Book on Nootropics – Smarter Better Faster

Smarter Better Faster

A surgical guide to using the nootropics for total mental dominance

Ryan Michael Ballow
CEO/Founder, Cortex Labs
Founder of the Cortex Nootropic Stack, Nootropics Ground Zero, Nootropics Master Class, Nootropics God Course, and Nootropics Consulting Programs

Copyright

Copyright @ Ryan Michael Ballow, Surrogate Labs LLC (DBA Cortex Labs)

Contents

SECTOR 1: Nootropics Primer

  • How nootropics work
  • The primary neuro-chemicals that nootropics target
  • Other chemical modulations nootropics target
  • How long do nootropics take to work
  • What sectors of mental functionality do nootropics improve
  • Who uses nootropics
  • What to expect from the sectors ahead

    SECTOR 2: SURGICAL NOOTROPICS FOR MENTAL DOMINANCE
  • Choline sources
  • Uridine monophosphate
  • Surgical Uridine monophosphate stacks
  • The Mr. Happy Stack
  • Taking Uridine monophosphate by itself
  • The AACT stack
  • The Piracetam/Caffeine/Theanine protocol
  • Oxiracetam
  • Surgical Oxiracetam stacks
  • Oxiracetam additions, strategies, and discussion
  • ALCAR/Racetam stacks
  • Huperzine A
  • Huperzine A dosing directions
  • Shankhpushpi/Artichoke Extract Stack
  • PRL-8-53
  • Dose, directions, and caveats of PRL-8-53
  • Stacking PRL-8-53
  • Aniracetam
  • The ANR Micro Protocol
  • Surgical Aniracetam Stacks
  • Triacetyluridine
  • The TAU Limitless Stack
  • L-Tyrosine
  • Theacrine
  • Phenylpiracetam
  • General Phenylpiracetam notes
  • Surgical Phenylpiracetam stacks
  • Noopept
  • The Noopept/Choline/ALCAR stack
  • Noopept/Oxiracetam/CDPCholine/Vinpocetine Stack
  • Noopept Nasal Spray
  • TheAfinils
  • Surgical Modafinil protocols
  • Microdosing Modafinil
  • Microdose Modafinil/Caffeine protocol
  • The ALA/Uridine/ALCAR power stack
  • Pre-made Nootropic stacks
  • Tranquility nootropics
  • L-Theanine
  • Sublingual liquid L-Theanine protocol
  • Phenibut
  • Surgical tranquility nootropic stacks

    SECTOR 3: NOOTROPICS QUESTIONS ANSWERED
  • The elephant in the room: should I cycle nootropics
  • Can I mix racetams?
  • Do I really need a choline source with racetams?
  • What if nootropics give me brain fog?
  • Are nootropics cheating?
  • What gear do I need to make my own capsules?
  • Who are the most reputable, trustable, nootropics vendors?
  • What aren’t nootropics working for me?
  • Am I feeling placebo or the nootropic?
  • Are nootropics safe to take everyday?
  • What are the best online nootropics communities?
  • How much should I spend per month on nootropics?
  • SECTOR 4: NOOTROPICS PHILOSOPHY
  • Taking nootropics to optimize a system, for a task
  • Taking nootropics that have residual effects
  • Taking less nootropics over time
  • Subtle nootropics that truly optimize brain physiology
  • Finding your sweet spot
  • Final word

INTRO

The purpose of the intro is to quickly explain who I am, what my experience with nootropics is, and what you can expect from this book. My name is Ryan Michael Ballow. Who am I in short? A United States Army soldier that became an entrepreneur. I used nootropics to build a successful technology repair firm, and later went on to build a global nootropic supplement/stack that is used by US military personnel, Wall Street traders, corporate employees, and nootropics experimenters all around the world. It’s called Cortex.

Cortex Nootropic Stack

I’m also the creator of the top Nootropics Courses and consulting programs in the world, that teach you how to use Nootropics like an expert, and help you get a consistently high performing brain.

While I was in the Army, I deployed to Iraq for a 15 month tour in a particularly bad sector of the country. We were just outside of Sadr City. That experience was a bit jarring to my brain, to say the least, so when I returned to the United States, I had some work to do on my brain. This started with meditation.

Eight years ago, I meditated for the first time in my life. I sat down for 45 minutes a night, for two weeks, and worked toward clearing my mind. And after about 3 days, I was able to break through all of that noise we all experience in our heads perpetually, and finally silence my mind. The outcome was profound.

I was happy again. I felt positive about life again. And I left that experience, after two straight weeks of meditating for 45 minutes a night, an entirely different person. Sound hyperbolic? It’s not. Meditation changes the brain. It enhances your response to stress, optimizes the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, and has been clinically shown to induce actual physical changes in the brain.

This experience catalyzed a 6 month period of reading about cognitive science, to figure out exactly what was happening in my brain that was so profound, and so good. I became immersed. This was when I knew, my life would be about mental performance optimization.

And in my journey learning about the brain, particularly in the realm of mental optimization, I stumbled upon the incredible world of nootropics. I studied and used nootropics for the ensuing 15 years, developed a passion for them, and here we are. I amassed a large subscriber base for nootropics content on my company website, livecortex.com, nootropics podcast, and on YouTube, and our community is strong, thriving, non-judgmental and welcoming.

I am 15 years deep into taking nootropics, and with them, I have improved my baseline brain function considerably, am performing better now mentally at 38 than I was at 25. This book is my tell all guide to total mental performance optimization, using nootropics.

THE MAIN FUNCTION OF THIS BOOK

In this book, I want to give you clear cut instructions on what nootropics to use, for what situations, in what doses. We’ll cut right through the fat, and spill the beans for you in this book on what my 15 years of nootropics experience has taught me, about the best nootropic stacks to take, for the most optimal mental states. We’ll also discuss common nootropics questions that people have, that are difficult to find answers for on the web because nootropics information is entirely too disparate and spread out.

By the time you’re finished reading this book, you will be armed with the knowledge to acquire, take, and benefit from the best nootropics on the planet. You will have the knowledge to use nootropics to improve your mental energy, verbal fluency, focus, speed of processing, working memory, and more. We will not talk about all nootropics. Not even close.

We couldn’t even make a dent in the massive quantity of compounds that affect brain function positively if we tried. Instead, I will give you the best stacks. The best combinations. The best advice. And the best strategies.

You will have an easy reference to some of the best combinations of nootropic compounds on the planet. In this book, I will lay out the nootropics I use, what combinations of nootropics work the best, and a myriad of actionable nootropic strategies to target particular modes of brain functioning. So strap in, and get ready to unlock the door to total mental dominance with nootropics. Are you ready? Here we go…

Sector 1: Nootropics primer

What are nootropics? Well, the Merriam Webster dictionary definition says: a substance that enhances cognition and memory, and facilitates learning. Which is pretty close, but general. I would define it thus: any substance that improves verbal fluency, mental energy, mental work endurance, working memory, and focus.

The thing about nootropics is, you can target (and achieve) several mental states with them. You can get as granular as improving your ability to form sentences with some nootropics, to drastically improving your ability to hold digits in your working memory with others. This book will give you a surgical approach to targeting specific mental performance outcomes.

HOW NOOTROPICS WORK

The tone of this book is simple. We do not want to overcomplicate things, so aligned with that strategy, nootropics work by changing chemicals in the brain to make them work better. We’ll call those “neuro-chemicals” throughout this book, but they are officially referred to as neurotransmitters. These are chemicals that are sent throughout the brain, to fire certain mental activities. Once these neuro-chemicals reach a receiving brain cell, or “neuron,” they either cause that neuron to be active or excited, or calm and inhibited.

Certain neuro-chemicals tell neurons to operate in a way that allows you to focus better. Some neuro-chemicals tell neurons to operate in a way that stops you from having anxiety. Some, stimulate the brain like Caffeine does. And some work on neuro-chemical receptors, that is, a receiving element of a neuron, of a signal from a neuro-chemical. In these instances, the receptor is normally being optimized so that the signal of the neuro-chemical coming through to it, is optimized. This translates to a better response from the neuro-chemical coming to the receptor.

THE PRIMARY NEURO-CHEMICALS THAT NOOTROPICS TARGET

  1. Acetylcholine. This is a chemical that your brain uses for focus and working memory. Optimizing this chemical results in better focus, and better working memory.
  2. Dopamine. This is a chemical that your brain uses for motivation. Having sufficient levels of Dopamine in your brain, means you usually have adequate levels of motivation.
  3. GABA. This chemical is particularly interesting, in that it tells the rest of the brain to calm down. It has a nomenclature category (official neurotransmitter category name) called “inhibitory neurotransmitter.” GABA relaxes the brain. Some nootropics work on increasing GABA functionality, like “Phenibut,” to foster calmness, and some work on inhibiting it, like Modafinil, to foster wakefulness and unimpeded brain function.
  4. Epinephrine/Norepinephrine. These are the neuro-chemicals involved in alertness. If these chemicals are turned up, you’ll notice it. Ever heard of 5 hour energy? It’s a popular drink in the United States that targets mental energy. One of its ingredients is L-Tyrosine, which directly increase Epinephrine and Norepinephrine. 5 hour energy is effectively a nootropic drink. It’s just not marketed that way.
  5. Glutamate. This interesting neuro-chemical, that is found all over the human nervous system, and is primarily stimulating. It has a few different receptors throughout the brain that when activated, generally provoke a stimulatory (or excitatory) response.
  6. Serotonin. This is a calming, inhibitory neurotransmitter like GABA, that is involved in keeping the brain happy, inducing positive moods, and regulating motility and movement in your gastrointestinal tract.

