Cytodyne Maximum Strength Taraxatone Safe Cutting & Water Loss Supplement or Dangerous Diuretic?
Written: Aug 13 '03 (Updated Aug 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Safe when taken according to the directions.
Cons: Sadly, most people abuse this type of product.
The Bottom Line: Do an hour of reading on this and other water reduction and diuretic products so you'll know the pros and cons – and whether this is right for you.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Taraxatone Maximum Strength By Cytodyne |
In the world of competitive bodybuilding, there is little room for error. Preparation for such competitions starts months before the date arrives and involves manipulating the body’s metabolism, dieting down, training hard and trying to avoid becoming a mental zombie. There are numerous products on the market that will allow you to reduce the amount of subcutaneous water your body is storing, by doing this you are allowing the muscle to shine through in their pristine state – showing off all that hard work and the results of a restrictive diet, mental fatigue and hundreds of hours of lifting. When bodybuilders are prepping for a contest, better judgment isn’t always something that is used and often times they find themselves behind the eight ball and in need of a quick fix to drop the water weight. But this isn’t just a bodybuilding routine, it also happens with wrestlers that need to make a certain weight class, boxers before a weigh-in and other athletes that are categorized by weight class.
I’ll be brutally honest here; no professional in his or her right mind would ever take this before a competition – on any level - pro card or not. Why? Because it may or may not work, even if it has worked for you in the past, there is no guarantee that the water will be flushed from the system. This is something that needs to be timed right in order for it to be effective, you’ll only get the best results from this in the first 48 hours after you’ve completed the “loading dose”. Aside from the monetary investment, this isn’t something that you will be able to take for an extended period of time. Imagine a sponge that’s filled with water, if it gets squeezed enough times, eventually it will lose its elasticity. The same thing can happen with the human body, if this is taken too often [and usually at much huger doses than suggested], you are risking dehydration, severe muscle cramps, heat stroke and possible internal organ damage. If you think I am kidding I have two words for you - Andreas Munzer. If that isn’t familiar – do a search and read about how he died from abusing diuretics [as well as anabolic steroids, aspirin and HGH]. I don’t mean to scare you and I’m certainly not telling you that you are going to die from this – just pointing out a few examples of what could happen when products like this are abused. Is that [side effects] worth a check for $500.00 and a trophy? To you it might not be, but to that gym rat that has invested years in training, food and supplements – it is a small price to pay. Sadly, years after the muscles fade and they are hooked up to a dialysis machine or awaiting a liver or kidney transplant – that trophy and fifteen minutes of fame don’t seem all that impressive.
Cytodyne Maximum Strength Taraxatone
Touted as one of the most effective diuretics on the market, it is pitched to the bodybuilding community as a way to prep for a show or contest. As I said, no pro in his or her right mind would ever use this because it is too unpredictable and the results aren’t guaranteed. Having been around a number of mid level bodybuilders, these types of products are considered for the extreme novice or someone who is going on vacation and wants to show off his or her six pack [abdominal muscles]. The pros stick with an intravenous application of a diuretic or a strong oral compound [usually Lasix or Aldactone]. Now, that’s not to say that all the professionals are using these types of gray area products* – but you have to be living in a dream world to think that they are doing this all naturally. That is what really kills me about the whole “sport” of bodybuilding – it’s no long who trained the hardest or who has the best genetics – It’s who has the best connection to the juice.
Cytodyne Maximum Strength Taraxatone is a combination of vitamins, minerals and herbs that work to coax water out from the body. Most of it is the subcutaneous water that’s often called ‘bloat’ but some of the water is drawn from other parts of the body. This is where things can get dangerous – if abused and the recommended dosage is exceeded – you could be pulling out water from vital organs and muscle tissue. If taken according to the directions and with knowledge, there is little chance that this could harm you – but just like the entire ephedrine scene – people insist on abuse supplements and it’s the manufacturers that get the blame for it, not the moron that took ten tablets or capsules instead of three. Now, for those that can read and comprehend a product label, this is a ‘safe’ product to take – but you have to read the warnings, precautions and know what you are getting yourself into before you start taking it.
My Personal Usage
I started taking this after I tried a few other similar products and liked the results. I didn’t do it for the conventional reason – removing water for a show – but rather to eliminate bloating during “that” time of the month. Some months were worse than others and the usual over the counter ‘feminine products’ just weren’t cutting it for me. Instead of the recommended three capsules two times a day I only took one and it was enough to relieve a majority of the water retention from my cycle. It wasn’t enough to make any noticeable different to my abdominal area or to get me into a ripped state – but that wasn’t why I started taking it. Over the past week I did up the dosage amount to two capsules twice a day and did see some water loss but I am not going to go with the full dosage amount – there’s no need for me to and it’s a complete waste of the product.
