A Beginners Guide To Nootropic Supplements

Nootropics are considered to be brain boosters because they are meant to enhance your mental performance.

Studies show that communication between the neurons in your brain can be improved by using nootropics. It allows for better mental efficiency and to help keep your brain as healthy as possible. Clinical studies are being explored for the improvement on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many age-related cognitive diseases.

There are many benefits of nootropics that include, enhanced learning capacity, improved memory, improved attention span, clarity of thought, as well as an increase in focus, concentration and energy.

Types Of Nootropics

There are many types of nootropics that you can use and here are the best nootropics we can find. Below are the most effective nootropics and a description of their uses.

Racetams

Racetams have many strengths as well as weaknesses depending on what you need them for. Some are used for calming, to enhance focus, stimulatory and even used to improve your creative thought process.

There are many different Racetams that improve your mental performance in many ways:

Piracetam: It has been around since the 60’s and was originally launched under the name Nootropil. Originally used as a dietary aid until the FDA shut it down for insufficient evidence that it could be a weight loss supplement. These days it’s used for enhancing the cognitive functions such as:

  • Brain recovery from alcoholism
  • To improve memory in Alzheimer’s patients
  • To aid cognition for stroke victims and schizophrenia patients

Aniracetam: It came around in the 70’s and is known for it’s greater potency. It is stronger than Piracetam but has a shorter half-life. It is used for many different reasons such as:

  • A mild sedative, a means of relaxing
  • It has a anti-anxiety effect, it’s so effective that it can cause sleepiness
  • Piracetam is known to reduce fatigue but Aniracetam increases it.

Oxiracetam: It is used as a speedy drug because it has a positive effect on mental clarity. The benefits are that you experience speed of thought and mental clarity but the negative aspect of it is the “crash” you get a few hours later. It has also been said that you can experience as certain amount of emotional detachment.

Noopept: It has the hype that it is 1000 times stronger than Piracetam because of that it needs to be taken in a much smaller dose. It hasn’t been around as long as the other three so there isn’t enough supporting evidence to list any negative aspects of the drug. You get many benefits from Noopept such as:

  • Enhanced memory recall
  • Increased neural activity
  • Effect in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease 

Ampakines

Most powerful classification of a nootropic supplements. Its a supplement that hasn’t been explored very much through the medical community but it is known for its many benefits. These benefits include:

  • Enhanced attention span
  • Improved memory and learning
  • Increased alertness and mental energy
  • Continue to impart benefits even after they have left the body

The most popular amapkines is Sunifiram:

Sunifiram has a few benefits such as:

  • Significant mental energy and motivation
  • Powerful memory boost for studying
  • 1000x stronger than Piracetam

Choline & Acetylcholine Intermediates

A basic component in a supplementation routine and is often found in a lot of the foods we eat. We can’t get enough of it in foods however because it comes in such low dosages. By supplementing it our body can produce more acetylcholine which is a great benefit to us. These benefits comes in the form of:

  • Improved Perception
  • Memory Recall
  • Better Overall Cognitive Function
  • Improved memory in people who suffer from Alzheimer’s

Choline: You can purchase them in Citrate or Bitartrate form as well because they are cheaper but come in low dosages.

  • Boost Memory
  • Promotes focus and eliminates brain fog
  • Supports neuron health

Synthetic B-Vitamin Derived Nootropics

Created through modyifying B-Vitamins. There are two forms, Sulbutiamine and Pyritinol both can be taken alone or included in a stack. They need to be cycled overtime however as their effects seem to lose effectiveness overtime. They have many benefits such as: Increase in energy, mood and memory.

Sulbutiamine: Developed originally in Japan it is used to increase brain energy. It has been known to improve attention span and allow you the ability to focus and concentrate better. It gives you the feeling of general well-being by allowing you to relax.

Pyritinol: Known to increase mental performance and overall mood. It’s composed of two Vitamin B6 molecules.

Natural Nootropics

If you are looking to improve concentration and mental ability naturally than a Natural Nootropic is what you’re looking for. They are known to be just as strong as the lab-produced options. The benefits of natural nootropics is a increase in mental ability as well as improved concentration.

There are a few different types:

Bacopa Monnieri: It has been known to improve several areas of memory such as: retention of concepts, memory formation and restoration of memory. It has not been connected with the ability to improve learning or concentration levels.

Huperzine-A: It works to block the production of acetylcholinesterase which breaks down your neurotransmitters, by doing this it increases your acetylcholine levels. Higher amounts of acetylcholine will lead to improved learning scores as well as improved cognition. It protect brain cells from dying and aids in the formation of new brain cells.

Ginkgo Biloba: This is one that you may be more familiar with as it’s been around for a very long time. It has been known to improve circulation throughout the body and protect organs from any damage. It also has been known to prevent the formation of blood clots. Many use it to enhance cognitive functions, and to boost memory and concentration.

Peptide Nootropics

They are naturally-occurring biological molecules and are relatively uncommon but has been used as a popular diet aid. They are highly potent and are known to improve memory and focus. It’s also been used as a dietary supplement popularly in the United States. The many benefits include:

  • Improved memory
  • Improved motivation and mental energy
  • Improve alertness and learning capabilities

Noopept: The most popular peptide is Noopept which is a derivative of Racetams. It is used t stimulate receptors that are responsible for releasing glutamate which will control your levels of Acetylcholine. It also releases Nerve Growth Factor, a protein that is responsible for the growth and maintenance of neurons and nerve cells. It brings about positive benefits such as increase in motivation, alertness, memory, learning, and energy.

Smart Drugs

Smart drugs are pharmaceuticals that can be natural or not that are used for improving cognitive functions. They are technically not a nootropic as they are amphetamine-based stimulants. These enhancements work with your hormones to improve many parts of your brain. For normal people it can allow an added boost to learning, memory, thinking and focus. There is however a greater risk of side effects that any other nootropic. The benefits include:

  • Improved memory
  • Increased reasoning ability
  • Improved mental focus and motivation

There are many different types of smart drugs:

Cholinergics: They affect the activity of neurotransmitters as well as parts of the nervous system. It enhances brain activity in regards to cognitive action and memory. Could help with people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Dopaminergics: These drugs mimic what dopamine does in the body. The benefits of this smart drug is enhancement of alertness, attention and an increase in antioxidant activity.

GABA: This works to stop nerves from transmitting, by doing this you improve memory. This occurs when the GABA inhibitors attach to and block activity from GABA receptors. When the receptors are blocks you enhance memory.

Drawbacks and side effects to Nootropics

When it comes to taking nootropics you never want to take more than you are required to as it can become detrimental to your health. Overusing the product can also cause you to build up a tolerance for it making them highly ineffective. Taking too much of any nootropic can cause sleepless nights, diarrhea and hyperactivity. Not only that but you can experience an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.

Nootropics can be a highly effective supplement to use to enhance mental function, but if abuse you can experience harmful side effects or become addicted.

When you are considering taking nootropics make sure to do proper research and determine the pros and cons of any product. If you have any questions contact a health care specialist.

Learn More about Nootropics and which one might be right for you.