In a simple sense, nootropics are drugs and supplements that improve brain power or provide some degree of positive change for our minds.
While there are a few definitions to what a nootropic really is, most people will agree that they are smart drugs that boast a low side effect profile when used correctly.
There are several different types of nootropics – natural as well as synthetic – ranging from herbal remedies such as tea to more “hardcore” compounds that produce very pronounced effects. The best nootropics are often the most-researched, being potential treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s or other cases of dementia.
Nootropics hold the promise of helping with:
- memory storage and recall
- cognition or ability to pay attention and comprehend ideas
- reasoning ability
- decision-making
- problem-solving
- ability to communicate
- motivation
Some people use nootropics for medicinal reasons, to combat a deficiency caused by a disease or a genetic problem. Sufferers of debilitating mental illnesses may find that nootropics help to improve their mood and outlook on life.
On the other hand, there are a vast number of people who use nootropics to push their limits – to break down any remaining barriers between their wills and what they can achieve.
Even still, some users are involved for recreational or creative purposes because of the mind-expanding effect that nootropics can have.
What Nootropics Are Not?
A critical definition of nootropics is that they convey some benefit to the brain and that they are almost completely non-toxic.
Warning: You need to be aware that many so-called nootropics available today contain stimulants like caffeine, ephedrine, or any other psychoactive drugs that temporarily increase your alertness. They do have a powerful effect on your brain, but not necessarily positive. They do not have any long-term health benefits. The primary of these is Adderall, which is a medical drug associated with significant side effects and toxicity damage to your brain’s dopamine neurons. Certainly not what you want.
Another commonly mislabeled drug is Modafinil. This is a prescription drug used to treat narcolepsy and other sleeping disorders. The list of side effects of Modafinil is long and not pretty; including chest pain, anxiety, and hallucinating.
These compounds all fall into the category of cognition enhancer because they do or may increase cognitive abilities but only in the short term and with no long-term health benefits. Please stay away from such brain health supplements that contain these stimulants as mention above.
How Do Nootropics Work?
Nootropics work like any other drug would – to cause a chemical change within the body to achieve desired effects.
However, the mechanism through which they act is much more complex than that of a drug for peripheral use such as ibuprofen. The structure of the human brain is a complicated matter, with many features and concepts that scientists still largely don’t understand.
Mainly, nootropics affect our neurotransmitter systems, which are responsible for creating physical pathways that determine our mood and the way we think. Some of them either increase levels of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, or prevent current levels from dropping below an optimal amount.
There are even some nootropics that can lower certain neurotransmitter levels. Either way, the chemical balance of our brains is altered in order to attain a degree of higher intelligence, at least on a temporary basis.
The cognitive enhancement observed by many users can be permanent, especially with the ones that affect nerve growth coupled with a balancing of neurotransmitters.
As psychology tells us, an effort towards a change in behavior plus the help of a drug can achieve extraordinary results in bettering one’s self.
What are the benefits of taking Nootropics?
There are many areas of cognition that nootropic substances can help a person improve. Many of them are noticeable, such as mood and our basic five senses. Extra memory and speed are traits that are commonly sought after, although they may not always be noticeable without doing tests of mental function.
People have claimed that nootropics are helpful in everyday life, being providers of mental clarity that is needed to carry out simple routines.
Everyone has times where it’s harder to think than usual, or they need an extra kick in the cognition department in order to carry out activities with finesse. Perfectionism is occasionally the goal when it comes to cognitive enhancers, since it’s a competitive world for students and skilled workers.
Nootropics help protect the brain by keeping it safe from chemical and physical injuries. They also improve cognitive abilities and affect areas like memory, energy levels, overall mood, and they can even help people with depression. Nootropics are also used to improve concentration and learning abilities, as well as focus.
When we take a nootropic, we flood our brain with the chemicals it needs to work properly. Once the chemical levels in our brains are optimized, we think more clearly, we have more motivation and energy to cope with the problems of everyday life. There are no side effects that could compromise your health.
Here are 7 ways smart drugs can improve our quality of life:
1. Soak Up Information Like a Sponge
One of the benefits of nootropics is that some of these compounds can improve your ability to focus – this could be a real advantage when you need to learn something fast. IDRA-21 is one of the new smart drugs that is being praised for its ability to improve attention span and increase learning ability. Sunifiram is a type of attention enhancer that may improve your ability to absorb information.
2. Supercharge Your Memory
Memory is something most of us take for granted – it is only really when we have embarrassing memory-lapses (like forgetting a client’s name) that we appreciate this mental ability. If you’ve ever seen the TV show Unforgettable, you might get an idea of some of the benefits of having a powerful memory. Smart drugs aren’t yet capable of giving you a photographic memory, but they can improve your ability to remember names, lists, and the bits of potentially useful information you can across during your day-to-day life.