OTHER CHEMICAL MODULATIONS NOOTROPICS TARGET

It isn’t just neurotransmitters that nootropics work on. It’s optimizing the pathways between those neurotransmitters, called “neurites,” which can either be axons or dendrites. It’s optimizing chemicals that foster neuronal growth and repair, like brain derived neurotrophic factor. And nootropics also have the ability to improve the integrity and outer structure of brain cells, called membranes, and specifically with some nootropics like Uridine Monophosphate, phosphatidylcholine.

Nootropics also target receptor sites. Aniracetam, for example, a popular pharmaceutical (but legal in the US) smart drug, targets AMPA receptors, one of the few receptor sites for the neuro- chemical Glutamate. The effect of positively modulating AMPA receptors via Aniracetam is a stimulatory one.

And there are many more, and some, we don’t really know much about. Modafinil, for example, which is a pharmaceutical drug prescribed to narcoleptics, still has some mechanisms of action that are elusive and unknown.

Research chemicals that act as nootropics, like PRL-8-53, which we’ll talk about later, have some unknown mechanisms by which they exert their effect on brain chemistry. If they haven’t been studied all that well, those compounds should be approached with caution.

But suffice it to say, most of the known nootropic compounds out there have known, studied, and understood mechanisms. People think nootropics are some sort of fringe new thing, that hasn’t been extensively studied and understood.

Hogwash. We know what most of these compounds do to our brains, and armed with that information, we can use them to optimize mental functionality for productivity, output, and performance.

HOW LONG DO NOOTROPICS TAKE TO WORK

With most nootropics, you are causing reactions in brain chemistry almost right away, so the onset time, or time it takes for a compound to start affecting you, is relatively short. Nothing that I take, besides perhaps an Ayurvedic herb called Ashwagandha, takes any longer than 40 minutes to start affecting me, and most nootropics start working on me between 15-20 minutes after taking them.

And that’s likely going to be the case for you. You body should process the compounds relatively quickly, send them through your blood, and have them enter your brain. Just like Caffeine. Within 20-30 minutes, you should notice nootropics working on your brain. But what will they do? How will you notice? Great questions. And to answer them, it all really comes down to knowing…

WHAT SECTORS OF MENTAL FUNCITONALITY DO NOOTROPICS IMPROVE

The primary areas that nootropics improve, and that we will lay out instructions to optimize in this book are:

  1. Verbal fluency. This is the ability to effortlessly convey your thoughts to someone, without pauses, issues finding words, and a lack of fluidity. Have a conversation with someone. Are you accessing your vocabulary easier? Is it easier to formulate sentences? Are you having less pauses between thoughts, executing a smooth, fluid speech pattern? That’s your verbal fluency being improved. Many nootropics work on optimizing verbal fluency. We have a customer that takes our nootropic product Cortex, who gives speeches to big audiences for a living. She swears by Cortex, because it improves her verbal fluency greatly.
  2. Working memory. This specifically explains the functionality of your brain that allows you to hold (or not hold) pieces of information in your memory, for quick use. A good example would be trying to remember a phone number someone just gave you, for the minute it takes you to get to your phone to program it into your contacts. Many nootropics work on working memory, improving your ability to hold information in your mind. Pick up a book. Read a scientific study. Take an IQ test. If you’re retaining more information in your head than you usually do, your working memory is improved for the time being.
  3. Mental energy. Everyone should be able to identify if they have more mental energy. This is the general reservoir of usable brain power you have for a particular task. Feel like you have more mental endurance to sit down and do some laptop work? Perhaps pay some bills online? Research something? Write a book? Do something productive? You’re experiencing more mental energy in these instances. A good percentage of nootropics work on improving mental energy, by improving the profile of Norepinephrine and Epinephrine, AMPA receptors, or blood flow to the brain.
  1. Motivation. This is a big one, and some of the best nootropics are ones that drive action in people. They get you to want to do work. They get you to want to achieve things. They get you to want to get things done. Nootropics do this by working primarily on the neuro-chemical Dopamine.
  2. Focus. This, for some people, is the real target. Focus is the ability to sit down and do something, without being distracted, for a long time. Writing this book takes focus. Writing blog posts takes focus. Taking a test requires focus. Doing research requires focus. And many other of the critically important things we do as humans require focus. Some nootropics work directly on improving focus, by working on a combination of neuro-chemicals, that result in the brain being able to fire on all cylinders and hone in on a particular task.
  3. Speed of processing and reaction time. Sometimes, our brains are just lagging. They’re not fast enough. We’re not able to access information quick enough. We’re slow, sluggish, and unresponsive. Certain nootropic compounds target exactly the systems that underly these problems, improving speed of information processing, and reaction time. Spend any amount of time around someone that’s either used nootropics for a long time, or are currently taking nootropics, and you’ll quickly discover that their brains are working on an entirely different level, echelons above typical mental processing speed.
  4. Anxiety response. As we all know, and most of us have experienced, stress and anxiety can take a toll on concentration, and well being. We’re all so revved up these days, and the current work construct (at least in the United States) is entirely overwhelming. There are classes of nootropics, which we’ll talk about later in the book in detail, that powerfully calm the stress response down, and get a strong hold on anxiety. And the best ones are natural, legal, and cheap. They are called “tranquility nootropics.”

SAFETY OF NOOTROPICS

In my view, nootropics are safer than alcohol. And people drink alcohol, everyday. We all know that alcohol negatively affects liver function, and consistent alcohol use seems pretty deleterious for most people. But I think, to ask the question are nootropics safe, you have to look at examples of people who’ve been taking them for a long time.

Ray Kurzweil, the world renowned futurist, takes over a hundred supplements a day, one of which is a known nootropic compound called L-Alphaglycerylphosphorylcholine, otherwise known as Alpha GPC. He also takes a compound called L-Carnitine, which also functions to improve brain performance. Kurzweil is 69 years old at the time of this writing, and still functioning greatly. Optimized, actually.

His verbal fluency, and mental capacity seems light years ahead of other people his age. At 69, people are typically hanging it up, having memory and other cognitive problems. Kurzweil on the other hand, was recently hired by the web giant Google for a lead role in machine learning and engineering. Attributable to taking nootropics? Maybe. Maybe not.

But looking at the example of an aging, successful, innovative man, who’s been taking nootropic compounds for quite some time, once can extract a bit of anecdotal evidence that nootropics are safe to take. But also, looking at proper cycling strategies, which we’ll discuss later on in the book, if there are any downsides to taking nootropics, it’s quite plausible that you can largely avoid them with cycling. Cycling, is merely stopping taking certain nootropics for certain periods of time, to reinstitute balance in your brain.

Dave Asprey, a well known BioHacker and nootropics user, not only seems just fine after many years of taking nootropics, and a known 8 year stint of taking the smart drug, Modafinil, but he’s looking younger and more functional these days than he was 5 years ago. Asprey takes everything from Phenlypiracetam, a strong derivative of Piracetam, to Aniracetam, to Modafinil.

But I think one of the most interesting examples of someone who’s taken nootropics for a long time is the man who has one of the highest IQ scores in the world (connected?), Richard Rosner. Daily Mail reports that Rosner, who’s IQ is between 180-190, takes a wide rang of nootropics, including Centrophenoxine, Piracetam, DMAE, Cognitex, and others. These are all hardcore nootropics, and Rosner, 57 now, isn’t showing any signs of negative damage from taking nootropics. To the contrary, actually, with enormously high IQ scores.

But there are concerns with taking nootropics, and one should absolutely be aware of them going in. Some people react negatively to them, for one reason or another. For some, their brains may have highly functional amounts of the neuro-chemicals that nootropics target, so adding more of them actually messes with their brain function. There is such a thing as too much of a given neurotransmitter, and we’ll get to how to avoid running into this situation in the sector of this book on cycling.

There’s also the concern of overburdening the liver. All nootropics have to be processed by the liver, and if one runs into impaired liver detoxification pathways, via some persistent disease state, one should strongly consider fixing their liver problems first before consistently dosing on nootropics.

Glutathione, the body’s main detoxification agent, used particularly by the liver to rid the body of toxins, would be the target chemical in this situation, achievable via eating grapefruits, or taking bioavailable forms of Glutathione.

But generally speaking, a strong, healthy person should be able to, with the right cycling strategies, take nootropics and not run into problems, and a lot of people actually use calming nootropics, like L-Theanine and Ashwagandha, to make them healthier, via reducing the stress burden to their body.

WHO USES NOOTROPICS

This will surprise you. Everyone uses nootropics. From Rick Rosner, who we talked about earlier, and has one of the highest IQ scores measurable in modern times, to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who require the extra mental edge to execute on their venture backed businesses, to soldiers from the United States military, to corporate executives, ladder climbers, and workers, to everyday folks. Mothers of 5. Fathers of 3. Mother and father combinations. College students, and virtually everyone else in between.

