Magnolia

Negative side effects of magnolia

In one study, 44 patients received 60mg magnolia extract daily for 24 weeks. The authors of the study concluded that magnolia was safe and did not lead to tolerance or dependence [2].

In another similar study, magnolia was found very safe when used by 334 participants in 60mg doses once daily for 12 weeks [1]. The side effect frequency was 1.2%, compared with 1% in people who did not take magnolia (this means that magnolia likely had no negative side effects and that the side effects experienced were probably due to other factors). The participants were all menopausal women and the side effects that were the most frequent were gastralgia (stomach ache), blood loss, constipation, and breast tension.

Magnolia is likely safe if used in appropriate doses for up to 24 weeks. However, more data is needed on the safety of high doses, and long-term use.

Should you use magnolia?

One thing that is certain about the effects of magnolia 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 magnolia, 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 magnolia?

The only human studies that have examined the safety and efficacy of magnolia in humans used 60mg of the extract. It was taken daily for 12-24 weeks.

Self-experimenters posting how they use it on the web tend to report using it in doses between 200mg to 1g.

What time of day should you take magnolia?

Considering that magnolia may cause sedation (especially in high doses) [7], it is probably best not to take it in the morning.

How does it feel when you take magnolia supplements?

The following qualitative user experience reports and reviews are included to give you an understanding of what the experience of taking magnolia supplements is like.

Anecdotal magnolia experience reports and reviews from Reddit

One person on Reddit said the following:

"For me it wasn't as strong of an anxiolytic as ashwagandha. I took 200mg and it's anxiolytic effect was very mild. I had some slight difficulty breathing while on it" [8]

Another redditor said:

"... from my experience it’s fantastic for late night anxiety to be able to fall asleep. I have awful anxious insomnia ..." [9]

And one person said:

"I have been using it on and off for about 2 weeks (400mg - 1200mg) and i notice mild anxiety relief. When I start getting higher doses (2g-4g) it becomes sedating. First time with 1.2g it was very stoney and sedating, second time was dizzy, slight vertigo and i felt sick.. I say don't bother with over 1.5g." [10]

Two other people said helped it made them fall asleep easier/faster and one person said it reduced anxiety for them [11][12].

Yet another redditor had the following experience:

"It's really effective for sleep but I haven't found a dosage that just chills me out without putting me to sleep." [13]

And finally, a long-term nootropics user said the following about their self-experiments with magnolia:

"I've taken our magnolia bark every single day for months, then stopped cold turkey without any issues. My team and I have also been experimenting with larger doses of 400mg, and found it to be simulating." [14]

Which are the active ingredients in magnolia?

The compounds magnolol and honokiol are likely responsible for the effects of magnolia on mood and cognition [15][16][17].

How does magnolia work?

The neuropsychopharmacological effects of magnolia products have not yet been fully discovered by researchers.

Researchers have found up-regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [18], normalization of the serotonergic system [19][20], and GABAergic effects from active ingredients in magnolia.

Is magnolia neuroprotective?

It has been found that honokiol from magnolia can be neuroprotective in mice when blood came back into their brain after a stroke (this usually leads to neuronal cell death, which honokiol prevented) [21].

Honokiol was found protective against glutamate toxicity (also known as excitotoxicity) in a mouse model [22].

It has been shown in several animal and cell studies that magnolia protects brain cells against damage done by certain chemical insults [23][24][25].

Whether it is neuroprotective in humans is not yet known, but it likely is in some but not all circumstances of increased risk for neuronal damage.