Well written and interesting post. It can be quite a hassle to navigate through the nootropics jungle. I've recently started taking creatine, L-Theanine + caffeine and Bacopa monnieri. When I take Bacopa at dinner I find that my periods of deep sleep get extended, sometimes by 1-2 hours. I still need to do more "testing" to see if it is really the Bacopa though. From L-Theanine and Caffeine I have noticed a slight increase in focus. It's kind of funny, I just started a website which will focus on "optimizing physical and mental capabilities", just like you call it, Mans. I'm planning on writing a post on nootropics when I have experimented more with it! :) P.S. To Will and Kyle: The webinar was awesome! Thank you for all the free information.
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Hi Alexander! Glad you liked the webinar. Are you going to start importing? Just checked out your site... and I'm going to start intermittent fasting again to get those insulin levels where they should be to get rid of that food coma brain. Thanks!
Kyle, Actually, I might! Me, my brother and a friend of his are planning to start importing stuff from China to sell here in Sweden when summer break comes. We're thinking of buying caffeine and L-Theanine powder to combine, package and sell to health food stores and individuals. I don't know about the legality of the whole thing though, so that might not work. Otherwise we might import teas and make some interesting combinations to sell. Or just buy random shit and sell it through Amazon >:D Thank you for checking out the site! Intermittent fasting really is amazing. I started it about a year ago and never turned back. StartUpBros is an inspiration. I'm amazed at the amount value you provide, so thank YOU!
Hey Alexander, So glad that you have started with caffeine + L-theanine. It is such a great combination (and well researched). For a lot of people interested in nootropics it doesn't sound "sexy" enough, though; that's a real shame as it can be one of the most effective. Bacopa is another great one. Considering it has been used in India for thousands of years and continues to be used by children even in small villages of the rural countryside, it's a solid pick. Glad to see sleep is improving, but definitely test. Also, make sure when you take bacopa that you have a fat source! It is fat soluble (like aniracetam) so it needs fat to work properly. I'll have to check out your site and write some content for you too!
Awesome article, guys! I take creatine for my muscle building and I've taken rhodiola before and loved it! But I've never even heard of the word Nootropics before this article. Any blog that teaches me something new and interesting like this, is fucking priceless! I appreciate it greatly. I'm one step closer to becoming the successful entrepreneur I'm meant to be. Keep doing what you're doing! Latasia
Which combo do you recommend the most?
Depends on the individual. For someone who has adrenal problems and already has a caffeine addiction, the caffeine / L-theanine combo isn't as helpful. For this individual, I'd suggest piracetam and choline. For vegetarians, I would suggest creatine. For someone who does not have a lot of experience with any substance whatsoever, caffeine and L-theanine is great.
So glad that I could help! Rhodiola is a great herb and definitely effective for entrepreneurs. Creatine is fabulous as well! Keep up the good work and you'll be successful for sure.
Why do you recommend Piracetam/Aniracetam together? Can you take either along with chloine?
Would it be a bad idea to start off with Aniracetam/Choline combo w/ little to no experience using Piracetam?
Hey Jerry, I don't necessarily recommend using them together, but they do work synergistically. Piracetam lasts a bit longer in the body while aniracetam has short-term effects. Starting off with aniracetam and choline is perfectly fine without piracetam experience. I suggest you take a smaller dose (as it is more potent), but otherwise you should be fine. In fact, many people prefer aniracetam over piracetam. Just make sure you take fat source as it is fat soluble!
What ratio do you recommend for Aniracetam/CDP choline? If I get the powder is it ok to mix it with juice + also take the additional fat source?
I'd start with the following: Aniracetam - ~750 mg x 2 per day CDP choline - 250 - 300 mg per day Tweak as your needs require. Everyone is different! You may not even need choline for genetic reasons.
How do you know if you need the choline or not? I've actually never tried CDP choline.
It is not essential, actually. Because racetams function by increasing utilization / uptake of acetylcholine, it makes sense that many people would need it. However, not everyone really does. It's definitely a good idea to get some. You can tinker with the best amount for you (even if it turns out to be none!)
I'll give this a try and see if I notice anything. Usually with these herbs/smart drugs you barely notice anything. The best I've tried that provided a noticeable difference in focus was soy PS. Hopefully I can notice a difference at least. Thanks for the replies and post.