As we discussed earlier in this sector, many people are using nootropics without realizing they’re using nootropics, as is the case with the very popular, mainstream drink, 5 Hour Energy. University professors are using nootropics to keep up with the workload. Business people all over the globe use nootropics to stay on top of their game, and as we mentioned, some of the most highly revered individuals on the planet, like Ray Kurzweil the futurist and senior Google employee, are using nootropics.

I think the primary disconnect people have looking into the world of nootropics is that they think they are fringe. Nootropics are anything but fringe. In the 1980s, a woman named Rita Levi- Montalcini won a Nobel Peace Prize for discovering a nootropic compound called “Nerve Growth Factor,” which potentiates neuronal repair and growth. She actually took the compound everyday for decades, via eye drops, which got the substance to cross what’s called the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), and enter her brain.

She lived past 110, and can be seen at an extremely old age giving interviews in which her verbal fluency and cognitive capacity was impossibly pristine. Bankers use nootropics. CEOs use nootropics. CFOs use nootropics. Brick layers use nootropics. Heavy equipment operators use nootropics. Dentists use nootropics. Doctors use nootropics, and virtually any other player in any occupational sector you can think of, uses nootropics.

They are far more popular than the word nootropics leads people to believe. Again, lots of products are just marketed differently then to say: “these are nootropics.” Formulating and launching a global nootropic stack, Cortex, I’ve gotten a real close look at just how many people are benefitting from these compounds everyday. And it’s more than folks think. It’s virtually everyone. A new company has recently launched that sells a product called “Thrive,” and its gaining popularity quite quickly. Looking at some of the ingredients, like B vitamins, and a nervous system stimulant called “Theobromine,” it’s quite clear: Thrive is a nootropic compound. Again, it’s just not marketed that way.

So nootropics have been around and are being used by many sectors of people, all around the world very regularly. I’ve been using them for 8 years, and I saw what seems now to be the onset of a “nootropics boom” in the market. The world is catching on to this phenomenon, and they are being used, popularized, and benefitted from, all around the globe. And remember: the most widely used nootropic on the planet is Caffeine.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE SECTORS AHEAD

The primary point of this book is to give you actionable, concise steps on taking the best nootropic stacks to achieve very specific brain states. We are going to give you the exact formulas of the exact ingredients to target all of the effects we discussed earlier: verbal fluency, focus, speed of processing, mental energy, memory, and more. We’ll discuss mostly stacks, but some individual nootropics to take for specific brain states.

This book distills 8 years of nootropics usage and knowledge, and puts it into an easily digestible, powerfully actionable group of strategies anyone can use to achieve mental dominance, and optimal brain functionality. The best part? You don’t have to go scour the web for everyone’s N=1 experiments and recommendations. Everything you need to get powerful mental performance from nootropics is in this book.

So strap in my friends, because starting from sector 2 onward, I am going to blast you with valuable, actionable information you can start using ASAP, to turn on your brain function, and get wired in. Let’s do this.

Sector 2: Surgical nootropics for mental dominance

This is the primary functional sector of this book. In this sector, we’re going to divulge actionable strategies, doses, and details on using natural and pharmaceutical nootropics and stacks for total mental dominance. Natural nootropics are generally more widely available, proven as extremely safe, and work just as effectively if not more than pharmaceutical nootropics. Pharmaceutical nootropics are extremely effective, but due to certain laws in certain countries, may be a bit less available then natural nootropics.

Natural nootropics can be anything from Alpha GPC, a building block to the neuro-chemical Acetylcholine and substrate in Phosphatidylcholine synthesis that normally induces working memory and focus benefits, to Vinpocetine, a natural compound that improves blood flow and oxygen to the brain. They can be herbs or nutraceutical compounds. They can be green and brown like herbs, or full fledge white powder like drugs. But all of them fall into the generally recognized as safe category, and are mostly all legal to sell, purchase, and have in the United States and in most developed countries.

Though a lot of them are made in a pharmaceutical setting, (just like the Vitamin C powder at your local supplement store), they’re still considered natural nootropic compounds. They can be plant alkaloids, lab synthesized versions of chemicals you make in your brain, precursors or building blocks to chemicals you make in your brain, and more. Pharmaceutical nootropics are equally effective compounds that are mostly legal to use in the United States, Canada, and other developed countries, but have some restrictions in some countries due to the possibility of them being scheduled. In this sector, we’ll discuss surgical nootropic strategies with both natural and pharmaceutical nootropic compounds. But first, a necessary illumination of…

CHOLINE SOURCES

In the realm of nootropics, you’ll always hear about choline sources, and though some people reading this book may know all about them, some may not. At the root of many nootropic combinations, or stacks, is one of the many choline sources. I’m going to explain the three primary choline sources that are best used with nootropics, what the difference is between them, and their relation to other nootropic compounds. But first, a necessary overview.

Choline sources refer to compounds that help the brain make the neuro-chemical Acetylcholine. They act as direct precursors (building blocks) to Acetylcholine. They’re all natural compounds. Most of them have more than one function, but the primary function is giving the brain more Acetylcholine to work with. Acetylcholine is, for all intents and purposes, a focus and memory neuro-chemical. It is “excitatory” in nature, and stimulates the brain to work. You need it for focus, working memory, verbal fluency, and many more functions.

But in the realm of nootropics, choline sources act as precursors to Acetylcholine, or co-factors with nootropics that force the brain to use more Acetylcholine. The class of nootropics called “racetams,” which consist of Piracetam, Aniracetam, Oxiracetam, Phenylpiracetam, Coluracetam, Fasoracetam, and Pramiracetam, work partially by changing the way your brain uses Acetylcholine. Some speed up the usage of it. Others make its functionality work better, and in both instances, for some people, they’ll require a choline source to assist through the process. The general framework is:

1. The racetam nootropic forces the brain to use more Acetylcholine.

2. Therefore, you should either have enough available Acetylcholine (achieved by eating foods with choline in them, which will convert to Acetylcholine, like eggs, fish, some dairy, and meat) for the racetam to use, or feed the brain precursors to produce the required Acetylcholine, via nootropic choline sources. Make sense? We’ll touch on the racetam/choline dilemma a few more times throughout this book to really cement it in.

Many other nootropics speed up or optimize the usage of Acetylcholine, so for some people, choline sources are necessary. For others, based on their dietary intake of choline, they’re not. It will all depend on your brain, and you’ll need to determine your need for choline sources with certain nootropics based on experimentation.

Using a choline source merely as a precursor or building block to Acetylcholine, is the other strategy. Simply: the brain requires Acetylcholine for many functions, like we discussed. So, taking building blocks to it alone should produce a nootropic benefit for some people. Primarily, one should hope to achieve: focus, working memory, and verbal fluency with an Acetylcholine precursor.

But as we’ll get into here, most Acetylcholine precursors are multi-factorial, meaning they do more than one thing. 2 of the 3 we’re going to discuss, have many additional interesting nootropic properties, besides just adding Acetylcholine to the brain. The 3 primary choline sources I want to discuss, and their accompanying uses/mechanisms/actions are:

1. Alpha GPC. This is an interesting natural nootropic compound that has the most choline per dose, than any other Acetylcholine precursor (again, precursor = a building block of Acetylcholine). This is a choline source that crosses into the brain, and is readily available for it to use. It does so by crossing what’s called the “blood brain barrier.” This barrier keeps pathogens out of the brain, and has some other interesting properties, but suffice it to say, if a compound can cross it, into the brain, the effect will be more pronounced.

Alpha GPC, by itself, should induce focus, some degree of enhanced verbal fluency, and better working memory. It is a good basic nootropic as a standalone, and most people respond well to it.

But it also has other properties. It helps the brain make the membranes that surround cells and give them their integrity. It also stimulates what’s known as “human growth hormone,” which is helpful for weight lifters.

Alpha GPC dose range: In this book, I will not give you “general advice.” I will give you my advice, from almost a decade of taking nootropics. Most “general nootropics advice” suggest very high doses of everything, but for most compounds, people will respond very well to lower doses. Therefore, my suggested dose range on Alpha GPC is: 50-200MG.

You may try going higher, but if you do, be particularly aware if you get any side effects. There is such a thing as too much Acetylcholine, and typically that state will make you tired and unfocused. You have to find the sweet spot for you. That is one of the most

important takeaways of this book, which we’ll discuss in the nootropics philosophy section. When taking Alpha GPC with other compounds, like Aniracetam, Oxiracetam, and or Noopept, you may require different amounts, and we’ll get to that when we talk about those compounds.

© Copyright Cortex Labs. You may not copy this book.

Smarter Better Faster

2. CDP Choline. This is one of my favorite nootropics, and definitely my favorite Acetylcholine precursor. It is both a building block to Acetylcholine, and a modulator of its receptors. In other words, it provides the brain with Acetylcholine, AND makes Acetylcholine work better. But that’s not all: it also improves Dopamine receptors, adding a nice motivating effect to it, and increases mental energy by telling the brain to raise Epinephrine, a neuro-chemical for alertness.

But even that isn’t it! CDP Choline donates part of its structure (Cytidine) to the production of a compound called Uridine monophosphate, which we’ll talk about here in a bit. Uridine also works on Dopamine receptors, making them function better and thus, providing a stimulating, motivating effect. And Uridineimproves all kinds of functions in the brain, which again, we’ll get to.

