things have been a bit quiet on ebrainsupplements.com lately due to a rather crazy and exhausting schedule, but we’re still alive and kicking and I got some awesome posts coming up, starting with this one!

As you might have heard, ONNIT Lab’s latest all-in-one nootropic, Alpha Brain, has become quite the hype. Here’s why…

Designed to enhance cognitive functioning more effectively than anything else, this is supposedly one of the best cognitive enhancement formulas brought on the market so far.  Alpha Brain enhances :

• Creativity
• Writing & speaking abilities
• Your memory
• And apparently even makes your dreams more vivid!

Skeptical about everything as we are though, we of course had to put Alpha Brain to the test (Note: if you don’t feel like going through a 1500 word review, yet still want to order Alpha Brain, use coupon code ”EBRAIN” for a 10% discount).

You might want to check out this video real quick to get an impression of what Alpha Brain is all about:

Regardless of all the positive feedback Alpha Brain is receiving, we ventured out to do a little bit of testing ourselves.

But before we start off with the results and conclusion though, let’s have a look at the science responsible

The guys at ONNIT Labs have come up with a formula that contains:

• Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline,
•  Huperzia Serrata,
• Vinpocetine,
• AC-11
• Bacopa,
• Pterostilbene
• Mucuna Pruriens
• Gamma Amino-Butyric Acid
• Oat Straw
• Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)

Quite the list eh? What does all this mean to you? Well, according to ONNIT, the synergistic effects of this formula make up a well-rounded nootropic that is designed to improve memory, focus, sleep quality & dream vividness, and even athletic performance.

Think about what this means: instead of stacking multiple nootropics and having eggs with 15 different pills for breakfast, 1-2 Alpha Brains during the day would be enough to significantly boost performance on many levels of cognitive functioning.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients and discover how they could produce such significant effects:

(just scroll to the bottom of this post if you only want to check out the results)

Nootropics Ingredients

On top of the list is GPC Choline, the most effective and efficient choline source currently known. It’s able to rapidly move past the blood brain barrier where it enhances the acetylcholine production. Even better, plenty of studies have shown that increased levels of acetylcholine drastically boost cognitive skills and memory functioning (link). Surprisingly enough, there is also evidence that shows how extra choline can boost physical performance.

Second is Vinpocetine. This extract from the so-called periwinkle plant enhances the blood flow to the brain and has neuro-protective properties (read about it in more detail here). The bottom line is that the enhanced blood flow causes increased synthesis of neurotransmitters and new synapses, which has a profound effect on mental performance (click here for an interesting scientific study regarding vinpocetine).

Next up is GABA – a.k.a. gama amino-butyric acid – one of the main inhibitory neurtotransmitters in your body. GABA basically relaxes the brain, reduces anxiety and promotes healthy sleep patterns.

Bacopa is a powerful herbal nootropic traditionally used in India as an Ayurveda medicinal treatment. Furthermore, modern research and use experience shows that bacopa has strong cognitive enhancing effects (check out  a study confirming it here).

Continuing; Huperza Serrato might sound like a Italian pasta dish, but is in fact a supplement derived from the Chinese club moss. Quite simply, its active ingredient, Huperzine A, acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. This enzyme normally causes acetylcholine to be broken down, neutralizing its effective properties as a neurotransmitter. Needless to say, inhibiting this process (the purpose of Huperzine A) makes sure a proper level of acetylcholine is maintained for optimal cognitive functioning (read more extensively about it here)

One more ONNIT has added is Mucuna Pruriens, another botanical derivative used in Ayurvedic medicine. The reason for this is quite simple; it contains significant amounts of L-dopa, i.e. the building block of dopamine. In essence, dopamine is crucial for the operation of a variety of cognitive skills including memory, focus and learning.

To top the mixture off, a bunch of anti-oxidants have been added to elimante free radicals in the nervous system and protect it from possible decline. Among them AC11, an extract straight from the Amazonian rainforest that has been shown to repair DNA, and oat straw, another powerful antioxidant and potent stress reliever (link )

Nootropics Synergy

So what does all this mean? Basically, above ingredients combined seem to make up a pretty niceley balanced formula; the GPC choline and Huperzia serratum boost Choline levels up, significant enhancing memory, focus and learning abilities together with Bacopa and vinpocetine. At the same time, GABA and mucuna puriens make sure everything stays under control in terms of brain chemicals and regulate optimal mood and sleep patterns.