Cool article, Mans. I checked out your site as well. Interesting topic. I gotta say I'm curious about the antiracetam/piracetam/choline stack. I'll try that out some time during 2014. Thanks for the post.
Hi Mans, Thank you for this intelligent and thoroughly researched information. In my former life I was a midwife, and I have used some of the combinations you recommended to deal with the intensity of the long hours of that profession, but a few were new to me. As I'm in the midst of throwing myself into my new business full-force, your timing was perfect!
Glad you like it! Best of luck finding something that works.
I hope you come back and let us know what combos you try and how they work for you!
Well written post. I really like the attention to details. I especially like the focus enhancers section. Thank you.
I hope you give some of these combos a try... some awesome stuff!
Regarding the CILTeP stack, I noticed that the recommended dosage: Coleus Forskohlii – 20 mg (standardized 20% forskolin – 4 mg) However, doing a quick Amazon search, it seems that Coleus Forskohlii capsules only come in quantities of 125mg or greater @ 20%... Are you simply opening the capsules and eyeballing the amounts so that its roughly 20mg?
Typically if you want to be precise, I'd suggest a scale. Plenty of stereotypes, but do it right :-)
One nootropic stack I would like to add is L-dopa + green tea extract. This works well for focus and energy enhancement. I also use noopept and alpha gpc + centrophenoxine with great results. Excellent article and information. Keep on rocking!
Awesome addition, I'll have to give it a try!
FYI, Bacopa is NOT fat soluble. It is definitely water soluble and it is this solubility that makes it wildly important to ensure your bacopa is sourced from a clean water supply. Many supplies are prone to arsenic, mercury, and other toxic heavy metals and since the plant gladly drinks up whatever it's exposed to, you run the risk of heavy metal contaminated bacopa. Please update your article. Other than that, it was a great read.
Pretty! This was ann extremely wonderful article. Thanks for supplyibg this information.
Great article! Can you post links to the websites that you trust and buy each of these supplements?
Great article and very informative regarding nootropics. I don't know why our culture make us push so much for extended days. Sure smart drugs are going to help you push hard and work a lot, but should we? It can't be good in the long run. I'm a big fan of aniracetam but not long hours.
Greetings from France ! I really like your post, it's very informative. I will give them a try. I was considering Modafinil but it sounds dangerous.
"The most convenient (and cheaper) way of doing this is just drink one 8 ounce cup of coffee and take a L-theanine supplement." You what now? Unless you get the cheapest, nastiest coffee ever, a bottle of caffeine pills will be way cheaper than coffee in terms of milligrams of caffeine per dollar. And I would say that popping a caffeine pill is way more convenient than brewing and then drinking a cup of coffee. But to each their own ;)
Great post guys and highly informative! Nootropics are definitely game changing. Anyone new to this, in my personal opinion, should avoid things like modafinil. While they do have short terms effects, it is not worth it in the long term for your mental health. Up on my list is Alpha GPC, Phosphatidylserine, phenylpiracetam and L-Theanine for sure!
Great article! Wondering what the app is that you had mentioned?
Optimize your brain Focus, Memory and Clarity. Premium Nootropics made to optimize emphasis as well as memory.
Excellent brief on Nootropics! Recently I have purchased NeuroGum's nootropics stack, which helped a lot to make concentration in work.
Caffeine and l-theanine combo does a lot for me. Im taking 200 mg of caffeine which is a bit high dose, and 400 mg theanine. Sometimes i got sleppy effects, but my mood is good and felling very energised.
Very interesting. As long as there are no long term side effects and it can give you the advantage in business, then let's give Nootropics a try.
I have dystonia a neurological condition that causes mussels contractions in my neck ,and causes my neck to pull to the right side , I cant even hold my head straight ,and can be very painful. I have had this for 10 years it's a night mere . My neurologist has used Botox to help with this problem ,but I have only experienced very little help form that. I have also used clozapine that helps a lot , but it can be addictive , I wend myself off from that ,and just take it when don't sleep at night. I don't like taking drugs ,I know there is something good in the nootropics ,but need some help with what I could take to stopped the mussels contractions ,and always help me sleep better, however I believe where I could not sleep for so long contributed to my dystonia . I am Happy to have found this web sight. Thank you so much Man Deaton ,for your great contribution ! I would appreciate any advice .