So you may be getting the drift on this one right? That CDP Choline is probably the most versatile and multi-factorial choline source in the book. It works on very many systems, and is sort of a nootropic stack in and of itself. It, like Alpha GPC, crosses the blood brain barrier quite easily, and therefore is easily noticeable, in an acute like manner.

CDP Choline dose range: For this compound, my suggested dose range is exactly the same as Alpha GPC. You don’t want to go to high with CDP. And too low, won’t yield enough noticeable benefits. So go with: 50-200MG. That doesn’t mean you can’t go higher if you feel like you need to. But I’ve found that for most people, staying within this range will yield the best, sustainable result. CDP Choline is one primary ingredient in our best nootropic stack, Cortex.

3. Choline Bitartrate. This compound is the “low level” choline source. It does not cross the blood brain barrier for an immediate, acute effect, but it does still contribute to the production of Acetylcholine. If the more bioavailable (blood brain barrier crossing) choline sources are a bit too stimulatory for you, or if you run into any kind of side effects with them, Choline Bitartrate is the perfect alternative. It may take longer, and have little to no actual acute effects, but it will still convert to Acetylcholine via an enzyme called acetyltransferase. This compound is never usually taken on its own, but instead, as you’ll see later in this book, in conjunction with other nootropics that require the brain have usable, readily available, Acetylcholine. The dose range on this compound varies, but a good rule of thumb is at least 300MG.

That explains the infamous “choline sources,” as was a necessary first part to the guts of this book. Choline sources will be discussed several times throughout this book, mostly as they stack with other nootropic compounds. But, in the meantime, let’s discuss one of my favorite nootropic compounds.

URIDINE MONOPHOSPHATE

Uridine monophosphate is by far, the best verbal fluency, motivation, focus, and speed of processing natural nootropic there is in my opinion. It works on a multitude of neuro-chemicals, but perhaps most importantly, it is one of the major components of cellular repair and neurogenesis, the process of spawning/growing new neurons. Uridine also works on improving a cool little thing in the brain called “neurite outgrowth,” which explains branches between brain cells that send information (axons and dendrites), actually growing larger. It is the primary ingredient in the global commercial nootropic stack I launched, the Cortex Nootropic stack.

It modulates Dopamine receptors, adding a cool motivating effect to the compound. It works on speed of processing by improving cellular membrane integrity, and it partially converts to a choline source, donating extra Acetylcholine to the brain. Uridine stacks extremely well with many other compounds. It’s one of the most impressive nootropics in the world. There is a company in Australia that created a product called “Souvenaid,” which contains Uridine, B vitamins, a choline source, the fatty acid found in fish called DHA, and some minerals. The combination of nootropic compounds is being marketed as an anti-Alzheimer’s concoction, and is showing some significant promise.

There are many different combinations of using Uridine with other nootropic compounds you could engage in for total mental dominance. I’ve worked out all of these combinations, tested them on other people, extensively studied other people who’ve combined Uridine with many other compounds, and this is the definitive list of combinations you can engage for total mental dominance and verbal fluency with Uridine monophosphate.

SURGICAL URIDINE MONOPHOSPHATE STACKS

  1. 150MG Uridine monophosphate/100MG CDP Choline. This is one of the primary Uridine nootropic stacks that work incredibly for mental energy, focus, verbal fluency, speed of processing, and motivation. These doses are close to the doses in the Cortex nootropic stack, and at this time, have been time tested with 2000 plus people.
  2. 150MG Uridine monophosphate/100MG CDP Choline/300MG ALCAR. ALCAR, which we’ll talk about individually later in this sector, is an amino acid that donates to the excitatory neuro-chemical Acetylcholine (involved in focus and memory), and improves brain cell usage of fatty acids as a fuel substrate. Adding ALCAR to the Uridine and CDP choline combo, adds a non-subtle element of brain energy to the mix.
  3. 150MG Uridine monophosphate/100MG Alpha GPC/300MG ALCAR. This combination is similar to combination number 2, but adds slightly more choline to the mix, a complex unique B vitamin that helps the brain build Acetylcholine, the focus and memory neuro-chemical. Alpha GPC donates a bit more choline to the mix than CDP Choline in equal doses. As a result, this stack will do everything #2s stack will do, but with the addition of a bit more memory and focus functionality.
  4. 150MG Uridine monophosphate/100MG CDP Choline/300MG ALCAR/200MG Caffeine. This is an extremely stimulatory stack. This will turn your brain on, give you a ton of brain energy, lots of focus, mental endurance, and verbal fluency. Uridine and Caffeine interact in a way which potentiate each other, intensifying the results.
  5. 150MG Uridine monophosphate/100MG CDP Choline/300MG ALCAR/200MG Caffeine/200MG L-Theanine. This is identical to the stack above in #4, but adds a beneficial calm to the mix, via the L-Theanine. L-Theanine works on improving alpha brain wave frequency, which is extremely calming. It slows down the rest of the stack a bit, but for some that will be overstimulated by the Uridine, CDP, ALCAR, and Caffeine, it will be a great addition for balance.

THE MR. HAPPY STACK

A lot of the research and experimentation of Uridine rests on the shoulders of a member of the life longevity forum Longecity, named “Mr. Happy.” He started a thread that is now 94 pages long, divulging the science behind Uridine, suggesting other co-factors and ingredients to stack it with, and providing a multitude of scientific papers to validate the combinations. That thread, and the official Mr. Happy stack can be found here. The Mr. Happy stack suggests a lot more Uridine and a lot more Alpha GPC than I would personally suggest, but that’s because most people respond to far lower doses of each of them. You’ll have to decide what route you’re going to take on dosage. Here is the Mr. Happy Stack:

  1. 150-250MG Uridine monophosphate twice per day.
  2. multivitamin that includes all B vitamins and all trace minerals.
  3. 500IU of Vitamin E.
  4. 700+ MG of DHA and 300MG+ of EPA.
  5. After 2-3 weeks, introduce 50 MG of CDP Choline or Alpha GPC, and ramp up to 300MG total.

The Mr. Happy stack is really the ultimate combination of nutrients that equal the ultimate combination of outcomes. For most people, this stack offers virtually everything they need for awesome brain performance in every area. Perhaps the only thing this stack doesn’t effectively achieve is calmness. It’s quite stimulatory.

Important note with Uridine: As determined in the literature that the Mr. Happy OP started, B vitamins help Uridine in cellular repair, and if you’re not getting enough B vitamins in your diet/supplementation, Uridine can start to use a lot of your extra stores up. So, when taking Uridine, B vitamin supplementation is a good idea.

TAKING URIDINE MONOPHOSPHATE BY ITSELF

You could absolutely take the compound by itself in 75-500MG quantities. My suggestion, starting with Uridine is to take 75-150MG first, and then ramp up thereafter only if necessary. If you discover that it improves your mental performance, and you’re satisfied with it, I want to make it explicitly clear: there is no need thereafter to ramp the quantity up. As we’ll discuss in the nootropics philosophy sector, you don’t want to take any more nootropics than you have to. You want to work on taking lower doses by optimizing the rest of your brain, body, and energy.

But the B vitamin note is still relevant here. Uridine uses up extra vitamin B9. If you take a B9 supplement, you should be fine. If you eat a considerable amount of foods with vitamin B9 in them, you should also be fine. But generally speaking, at the very least, a complex B vitamin, or a spectrum of Bs in your diet is suggested. Your mileage may vary!

Uridine has been making waves throughout the nootropics community for years, and rightfully so. It is one of the strongest, most effective compounds out there. And it’s natural. Stacked with the compounds we’ve laid out above, it is one of the most powerful nootropics on the planet. Alright! Moving on to….

THE AACT STACK

This stack’s primary ingredient is Acetyl-L-Carnitine, affectionately known as “ALCAR” for short, in the nootropics community. It is quite multi-factorial, in that it works on a few different things in the brain, and creates a myriad of outcomes in terms of brain function. Typically, ALCAR is very energizing, gives you a lot of mental energy, and stacks extremely well with compounds that affect the neuro-chemical Acetylcholine, like Alpha GPC, CDP Choline, Uridine monophosphate, Noopept, Racetams, and others.

ALCAR optimizes the way your brain cells use fatty acids for fuel. It allows the brain to use fatty acids to fuel cell mitochondria, rather than just relying on glucose. It is an amino acid, and is typically present in your body as L-Carnitine, but supplementing with ALCAR allows the compound to cross into your brain, to start affecting brain cells.

ALCAR also donates an enzyme to the process of producing Acetylcholine, so in that regard, it will facilitate focus and memory to some extent in most people. But primarily, this is the nootropic to take for mental energy. The AACT stack, targets focus, mental energy, speed of processing, and verbal fluency, by combining the other elements necessary for all of those mental performance states with ALCAR. Here is the stack:

1. A = Acetyl-L-Cartnine (ALCAR), in 300MG quantity. 2. A = Alpha GPC in 75MG quantity.
3. C = Caffeine, in 120MG quantity.
4. T = Theanine (or L-Theanine), in 200MG quantity.

You can take the AACT on an empty stomach, or with a small meal, and it should still affect you considerably well. If you find that you achieve the brain performance you desire from this stack, there will be no need to add do the ingredient quantities. If the stack is underperforming for you, the first thing to do would be to add more ALCAR, in 100MG quantities. If the stack gives you any degree of anxiety, consider upping your L-Theanine dosage by 50MG increments until the issue resolves.