To make it even impressive, a whole bunch of effective antioxidants were added to protect the brain and eliminate mental fog. On paper, it looks like we’re dealing with a pretty potent and well put-together nootropics.

The question is, can alpha brain survive our trial examination?

As good as the description of cognitive enhancing compounds might sound (who doesn’t want improved focus, memory and sleep without side-effects?), these description mean pretty much nothing if there is no significant effect.

Since everyone’s biochemistry is unique though, we made sure to have at least 4 people test it (arguably still a bit on the low side to draw hard conclusion). Therefore, me and three colleagues of mine tested alpha brain for two weeks and observered the results.

The Test-Results:

25-09-2011 Day 1

Dosage: 1 in the morning, 1 in the evening

Effects: no effect

…Skip to day 4:

28-09-2011 Day 4.

Dosage: 1 in the morning, 1 in the evening.

Effects: Unusually vivid memories of last night dreams (won’t go into details), which doesn’t happen often. No other noticeable effects really.

29-09-2011 Day 5.

Dosage: 1 in the morning, 1 in the evening

Effects: same vivid dream memories + no mental exhaustion even after 6 hours of class/studying. Normally my mind feel rather fried after tedious Thursday @ uni. Studying in evening for exam tomorrow, very focused, not getting distracted.

30-09-2011 Day 6.

Dosage: same same, no different.

——————————————————————————————————————————

This basically continued for the next 10 days. Describing the effects of cognitive enhancers is always hard (you don’t really notice that your memory functions better etc.), but overall I felt there was definitely a  significant and noticeable increase in mental clarity, focus capacity and even verbal affluency.

And guess what? The other users also reported similar experiences .

To make it even better, the vivid dreams due to improved REM sleep are very, very awesome. Besides waking up more rested, sleeping just becomes more fun.

Two of the other test-users noted they had ‘lucid’ dreams, dreams in which they realized they were dreaming and were able to take control over the dream. I didn’t experience this myself yet, but there plenty of reports of similar experiences online.

After two weeks of testing I stopped taking it for a week to see the difference: after 4 days I didn’t remember my dreams that vividly anymore, and the glow of enhanced mental awareness generally dropped a bit after the 5^th day.

Right now, Alpha Brain is my  favorite all-in-one nootropic. It avoids the hassle of taking 5-10 pills in the morning and it just seems to work.

Will it work for you? Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But I have yet to encounter someone who has not been enthusiastic about it. Now don’t get me wrong, popping a few Alpha Brains won’t turn you into Einstein or the guy from Limitless, but it does give me and apparently quite a few others a very potent mental boost that is perfect when it comes to learning, memorizing stuff, speaking, sleeping and so on.

Definitely worth a shot to see if this works for you.

Got some more awesome posts coming up soon. In the mean time, what are your experiences with alpha brain?

P.S. due to the courtecy of ONNIt-labs, readers of ebrainsupplements.com are able receive a 10%  discount on all orders. To claim the discount, just enter EBRAIN as your coupon code.

It is time for the first eBrainSupplements interview with a person who is absolutely killing it in the field of cognitive enhancement!

I’m extremely excited about this interview because this person is a perfect example of someone who has mastered the art of optimization (or hacking, as he calls it) – of the brain, the body and his environment – to utilize his full potential in life.

So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you guys to Dave Asprey from the massively inspiring BulletproofExec.com

Dave has literally:

• Upgraded his IQ by 20 points
• Managed to hack his sleep so he needs way less and still performs like a champ
• Atuned his brain to 40 years of zen meditation in 30 minutes

The Brain Enhancement Interview:

What to take away from this?

Think about this people. Brain enhancement consists of more than merely popping a few magic pills. If you really want to unleash your full potential and live life with a sometimes unfair advantage, then you need to look beyond conventional wisdom. Taking care of your body and brain with nutrition, nootropics, meditation and technology, it all comes together.

