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After seeing this and this, followed by more research, I have decided to jump on the astragalus bandwagon. I have been aware of the notion of telomere lengthening for some years now, but Jim Green's protocol (apparently a well-developed work-in-progress, as of this writing) makes telomerase activation look positively feasible for average humans that can't afford Geron's fees.

Mr. Green started his experiment two years ago, at 58 years of age. I figure, why wait that long? I'm going to do what I can to stave off the aging process before it has much chance to get started.

So here I am, age 35-and-a-bit, wondering how to make astragalus root taste like something other than dusty twig with a sprinkle of aspartame. I've read that it has a pleasantly sweet flavour - must be an acquired taste.

Today was my third day consuming astragalus root. For the past three days (since June 2), I've been drinking a tablespoon (about 10 g) of powdered astragalus root mixed with water in the morning. Tastes a bit nasty, but it's at least chuggable, and doesn't leave any aftertaste that another glass of water won't fix. Dose is about a third of what I should be taking, if this batch is of average potency, astragaloside-wise. I have had unexpected moments of a calm sub-blissful state - unknown whether this is because of the astragalus poking my neurochemicals, or because of a subconscious feeling of "I really might have all the time in the world". I wonder if deeply religious folks feel something like that, but stronger.

Today, I also picked up some whole sliced astragalus root, along with some other vitamins and extracts for the protocol. As I suspected, it's quite a bit cheaper per-gram at one of the Asian market stores than from the health food store, even accounting for the cost of grinding. The yellow colour is even a little brighter in the sliced root than in the powder. Chewed on a slice a little bit - all the flavour of the powdered product, but tough and woody. It'd take me half an hour to choke down one slice. Two slices have been sitting in some boiling water for about fifteen minutes now - time to see if it's more palatable.

...the "tea" is actually pretty good. The roots are tough and fibrous, but far less unpleasant-tasting than they were raw. Still don't want to swallow them, but I can at least chew the boiled roots a bit to extract some of what wasn't leached out into the water. I should find out how much of the various astragalosides actually get extracted by decoction. Whole roots may not turn out to be economical if the active ingredients can't be extracted easily without a proper chemistry lab. After downing the last of the tea, I'm noticing the same mild stomach bloat I get after drinking the powdered astragalus, so something must have been extracted. (quiet belch) Ahh, much better.

Also working on a list of what foods/substances to consume or avoid during the two phases of the treatment. Eliminating sources of quercetin from my diet for two weeks out of four might suck.

And now, I must floss. Note to self: Chewing on tasty boiled wood is only fun for a minute or two at the outside.