Nootropics that take your brain to the next level
Nootropics - or ‘smart drugs’ - are compounds that improve brain function. They are an increasingly popular method of giving the mind an extra boost.
However, while nootropics tend to be dietary supplements that do not contain any medical prescription-only active ingredients, smart drugs fall under the Medicines Regulation and contain active medical substances.
According to one study, for example, up to 25% of students at leading British universities take the prescription smart drug ‘Modafinil’. The movers and shakers in Silicon Valley are also trying everything from Adderall to LSD to boost their brains.
I can really recommend some nootropics and am a big fan, but I can warn against others.
The problem with all nootropics or smart drugs is that they combine all sorts of things. Even caffeine and cocaine are nootropics, but they are hardly equivalent. With so many ways to improve brain function, many of which carry significant risks, it is of utmost importance to consider nootropics on a case-by-case basis:
1) Modafinil (Provigil), Armodafinil (Nuvigil) and Adrafinil - focus, motivation, clarity, memory
I first came into contact with Modafinil when I went to San Francisco in May 2017 and visited some start-ups in the Valley. When I started taking modafinil, I felt more energised than I had in years. I took it almost every day in different doses for a few months until the hole came and I realised I was addicted.
A better alternative with almost the same effect is daily Bulletproof coffee. Similar in effect, but easy to obtain, healthy and world-famous.
Modafinil is said to enhance the release of dopamine, but it binds to dopamine receptors differently to addictive drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines. This may be part of the reason modafinil has many of the benefits of other stimulants, but does not cause addiction or withdrawal symptoms. It increases focus, problem solving skills and alertness, but is not in the same class of drugs as Adderall and is not a classic stimulant. Modafinil is not patentable, so you can get it generically. However, it is a prescription drug, so you would need to talk to a doctor beforehand.
2. NeuroMaster from Bulletproof
NeuroMaster is a nootropic based on coffee fruit extract. Coffee fruit extract significantly increases BDNF levels in the brain - even more than exercise alone. BDNF is an important neuroprotein that helps increase neuroplasticity and create new neurons, improving memory and focus.
This is important for the short term and essential for long term development as you lose BDNF as you get older. Lower levels of BDNF are associated with age-related shrinkage of the hippocampus and a decline in memory.
100 mg of coffee fruit extract (the red fruit surrounding coffee beans) increased BDNF levels by about 140% for several studies. The boost lasted a few hours.
3. bacopa monnieri - attention, mood, stress, memory
Bacopa monnieri is a small aquatic plant from India. Bacopa is an adaptogen - it helps the human body to adapt to stress. It also improves memory in healthy adults and improves alertness and mood in people over 65. Scientists still don't fully understand how Bacopa works, but they do know that it has a long-term effect. Study participants felt the effects on memory after four weeks of daily intake. So if you want to try Bacopa, you should stick with it for at least a month.
Many nootropics use bacopa in their stacks, but they often don't use enough to give you real benefits. You should take at least 750 mg daily in combination with a fat to increase absorption.
Dosage of Bacopa Monnieri: At least 750 mg daily, together with a fat source
4. amphetamine (Adderall) - focus... but with high risk and several disadvantages
The pharmaceutical industry has been recommending amphetamine (Adderall) for ADHD patients for years. Unfortunately, it is also becoming increasingly popular without a prescription and for completely different reasons. Almost every 2nd student in the USA takes Adderall, especially during exam time. It's a real shame, because there are much better options.
Amphetamine harbours considerable risks. In healthy adults, it improves attention, focus, motivation to work and short-term memory by increasing the release of dopamine and noradrenaline in the prefrontal cortex. Amphetamine also reduces fatigue, but also makes people nervous and can increase anxiety.
But what is really worrying about amphetamine is its addictive potential and the fact that it can cause stress and anxiety. According to studies, the likelihood of addiction in people diagnosed with ADHD is low, but we know next to nothing about the addictive potential in healthy adults.
Amphetamines cause withdrawal symptoms, so there is a potential for addiction, and Adderal belongs exclusively in the hands of doctors who prescribe it to their patients, but certainly not in the hands of students or even children just so they can get better grades.
5. forskolin & artichoke extract - memory, focus, learning
Since smart drugs such as modafinil, nicotine and Adderall have disadvantages, there are much better alternatives such as Forbose and SmartMode from Bulletproof, CILTEP from Natural Stacks or Alpha Brain from ONNIT. These supplements are safe and widely available and do not require a prescription. Forskolin, for example, (Forbose), has been part of Indian Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Forskolin not only increases pleasure, but also increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a molecule that is essential for learning and memory formation.
Forskolin is particularly effective when combined with artichoke extract. Artichoke extract inhibits PDE4, an enzyme that breaks down cAMP. PDE4 inhibitors make cAMP more available, and when you add the cAMP-enhancing effects of artichoke extract. CILTEP, for example, is based on artichoke extract. Learning, memory and motivation can thus be significantly increased.
SMART MODE from Bulletproof also contains artichoke extract and other cognitive enhancing ingredients.
6. l-theanine - calm alertness, reaction time, mental stamina
L-theanine is a main component of black and green tea. Theanine promotes relaxation, alertness and arousal and works synergistically with caffeine. Together they improve reaction time, memory and mental stamina.
If you want to consume theanine through green tea, it should be at least two cups; or you can take appropriate L-theanine-based nootropics, such as Zen-Mode. If you opt for green tea, it should be tea grown in the shade, as green tea grown in the shade usually has a higher theanine content.
What else you should know about nootropics
When you experiment with nootropics for the first time, it can happen that somehow nothing happens. No supernatural brain, no mental gifts. That's quite normal. However, when you stop, you immediately notice the absence of the nootropic that is suddenly missing. When your brain is working better, it feels so natural that it's hard to notice.
On the other hand, you sometimes feel a big cognitive boost as soon as you take a pill. A boost that reinforces normal behaviour. For better or for worse.
Nootropics can also make you depressed. One of the nootropics, Lucidril for example, has excellent anti-ageing and cognitive benefits for some people, but others become profoundly sad after taking it. After three days on Lucidril, you can feel completely hopeless, but brilliant.
There is an inherent risk when experimenting with pharmaceuticals or illegal drugs such as LSD. The risk is greater than with most natural substances. These can trigger a psychotic experience. However, it is more likely that you will simply get a severe headache if you take too much choline stimulating herbal substances.
Many nootropics, on the other hand, not only improve the quality of life, they also make the brain more resistant to environmental influences.
But how to proceed now? Well...
- Start with the basics: first eliminate the things in your diet and life that reduce cognitive performance. That's the easiest way.
- Then add energisers like Brain Octane (Bulletproof Coffee) and cleanse your diet.
- The next step is to add herbs and other natural nootropics such as shrooms (Four Sigmatic) to the diet
- And only in consultation with a doctor should you use other substances, if at all. Inform yourself thoroughly!
My personal favourite is CILTEP. However, I have recently been increasingly interested in Alpha Brain, as it also touches on the effects of lucid dreaming.
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