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Our Members Asked:
What is lumbrokinase, does it have heart benefits, is it safe, and what should you look for, or avoid, in a lumbrokinase supplement?
Answer:
Lumbrokinase supplements are marketed to support cardiovascular health but have also been promoted to help treat chronic infections and slow cancer progression. Its cardiovascular application largely stems from its ability to break down blood clots. Clinical trials of varying quality have evaluated lumbrokinase for treating ischemic stroke and secondary stroke prevention, as well as preventing atherosclerosis and treating coronary artery disease and deep vein thrombosis.
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gary18800
February 22, 2024I contacted Double Wood Supplement about listing their Lumbrokinase in LKU or U units instead of FU units and its reply from Robert Dela Pena, Wellness Consultant, was "Here is a little more information regarding FUs and lumbrokinase. FU stands for Fibrin Units. Lumbrokinase is a complex enzyme found in many different earthworm species that contains both fibrinolytic and proteolytic enzymes. FU measures the fibrinolytic enzyme activity specifically. Whereas LKU measures the entire complex enzyme activity.
There is no way of telling the conversion from one to another." REALLY?
I've requested a total refund on my order, but from the customer service I've received so far I don't expect any success in that either.
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Jean18769
February 18, 2024I will be taking Warfarin for life due to DVTs - but I have plaque in my carotid arteries - I never knew this type of med existed - never even had it suggested -I am going to be asking questions of my Drs - also would like to hear of someone taking this type of med while taking Warfarin.
ConsumerLab.com
February 22, 2024As noted in our article, lumbrokinase can interact with warfarin.
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Daniel18768
February 18, 2024Would love a you see you cover Nattokinase and serrapeptase.
ConsumerLab.com
February 20, 2024Please see our Nattokinase Supplements Review https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/nattokinase-supplement-review/nattokinase/ and our article about serrapeptase https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/does-serrapeptase-work/serrapeptase/.
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Alan18752
February 16, 2024VERY good article. It stated that lumbrokinase should be used cautiously in combination with blood thinners and should not be taken for one week before and up to 2 weeks after surgery. Just wondering. Is it safe to take supplemental lumbrokinase before a blood donation?
ConsumerLab.com
February 22, 2024Thank you for your kind words! Regarding your question, it doesn’t seem advisable to take lumbrokinase before a blood donation.
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Ricky18751
February 16, 2024I had terrible reaction to Double Wood Lumbrokinase. Terrible Nasusea and vomiting. I had high hopes for the supplement because I have heart disease.
Marsha18756
February 17, 2024Look at the Mercola brand Lumbrokinase. It’s on the Mercola Market website. It’s a lower dose, but you could double it if you wanted.
VERONICA18771
February 19, 2024For several months now, my son-in-law has been taking a Japanese brand of Lumbrokinase he buys off of Amazon and he hasn't experienced any side effects, however, it also contains Red Yeast Rice which is said to be a natural statin so perhaps it shouldn't be taken with other statin drugs. Also, I have no financial interest in this product.
Mike18795
February 22, 2024Same here, terrible reaction with Double Wood brand, even though I had used it for a long time before the recent episodic nausea attacks and one paroxysmal vomiting episode.
The symptoms resolved after discontinuation of the product.
ConsumerLab.com
February 22, 2024Thanks for sharing. As noted in our Red Yeast Rice Supplements Review, combining red yeast rice with prescription statin drugs can increase the risk of side effects and should be avoided: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/red-yeast-rice-supplements-review/red-yeast-rice/#cautions
ConsumerLab.com
February 23, 2024As noted in our article above, the Mercola brand lumbrokinase lists activity in fibrinolytic units (FU) rather than lumbrokinase units (LKU). There is no universal conversion from FU (usually a measure of nattokinase activity) to LKU. Also, the Mercola product contains both lumbrokinase and protease, and the enzyme activity is listed as a combination of both enzymes. The activity of lumbrokinase, specifically, is not listed.
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Patricia18748
February 16, 2024We've been waiting quite a while for this ConsumerLab.com article, many thanks.
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Jill18746
February 16, 2024Are there any human studies to support lumbrokinase being used to break down biofilm for chronic infections?
ConsumerLab.com
February 22, 2024Great question! We've added information about this to the following section of our article: https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/what-is-lumbrokinase-does-it-have-heart-benefits-is-it-safe/lumbrokinase-supplements/#other-uses
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James
February 16, 2024Are there any lumbrokinase supplements that contain just the enzymes and not parts of the earthworm? I'm worried about allergic reactions from "earthworm contaminants" as cited in the article
ConsumerLab.com
February 23, 2024ConsumerLab has not tested lumbrokinase supplements. However, research suggests that many commercially available supplements contain a mixture of lumbrokinase enzymes as well as other earthworm proteins and enzymes.
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Frank18744
February 16, 2024Thank you for reviewing this! I believe Boluoke was instrumental in helping me recover from a very bad Lyme disease experience.
ConsumerLab.com
February 22, 2024Thanks for your kind words and for sharing your experience! We're glad to hear that you had a positive experience with lumbrokinase, although, as noted in our article, there do not appear to be clinical studies assessing lumbrokinase for chronic infections: https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/what-is-lumbrokinase-does-it-have-heart-benefits-is-it-safe/lumbrokinase-supplements/#other-uses
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