Histamine is a chemical produced in the body from the essential amino acid histidine. Histidine is metabolised into the neurotransmitter Histamine, which is used by the body in response to foreign substances. Histidine plays an important part in the production of red and white blood cells. It also helps to maintain the myelin sheath. Histamine also opens up blood vessels.
Histidine is released from mast cells when provoked by such things as nettle and bee stings.
US doctors involved in Procarin think people with MS are deficient in histamine and oxygen. Caffeine is a nerve stimulant. The natural hormones used in Procarin are believed to be primarily progesterone and some oestrogen. Progesterone is thought to stimulate myelination and the myelin-producing cells. Mo Sidney, from Exeter in Devon, is one of the first people with MS in this country to try Procarin.