Self-experimentation is also a big part of this. Everyone’s biochemistry is unique in subtle ways and that which works for someone might not work as well for you.

Dave is someone who taken this to the next level and by sharing his derived, first-hand knowledge, allows others to benefit as well. Using any of the tips and advice offered by him here and on his blog has the potential to drastically improve your life for the better.

~enjoy!

What is legit and can help you achieve your goals and which one are scams designed to enhance the amount of money you waste?

As it happens I was actually trying out a rather popular all-in-one brain supplement called Focus Factor a couple of months ago.

I took it myself for about two weeks, but completely forgot about it due to a lack of results.

While I was browsing through my notes yesterday though, I stumbled upon the journal entries I create when testing out new stuff.

Focus Factor is apparently one of the most popular cognitive enhancers in the US so let’s check out what it’s all about!

First things first; the nootropics’ ingredient list

In total, Focus Factor is made up of the following:

Vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, B12, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, biotin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, potassium, proprietary formula including: (diemethylaminoethanol (as DMAE bitartrate) L-glutamine, Bacopin® (Bacopa monnieri extract; leaf), L-pyroglutamic acid, phosphatidylserine, docosahexaenoic acid concentrate (15% DHA from fish body oil), choline (as choline bitartrate), inositol, N-acetyltyrosine, bilberry fruit standardized extract (25% anthocyanosides), gamma-aminobutyric acid, grape skin extract and Activin™, (grape seed extract), vinpocetine, Trace-Lyte™ electrolyte concentrate, huperzine A (extract of huperzia serrata; whole plant), boron (as boron citrate), and vanadium (as vanadyle sulfate).

Now that’s a SHITLOAD of ingredients.

This leads to the first thing that should be pointed out;

Many – if not all – of these vitamins and minerals are already more than abundant in an adequate and wholesome diet. Adding more is redundant at best, and can even be harmful in case of heavy metals (of which Focus Factor seems to contain quite a few).

Also, a long list of ingredients might also look impressive, but the truth is that quality is a lot more important than quantity when it comes to nutrition and supplements.

Adding unnecessary ingredients is often nothing more than waste of space and your valuable money.

Regardless, there are still quite a few potentially cognitive performance enhancing components in there.

Let’s have a closer look:

At first sight, the main active ingredients seem to be choline, vinpocetine and bacopa. Now these are all potentially powerful mental enhancers, but unfortunately it is not specified in what quantities these are present.

Moreover, FocusFactor lists DMAE as a primary source of choline, but this might not be the best idea in terms of effectiveness and efficiency (this study points out that choline derived from DMAE is unable to pass the blood-brain barrier).

Enough theory though.

The main question is; does Focus Factor work or not?

To come up with a quantifiable analysis, me and a ‘test-team’ consisting of three good friends of mine used Focus Factor for a consecutive period of 2 weeks during which no other supplementation were used.

On a day to day basis, we scribbled down any changes and observations related to mental acuity and clarity.

I’ll keep this one short and simple; results were NOT noticeable whatsoever after 14 days of Focus Factor.

Of course, I admit that this specific type of ‘testing’ is not exactly the most empirical and valid scientific research project, but some conclusions can be drawn from it with care nonetheless;

Simply put, focus factor is unlikely to produce any short-term results. Based on other reviews found online, it can be questioned whether it produces any results at all, despite a number of reports about small improvement over a long-term period.

Conclusion:

Based on the ingredients, our first-hand experience and the various reports and reviews to be found online Focus Factor just doesn’t  seem to be the best bang for your buck.

Their million-dollar marketing campaign and fancy packaging looks impressive, but the cognitive enhancing results are lacking to back it up.

There are other’s out there that seem more reliable and provide ingredients that are both relevant and efficient when it comes to upgrading your cognition for better grades/work and an optimized life.

That’s it for today, more nootropics reviews coming soon!

P.S. A final warning regarding Focus factor; during my web-analysis of user experiences, I read a lot about the supposedly terrible customer service of Focus factor and the various legal charges they’ve already faced due to this.

We didn’t experience any trouble with this ourselves, but it might be something to be cautious of. Check out this link for more details.

