How To Get More Out Of Your Brain

Smart Drugs  

Limitless is a new television program based on the movie about the powerful effects of nootropics, or smart drugs. We have asked Dan Fries of Corpina Nootropics for some essential information on this emerging class of drugs, and what you need to know.

The brain is a wonderfully complex collection of neurons and other cells that work towards giving you cognition. About the only time you find it stalling is when you actually need it most: during a big exam, an interview or while talking to an attractive member of the opposite sex.

The brain is a wonderful servant but a terrible master, so it’s important that we really master it to get what we want in life. Fortunately, there are supplements we can take to help tweak our brain so that it functions optimally, even under stress.

What I’m referring to, of course, are nootropics, which are otherwise known more commonly as smart drugs.

What Exactly Are Nootropics?

The term Nootropics gets thrown around a lot on the Internet these days. Indeed, a quick look at Google trends shows that more and more people are looking into nootropics:




Yet, despite their growing popularity, many people don’t know what a nootropic really is. By its definition, nootropics are drugs and supplements that increase the cognitive qualities of the brain: learning, memory and attention. They have been around for quite a while, but are finding more recognition now as people become more aware about the benefits of these drugs.

Scientific studies and individual reports are coming in thick and fast which show how nootropics help people without cognitive disabilities by boosting their memory, focus, confidence and other basic brain functions. They actually bring about beneficial chemical changes within the brain that produce measurably better results in real-world conditions.

How do Nootropics Work?

This is one of the most asked-about and misinterpreted part of nootropics since its discovery.

It is now known that many nootropics work by accelerating natural processes in the brain, akin to a supercharger in a car. But how they do this is invariably attributed to ‘pseudoscience’ by a lot of people.

Different nootropics work with different processes and stimulate different neurochemical triggers. Let’s have a look at the most common nootropic-affected pathways in the brain:

Boosting Acetylcholine levels within the brain

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An important factor that most nootropics rely on is to increase the amount of Acetylcholine in the body. Why is this important? Acetylcholine is one of the more critical neurotransmitter components present in the brain. It’s directly responsible for how quickly the brain can adapt to new stimulus, also known as neuroplasticity of the brain.

When talking about nootropics, the racetam family (Oxiracetam, Aniracetam, Piracetam) can help you get your ACh levels up to optimal levels. They stimulate the appropriate neural systems in the brain, triggering it to produce more ACh.

There are also exclusive ACh supplements in the market. The most famous of them being Alpha GPC as it is being used by a lot of people in conjunction with a racetam (which is called a stack) or alone without any additives.

Huperzine A can also help with ACh levels in that it acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, which promotes optimal ACh absorption in the brain. Since Huperzine also occurs naturally, it has found worldwide fame and has even been linked as an herbal treatment for people suffering from Alzheimer’s. Taking it on a regular basis can boost your memory.

You can find several sources of Acetylcholine in your daily diet, meaning meat, eggs, and fish. But like most vitamins, you’ll not get to the requisite amount from them alone. Pre-made nootropic stacks like Alpha Brain contain a good dose of ACh.

Regulating Glutamate uptake

Glutamate occurs naturally in the brain and plays an important role in neural signalling. As a result, glutamate encourages neuroplasticity and helps form new connections in response to different stimuli that the brain encounters. The direct result of this: big improvements in memory and learning. Glutamate ability to increase the rate at which you learn new information and recall that information later.

While this is quite beneficial to the body in high levels it can have counter-productive effects. In small doses, glutamate is found to have a lot of cognitive benefits for your brain as mentioned above.

There are a branch of nootropics called Ampakines which exclusively work with regulating glutamate levels in the brain. Ampakines stimulate AMPA and NDMA receptors in the brain and prevent negative effects of glutamate excess.

Racetams are the most-beneficial Ampakines that money can buy. Aniracetam and Piracetam contain requisite amounts of both ACh and Glutamate making them good all-round performers when it comes to brain benefits.

Increasing Blood & Oxygen Flow to the Brain

Every organ in our body requires oxygen to execute its primary functions. We evolved a useful protein to help oxygen move throughout the body: hemoglobin, which absorbs and releases oxygen.

The brain is an organ which consumes a high percentage of the oxygen in the blood stream, and for good reason. The brain co-ordinates thousands of different activities in the body each second and is responsible for almost all motor functions.

Most nootropics have shown increased blood flow to the brain. The family of racetams, Noopept and the like have found to increase cerebral blood circulation. But the highest circulation was achieved with doses of Vinpocetine, an herbal nootropic, which showed remarkable difference from the rest. It has also been found to have neuroprotective effects which means you’ll be at your best for a longer time.

