I did not see a topic with nootropics as a headline and thought I would add mushrooms and psilocybin to round it out. Many of the discussions have included comments about some of these, but no stand alone string.
Nootropics - are substances intended to enhance brain performance or “Smart Drugs”. They have been a hot topic in the public for years with some military back ground of interest. Movies like Limitless and Lucy have some hollywood Sci-Fi version examples of these to an extreme, but not awful to watch if you like Bradley Cooper or Scarlett Johansson:)
If anyone has found an options that seems to enhance brain performance, it would be great to hear about. Psilocybin has been mounting a fair amount of research that is at minimum interesting and possibly game changer in some areas of medicine.
I am pretty sure the good mushrooms are the ones I can’t get.
Lion’s mane is highly touted but didn’t have any discernable subjective effect on me. I have tried many others from amazon and nootropic supplement stores. My rule of thumb for this kind of supplement is: If I don’t feel something positive in 30 days I don’t reorder. All legal mushroom supplements that I have tried did zilch subjectively.
I tried a few variations of magnesium, including theronate, as both neutraceutical and sleep aid. Either my keto diet messing up circadian rhythm or the alpha-GPC dose creating brain buzz, falling asleep and mid sleep awakening was a work in progress. I switched to a liquid magnesium chloride and it totally knocks me out, so I know it clearly crosses the BBB.
I had Berberine but dropped it.
My list:
Alpha-GPC
AMLA
Ashwagandha
Astaxanthin
Cacao-Dark Chocolate
Caffeine - Black Coffee
Choline - AlphaGPC
CoQ10/Ubiquinol
DHA (Omega 3)
EVOO
Ginseng
Garcinia Cambogia
Gotu Kola
Iodine
Lion’s Mane
Magnesium
Pine Bark Extract
Resveratrol
Sulforaphane
Triphala
Turmeric (Curcumin)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)*
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)*
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)*
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Vitamin B8 (Inositol)*
Vitamin B9 (Folate)
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Vitamin D
Zinc
Oh gosh. Racetams are impressive. I believe invented by the Russians to help their cosmonauts on long missions. Modafinil is Rx only and roots in the US military for long missions requiring high brain function. Both are considered synthetic nootropics where many that you are on considered “natural” - Fish oil, Pregnenolone, Creatine, L-Theanine ect.
I never saw any impressive studies with most being small numbers in obscure parts of the world. That being said, Modafinil (Provigil) and Nuvigil both have clinical applications and should have plenty of studies since FDA approved. I believe some clinical applications are with narcolepsy, ADHD and fatigue due to shift work. They are controlled substances with concern about being abused as stimulants. Many off label and or recreational use in the world of hyper achievers that want to do more on less sleep. Years back a 60 minutes / or 20/20 news report was done on high dollar CEO’s using them.
I have noticed that my cognitive functions have increased significantly since starting to take supplements. My energy levels are back to where they were in my 20s. Unfortunately, I take so many supplements, I am not sure which ones are impacting my cognitive ability. Omega-3s? Resveratrol? NMN?
Very similar to my daily stack, considering I was taking them before I joined this forum.
I am trying to whittle it down to a precious few, because it is burdensome to keep track of timing with or without food, etc.
On your list but not on mine:
Ashwagandha
Ginseng
Iodine
Lion’s ManeTriphala
Sulforaphane
All things I have taken in the past. I have no problem with any of them, but I must make choices to keep the ones I really like.
On my list but not on yours:
Lithium Orotate
Boswellia Serrata
Gingko Biloba
Tryptophan
Tyrosine
I am only listing things that can be bought on Amazon.
There are several others I keep in stock but only use occasionally, like Centrophenoxine which I cycle for a few days once a month or so. I like Centrophenoxine, I take it when my brain starts to feel fuzzy to me.
The ones that I would like to try I would only do in an adult-controlled environment. I am on the lookout for studies that would take me, being 81, etc. Unfortunately, I live in a medical and scientific desert.
The fruiting body has several things that are great, but I agree that you don’t get any feeling that it’s changed anything. Pills give you a tiny amount of fruiting body usually. Erinacine A is the part that really is supposed to help and it is found only in the mycelium. I recently found a study that explained how to do it right and I’m on it, so maybe in a few months. Lol.
This site is usually updated with the latest studies on mushrooms monthly, but irregularly. They are obscessed with psilocybin, but down the left side is a nice index so easy to find whatever you want.
Agree with both of your points. Someone who is rapidly declining and gets improvement is willing to take more risk of the unknown long term ( like Rapamycin users). Natural options probably safer and better studied vs. synthetic.
Ha Ha!! No way. I am on this site, so that already says something about NOT settling for the easy:) I will try to post some of the stuff I have found valuable from may past. I would interested to hear some of Dr Tong’s @tongMD thoughts since closer to the mechanisms at play involving brain physiology and pathways. Also, maybe what is new and cool in the world of changing and or creating new neuropathways with Ketamine, micro-dosing ect.