This stack is not a good stack to take at night time, particularly because of the Caffeine. It’s a great stack to take as a daily nootropic. It’s powerful, simple, and effective. Personally, it’s one of my favorite stacks to take for all around great mental performance. Ok! Moving onto…

THE PIRACETAM/CAFFEINE/THEANINE PROTOCOL

Piracetam is perhaps the most well known, and most studied nootropic on the planet. It’s old. Real old. It improves cerebral blood flow, increases information travel across hemispheres, modulates AMPA receptors providing mild stimulation, and optimizes cholinergic pathways. Translation: it’s a powerful compound. But – it requires relatively high doses, at 1-4G, and some of the other racetams we’ll discuss later in this guide, require less quantity to get similar effects.

But Piracetam is still the granddaddy of the nootropics world, and is one of the safest bets out there. If you’re concerned about nootropics safety, and you really want to take a compound that has a ton of published research, Piracetam is your chemical. But what I’ve found particularly useful, is in combining Piracetam with Caffeine and the wonderfully calming amino acid L- Theanine. Here is the protocol:

  1. 1G of Piracetam
  2. 200MG Caffeine (2 regular size cups of coffee)
  3. 300MG L-Theanine
  4. 300MG Choline Bitartrate (if your brain requires extra Acetylcholine while in the presence of racetam nootropics). The way to determine this is simply: do you get a headache when taking the above stack without the Choline Bitartrate? If so, add the Choline source. If not, you likely get enough Choline from your diet.

The purpose of this stack is to give you the functionality of Piracetam, with the speed of processing benefit of Caffeine, with the calming effect of L-Theanine. Typically, Caffeine is stacked with L-Theanine as a standalone stack, and together, they make a great nootropic experience.

But not a functionally effective experience, as in: working memory benefits, noticeable verbal recall optimization, or any other functional improvement from baseline. That’s why adding something like Piracetam to the Caffeine/L-Theanine combination is one of the smartest things you can do, and combines to form a solid, sustainable nootropic stack that most people will respond positively to.

OPTIONAL ADDITION TO THIS STACK: For some people, they’re going to require just a bit more Piracetam to get the best results. In these cases, simply take the dose up in 1G increments, until you find your sweet spot. You could try: 2G Piracetam, 200MG Caffeine, 300MG L-Theanine (and then the optional Choline source), or 3G Piracetam, 200MG Caffeine, 300MG L-Theanine…. and so on.

Overall, I find that the more people take nootropics the more they learn that less is more, and that simple, functional stacks are ones best bet. The Piracetam/Caffeine/Theanine protocol is as

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simple as it gets, with a great touch of functionality, with an impeccable safety profile. Ok! With that stack out of the way, let’s discuss one of my favorite racetam nootropics and its accompanying stack combinations…..

OXIRACETAM

Oxiracetam belongs to the most popular class of nootropics called “racetams.” They are a group of nootropic compounds that work primarily by modulating Acetylcholine and AMPA receptors in the brain. They also instruct the brain to release more Acetylcholine in the hippocampus, inducing better functioning working memory. Oxiracetam is a pharmaceutical nootropic compound, but is legal to use in the United States, and many other developed countries. It is not scheduled in the US, can be purchased, and is legal to be in possession of.

The primary outcomes of using Oxiracetam you can expect are: clean focus, verbal fluency, and speed of processing. For some, it will improve their working memory, depending on what it’s stacked with, and even at baseline. This compound can be used to rescue your brain if you haven’t gotten enough sleep, and need baseline or above baseline mental performance for a particular task.

Oxiracetam can be stacked with many things, but you will find the best usage of this compound minimally stacked with other compounds (like Aniracetam, another pharmaceutical nootropic with similar functions in the brain). To discuss what you should stack Oxiracetam with, we should clear up what you may have (or may not have) heard through the grapevine about the need to “take a choline source” with any of the racetam nootropics. We discussed it a bit earlier, but here’s the more in depth breakdown:

  1. Racetams, including Oxiracetam, invoke the brain’s usage of a particular neuro-chemical called Acetylcholine. They force the memory centric part of the brain (the hippocampus) to release more of this chemical.
  2. That means, the brain may have to supply nutritional building blocks for that neuro- chemical while taking any of the racetam nootropics, to keep up with the accelerated usage of Acetylcholine.
  3. Therefore, the nootropics community suggests taking either Alpha GPC, CDP Choline, or Choline Bitartrate (all dietary supplements that will increase Acetylcholine quantity in the brain to varying extents), with racetams.

Some people, who take racetams, like Oxiracetam, complain of headaches they get with the compound. Then, they take a choline source (to donate the extra Acetylcholine necessary to put up with the extra use of it) and the headaches go away. For these people, they require more Acetylcholine for the racetam to work well. This isn’t always the case for everyone, though. Plenty of people take racetams like Oxiracetam, without a choline source, and are just fine. No headaches, no side effects, and great brain performance.

Whether or not you’ll need a choline source with your racetam, is entirely dependent on your brain. We will discuss Oxiracetam stacks with and without choline sources in the stack suggestions to come, and some plausibly useful strategies on making the nootropic work well for you, and avoiding any side effects. I’ve experimented with Oxiracetam for many years. It’s one of my favorite nootropics on the roster, and it has saved me in many situations in which I needed quick brain function in a pinch. Here are the most optimal ways of surgically using the nootropic Oxiracetam:

SURGICAL OXIRACETAM STACKS

  1. 700MG Oxiracetam/300MG Choline Bitartrate. This is the basic Oxiracetam stack. It supplies the brain with a form of choline, to make the necessary Acetylcholine, to put up with the accelerated usage of it via the racetam. Choline Bitartrate is a bit less effective at producing Acetylcholine than Alpha GPC, or CDP Choline, because it’s mostly consumed by gut bacteria before it can get synthesized into Acetylcholine. But, it still does the trick for thousands of people, me included. This stack should get you a good, clean focus ability, and should improve your baseline brain function quite noticeably.
  2. 700MG Oxiracetam/175MG Alpha GPC. This is the basic Oxiracetam stack, but with a choline source that is more easily available to the brain via its ability to quickly cross over the blood brain barrier (and thus immediately, acutely affect brain function), than most other choline sources. This should get you a good, clean, stimulatory focus, improve working memory, and for some can even improve verbal fluency. The Alpha GPC is facilitating focus and memory, in conjunction with the Oxiracetam, effectively doubling these outcomes. You could easily change out the Alpha GPC with CDP Choline, another bioavailable form of choline, but the outcome will be slightly different. We’ll lay that out here:
  3. 700MG Oxiracetam/175MG CDP Choline. The swapping of Alpha GPC with CDP Choline in this example gives the stack an extra benefit: motivation, and functional imrovements. While the above two stacks will be motivating, and will improve the brain acutely, this stack will be considerably more motivating (as in, will increase the drive to work/be productive), and will add a modulation in Acetylcholine and Dopamine receptors that improves a spectrum of brain function. CDP Choline increases Dopamine and Acetylcholine receptor density, which translates to better signal strength of both of those neuro-chemicals, leading to more of a motivating and focus affect, on top of the Oxiracetam. This to me, is one of the best Oxiracetam stacks there is.
  4. 700MG Oxiracetam/700MG Aniracetam. We’ll talk about Aniracetam shortly hereafter, but suffice it to say: it’s a racetam nootropic with stimulatory and working memory benefits. The combination of these two compounds, even without a choline source (assuming you do not get side effects/headaches with racetams with no choline sources) is profoundly powerful. You get the focus and speed of processing with Oxiracetam, with the memory and stimulation that comes with Aniracetam. Both of these compounds tell the hippocampus to release more Acetylcholine, drastically improving working memory and focus. Adding Alpha GPC or CDP Choline in 175MG quantities to this stack will intensify it for some, and create an overstimulation for others. For some it will be required for extra usage of Acetylcholine in the brain, and for others, it may put entirely too much Acetylcholine into circulation. You will have to experiment wisely, to see what works best for you.
  5. 700MG Oxiracetam/Cortex nootropic stack. This is a power stack. The Cortex nootropic stack is a Uridine and CDP Choline centric stack, so the benefits of the Uridine stacks we discussed earlier are prominent with this stack, but here, nootropics users usually see an additional layer of focus added onto the stack. The stimulatory nature of all of these compounds put together is like something from the limitless movie. I take this stack if I really want to sit down and crank out a lot of laptop work, for 3-5 hours, with minimal breaks. This stack is very stimulatory, so if you’re the type to get overstimulated with certain nootropic compounds, having 100-500MG of the calming amino acid L- Theanine around is a smart thing to do.
  6. 700MG Oxiracetam/15MG Noopept/300MG Choline Bitartrate. Noopept is a pharmaceutical nootropic compound that we will devote an entire section to later. Suffice it to say for now though, adding Noopept to Oxiracetam in these quantities, will turn up the usage of Acetylcholine, increase nerve growth factor and brain derived neurotrophic factor, and add an extra stimulatory, functional effect to the stack. The Choline Bitartrate is there as a fail safe to provide the working Acetylcholine, for both the Oxiracetam and Noopept to work on. They’ll both force the brain to release more of it, increasing working memory and focus capacity. This stack should induce a good solid focus, improve verbal fluency, drastically improve your working memory, and give you some good mental energy. It will be relatively short lived at 2-4 hours, but ample enough time to use the performance boost to get something important done.

