Vitamin B3 - Niacin
Facts you must know
Niacin or vitamin B3 prevents pellagra, a disease characterised by dermatitis, gastrointestinal disorders and mental disturbance. It also causes premature aging and decreases immunity to infectious diseases. At one time, over 25 percent of admissions to mental hospitals in the southern USA were found to be psychotic pellagrins.
It has been used effectively to improve joint motion with doses of 5000 mg per day in divided doses.
How to use it
The amount to use differs in every situation and can vary from 1000 mg to several thousand mg daily, always taken in divided doses.
IMPORTANT: Nearly every person reacts to niacin by flushing, a warm sensation on the skin. So it is best taken after meals because the body absorbs it more slowly. This is no harmful recation, though. There are also forms of niacin (as a compound with inositol) that do not produce this effect.
If the dose is too high niacin can cause nausea and vomiting after a few days. Then reduce the amount.
Book recommendation
Abram Hoffer, Andrew Saul: Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone