Nootropics are substances that may boost mental function. You can find nootropics in natural foods, nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical products such as ADHD medication Adderall or Provigil. Nootropics are generally safe to use by healthy adults; caffeine is perhaps the best-known nootropic, available both regular and functional cold brew coffee – plus other examples like L-theanine, lion’s mane mushrooms and green tea are great examples. Many nootropics also act as adaptogens which help alleviate stress while others such as Bacopa Monnieri enhance memory performance on delayed word recall tests.

Nootropics have long been recognized for enhancing physical performance and recovery from exertion. One such nootropic compound is paraxanthine, which has been shown to decrease measures of cognitive fatigue while improving performance on tasks requiring sustained concentration. Furthermore, one study discovered that paraxanthine improved exercise performance by simultaneously improving executive function performance as well as cognitive recovery after exercise (Wenk, 2021).

Some nootropics, like Caffeine, may produce unpleasant side effects like headaches or jitteriness; to minimize their side effects and get optimal results. Finding the best dosage and context-appropriate nootropic will be key to avoiding such side effects; something great for programming may not work when used for public speaking anxiety relief.

An independent third-party certificate of analysis (3rd party CoA) can help ensure you’re buying high-quality product rather than an inferior placebo. This analysis covers one batch at a time and is often conducted by an independent laboratory. As some nootropic manufacturers don’t display their 3rd party CoA’s on their websites, emailing them and asking for one may be necessary.