The value of this book http://www.amazon.com/Pregnenolone-Approach-Longevity-Emotional-Well-Being/dp/0943685281/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408651191&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=pregnenonlone is that it is short and succinct and makes a great case. Good place to begin learning about the value of pregnenolone (and DHEA) hormone replacement.
I wanted to preserve the following because you don't see (how to take this hormone) explained elsewhere - differences between different ways of taking pregnenolone.
http://www.life-enhancement.com/magazine/article/95-exclusive-interview-with-ray-sahelian-md-the-promise-of-pregnenolone
DR. SAHELIAN: I've been experimenting with different forms. Today, I'm on 20 mg of sublingual. I've tried the regular pills, the micronized, the sublingual, the cream. In fact, today some company up in Toronto called me to send me the spray form of pregnenolone. I like them all. They seem to have different effects in subtle ways.
And my thought is that with each form, we're getting a different set of steroid hormones circulating in our system. Let's say you ingest the oral. It goes to the liver, where much of it is changed from pregnenolone into 17-hydroxy pregnenolone and to DHEA and to progesterone, and the whole mix and whatever is poured into the blood stream goes into the central nervous system giving a different effect. With the micronized form, most of it goes into lymphatic system, and it gets to the bloodstream, mostly as pregnenolone or 17-hydroxy pregnenolone. And in the brain, well, it would have a little different effect. Sublingually, you get most of it as pregnenolone, quicker to the brain.
As to the cream? Who knows how much of it is getting in and how it's changing before it gets into the blood.
So basically, practically speaking, I'm telling people I don't know in the long term which one of these forms is going to be healthiest for us. If you're taking it for 5 or 10 years, it may be better to let the liver work with it a little bit. But for practical purposes I tell people, try at least two or three different forms and stick with the one that you prefer, the one that's giving you the best CNS effect or the best effect for your particular mental or medical condition. Or sometimes you can even combine two forms.
One of the reasons pregnenolone often seems to have as many benefits as vitamin C is because the body makes all other steroid hormones from it (out of cholesterol). The theory is that you can "rest" the adrenals by taking preg (and DHEA) and thus my interest - making my own cortisol. Women should love that a "pregnenolone spray" can erase wrinkles, etc.