Various Health Benefits of Consuming Nootropics

It is often thought that nootropics are a newfound cure for mental ailments but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Nootropics have been used and prescribed by doctors for decades now. Though recently becoming more popular in the mainstream, they are by no means a new fad.

Nootropics have been used to treat people who are suffering from serious mental afflictions like ADHD, narcolepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. Their application and use is quite extensive.

Of late though, nootropics have caught the attention of normal people who seek to get an edge in life. By normal I mean, people who don’t suffer from any sort of mental problems and disease. They are discovering that different nootropics produce real benefits.

On sites like Reddit and Longecity, here are some of the more common benefits of nootropics:

• Helps elevate mood and prevent depression
• Increases confidence, especially during public speaking
• Better sleep
• Better coordinated when it comes to motor and mental skills
• Decreases stress
• More circulation and neuroprotective properties results in you being longer in ‘the zone’
• Breezing through previously difficult tasks

You have to understand though not everyone who takes a specific nootropic will be able to experience all these benefits. There are varying doses and nootropics that will affect each person uniquely depending on their constitution and brain’s chemical makeup. What might have profound effects for one person will not be effective at all for another.

The best thing you can do is to talk to your doctor before starting a dose. This will ensure that you will have backup if at all things turn south, for example, if you accidentally overdose on a drug. Your doctor can recommend what could work for you and what you should keep away from.

Using Nootropic Stacks as Effectively as Possible

The process of stacking is combining nootropic substances into one ‘stack’ that you can consume and derive the benefits without experiencing any drastic, negative side effects. Stacking nootropics is both an objective and subjective science. Scientific because it has to be measured correctly and there is some trial and error involved, personal because a stack may not have the exact response from you as anyone else, so you need to work on it a bit.

There are pre-made stacks that are available on the market that can help you gain benefits of most commonly used nootropics easily. But after you become adept at it, you might want to craft your own stack, which is the way to go.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Nootropics

When it comes to something that affects the brain as powerfully as nootropics, people might want to get to know it better. Here are a few things that have been asked on the interwebs often.

When Will I Finally Start to See Results?

There really is no one answer to this question. Since it targets an organ which works and is made up drastically different from one person to the next, there are literally too many variables in the equation to solve. The closest answer anyone can give would be your doctor since he knows about your physiology in detail. So it would be wise to start with him first.

Are Smart Drugs Addicting?

Nootropics haven’t been found to be addicting at all if the right doses are followed. Since nootropic science has been developing at real quick pace, scientists have been able to eliminate most of the factors that cause addiction and dependency issues in the drug.

Do Brain Boosters Actually Work?

Well, there are scientific tests that prove they actually do work to increase concentration and focus across the board. In fact, if you actually wanted to try it out, more than a few sites offer trial packs for a very small amount or sometimes even free for you to try out.

Are Nootropics Right For Me?

This is something that can only be answered by your doctor. Assuming that you are not on medication of any kind or do not have allergies towards what is contained in these drugs then you are free to use them.

If I take it, how soon will I build tolerance towards it?

Tolerance is something that varies across different nootropic drugs. Something like Phenibut can develop tolerance levels quite quickly while racetams are slower. It also depends on the dosage of the drug in question.

Will it require me to change my lifestyle drastically?

Healthier changes like getting enough sleep and exercise actually help nootropics work better for you. These can help alter your metabolism to bring about better effects in conjunction with nootropics.

Selecting the Cognitive Product that is Best For You

You can find various resources on the internet about different nootropic drugs and their effects. This means that most of your research is already done for you. Take this with a pinch of salt however, as not everything you read on the internet is true. They can act as guides and the best research is usually done when you experiment with available nootropic drugs.

But always ensure that you start off with about fractions of the recommended dose and work your way up from there on. If you are not feeling the nootropic effects, you could up the dose as per your discretion.

For an in depth look at some of the best nootropics for memory, check out this post where some nootropics experts have shared their thoughts.

In Closing

I hope that this has been a guide for you about nootropic drugs and their general effects. I would like to end this with a strong suggestion that you always consult your doctor first before starting on your course of nootropics. Doctors can always give you the technical backup that is required before you intake any of these drugs.

Well, that it from my side! To summarize, start with using premade stacks if you’ve never had nootropics before. Then move on to personalized stacks which can target specific areas and give you great results.

The most important things when you take on nootropics are patience – wait for a bit and don’t up your dosage too fast and objectivity – you must be able to remain objective, not get too carried away by them. Now you can go be that popular person who is the life of all the parties and leaves work with a big smile and isn’t afraid to take on additional tasks! In short, a rock star!

By Dan Fries

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Author Bio - Dan Fries is the founder of Corpina Nootropics, Dan's mission is to inform the world about nootropics and responsible nootropic use.