OXIRACETAM ADDITIONS, STRATEGIES, AND DISCUSSION

There are a few things I’d like to add in relation to taking Oxiracetam. First, on the notion of “racetam headaches:” it’s not entirely set in stone that the reason people sometimes experience headaches with racetam nootropics, like Oxiracetam, because of extra usage of Acetylcholine in the brain, invoked by the racetam. In fact, it may be related to something entirely different. In this video, I laid out my thoughts on the issue plausibly having something to do with blood flow mismatches in the brain.

One of the interesting effects of Piracetam, another powerful racetam smart drug (but one which requires much higher doses than Aniracetam or Oxiracetam to achieve similar results, which is why we won’t discuss it much in this book), is that it forces the brain to send blood flow to particular regions that are activated from the nootropic, like the left hemisphere. I proposed the notion that racetam headaches could actually have something to do with blood flow mismatches because of this phenomenon.

The way to address this, if this is the case, is to take a natural neural blood flow encouraging compound called Vinpocetine, in 5MG doses. Vinpocetine oxygenates and improves blood flow to the brain, and may solve the racetam headache issue for some people. I have tested this in 20 plus people that get racetam headaches, that no amount of choline titrating can help. 10 of them responded positively, and alleviated their side effects with Vinpocetine. That’s telling us something.

Oxiracetam has a profound capacity to rescue brain function when it is somehow sub-optimal, like in the case of a sleep deficit, or other issue impairing cognitive processes. I have used it a

multitude of times to restore brain function to and above baseline when in a state of brain fog from a sleep deficit.

I remember one particular moment, when constructing an episode of the Cortex Nootropics Podcast, a podcast on nootropics and biohacking, I was sitting on my bed with my laptop trying to convert my thoughts to paper, which would eventually become the guts of the audio podcast. I was having a tough time. The night before, I had had terribly interruptive sleep, and my brain was just not firing on all cylinders. I took 700MG of Oxiracetam by itself, and within about 15 minutes, I was back to firing on all cylinders, above my normal baseline.

On low dosing choline sources with Oxiracetam: As we’ll discuss in the nootropics philosophy sector, I believe it is critically important to take as little of the Acetylcholine precursors as you can over time. The higher you go on these chemicals, the more likely you are to run into side effects. The extent of someone’s brain atrophy and Acetylcholine malfunction will really determine how much of the chemical you’ll need, but generally, the higher the dose of Acetylcholine precursors, the more the side effects.

Now – you certainly can up the dose on Alpha GPC and or CDP Choline (or Choline Bitartrate) when taking Oxiracetam, if you feel like you need more of these compounds, to alleviate racetam headaches (if you happen to run into them). Pay close attention to how the titrating of Acetylcholine in relation to Oxiracetam is affecting you. Trust your gut. Trust your judgement. Titrate accordingly. Overall, Oxiracetam is quite the powerful compound. It’s extremely safe, is legal to purchase and have in the United States, and works predictably well for most people every time.

But one of the really cool things about both Oxiracetam and other raceatms for that matter, is their ability to stack well with the main ingredient in the AACT stack, ALCAR. Actually, combining ALCAR with racetams, is one of the best nootropic strategies in the book. Let’s talk about it!

ALCAR/RACETAM STACKS

One of the best, and most underrated combinations in all of nootropics, are the numerous ALCAR/Racetam combinations. ALCAR, being a cholinergic compound partially, stacks well with most of the main stream racetams. It stacks well with Aniracetam, Oxiracetam, and Phenylpiracetam. We’ll discuss some of these racetams a bit further in the book, but for now, a good framework to start from when combining ALCAR with racetams is to shoot for a dose range of 350-500MG of ALCAR, and a normal range of the racetam. For Oxiracetam, that’s 1000MG. For Aniracetam, that’s 700MG. For Phenylpiracetam, that’s 75MG. Therefore, the best ways to stack ALCAR with the main stream racetams are:

  1. 350MG ALCAR/1000MG Oxiracetam
  2. 350MG ALCAR/700MG Aniracetam
  3. 500MG ALCAR/1000MG Oxiracetam
  4. 500MG ALCAR/700MG Aniracetam
  5. 350MG ALCAR/500MG Oxiracetam/500MG Aniracetam
  6. 350MG ALCAR/75MG Phenylpiracetam
  7. 500MG ALCAR/500MG Oxiracetam/500MG Aniracetam

All of these stacks will be quite stimulatory, should rescue your brain from a sleep deficit induced fog, and will catalyze a solid working memory. They’re all likely to improve your verbal fluency and focus as well. In each one of these stacks, you can add 5MG of Vinpocetine, which provides the brain with heightened blood flow and oxygenation. If you’re one of those people that requires a bit more Acetylcholine to put up with the racetam’s acceleration of the usage of it, take either Alpha GPC or CDP Choline in low doses, or at least 300MG of Choline Bitartrate.

If you really want to take the stimulation up, on any of these stacks, add a regular dose of Caffeine. But be warned: adding Caffeine to any of these stacks is going to potentiate them noticeably. Therefore, a strategy for good measure is to add at least 300MG of L-Theanine, a calming amino acid that increases brain Serotonin, to the mix. A stack like that would like something like this: 350MG ALCAR/1000MG Oxiracetam/120MG Caffeine/300MG L- Theanine. Ok! Next, we’re going to talk about an individual compound, as a standalone nootropic to take, to optimize memory and focus capacity, called….

HUPERZINE A

Huperzine A is a powerful plant based compound found primarily in China. It’s an alkaloid, that’s extracted from the Huperzia Serrata plant, and converted chemically into a powerful nootropic compound. It requires extremely low doses, in the microgram range. In fact, never, in my opinion, can a case be made for Huperzine A in milligram quantity. It’s so powerful, it exerts its effects with a micro amount of the substance.

Huperzine A is primarily used for working memory and focus. And it works incredibly. It’s a non subtle, very overtly functioning nootropic. This compound is “cholinergic” in its functions, meaning that just like Alpha GPC, and CDP Choline, compounds we discussed earlier, it works on modulating the neuro-chemical Acetylcholine. But rather than just giving the brain more of it, and optimizing its receptor sites, Huperzine A does something entirely different.

The compound is effectively known as an “Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor,” meaning it inhibits Acetylcholinesterase. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme the brain uses to regulate Acetylcholine, recycle it, and prep it for usage thereafter throughout the brain. The end result of inhibiting this enzyme is: more Acetylcholine being passed around between neurons, and the end functional result is cranking up the amperage of working memory and focus. But this compound is not like other nootropics. Because of its strength, it needs to be approached with finesse. Of all compounds, this is the one you want to use surgically, so we’re going to dedicate a quick section to laying out the details and directions for the powerful Huperzine A.

HUPERZINE A DOSING DIRECTIONS

  1. Dose range: 40-400MCG (micrograms). This is particularly important. You do not want to, under any circumstances, go over 400MCG. Huperzine A works incredibly quickly, and very powerfully on the cholinergic system of the brain. Taking above 400MCG is likely to bring on side effects that aren’t particularly pleasant, like nausea, overstimulation, rapid heart rate, and acute respiratory malfunctions (breathing problems).
  2. Suggested dose range: 40-150MCG. To optimally take Huperzine A, have it work at cranking up your working memory and focus, and enjoy your experience and work output, I suggest that you fall somewhere within this dose range. For most people, 40- 80MCG will be enough to realize a good benefit. For others, they’ll require up to 150MCG. 400MCG is merely the upper tolerable amount, which as you’ve seen and will continue to see throughout this book, is never the dose to target. You want to target the minimum effective dose, and if necessary, slowly work up until you get even so far as a smidgeon of side effects/overstimulation, at which point you fully understand your limit for that particular compound.
  3. Huperzine A can be stacked with other cholinergics, but cautiously. What you’re trying to avoid is the brain having too much Acetylcholine floating around. So, the two things you could stack it with would be: Alpha GPC, or CDP Choline (not both), but the dose ranges of these Acetylcholine precursors should be lower than the dose ranges suggested with Oxiracetam above. I’d say, stick with something like 25-50MG of Alpha GPC or CDP Choline when taking Huperzine A.
  4. Optimal Huperzine A/Choline source stack: For most people, the most surgical Huperzine A and Acetylcholine precursor stack is going to be: 100MCG Huperzine A, 50MG Alpha GPC/CDP Choline.
  5. Cycling Huperzine A: Later on in this book, we’ll discuss cycling in more depth, but suffice it to say, for right now, that cycling refers to taking time off of a particular compound/stack, to let the brain balance back out. But I would say, as a rule of thumb, do not take Huperzine A for any more than 4 days straight at a time. After day 4, cycle off for 4 more days. After a month of taking Huperzine A, with this cycle strategy, take an entire month off of the compound completely. You can rotate other nootropics into the mix during this time.

