Vol 36–Enhancing Your Cognitive Function with Nootropics and Adaptogens, Here’s How to Get The Most Out of them

Quick Look 👀

1 oz of water to garden your health

1 Budding Tweet

2 Weeds to avoid

2 Websites to cultivate your garden

Random Musings

Reading Time: 5 minutes and 42 seconds

Action to water your health

I haven’t posted for a couple of Sundays, I went on a mini-vacation to California for some much-needed sun. It reminded me of Vol.28 and sunlight…I have also been training for my first Olympic weightlifting competition.

Anyways, let’s get back on schedule.

This week’s newsletter is brought to you by nootropics and adaptogens.

What are they? and do they actually do anything?

Why are so many companies adding these to their ingredients?

It's not your imagination, so many companies have been adding “nootropics” and “adaptogens” to their products.

You can read my reviews on MUD/WTR and Nourished to get a glimpse of a couple of companies that are doing it right. There is even a physical coffee shop Wunderground that has adaptogenic mushrooms added to their coffee.

Let’s not forget the sports drink, barcode, that has shiitake mushroom extract, ashwagandha, and others. I tried it for the first time and ended up with mushrooms oozing from my pores.

Nootropics. are a class of compounds that enhance cognitive function, including memory, concentration, and creativity. They may also have neuroprotective effects and help to reduce symptoms of cognitive decline associated with aging or certain neurological conditions.

So how many are there?

A ridiculous amount of them. Here’s a short list:

1. Caffeine

2. L-Theanine

3. Creatine

4. Piracetam

5. Aniracetam

6. Oxiracetam

7. Phenylpiracetam

8. Noopept

9. Modafinil

10. Adrafinil

11. Bacopa Monnieri

12. Ginkgo Biloba

13. Panax Ginseng

14. Rhodiola Rosea

15. Ashwagandha

16. Lion's Mane Mushroom Extract

17. Acetyl-L-Carnitine

18. Alpha-GPC

19. Many More!

Great! Let's start buying all the supplements with nootropics and become more productive. Well, hold on a minute.

Let's take Alpha-GPC for example, it’s used in pre-workouts, multivitamins, and others. It also increases your risk of stroke! I did a comprehensive literature review Vol. 31. The only reason I reviewed this ingredient was that my friend was taking it and I’d never heard of it!

That is to say, if you decide to take nootropics you should understand its benefits and risks. Don’t forget:

The FDA does NOT have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness or to approve their labeling before the supplements are sold to the public.

Adaptogens. These natural substances, usually herbs or mushrooms, are believed to help the body cope with stress and restore balance. They are said to "adapt" their function to the body's needs, hence the name "adaptogen."

Here are some examples:

1. Ashwagandha: a root commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

2. Rhodiola: a root traditionally used in Chinese and Siberian medicine to increase energy, endurance, and mental performance.

3. Ginseng: a root used in traditional Chinese medicine to improve cognitive function and boost energy levels.

4. Holy basil: an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce stress and improve immune function.

5. Eleuthero: a root used in traditional Chinese medicine to improve endurance, reduce fatigue, and boost immune function.

6. Schisandra: a berry used in traditional Chinese medicine to increase energy, reduce fatigue, and improve liver function.

7. Reishi mushroom: a mushroom traditionally used in Chinese medicine to boost immune function and reduce stress.

8. Cordyceps: a mushroom traditionally used in Chinese medicine to improve energy levels, athletic performance, and respiratory function.

9. Lion's mane mushroom

Great! let’s start adding those adaptogens..hold up. Many of these adaptogens:

1. Lack of Standardization: Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, adaptogens are not subject to standardized manufacturing processes and quality control standards, which can result in variability in the potency and purity of different products.

2. Limited Research: While adaptogens have been used for centuries in traditional medicine, the scientific research on their effectiveness and safety is still limited, and more rigorous studies are needed to fully understand their mechanisms of action and potential benefits and risks.

3. Interactions with Medications: Some adaptogens can interact with certain medications, it can decrease or increase it potency. So check with a medical professional.

4. Weird Reactions: Could be allergic, overstimulatoin, anxiety, or literally anything else. Your body has never had this adaptogen before. It freaks out, at least your immune system can.

Take Action:

Nootropics and adaptogens work, there is no doubt about it. Understanding their downsides often depends on the individual, the specific use case, manufacturing, the origin it was procured, dose, and duration of use.

If you decide to take HOPWTR for example it has Ashwagandha and L-Theanine. If you feel fantastic after taking it, try L-Theanine alone or ashwagandha alone, to find what ingredient works for you. That way you can either buy your own supplements or tailor your search to specific ingredients.

Budding Tweet

This tweet resonates a little. We wake up to our smart alarms, check our smart watches for optimized sleep, ensure we have our nootropics and adaptogens, and continue to optimize our day into oblivion…to forget to live our lives.

I’m here to tell you, that both are possible. Life ebbs and flows, you don’t have to love or hate something because it's the “trend”, if it works for you, genuinely then great! you do you. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

At least I won’t.

Weeds to avoid

1️⃣ Not exploring your city. Yes, yelp and other endless reviews are available in this age. But go and get lost, walk into little shops, and explore.

2️⃣ Not counting your macros, at least once. Macros=macronutrients, which are the three main components of the food we eat that provide energy: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

I’ve recently started doing this, at least sporadically, and am at times shocked. Useful for people who are trying to achieve specific health and fitness goals, such as losing weight or building muscle.

Websites to cultivate your garden

Mochi: While many use Anki for flashcards, mochi is superior and more user-friendly. And it has AI capabilities.

checkmyforeignwriting: Practice Writing in a Foreign Language and get Immediate Feedback (from GPT). Works great! If you are practicing a language and want real-time feedback this is for you.

Random Musings

1. We so often hear “its all about the journey, not the destination.” Although I agree and get that the journey includes all the experiences, challenges, and growth that occur along the way, which can often be more valuable than simply achieving a specific outcome. Man does it feel good to get to that destination.

2. I’m always amazed how companies find new ways to make money. Let’s repackage mac & cheese, make it “healthy” and sell it. Introducing goodles, ok I haven’t tried it yet and the ingredient list looks decent, but the nutritional facts can only be so “healhty”. Take a look.

3. Teenage engineering, they make beautiful engineering products. There is nothing i personally need but their stuff always looks aesthetically pleasing.

4. Nowatch, I bought one, tried it out for 2 weeks and returned it. I wrote a tweet about it here, if you want to know more lmk.

That's all this week,

As always if you want me to research something, hate or love my newsletter let me know.

You're an awesome human

Martin, CEO of braincrumbss

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