Mounting evidence suggests that nutrition plays a huge role in depression by affecting levels of systemic inflammation. Inflammatory molecules and cytokines are able to have these sort of effects is because they are able to cross over the blood-brain-barrier and disrupt neurotransmitter production and release. Sulforaphane, which is high in broccoli sprouts, has been shown to lower biomarkers of inflammation including CRP and IL-6 by as much as 20% in humans.
I recently saw a video with Dr. Jed Fahey interviewed by Rhonda Patrick. Broccoli seeds have more sulforaphane than their sprouts. I have been grinding a 3:1 mixture of broccoli seeds & mustard seeds with a pepper grinder/mill . I don’t know if I am reaping the nutritional benefits and would love feedback. I use it on salads as a type of garnish.
Did you ever get this answered? I hate sprouting and wanted to just eat raw broccoli seeds but see warnings if high erucic acid.
So wouldn’t simply soaking the seeds overnight with some warm water and ACV remove most of the acids? Then the seeds could just be added to the smoothie?
Did you ever get this answered? I hate sprouting and wanted to just eat raw broccoli seeds but see warnings if high erucic acid
Hi there! I really enjoyed your latest podcast on the Tim Ferriss Show. Can you tell me if there is an Organic Broccoli Sprout powder that you have used and/or approve of? Thank you!
What brand of sulphoraphane supplements do you recommend?
Hi, @Jshopper! We talk about brands of sulforaphane supplementation in another thread. Click here to view.
cc/ @amethyst
What brand did Dr. Fahey recommend, that was available in the US
If you review the graph shown on @rhonda’s interview of Dr. Jed Fahey (chairman of the Cullman Chemoprotection Center at Johns Hopkins) at 00:21:05 you can see the three categories of supplements that each of the brands mentioned above represent with their products: glucoraphanin, glucoraphanin + myrosinase, and stabilized sulforaphane (far left).
So can I just grind the seeds instead of sprouting and be ok? Is it safe and just as effective?
Did you ever get this answered? I hate sprouting and wanted to just eat raw broccoli seeds but see warnings if high erucic acid
If sprouting is not convenient (and also because the fresh sprouts contain a myrosinase inhibitor), it is possible to buy 100% whole broccoli sprout powders or capsules which generate significant levels of sulforaphane when ingested.
Here is a dropbox link to a bunch of documents from the Caudill Seed company that pretty much supports all stuff from the podcast. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gmmmx8l9qakdprb/AAD0whdq7sRejrUn56D-5WjKa?dl=0
To expand on the flashpoint post below I got some seeds from Caudill Seed company which are bred for high glucoraphanin content and patented. www.cs-health.com They are nice people and they know about your work. I got the seeds for sprouting but after hearing Jed talk about the higher content in seeds I also ground some up in a coffee grinder. I mixed with tahini, almond butter and sea salt and the taste wasn’t bad. My question is: Is there some way to get a rough guess of what volume of seeds to consume daily for optimum countering of prostate cancer and is there a toxic level? Is there a ballpark guess of how much glucoraphanin is in, say, a tablespoon of seeds?
Did you ever get this answered? I hate sprouting and wanted to just eat raw broccoli seeds but see warnings if high erucic acid.
I agree with Kiltie5 and flashpoint’s comments about the fantastic podcast. I’ve been sprouting for over a month but if grinding the seeds is as good if not better then, then I too would love to know how many grams and should you grind just prior to consuming or can you grind and store? Thank you so much!
Did you ever get this answered? I hate sprouting and wanted to just eat raw broccoli seeds but see warnings if high erucic acid.
I was doing the Budwig Flax seed protocol for a while and read that you should grind the flax seeds for each batch because they oxidize in about 20 minutes. I’m guessing that would be true of any seeds. With broc seeds since I mixed them with tahini, I’m guessing the lack of air exposure would help preserve them. Love to hear Rhonda’s take on the grinding thing. Seems like they might make a good smoothie ingredient as well. Also wondering, given the choice between sprouts and ground seeds, is there any benefit the sprouts have that the seeds don’t?
Broccoli seeds contain a toxin, erucic acid which gradually disappears as the seeds sprout. I would be very concerned about consuming ground broccoli seeds.
Excerpts from the Abstract to a 2002 paper by West et al. entitled “Determination and Health Implication of the Erucic Acid Content of Broccoli Florets, Sprouts, and Seeds” state…
“The erucic acid content of broccoli florets, sprouts, and seeds was found to be about 0.8, 320, and 12100 mg/100 g, respectively. The estimated dietary intake of erucic acid from florets and sprouts was considered of little consequence, whereas in seeds a relatively small amount (about 35 g/wk) equaled our calculated exposure limit for erucic acid.”
Some supplement manufacturers produce broccoli seed ‘extracts’ and these are available to buy. Whilst the extraction process removes the erucic acid, it also destroys the myrosinase enzyme which is necessary to produce the health-promoting compound, sulforaphane. Please dont be tempted to consume broccoli seeds. The erucic acid in seeds is approx. 40 times more concentrated than in the sprouts, so the risk of toxicity is high. Erucic acid has been reported to adversely affect cardiovascular function. Best to consume the fresh sprouts or a 100% whole sprout powder or capsules with everything intact - apart from removal of water.
Thanks for posting that, interesting. I wonder if it enough to cause any harm and if it would outweigh the benefits of the increased glucoraphanin concentration. Curious that Dr. Fahey suggested consuming the seeds. Hopefully he or Rhonda can comment on this point.
After the podcast, Dr. Fahey did release a “frequently asked questions” page bringing up seed consumption.
Loved both yours and the Dr Fahey videos. Although I like to sprout, sometimes they’re not ready when you need them. I decided to try grinding the seeds and found them to be very easy on the tastebuds, nowhere near as bad as Dr Fahey would have us think. The first time I mixed them with hummus and the second time I sprinkled them on my bowl of squash soup. I’m just not sure how much of the ground seeds I should use. As I love to garden I am hoping you could tell me which cultivars Dr Fahey used, I would love to grow my own seed. Thank you for the great work you do.
In your podcast “sulforaphane and its effects…” you suggested 160grams broccoli sprouts was a maximum amount of sulforaphane tested that showed positive results in certain studies.
I’m wondering, after Jed Fahey said the seeds where actually richer in glucoraphanin and still contained myrosinase, do you know a comparable dose of just seeds to get the same levels of glucoraphanin as 160 grams sprouts? Will the Myrosinase start working on the ground seeds if they are dry or do they need a medium like water interact? In other words, are the ground seeds shelf stable, for how long, should they be refrigerated? I ground some seeds in a coffee grinder and mixed it with my morning probiotics and water, and it was fairly innocuous, and as you mentioned in the podcast, much less trouble than sprouting.
Thanks for all your hard work, and insights!