Now the first 2 of these claims might be slighty exaggerated, but green-tea definitely has something properties…

Tracing down the cause of most of these positive effects leads to a compound that goes by the name of L-theanine.

L-theanine is  an amino acid that predominantly likes to reside within green tea leaves. With modern societies’ innovative technology and tools, we are now able to extract and produce L-theanine ourselves on an economic scale. This allows us to reap the benefits and make them available to everyone!

How on earth can something found in tea cause all that?!

Sneaky as L-theanine is, it crosses the blood-brain barrier effortlessly, after which it causes some interesting effects in the brain like most other nootropics.

Its primary effect is caused by increasing the overall level of the neurotransmitter GABA. This inhibitory transmitter is related to relaxation. It also elevates dopamine levels and presumably also serotonin-levels.

Interestingly enough, L-theanine also raises alpha-wave brain wave production in the brain (in similar fashion to binaural beats discussed earlier!) Alpha-waves are a characteristic of a relaxed state of mind.

L-theanine is thus able to induce relaxation, meaning that its’ effects outweigh the stimulating effects of the plentiful amounts of caffeine also found in green tea.

Good thing is, L-theanine is able to do so without making you drowsy or sleepy. Perfect thus for some late-afternoon studying or working as concentrating is actually easier in the relaxed state induced by L-theanine.

It this wasn’t enough, L-theanine enhances the quality of your sleep WHILE you’re actually sleeping, allowing you to wake up feeling more energized and refreshed.

Other studies have shown that L-theanine also positively influences your immune system and possibly aids in preventing cancer.

Does this sound like a miracle supplement? It seems as if it comes pretty darn close.

Would You Like Some Nootropics With Your Tea?

If I don’t forget, I use L-theanine at night if I need to get some studying done without stimulating myself too much before bed or when I just want to relax some more.

Don’t expect to enter a state of focus only achievable after 40 years of vipassana mediation, but a subtle dose of calmness and clarity of mind is definitely noticeable.

Negative side-effects are non-existent, so it’s definitely worth a try.

At present, L-theanine is available virtually everywhere online. My favorite online retailer is iherb (non-affiliate):

As always, do your own research if there are some things you want to clear up, and of course feel free to ask any questions here.

What are your experiences with L-theanine?

The human brain is simply hard-wired to strive for improvement. Nootropics (brain supplements/cognitive enhancers) have proven to be valuable assets in this quest. They allow for more effective studying and working with both better results and more spare time as a consequence!

Especially in college and universities where the academic workload is immense and where students are literally flooded by a tsunami of deadlines, something that can improve cognitive efficiency is perceived as the golden ticket to academic success while the increase in spare time also allows for the maintenance of a social life.

Just look at the great-Adderall-college-hype to see what I mean; Adderall has been labeled the ‘study drug’ for its ability to enhance focus and concentration capacity to higher levels. Students taking Adderall are effortlessly able to pull of crazy all-nighters out of their sleeves like there is no tomorrow.

This enables students to finish that lethal 8000-word paper and cram in just enough info to pass their exam.

But the problem is this; Adderall is an amphetamine-based ADHD prescription drug, and whether the long-term effects of Adderall consumption outweigh the short-term results is doubtful, to say the least.

In a nutshell, Adderall works by directly affecting the reward system of the brain. It acts on dopamine and norepineprine neurotransmitters in the brain. In short, Adderall’s amazing study-enhancing potential is explained through its increase of neurotransmitter availability in synapses by both enhancing the amount of neurotransmitters as well as slowing their removal from the synapse.

But that’s only half the story. Because despite Adderall’s brain magic, its tricks are not completely harmless. Many of the negative health-impacts of amphetamine-based substances are roughly similar. This is just a handful of possible short and long-term negative effects:

•  Increased in blood pressure and heart rate. (this is why Adderall is absolutely not suitable for those with a family history of heart problems/high blood pressure)
• Sleep issues are very common and include trouble falling asleep and diminished sleep quality.
• Utilizing recreational doses of amphetamines more than once per day or for several days in a row can cause mild to moderate paranoia
• Neurotoxicity with amphetamine isn’ t really documented properly yet, but at high doses and frequencies, neurotoxicity has been observed in mice and rats

Based on my own experience, Adderall is indeed a very powerful nootropic and cognitive enhancer. I won’t deny that it has helped my on plenty of occasions of academic peril back in the days.