3. Give Your Brain a Jolt of Energy
It doesn’t really matter how smart or creative you are, if you don’t have enough energy, it can be hard to even get out of bed in the morning. In order to find success in life, we need lots of energy. Regular exercise and eating a healthy diet is crucial but there may be times when this is just not enough. If you have some type of deadline to meet, you could probably benefit from some extra endurance – this is where smart drugs like adrenergics can make a real difference.
4. Give Your Self-Esteem a Boost
The thing that most excites me about smart drugs the possibility of having more control over my life. It’s very empowering stuff, and it’s going to boost my self-esteem. I need to know that there are things I can do to improve my chances of success in the future – otherwise, what’s the point?
5. Deal with Stress Like a Zen Monk
Stress is not only bad for your health, it can also prevent you from performing well on work projects or during exams. If you can increase your ability to manage stress, it is going to make it easier for you to succeed in life – as well as stay alive long enough to enjoy your success. Phenibut is one of the nootropics that is said to be good for stress management. It works by inhibiting excessive activity in the brain – in other words, it calms you down.
6. Allow Your Creativity to Blossom
I’ve noticed my own levels of creativity can be very unpredictable. I get days when my mind is buzzing with exciting new ideas, but it’s not something I can depend on. There have been plenty of times when I needed to be creative, but it just wasn’t happening – it has meant lost opportunities.
It is creative people who are most likely to find success in the modern world – you can earn a lot of money, if you are able to think outside of the box. One of the most exciting possibilities with nootropics is their potential for providing creativity on-demand. Aniracetam is one of the most promising compounds when it comes to heightened creativity.
7. Reach Your Potential
Using nootropics may sound a bit like cheating, but all you are really doing is trying to make the most of what you have. Smart drugs are a relatively new phenomenon, but it opens up a world of exciting possibilities. Using glasses to improve eyesight might have once felt a bit like cheating, but these days we wouldn’t think twice about it. Nootropics are there to help you get the most out of your mental capacities and that has to be a good thing.
Are Nootropics Safe?
By most definitions of a nootropic, yes, they are very safe to take. The majority of them feature both extremely low toxicity and very few to nonexistent adverse effects.
The range between a therapeutic dosage and a dangerously high one stretches far, with most accidental overdoses being unnoticeable.
At worst, it seems that overdoing most nootropics results in a temporary decrease in concentration or mood, and this will normally go away once the drug has left the person’s system. Typically, this is only a few hours due to the short half-lives of many cognitive enhancers.
Besides that, there are some situations where a person can briefly drain their brains of neurotransmitters – such as acetylcholine – with racetam use. This can be solved by additional supplementation to boost neurotransmitter generation.
Nevertheless, it is still important to be very careful when dealing with any sort of chemical that enters your body. Anyone who decides to take on the enigmatic world of nootropics should have basic background knowledge in chemistry and physiology, plus have a keen sense of measurement to get the dosing right if bulk powder is used.
A small mistake in dosage can make a nootropic fail to work or even create side effects, so taking care is a must! Using a scale is also highly recommended, if using powdered nootropics.
Even if only pre-measured pills or capsules are used, it’s important to be sure of the dosage you’re taking, and definitely read the provider’s instructions where applicable.
Nootropic Varieties
There are many varieties of nootropics that exist, each type holding true to the basic concept of a cognitive enhancer but acting in a certain way. As everyone has different particular body chemistry, a certain class may work better for one person than another. The most prominent types of nootropics provide a solid base for many users’ needs:
The Racetams
Perhaps the most well-known and classic set of nootropics, the racetams, are typically used to enhance memory. This is applicable to the learning of a subject that requires memorization, and great for increasing the “fluidity” or speed of information already in the brain.
Some people find that the racetams speed up their thoughts and speech, which can be attributed to the faster recall in the memory. It is recommended to take a choline source with any racetam, due to its nature of depleting choline levels in the brain, which can often lead to headaches.
Racetams vary greatly in strength per dosage. For example, basic piracetam requires a higher amount taken to have the same power as a tiny bit of the more complex phenylpiracetam. Some of them even have significant mood effects, such as the anxiety-relieving aniracetam or speedy-feeling oxiracetam.
Besides their use as a nootropic, racetams are being used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease – combating the deficit of memory that patients acquire.
Nerve-Growth and NGF Agents
Nootropics facilitate forming new thought patterns, altering behaviors, storing information, or creating more efficient brain pathways.
This is all done through the connection and reconnection of nerve cells, which can be sped up using certain chemicals. The word to describe the brain’s ability to change its pathways is called plasticity.
Huperzine-A is quite notable for this purpose, increasing amounts of NGF (nerve growth factor) to help form new memories. The nerve growth is assisted by its ability to preserve acetylcholine levels.
Noopept boosts NGF and acts on NMDA receptors, augmenting plasticity effects. Noopept is a favorite among some of the more hardcore nootropics users, being quite strong at a low volume.
Herbals/Adaptogens
Though many nootropics are human-designed, nature harbors chemicals with known nootropic effects.
