Benefits of Max Calm

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✅  Helps Reduce Anxiety

✅  Improve the Ability to Focus

✅  Higher Absorption Rate, Easy to Feed & Economical

✅  Supports a Balanced Nervous System

✅  FEI Compliant and Show Safe*

✅  Scientifically Proven Ingredients

✅  90 Day Money Back Guarantee 

*Check with your own show organization for the most up to date information as rules may vary.

Disclaimer: The reviews below are for informational purposes and are not intended to substitute veterinary care. Reviews are written by actual customers and represent their own observations of using 100X Equine products.

Why is Max Calm in a liquid format?

References:

Liquid supplements show an absorption rate of 98% while powders / capsules / solids can range from only 3 to 30%. 

The National Advisory Board states that 100 mg consumed in a solid form (tablet / capsule / powder) translates into a concentrate of only 8.3mg or 8.3% in the blood. Not only are liquids more efficiently absorbed, but they are also absorbed faster as they're readily assimilated. (PH Bennett, S Haffner, BL Kasiske, WF Keane, CE, National Advisory Board, - Am J Kidney Dis, 1995) (1)

The Physician's Desk Reference states that 85-90% of nutrients in a liquid supplement are absorbed in 22-30 seconds. Physician's Desk Reference (page 1542, #49) (2)

What's the science behind the Max Calm ingredients?

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha or withania somnifera (WS) is an extract from a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Europe. Extracts from this plant have a very low toxic effect even at extremely high doses. The biologically active substances in this extract are called withanolides, which are naturally occurring steroid all actones (1). The proposed mechanism for the effectiveness of WS is through its gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mimetic activities and anti-inflammatory activities. GABA is a primary inhibitor of excitatory neurotransmission (2). The GABA pathway is a key biochemical pathway for reductions in stress, anxiety, and even fearfulness in humans and animals (1). Due to this, a number of potential ingredients are aimed at altering this pathway. Both GABA and inflammation play a role in stress responses and neurobehavioral disorders. Human studies have reported a wide variety of health benefits, including reductions in reported stress and stress hormones from supplementing with WS (3). Data from universities in the United States have also reported reductions in stress when supplementing with WS, with larger sample sizes and sound methodologies (4–8). Additionally, a study in horses administering 2.5-10g of WS (5%) exhibited increased serotonin levels, decreased cortisol and epinephrine, with no impact of dose range (9).

L-Theanine

Glutamate is the biochemical precursor to GABA (previously discussed for Ashwagandha) but has an excitatory rather than inhibitory effect (2). The intracellular glutamate to GABA ratio is controlled by a single enzymatic step and this ratio is a key mechanism for the modulation of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the central nervous system (10). Glutamate is the excitatory side of this physiologic balance and GABA is the inhibitory neurotransmitter. L-Theanine has a nearly identical chemical structure to glutamate and can therefore compete with glutamate in binding to glutamate receptors, without the excitatory effect. By competing with glutamate, L-theanine has the potential to reduce the excitatory impact of glutamate by overwhelming glutamate receptors. Theoretically, this shifts the physiologic balance to a primarily inhibitory state, reducing central nervous system impulses and “calming” the system. In humans, acute L-theanine administration (200 mg) reduced the physiologic responses to stress in healthy adults and chronic administration reduced depressive symptoms and anxiety and improved sleep quality (11).

L-Tryptophan

L-Tryptophan (TRP) is the precursor to serotonin (a precursor to melatonin) and kynurenine, with kynurenine being the predominant biochemical fate of TRP (12). Both serotonin and kynurenine are important in behavior, mood and cognitive function (13). Both animal and human research are available on TRP and its impact on serotonin levels. In humans TRP supplementation has reduced depressive symptoms and improved mood (14). Another finding which may prove beneficial for a calming agent are the reports of drowsiness after oral doses of TRP(5g) (15).  

Magnesium (Mg)

Supplementation with Mg is safe in both human and equine. This cation is active in a variety of biochemical processes, specifically in relation to the central nervous system as a N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist (17). Both human and equine data are available on the benefits of Mg for stress, mood, and anxiety. In humans, Mg supplementation has been documented to improve anxiety disorder symptoms, sleep, and other mental and depressive disorders (18,19). In horses, oral supplementation of Mg (10g twice daily) has been documented to slow reaction speed response time to a stressor (20). In this study, the reaction time after Mg supplementation was comparable to horses sedated using 0.04 mg/kg body weight of acepromazine. A lower dose of Mg (2.5g twice daily) also slowed reaction speed time but to a lesser degree. Overall, the human and equine data lead to a convincing impact of Mg for calming and general health.