However, when I became aware of some of the immediate negative effects (restlessness, insomnia, etc.) and the possible long-term side effects, I decided that the risk wasn’t worth it anymore.

Instead I started looking for more responsible alternatives that are also able to enhance your cognition while not posing any dark consequences, or even stimulating healthier brain functioning.

Nootropics such as vinpocetine and piracetam are all supplements that adhere to these criteria and are perfectly suitable for safe brain optimization. Other cognitive enhancement formulas, such as the very effective BrainEffect, are also becoming increasingly popular among students for their results, long-term safety and price.

Why take Adderall when there are more responsible alternatives that are at least equally effective? Life is too precious to play dice with the brain.

What are your experiences with Adderall and other study drugs

Technorati Tags: adderall, nootropics, studying

Brilliance is cultivated through discipline and focus.

Nonetheless, setting your brain up for success by providing it with quality nutrition and brain supplements certainly helps as well…

Besides the specific nootropics described in the beginners guide though, the cognitive enhancement-market is also highly saturated by a number of pre-made supplements consisting of a combination of multiple ingredients.

These supplements often go by fancy names such as ‘Ultimate Memory Booster’ or ‘Super Brain Rejuvenator’..

Despite their fancy names though, the majority of these supplements are nothing more than a hyped-up version of your average multi-vitamin. Still, supplements that combine several ingredients can be very convenient and time-saving – you only need to know which one to pick.

We have tried numerous of these pre-made supplements (some of which only had a significantly noticeable effect on the wallet).

BrainEffect is one of those all-in-one nootropics, a brain supplement that has helped some of us tremendously during our exams and our other work that required sustained focus. For otheres, including me, effects were hardly noticeable though. After doing some research online I found out that many others experience similar (faintly noticeable) results. Unfortunately not the nootropic of all nootropics though, but perhaps still worth a try if you’re interested.

BrainEffect is manufactured in Germany and is ‘designed to maintain healthy brain performance and enhance mental capacities’. Sounds pretty standard so far, but BrainEffects’ very professional research facility has actually come up with a combination of ingredients –mainly natural ones – that very effectively revitalize and boost your brain power.
 

The formula combines some powerful natural anti-oxidants and brain nutrients combined with acknowledged cognitive boosters, including coenzyme Q10, cordyceps sinensis, maca, niacin, gingkgo biloba and various others. All very potent ingredients that can help you to:

• Boost your memory capacity
• Enhance your ‘focus muscle’ (very useful during exams)
• Replenish the brain’s natural resources

Even Gunther Karsten (guy in the picture), the legendary seven-fold memory world champion, uses this stuff and swears by it.

Worth a try if you’re looking for a decent all-rounder that combines quality ingredients for a reasonable price.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Edit: Check out our Alpha Brain review if you’re interested in a all-in-one nootropics that DOES deliver high-quality results

Technorati Tags: brain supplements, nootropics

Healthline just created this wicked 3D animation of the human brain. Very awesome to gain some real insights on what it actually looks like in there (or just to play around with!).

More nootropics & brain enhancement stuff soon, enjoy!

Technorati Tags: brain animation, nootropics

In other words; these are all tools that have the ability to improve your life drastically.

Now let’s take it a step further…

As you probably know, nutrition & lifestyle is pretty frikking important if you want live a healthy and effective life. Nevertheless, most people’s nutrition nowadays is far from optimal when it comes to your brain’s performance.

A healthy brain operating in optimal condition requires an abundance of effective nutrients – i.e. healthy fats, quality proteins and an appropriate amount of carbohydrates.

Unfortunately, these are hardly found in the standard modern diet that consists mainly of carbs and unhealthy fats.

Matter of fact, it can even be argues that conventional wisdom regarding nutrition is deeply flawed and is a major contributor to the prominence of obesity, sickness and burn-outs.