Recommended Dosage
Since this product isn’t regulated by the FDA and none of the claims have been investigated, you have only the manufacturers recommendations to go by. They suggest, on the label, that you take three capsules after an early meal and three capsules in the afternoon, preferably after you’ve eaten. That’s six capsules a day – and a standard bottle only has 60 capsules so you are looking at a $20.00 tab for each ten day cycle. Even more interesting is the suggestion that you should drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Now, if you are taking this to try and rid yourself of water – how is pumping more of it into your system going to help you? That’s the true paradox of products like these – they, manufacturers and athletes, know what they are being used for but to protect everyone involved they add the little line about proper hydration. That’s like telling someone who is on a diet to ‘have a little piece of cake, it won’t hurt you”. In the immortal words of one of the meat necks at the gym “you take a diuretic to get rid of water – but it tells you to take with water – I don’t get it” … I guess you had to be there to get the humor from it.
Ingredients
Vitamin B6, magnesium [magnesium gluconate], taraxacum officinale extract, uva ursi extract [herbal diuretic], hydroxanthine complex [green tea and yerba extracts], quisetum hiemle, TX-HP, binders [calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, gelatin]. The TX-HP mystery ingredient is combination of taurine [amino acid], apium graveolens [celery] petroselinum crispum [parsley leaves]. The manufacturers claim that this product replaces potassium and magnesium that may be lost during the extraction process but I’d suggest either adding these to your diet through supplementation or eating a few extra bananas – this will help keep your muscles from cramping, one of the possible side effects of taking this product.
Warnings & Precautions
Since this is a product that will pull water from your body and is used for cutting phases prior to competitions, you should keep track of your body weight as well as your body fat levels when you take this. Knowing what your starting point is and your progress will help you fine tune the dosage amount – some people might not need to take three capsules twice a day and it might end up doing more harm than good. If you are pregnant or nursing, you should not take this product. If you have any recurring health issues such as heat stroke, heat sensitivity, prostate cancer, are taking any prescription medical or are currently being treated for any type of depression, anxiety or mental illness, you should not take this without first consulting a qualified health care provider.
If at any time while taking this, you feel unusually warm, light headed, dizzy or lose your balance easy, you may be experiencing the onset of heat exhaustion. Discontinue using this and seek medical attention. While this product contains vitamins, minerals and herbs it is designed to remove excess water from your body. Depending on your physical composition, this may pull too much water at too rapid a pace for your body to adjust. Please do your research before taking this product, know what the possible side effects are and always consult a physician before adding a new supplement to your diet.
Things To Know
This product isn’t stimulant free. It contains green tea and yerba extracts that provide the equivalent of 60 milligrams of caffeine per three capsule serving. For those that are looking for a stimulant free product, look elsewhere. While the amount is small, it is still present and is something that you should be made aware of when considering purchasing and taking this product. For the vegans out there – this product contains gelatin and therefore should be avoided. If you still wish to take this product you can remove the contents of the capsule and take it orally with water. The gel capsule is the only part that contains gelatin however strict vegans will pass on this since the ingredients were packaged with the gelatin.
This should be kept out of reach of children and should not be taken by anyone under the age of 18. So far this hasn’t been age restricted but I do see it coming in the future. These bottles are not child-proof so you should make sure that this [and all medications and supplements] are well out of the reach of a child. If you want to take an extra precaution you can purchase a metal lock box to store your supplements and medications in or ask your pharmacist for a few extra child=proof bottles. Most will give them to you free of charge if you are a customer but you can purchase them for about .25 cents a piece. Purchase the largest one they have so all you have to do is slip the entire bottle into the child-proof container.
The Bottom Line
This is a great product if it is used correctly but it can be extremely dangerous if abused. Like everything else in life, there are no short cuts, you didn’t gain the weight in a day so don’t expect to lose it in a day. From my stand point the product worked great – but I am probably the exception to the norm. Most users are looking for a quick and efficient way to drop water weight and get a ripped physique. Dieting and cardiovascular activities are a much safer alternative for body builders who are looking to reduce subcutaneous water but its often overlooked and tossed by the wayside. To most it is easier to take some capsules or pills and ‘sweat it out’ than it is to add an additional 30 minutes of cardio to their routine. I’ll suggest this for people who are looking to get rid of excess water but not for those that are out of shape and looking for a short cut to the “six pack of abs”. When taken according to the instructions, and after the warnings and precautions have been read and understood, this is a safe product – but the bottom line is that its only as safe as you make it. Abuse it and you might pay a very dear price….
As always, thanks for the visit…
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2006 Freak369
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* = gray area products – Items that are not controlled or scheduled by the FDA [Food & Drug Administration] or the DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency]. These are items that aren’t currently illegal but are being investigated or are in the process of becoming scheduled.
Recommended:
Yes
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