This compound works profoundly well for studying. It facilitates the neurotransmission for incredible memory, and stellar focus. It’s an incredible nootropic compound to keep in the arsenal for particular situations. Of all the nootropics we’re going to discuss in this book, Huperzine A is among the most powerful, and requires the least amount to achieve the result. And on that note, let’s talk about a powerful memory stack that is short lived, but packs a serious punch…

SHANKHPUSHPI/ARTICHOKE EXTRACT STACK

This is an incredible memory and mental energy stack. It’s a stack I stumbled upon through experimentation one day in the process of formulating the Cortex nootropic stack. I had about 100 ingredients sitting in my living room, and everyday I was taking specific quantities of experimental nootropic compounds to ultimately find the best stack to publish commercially. As a byproduct, I discovered a myriad of effective nootropic stacks which basically became part of my arsenal, but that I have never shared publicly, extensively.

And one such combination took my brain by storm one day, and that was the Shankhpushpi/Artichoke extract stack. Shankhpushpi, is an Ayurvedic herb that works primarily on improving intellect and memory. But it’s also an adaptogen, has anti-depressant properties, and contributes to a variety of positive mental states for a variety of people. What’s particularly interesting about it is that it isn’t just one compound. It’s four, combined together. They are:

  • Convulvulus pluricaulis Choisy.
  • Evolvulus alsinoides Linn.
  • Clitoria ternatea Linn.
  • Canscora decussata Schult.

Pretty epic right? All of these compounds together form the Ayurvedic memory and intellect compound Shankhpusphi. The main ingredient, Convulvulus pluricaulis choisy improves learning in mice comparable to the racetam nootropic, Piracetam. This compound usually goes under the radar for people, because folks typically have a filter that rules out herbs and plants, as being effective nootropic compounds. But let me be clear: they are missing out, and that is not how to think about nootropics. Just think: the most popular, widely used nootropic compound on earth is Caffeine, which is derived from a plant.

Shankhpushpi alone, for people that respond well to it, improves working memory and overall “intellect,” which for some, will mean: verbal fluency/articulation, and overall mental fluidity. But the real power, I discovered, was in combining it with Artichoke extract, an ingredient that is thought to improve memory and focus via inhibiting an enzyme called PDE4, facilitating more energy production in the brain. I remember a very specific instance in which I took a combination of the two ingredients in the midst of a conversation I was having with a friend, about a guy who’s name neither of us could remember.

I mean, the name was just not there. It was a total blind spot. I took this combination, as part of my daily routine of experimentation for the formulation of the Cortex stack, and when it kicked in, about 30 minutes later, not only did I feel more energized and stimulated, but I quickly recognized that this name we had both been sitting there clueless about, was suddenly bubbling up in my brain, ready to be served on an epic memory retrieval platter. Boom. I remembered the name. And it was easy. Something clicked. When the stack kicked in, everything in my brain was alive, awake, and available. And since that day, I’ve used this stack to crank up mental energy and memory, and it’s been nothing short of remarkable. Here are the details:

1. Dose: 500MG Shankhpushpi/500MG Artichoke extract.

  1. Take the stack on a relatively empty stomach.
  2. The effect duration is relatively short lived, but powerful. For me, it’s usually just under an hour from the time it onsets, but your mileage may vary considerably, and perhaps the stack will last longer. Either way, I’ve noticed residual memory benefits that linger for me in the ensuing 3-4 hours after taking the stack.
  3. Both of these compounds are natural nootropics, that you can legally have and use in the US, and other developed countries.
  4. Shankhpushpi originates in India, so you may have to hunt around Amazon for a bit to find a good source of it. As of the publishing date of this book, this is an active, trustable source for the compound, capsuled, and in 500MG quantities.
  5. Artichoke extract can be purchased in pre-made capsules, or in bulk powder, via Amazon.com.

Ok! Now that we got that out of the way, we’re going to discuss a pharmaceutical research nootropic that is a bit less popular than most. It’s classified as a “nootropic research chemical,” doesn’t have a whole lot of published science available, but is quite effective at improving memory in a very discernible way. It is called….

PRL-8-53

PRL-8-53 is a research compound that is suspected to work on a few neuro-chemicals. It is postulated that it works on cholinergic areas of the brain (areas affected by Acetylcholine), potentiates the neuro-chemical involved in motivation, Dopamine, and partially inhibits Serotonin. The anecdotal reports on the effects of this nootropic chemical are all pretty similar, and staggeringly grandiose: virtually everyone that takes it reports significant increases in working memory.

Increases so significantly for most people, that the common reports seem almost too good to be true. But they’re not. I’ve taken it, and this stuff works wonders.
When I took it the first time, and in subsequent instances thereafter, I noticed a remarkable improvement in my working memory. I could hold numbers in my head a lot easier. I could read through a long scientific study and remember every detail, both throughout and thereafter. And my overall capacity to hold information in my working memory at the time, was pronounced and profound. I remember being at a Starbucks ordering a coffee when it hit me.

I just sat there for a minute, in awe of the way my brain suddenly just opened up. I could see! I could see everything. My senses were acute. I was aware of everything, and I was rapidly storing dozens of details in my brain and calculating things based off of them. It was an interesting experience, and to me, was like a compounded Noopept experience. Noopept improves my working memory noticeably. PRL-8-53 produced a 2-3X more powerful memory response. Pretty impressive.

DOSE, DIRECTIONS, AND CAVEATS OF PRL-8-53

  1. Dose: the standard dose on PRL-8-53 is 5MG. The compound is exceptionally powerful, and does not require a lot to start doing its work.
  2. You may want to start out at 2-3MG to get a feel for how it’s affecting you. For people that have underlying panic disorders, you’ll want to tread lightly due to the risk of inducing anxiety from the potential cholinergic and dopaminergic properties of the compound. Either way, a general, safe rule of thumb when taking nootropics is to start low and work your way up if necessary.
  3. The onset time for PRL-8-53 should be between 15-45 minutes. Some will notice it working sooner, some later.
  4. One should be able to notice improvements in working memory, just by being in an environment in which a lot of information can be soaked in. Standing in line at Starbucks. Being in the middle of a grocery store. Attending an event. These are all situations in which the brain is soaking information up. But, one of the best tests of your working memory is simply to read. The more complex the read (like a scientific study/abstract), the better. PRL-8-53 seems to have a long half- life, meaning it stays active in your system for quite some time. Many anecdotal reports convey the compound lasting considerably long.
  5. Caveat: This is a research chemical, with not a whole lot of published science. PRL-8-53 has never induced significant side effects in studies/anecdotal reports that I could find, and it seems the compound is relatively well tolerated for most people. But still: being that it’s a research chemical, there’s still a lot about it that we don’t know. Though it seems safe enough, one just needs to apply consciousness to this area. Perhaps the best way to make this suggestion actionable is to take the compound sparingly. Use it as a tool in the arsenal for practical applications, like studying, taking tests, reading complex papers, or other situations in which you need stellar working memory.

STACKING PRL-8-53

PRL-8-53 is a compound that is effective enough to be taken on its own. But, for those who want to explore safe combinations with PRL-8-53, there are a few things you can stack the compound with that will either potentiate the results, or offer a nice synergistic balance. The 3 stacks I would suggest, in this regard are:

  1. 5MG PRL-8-53/500MG L-Theanine. This stack provides an interestingly calm stimulation (akin to Caffeine/L-Theanine), with the added benefit of working memory. You’ve got the PRL working on memory, and the L-Theanine working on mood and calmness, via increasing brain Serotonin, and GABA. It’s quite the interesting combination.
  2. 5MG PRL-8-53, 5MG Vinpocetine. This is a powerful stack. It will enhance the working memory and verbal fluency aspects of brain function, provide you with a good focus, and increase speed of mental processing. Vinpocetine works on increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain, making this a real powerhouse of a nootropic stack.

3. 5MG PRL-8-53/500MG L-Theanine/5MG Vinpocetine. This stack gives you the best of the two above stacks. You get enhanced blood flow and mental energy, with the memory and focus effects of the PRL, with the addition of the mood benefitting and calming effects of L-Theanine.

Overall, this is a very interesting compound. Some report positive mood affects from taking it. Some, profound working memory enhancements, and some, nothing special. This is common with nootropic compounds, based on the variability of people’s neuro-chemistry at the time of administration, and as a baseline state. It is legal to purchase and use in the US and most developed countries, because it is “unscheduled.” It is not a natural compound, and is considered a pharmaceutical nootropic. Alright! Now that we’ve got PRL-8-53 out of the way, let’s discuss one of my favorite nootropics in the book, and great stacks to combine it with…

ANIRACETAM

Aniracetam is a pharmaceutical nootropic compound. It’s legal to purchase in the United States, and legal to have. There is a degree of legal grey area when it comes to selling supplements with Aniracetam in them, but that shouldn’t be of concern to you, unless you’re thinking about selling a commercial nootropic stack with Aniracetam in it. ANR, as we’ll abbreviate it moving forward, works on a few systems of the brain. Like Oxiracetam, it modulates AMPA receptors, which trigger a stimulatory effect. But also like Oxiracetam, this nootropic improves the brain’s ability to use and release Acetylcholine.