Consider this fact:

Well to optimize your brain power, a simple paradigm shift is all that is needed. Based on the experience of countless nutritional experts & health freaks, it can be concluded that in terms of nutrition/lifestyle, the Paleo way of living (or something closely resembling it) is hands-down your best option.

Let’s have a closer look:

The basic outline of the paleo diet is this: we humans have been around for a couple of million years in which we have been consuming the same diet for about  
99% of that time.

Only in the last couple of millennia (the last 1% of our evolutionary lifespan) has our diet experienced some major shifts due to the introduction of grains, industrialization and modern cooking methods. Bread, rice, pasta, pizza, deep fried foods – all have only been around for a relatively short time compared to bigger picture of what our hunter/gatherer ancestors ate.

As I said, we have been eating ‘primal’ stuff for millions of years. This means that our ancestors mostly feasted on meats, fish, veggies, nuts and fruits – just to name a few things.

Evolution is a very, very slow process, and therefore your body and brain are still genetically adapted to eat what your ancestral hunter-gatherers ate. The

Paleo diet works because it fits your genetic makeup, allowing for optimal health and brain performance – as is shown by many (Tim Ferriss, Dave Asprey, Mark Sisson, just to name a few names)

What does all this mean to you?

Don’t worry, adapting to a primal diets sounds trickier than it really is. A few minor tweaks can already make a huge difference in terms of brain health & fitness.

If you do eventually make the tweaks to create a more primal-congruent lifestyle, the benefits will be enormous:

• Enhanced cognitive functioning
• Improved health
• More energy throughout the day
• Better moods =D

How to get started with this?

For more information, I suggest checking out Mark Scissons work on the Primal Blueprint, he is one of the leading experts regarding a paleo/primal/highly-effective-brain lifestyle and really knows what he’s talking about (The Primal Blueprint Book is what got me started in this and is recognized as the best introduction to this lifestyle there is).

Another popular  source is Dr. Searse Primal Force; this guy offers a ton of quality supplements (both brain and body) that very effectively optimize cognitive functioning and support the associated lifestyle of awesomeness

Getting this stuff handled is extremely important if you want to utilize the full potential of your brain.

Of course, nootropics and neurotechnology are super helpful, but without a proper foundation provided by your lifestyle & nutrition, you will never get the most out of your results.

You are what you eat – eat good stuff, make your brain work good, and you’ll feel good!

What are your experiences with brain-optimizing diets such as the paleo diet?

Technorati Tags: brain supplements, nootropics. lifestyle, nutrition

Would you like to boost your IQ by 12 points, increase your memory storage capacity by 40% and increase the length of your attention-span 10 times?

Sorry to disappoint you guys, but magic pills that cause such results don’t quite exist yet!

Nontheless, this week’s featured brain supplement, vinpocetine, is still a very potent player in the game of cognitive enhancement.

‘What on earth is vinpocetine?’

Ever heard of the periwinkle plant? No, this funny sounding botanical compound is not some mythical flower found in the land of fairytales, but a viny green plant with some very awesome properties.

One of these properties is the substances that can be derived from it. One specific substance, vinpocetine, has shown to be a very effective cognitive enhancer and is already being used for several decads now to treat cerebrovascular disorders and older adults that were having trouble memorizing stuff.

More importantly, vinpocetine is marketed as a powerful concentration and memory booster, something that is acknowledged by a great number of people who have been using it effecticely to enhance their lives.

‘Sounds cool, but how does it work?’

Vinpocetine is a unique compound in the sense that it is able to cross the rather picky blood-brain barrier, enhance the blood flow to the brain and improve the brain’s metabolism, which leads to the synthesis of more neurotransmitters, increased synaptic plasticity and various other bio-chemical effects that have a very positive effect on your mental performance.

Besides this, vinpocetine has significant antioxidant properties, which lead to neuroprotective effects that save your precious brain from aging and deterioration.

Of course, a compound with such beneficial potential does not go without attention; many curious researches have studied vinpocetine to verify its cognitive enhancing potential. The results of many peer-reviewed, double-blind studies indicate that vinpocetine causes:

• significant memory improvement,
• enhanced cognition,
• better concentration capacity
•  the boosted cerebral circulation as mentioned before
• Neuroprotection
• Better stress-handling

The effects are similar to those of ginkgo biloba, another natural brain supplement, but vinpocetine has been shown to be a lot more effective in a shorter time period (a few days vs. a few weeks).

