The basics, self-tracking, and diet come first. Supplements, hormones, and pharmaceuticals come after the foundations are in place. Once those foundations are in place, the categories below cover what to consider and in what order. The line between nutrient and drug is rarely drawn clearly, and commercial motives blur it further.[1] Coffee is one example: its effects on serotonin closely resemble those of carbon dioxide and thyroid hormone.[2]

Substance categories

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Hormones
Thyroid hormones, progesterone, cortisol, adrenaline, and related hormones. The most physiologically significant group. Most hormonal imbalances resolve through diet and lifestyle before direct supplementation is needed.
Vitamins
Fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (B vitamins, C). Deficiencies are common under chronic stress or a high-PUFA diet.
Minerals
Magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, and others. Many are depleted by stress and a poor diet. A nutrient-dense diet covers most needs; targeted supplementation addresses specific deficits.
Pharmaceuticals
Low-dose anti-inflammatory and metabolic drugs: aspirin, cyproheptadine, progesterone (Progest-E), Methylene blue, and others. Explored after dietary and lifestyle interventions are in place. Aspirin and T3 both increase mitochondrial uncoupling.[3]
Antibiotics
Tetracycline-class antibiotics (tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline) at sub-antimicrobial doses for their anti-inflammatory and anti-endotoxin effects.
Proteins
Gelatin and collagen sources provide glycine and other amino acids that balance the methionine in muscle meat. Gelatin has no tryptophan and only small amounts of cysteine, methionine and histidine, so using it as a major protein restricts the amino acids tied to many problems of aging.[4] Cutting methionine alone lengthened the lifespan of rats.[5]
Recreational drugs
Harm-reduction context for alcohol, nicotine, and others from a bioenergetic perspective.

See the Substance sheet for a reference table of individual substances (dosage, mechanism, sourcing).

Danny Roddy's substance tier list

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Danny Roddy ranked substances by affordability, ease of obtainment, and effectiveness, from S (best) to D (riskiest). He frames it as personal experience rather than a universal or definitive ranking; treat it as one experienced practitioner's working opinion, not a settled hierarchy.[6]

Tier Substances Notes
S Vitamin D, Mushrooms, Aspirin, Coffee, Fancy French cheeses, Cascara, Antibiotics, milk powder pancakes Cheap, easy to get, and effective enough that he leads with them. Vitamin D: targets 40-55 ng/mL, suppresses PTH. Mushrooms: needs long cooking to remove agaritine. Cascara: reliable laxative. Antibiotics: can resolve chronic bacterial-overgrowth-linked rashes quickly.
A Milk, grounding pad, calcium carbonate (eggshells), Progesterone, Thyroid hormone, Olive oil High value but each needs some troubleshooting. Milk intolerance can flag hormonal issues (thyroid, estrogen, progesterone). Thyroid hormone dosing is, per Roddy, the topic he fields the most questions about.
B Cyproheptadine, carrot, niacinamide (B3), oysters, liver, wine as a negative-ion generator Real benefits with real caveats: carrot pesticide exposure, niacinamide nausea at high doses.
C Lidocaine, gelatin hydrolysate, Methylene blue, DHEA, bone broth Roddy's own experience with these is limited or mixed; bone broth flagged for contamination risk without certified sourcing.
D Oral Vitamin A supplements, pregnenolone, blood donation, store-bought fresh orange juice His riskiest tier. Oral Vitamin A: prefers food sources over supplements, citing allergenic/thyroid-suppressing potential. Pregnenolone: flagged for difficulty of clean production and risk of fermenting to estrogenic byproducts. Blood donation: risky specifically for underweight or malnourished people.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Ray Peat, "Caffeine: A vitamin-like nutrient, or adaptogen," raypeat.com.
  2. ↑ Ray Peat, "Caffeine: A vitamin-like nutrient, or adaptogen," raypeat.com.
  3. ↑ Ray Peat, "Fatigue, aging, and recuperation," raypeat.com.
  4. ↑ Ray Peat, "Gelatin, stress, longevity," raypeat.com.
  5. ↑ Orentreich N, Matias JR, DeFelice A, Zimmerman JA. "Low methionine ingestion by rats extends life span," J Nutr. 1993;123(2):269-274. doi:10.1093/jn/123.2.269. PMID 8429371. Male Fischer 344 rats; dietary methionine 0.86% to 0.17% gave a 30% longer life span, not explained by food restriction.
  6. ↑ Danny Roddy, "Bioenergetic Basics #6: What Are The Best Ray Peat Substances? Thyroid? Aspirin? Methylene Blue?," YouTube.
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