to the lack of high-quality research.

In one animal study, the authors concluded that 7,8-DHF improved fear memory and learning in aged rats. [10] If 7,8-DHF "improves" (which means increases) fear memory and learning in human adults, it might result in levels of fear learning that are higher than optimal. This is pure speculation based on evidence with questionable relevance to humans but possibly cause for concern.

In another animal study, the following was found:

"In healthy rats, 7,8-DHF improved object memory formation in the object recognition task when administered both immediately and 3h after learning." [11]

To conclude, 7,8-DHF is a promising compound for learning and memory enhancement, but a lot more data has to be collected on its efficacy before it can be known if it actually enhances any cognitive functions in healthy humans.

Risks

The legality and side effects of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone

How does 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone work?

The neuropsychopharmacological effects of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone have not yet been fully discovered by researchers.

Scientists have discovered that 7,8-DHF increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels (in chronically mildly stressed mice [7]).

It is also known that 7,8-DHF is a TrkB receptor agonist, which means that it binds to the same receptors that BDNF binds to. [13]

Fun fact: DHEA also binds to TrkB receptors. [15]

Is 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone neuroprotective?

It has been found in studies on rats and mice that 7,8-DHF protects dopaminergic neurons against certain forms of chemical insults. [16]

What time of day should you take 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone?

There is no data on what the optimal time of day for use of 7,8-DHF is. There is no evidence that 7,8-DHF impairs sleep if taken before bed-time.

Should you use 7,8-DHF?

One thing that is certain about the effects of 7,8-DHF is that we know relatively little about them. There is a lack of high-quality research, especially in healthy humans.

Because of the lack of research on 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone, we never recommend that people use it.

If you have already decided to use it, here are some guidelines to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks.

How much and how often should you use 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone?

No human studies have examined the effects of 7,8-DHF. People who share on the web how much they tend to use usually consume 10-100mg.

How does it feel when you take 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone?

The following qualitative user experience reports and reviews are included to give you an understanding of what the experience of taking 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone is like.

Anecdotal 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone experience reports and reviews from Reddit

One user of 7,8-DHF reported the following effects:

"I suffer from GAD and OCD and I'd say 7,8-dihydroxyflavone reduces my anxiety by about 30%, which is huge for me, as I normally don't get much of an anxiolytic effect from drugs that aren't benzos, pregabalin or phenibut. The effect lasts about 2 hours for me with some residual effects until the 4 hour mark. There is also some antidepressive action going on. Taking it every other day for a month now I haven't noticed any tolerance building up." [18]

Another person reported no effects [19], and yet another redditor said the following:

"I initially experienced increased motivation and memory improvement but the effects seem to fade away quickly." [20]

One user reported "rebound effects", meaning they got worse after use of 7,8-DHF than before use of it. [21] And this was experienced by another user as well:

"Just finished a month cycle of 50 mg per day, the past week has been really tough, down in the dumps, much slower cognitively, less verbal articulation, and anhedonic.

I was also taking DHEA 50 mg daily and realized it might be a small Trkb agonist as well. I started it again today and feel nominally better but not much. ..."

And this person said the following about his 7,8-DHF experiences before his withdrawal symptoms:

"Mood boost, lower anxiety, more energy, almost manic. Enhanced verbal articulation, clarity, new insights, enhanced creativity. Stuff is awesome til it’s not" [22]

Another redditor reported the following:

"No direct cognitive benefits like enhanced focus/memory/etc, but the fact that I don't feel like crap is nice and can't hurt cognition." [23]

And another person said the following about the effects they experienced from use of 7,8-DHF:

"When it works, it heavily dampens irrational fear/agoraphobia etc., and also does seem to help me focus. It also makes me mildly euphoric at times, though that fact (in addition to the wakefulness, energy etc.) made me want to re-dose during the day, which wasn't good, given that people have warned against downregulating trkb receptors." [24]

Finally, two people reported feeling more focused and balanced after the use of 7,8-DHF. [25]

Studies

Studies conducted on the effects of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone in healthy humans

Last updated Saturday, June 10, 2023