More good news; the only reported side effects, by a very small number of people, were some mildly upset stomachs. Of course, make sure you stick to the daily dosage guidelines!

All in all, if you’re Interested in boosting your memory, concentration-ability and cognition in a safe & effective way, vinpocetine seems to be a more than good option. I still have a small supply that I sometimes use in combination with BrainEffect during exams, which seems to cause better results than either one alone.

Fortunately, vinpocetine is very affordable and it’s not hard to get your hands on through one the many online venders.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What are your results with vinpocetine?

~safe optimizing!

To start straight of the bat, this week featured brain supplement is SAMe, a supplement used to boost mood and enhance cognitive functioning.

 Nootropics: The Technical Details

I don’t want to turn this into our own little chemistry class, but it’s important to have a basic understanding of a nootropics’ functioning in order to be able to use it responsibly.

SAMe, also known as S-Adenosyl methionine, is a naturally occurring compound in the human body, discovered in 1952 by a guy called Cantoni. It is created in your body from methionine (an important amino-acid) and ATP (the main energy supplier in your body).

Together (and with the help of a friendly enzyme) these 2 compounds form SAMe, which has a variety of vital functions in the human body.

The most essential aspect that blesses SAMe with its important functions is the fact that SAMe has the responsibility of being a primary methyl-donor in a great number of metabolic reactions.

Methyl donors, say what?

Methyl donors are molecules that carry a methyl- group. These donors are kind enough to give away their methyl group to other molecules in so-called methyl-reactions (methylation).

These reactions are absolutely essential for countless of processes in the human body. Look at the brain for example; here, methyl reactions are required to create the majority of neurotransmitters. In total, there are thousands of different methyl-reactions.

Needless to say that the source of these methyl-molecules, the donors, are very important, or, as biochemist Craig Cooney stated in one of his books, Methyl Magic; ‘Without methylation there could be no life as we know it’.

How to use SAMe

Research has shown that people with low moods usually also have a low concentration of SAMe in their bodies.

SAMe has therefore been used for several decades as a mood-booster and is still being used as a successful alternative for prescription drugs for depressed patients.

But hey, I’m not depressed! Can I still reap some of the cognitive benefits derived from this nootropic?

This is where it get’s interesting, as there is no uniform answer to the question. In fact, the answer to that question is going to depend on your unique genetic make-up. Some people do not have appropriate levels of methyl donors to satisfy all the necessary methyl-reactions needed for the brain.

Therefore, these ‘undermethylators’ also have lower levels of neurotransmitters in their brain. For such people, the effects of SAMe will be significant and immediately noticeable, i.e. increased alertness, focus & improved mood.

For the lucky ones that already have an abundance of methyl donors available, the effects of SAMe will be less noticeable.

How to find out whether or not you’re a undermethylator?

Take SAMe for a few days, notice any positive effects on your mood & focus? Then you’re probably an undermethylator that could benefit from SAMe! Not impressed after a few days? Then you’re probably good and SAMe just isn’t necessary for you.

SAMe is super safe and non-toxic; the worst reported side-effect is mild stomach upset, so it’s definitely worth a try.

Now if you do notice profound effects from using SAMe, then it is suggested to supplement this with an adequate supply of B-vitamins (B9 & B12 in particular). This is to maintain the chemical balance between SAMe and several of its derivates that work synergistically with the B-vitamin compounds. Do some research on this topic if you want to get into the specifics.

The verdict:

If you’re depressed, definitely check out SAMe! If you’re not, it’s still worth trying to see if it has any effects on you. Benefits include:

• Improved mood
• Increased focus & alertness
• Enhanced Cartilage protection
• Boosted liver protection

This is not the case for everyone though, and the best way to find out if SAMe could work for you is by trying it out for a few days. If it does work, make sure to take some B-vitamins along the side to maintain the balance! Plenty of quality suppliers to be found online.

What are your experiences with SAMe?

Technorati Tags: brain supplements, nootropics, SAMe