Plants and mushrooms yield many of these organic substances, emphasizing the importance of environmental conservation.
“Herbal” describes plant supplements, “adaptogen” refers to natural substances combating fatigue or brain fog.
Some of the most common natural nootropics are ginkgo biloba, rhodiola rosea, and magnolia bark extract. Ginkgo is favored for memory and wakefulness, while the latter two excel in reducing stress and fostering healthy energy levels.
Amino Acids and Neuro-precursors
This group’s classification as a nootropic class is debated, yet its members notably contribute to brain function enhancement. Amino acids (including vitamins) provide the raw material to form proteins which the body needs to function.
This includes nerve cells, which enable thoughts and feelings. Examples of these include acetyl l-carnitine (ALCAR), and thiamin, an essential B-vitamin.
Neurotransmitter precursors are the building blocks from which our brain chemicals are made. As supplements, precursors aid in producing new neurotransmitters, impacting various brain systems for improved cognitive function.
An example is tyrosine, which eventually transformed into dopamine, the chemical that provides us with motivation and pleasure.
Nootropic Ampakines
Ampakines, a recent addition to the nootropic category, are among the least understood substances in the group. By activating the AMPA receptor, they boost learning and attention span, making them highly coveted for their potent nootropic effects.
New compounds like sunifiram and unifiram belong to this class, while aniracetam, though older, reportedly exhibits AMPA activity.
Nootropic Stacks
Occasionally, a single nootropic isn’t sufficient for the task. Maybe someone is looking to achieve multiple effects, or the strength of one substance needs a boost from another. Stacking, combining various nootropics or supplements, achieves synergistic effects, enhancing overall cognitive performance or specific outcomes.
Strength boosts often come about by choosing two drugs that act on the same neurotransmitter system. For example, taking a choline supplement and Huperzine A at the same time will dramatically increase acetylcholine levels. The choline becomes synthesized in vivo to acetylcholine, while the Huperzine prevents already-existing acetylcholine from naturally breaking down.
Stacking achieves nootropic synergy, where multiple substances complement each other, enhancing overall effects for greater cognitive benefits. This can lead to some serious cognitive enhancement, when multiple areas of improvement multiply by each other.
Supplement and vitamin companies recognize stacking benefits, crafting products with synergistic blends backed by extensive research. Perceptiv, crafted by Dr. Thomas Shea, features a potent blend of nutrients targeting mental issues associated with stress and aging.
Getting Started
Amidst all this detailed information, many may wonder where to begin!
Navigating the world of nootropics can be complex, with numerous recommended guidelines to adhere to. Everyone has to start somewhere, and begin to learn from bottom to top.
The first and most important thing about starting to use nootropics is research. Starting with crucial information is essential, and securing a reliable information source is imperative.
Trusted information is valuable, yet seeking diverse sources is wise—gather insights from multiple perspectives before making decisions or conclusions. At Corpina, we diligently present reliable, scientifically backed information, complemented by trusted anecdotal evidence for comprehensive insights.
Finding the ideal nootropic might take time, so experimenting with various options is crucial to gain diverse experiences. Still, don’t go with something you think probably won’t work as your first-try nootropic.
Do your research on nootropics blogs like Corpina, forums like Longecity, Erowid, and Bluelight, and connect with other nootropics experimenters online and find out what should work well for you based on your needs and wants.
Best Natural Nootropic Ingredients
Experimenting with various nootropics, people often create combinations known as stacks. It is a slang term, but you still see it used around the internet.
You can think of nootropics like other supplements, there are hundreds of varieties to choose from, each with different objectives. If you are looking to purchase and try some nootropics, the basic building blocks are varied.
The most effective nootropics are:
Huperzine A
Commonly included in stacks, this nootropic aims to enhance memory retention. Lab tests extensively demonstrate Huperzine A’s capacity to enhance memory retention and even reverse cognitive deficits in diabetic test subjects. While individual results may vary, ample research supports Huperzine A as a wise choice for enhancing information retention concerns.
Bacopa Monnieri
Traditionally used as a neurological tonic and cognitive enhancer, Ginkgo Biloba is a natural herb. Supports cognitive attention, memory, learning and health.
Acetyl L-Carnitine
ALCAR is a favored nootropic for cognitive function, lauded in reviews for enhancing memory and learning abilities effectively. The medical community has keenly studied ALCAR, linking it to memory loss reversal and reducing alcohol-induced brain damage.
Vinpocetine
Is an Eastern European dietary supplement that promotes cerebral metabolism. Research suggests vinpocetine may enhance cognitive performance and alleviate short-term memory loss associated with stress or aging. (Maintains healthy cerebral blood flow for improved memory recall.)
Phosphatidylserine Complex
Found in Lecithin, Phosphatidylserine is a naturally-occurring chemical believe to be beneficial in supporting memory and thinking skills.
L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is important for removing excess ammonia (a common waste product in the body). It aids immune system function and is crucial for normal brain function and digestion.