Melatonin

Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and is primarily responsible for circadian rhythm sleep timing. Melatonin has also been proposed to have anti-anxiety effects. Data in animal models demonstrate that melatonin can positively impact the GABA-Glutamate balance by upregulating GABA production and improving GABA receptor binding affinity (21). Additionally, Melatonin reduces oxidative stress associated with stress stimuli. In humans, melatonin effectively reduced preoperative and postoperative anxiety to a similar degree as benzodiazepine (22).

References:

1. Speers AB, Cabey KA, Soumyanath A, Wright KM. Effects of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) on Stress and the Stress- Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2021;19(9):1468–95.

2. Martin DL, Rimvall K. Regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid synthesis in the brain. J Neurochem. 1993 Feb;60(2):395–407.

3. Dar NJ, Hamid A, Ahmad M. Pharmacologic overview of Withania somnifera, the Indian Ginseng. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2015 Dec;72(23):4445–60.

4. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Malvi H, Kodgule R. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Sep;98(37):e17186.

5. Salve J, Pate S, Debnath K, Langade D. Adaptogenic and Anxiolytic Effects of Ashwagandha Root Extract in Healthy Adults: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Study. Cureus. 2019 Dec 25;11(12):e6466.

6. Langade D, Thakare V, Kanchi S, Kelgane S. Clinical evaluation of the pharmacological impact of ashwagandha root extract on sleep in healthy volunteers and insomnia patients: A double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study. J Ethno pharmacol. 2021Jan 10;264:113276.

7. Kelgane SB, Salve J, Sampara P, Debnath K. Efficacy and Tolerability of Ashwagandha Root Extract in the Elderly for Improvement of General Well-being and Sleep: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study. Cureus. 2020 Feb 23;12(2):e7083.

8. Deshpande A, Irani N, Balkrishnan R, Benny IR. A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep quality in healthy adults. Sleep Med. 2020 Aug;72:28–36.

9. Priyanka G, Anil Kumar B, Lakshman M, Manvitha V, Kala Kumar B. Adaptogenic and Immunomodulatory Activity of Ashwagandha Root Extract: An Experimental Study in an Equine Model. Front Vet Sci. 2020;7:541112.

10. Braga JD, Thongngam M, Kumrungsee T. Gamma-aminobutyric acid as a potential post biotic mediator in the gut-brain axis. NPJ Sci Food. 2024 Apr 2;8(1):16.

11. Hidese S, Ogawa S, Ota M, Ishida I, Yasukawa Z, Ozeki M, et al. Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2019 Oct 3;11(10):2362.

12. Jenkins TA, Nguyen JCD, Polglaze KE, Bertrand PP. Influence of Tryptophan and Serotonin on Mood and Cognition with a Possible Role of the Gut-Brain Axis. Nutrients. 2016Jan 20;8(1):56.

13. Gibson EL. Tryptophan supplementation and serotonin function: genetic variations in behavioral effects. Proc Nutr Soc. 2018 May;77(2):174–88.

14. Kikuchi AM, Tanabe A, Iwahori Y. A systematic review of the effect of L-tryptophan supplementation on mood and emotional functioning. J Diet Suppl. 2021;18(3):316–33.

15. Greenwood MH, Lader MH, Kantameneni BD, Curzon G. The acute effects of oral (--)-tryptophan in human subjects. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1975 Apr;2(2):165–72.

16. Davis BP, Engle TE, Ransom JI, Grandin T. Preliminary evaluation on the effectiveness of varying doses of supplemental tryptophan as a calmative in horses. Applied Animal Behavior Science. 2017 Mar 1;188:34–41.

17. Botturi A, Ciappolino V, Delvecchio G, Boscutti A, Viscardi B, Brambilla P. The Role and the Effect of Magnesium in Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2020 Jun3;12(6):1661.

18. Abbasi B, Kimiagar M, Sadeghniiat K, Shirazi MM, Hedayati M, Rashidkhani B. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Res Med Sci. 2012 Dec;17(12):1161–9.

19. Noah L, Pickering G, Mazur A, Dubray C, Hitier S, Dualé C, et al. Impact of magnesium supplementation, in combination with vitamin B6, on stress and magnesium status: secondary data from a randomized controlled trial. Magnes Res. 2020 Aug 1;33(3):45–57.

20. Dodd JA, Doran G, Harris P, Noble GK. 41 Magnesium aspartate supplementation andreaction speed response in horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2015 May1;35(5):401–2.

21. Zhang L, Guo HL, Zhang HQ, Xu TQ, He B, Wang ZH, et al. Melatonin prevents sleep deprivation-associated anxiety-like behavior in rats: role of oxidative stress and balance between GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission. Am J Transl Res. 2017;9(5):2231–42.

22. Madsen BK, Zetner D, Møller AM, Rosenberg J. Melatonin for preoperative and postoperative anxiety in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Dec 8;12(12):CD009861.

Max Calm: The Secret to a Healthier & Happier Horse