What is it?
The pituitary is a small, pea-sized gland located at the base of the brain in the skull. It is the master gland of the body and regulates the hormone production of many other glands in the body. Some examples of this regulation are: growth hormone, thyroid hormone, sex hormones, anti-diuretic hormone (blood pressure regulation), and adrenal stress hormones. The pituitary is divided into two halves: anterior and posterior, both of which perform different functions.

The anterior pituitary plays a role in growth, breast milk production, sex organ functions (male and female), thyroid gland function (and thus metabolism), water balance in the body (and in this way blood pressure), temperature regulation, and it also makes endorphins to relieve pain. The posterior pituitary plays a role in blood pressure control (blood vessel contraction), orgasm, and increasing muscle tone in the body for contractions during childbirth, and intestinal peristalsis. Historically, posterior pituitary was used during childbirth and during intestinal surgery to control hemorrhage and reduce the risk of temporary post-operative loss of intestinal function.

Pituitary Extract
The different aspects of the pituitary gland (anterior or posterior) can be harvested separately from animal sources (bovine, porcine or ovine) and used to supplement individuals who wish to boost any of their hormonal functions. Anterior pituitary extract has been shown to increase growth in rats after prolonged use. Pituitary extract is also used in human cell cultures to increase growth rates. This has been used as rationale for supplementation in humans to increase growth hormone levels. Growth hormone levels decline with aging, so increasing growth hormone is thought to be one means of slowing the physical signs of aging. Significant human research has not been conducted, so the effect of this supplementation in humans cannot be concluded.

How do I take pituitary extract?
First, it is important to ensure that you are taking the correct type of pituitary extract (anterior or posterior) for the results you wish to achieve. These extracts can come in liquid or solid form (tablets or capsules) alone or in combination with herbs, nutrients and other glandulars. The dosing of pituitary extract has not been well studied and like other glandular extracts, is not standardized for content. Because of this, each product should be dosed according to the recommendations on the label.

Important Information
Although the risk of infection with all glandular extracts exists, it is relatively small in most cases. This is not the case with pituitary extracts, particularly those extracted from cows (bovine) because the pituitary is located in the skull, and prion infections are most densely concentrated in the brain (neural tissue). For more information on this risk, please see the glandular extract article here. Also, due to the blood pressure altering affect of both anterior and posterior pituitary extracts, any use should be discontinued prior to surgery and use should be avoided in those taking blood pressure medication unless otherwise directed by a healthcare practitioner.