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Are you seeing the common theme with lots of nootropics? Here it is: a lot of the really good ones improve the way Acetylcholine works, either by providing more of it, facilitating the release of it, or modifying its receptors. Aniracetam is no different, and specifically, it facilitates the release of Acetylcholine from the hippocampus, a memory centric element of your brain. There are many surgical ways to take Aniracetam, and I want to lay out the best strategies for maximizing the benefits of this incredible nootropic compound. First, let’s start with:

MICRODOSING ANIRACETAM

Though relatively unpopular in the nootropics community, largely because people like associate more with more, which is largely incorrect when it comes to nootropics, microdosing on Aniracetam is actually one of the best, most surgical ways of taking the compound. The idea is that you take small amounts of Aniracetam, several times throughout the day, to keep the effects going, and to accumulate upon the previous dose. There’s a theory in the nootropics community that one can only use a certain degree of Aniracetam at a time, and there’s a known truth that the brain is always trying to get back to homeostasis.

Aniracetam also has a relatively short effect period. For most people, it’s about two hours. You can bypass this limitation completely by microdosing, and for many people, they’re surprised to find that the effects are similar to larger doses. Typically, people dose on Aniracetam with 700- 1000MG, and we’ll discuss that strategy here in a bit. But this is a working microdosing strategy that many people report positive results from, and that after 8 years of taking nootropics of various kinds, I’ve come to realize is the best strategy for me, particularly when I’m going to sit down and get some work done:

THE ANR MICRO PROTOCOL

  1. 175MG Aniracetam, first thing in the morning. This can be right when you wake up. After breakfast, or with coffee. Adding coffee to the mix will make the compound significantly more stimulatory.
  2. 100MG 2 hours later. The first 175MG is probably wearing at this point, which is the perfect time for another infusion of the compound. Throw down 100MG, and get back to work.
  3. 100MG 1 hour later. This adds a bit more Aniracetam to the mix, while your brain should still be benefitting from the last dose. It prolongs the effects for lots of people (tested on 10 + people in a micro-experiment I did).
  4. 150MG 2 hours later. This will be your last dose in this protocol, but it should carry the effects over from the last few doses, and anecdotally for me, it seems to enliven the entire sets of previous doses for the day. It’s as if repeated stimulation to the AMPA receptors and Acetylcholine release in low doses is just more impactful in terms of results.

Total, this is 525MG of Aniracetam, 175MG lower than the standard 700MG dose. In the end, you’re using less Aniracetam, and if you respond well to this protocol, getting a better effect. That my friends, is how you surgically use nootropics for total mental dominance. If you feel like you need to throw another 100-175MG in the mix sometime after your last 150MG dose, go for it. You may find that this protocol is suitable for you. You may find that you need to up each dose suggestion 25MG.

If you intuitively think you need to alter the doses slightly, go for it! Using nootropics surgically also has to do with specific experimentation that results in the best possible effects for your particular neuro-chemistry. If you run into the infamous “racetam headache” with microdosing Aniracetam, either include 100-175MG of Alpha GPC or CDP Choline, or 300MG of Choline Bitartrate. If those do not help, consider including 5MG of Vinpocetine, the herb we talked about earlier that improves cerebral bloodflow.

But microdosing isn’t the only strategy to use with Aniracetam. You can stack the compound with a variety of other nootropics to maximize its effects, to achieve significantly powerful mental states for productivity. I’ve narrowed down the most surgical Aniracetam stacks for total mental dominance below:

SURGICAL ANIRACETAM STACKS

1. 700MG Aniracetam/120MG Caffeine powder. This is a profoundly stimulatory stack. Caffeine powder is not akin to drinking an equivalent cup of coffee. Simply put: powder is more powerful. 120MG is more likely to affect you like 2 big cups of coffee at once would. The stimulatory nature of Aniracetam on AMPA receptors, and the powerfully energizing nature of powdered Caffeine should put your brain in a powerful place.

The best use for a stack like this, considering the working memory benefits of Aniracetam, via the Acetylcholine optimization, would be some sort of mental endurance task. Do you need to concentrate for a long period of time? Do you need to sit down in front of your laptop and get work done? Do you need a lot of mental energy to do so? This is the stack for you. But for some, this stack can take them over the edge, because it’s so stimulatory. In that case, a surgical nootropic intervention would be to add the powerfully calming amino acid L-Theanine, to make….

2. Smart Aniracetam Stack: 700MG Aniracetam/120MG Caffeine powder/200MG L- Theanine. Adding L-Theanine to the mix of this stack, changes the dynamics of the effects. It should add a strong calm to the stimulation, while not fully impeding the stimulation. This stack, is similar to the “smart Caffeine” stack, in which Caffeine and Theanine is combined, and thus, the “smart” monicker, added to the name. For some people, this will be the best version of this stack combination, and will allow them to achieve a good, clean, stimulatory focus. But for others, there is an alternative:

700MG Aniracetam/300MG Caffeine/1000MG Theanine. This is the version of the stack that I use, and I dose it in sections:

– 700MG Aniracetam
– 150MG Caffeine (1 extra large cup of coffee)
– 500MG L-Theanine
– 2-4 hours later, 150MG Caffeine/500MG L-Theanine.

The logic behind this stack is a trickle effect. Initially, you’ve got the Aniracetam/Caffeine/L-Theanine mix, but with 150MG Caffeine, and 500MG L- Theanine. Then, as it fades, you re-dose on the Caffeine and Theanine, while the Aniracetam is still residually affecting your brain. The full philosophical breakdown and logical stack discussion can be found in video form, here, on the Cortex Labs YouTube channel.

  1. 700MG Aniracetam/2 capsules Cortex Nootropic Stack/1 dose of a B vitamin complex. The standard dosage for the Cortex nootropic stack is 2 capsules. So here, you’re taking the normal Cortex dose, but adding B vitamins and Aniracetam to the mix. Cortex is profoundly stimulatory, and adds a functional nootropic benefit to people that respond well to it. Meaning: it improves verbal fluency, working memory, mental energy, work endurance, focus, and motivation. It’s as multi-factorial as they get. Stacked with Aniracetam, it cranks up the amperage for people looking for that extra stimulation, and improves the working memory profile of the Cortex stack. It also facilitates a better usage of the CDP Choline in the Cortex stack, via telling the hippocampus to release more Acetylcholine. Folks that take this stack, me included, get a “wired in” feeling. It’s like being locked in, focused, and ready to go. The B vitamins help the brain to better use the Uridine monophosphate in the Cortex stack, as well as improving the brain’s ability to synthesize Acetylcholine, via vitamin B5. Additionally, as a rule of thumb, taking B vitamins with most nootropics is a good idea. The logic? You’re speeding up the usage of various neuro-chemicals. B vitamins are needed for their synthesis, and providing them is powerfully beneficial.
  2. 700MG Aniracetam/175MG Alpha GPC. Similar to the Oxiracetam suggestions about adding choline sources to your racetams, this delivers a stimulatory effect, with a double concentration of infused working memory, with both the Aniracetam and the Alpha GPC. It also provides the brain with a degree of Acetylcholine to use, in relation to the Aniracetam’s directive to release more of it. This is one of the well known, basic Aniracetam/choline stacks.
  3. 700MG Aniracetam/175MG CDP Choline. As with the protocol of Oxiracetam and CDP Choline, this combination adds a motivating effect to the stimulatory nature of Aniracetam, via CDP’s ability to modulate Dopamine receptors. It will also supply some degree of Acetylcholine for the Aniracetam to use, via the extra release of the chemical from the hippocampus. You should experience a good solid focus, motivation, stimulation, and functional working memory from this stack. As usual, titrate the choline source up or down accordingly.

6. 500MG Aniracetam/15MG Noopept/300MG Choline Bitartrate. On this one, we’re bringing in a wildcard, the nootropic pharmaceutical “Noopept.” We’ll do an entire section on Noopept later on in the book, but suffice it to say, it works on the Acetylcholine system, turns up some neurotrophic factors in the brain (which facilitate neuronal growth, function, and repair), and for most people, improves memory and focus considerably.

The operative (normal, working) dose on Noopept is 13MG, but just that little bit extra adds a nice touch to the stack. The Choline Bitartrate in the stack is designed to give the body enough Acetylcholine to put up with the extra release. Noopept is a cholinergic compound as well as Aniracetam, so we’re talking about really cranking up the usage of Acetylcholine, and thus, the need to provide the body with more.

Again – this won’t always be the case for everyone. Brains are different, and if you eat a lot of dietary sources of choline, like eggs, meat, and some dairy, you may be just fine. As far as taking other choline sources with this stack, I, again, as you’ll see many times throughout this guide, sometimes suggest going with Choline Bitartrate first, particularly because of the brain’s inability to regulate the bioavailable versions of choline as well, like Alpha GPC and CDP Choline.

Side effects like tiredness, irritability, and over stimulation are quite possible with Alpha GPC and CDP Choline at higher doses, and especially with racetams and Noopept. This stack should give you a good clean focus, with working memory, and mental energy. It should add a good stimulatory effect to the stack via the combination of Aniracetam and Noopept, and it should be smooth sailing from there.

Feel free to add coffee to the mix if you want to, but be forewarned: it will turn up the stimulation of the Aniracetam and Noopept. But hey! It might be just what the doctor ordered. But if it gets a bit too much for you, one great strategy to dial back the stimulation of cholinergic nootropics (ones that work on Acetylcholine) is that epic amino acid again, L-Theanine. So, you could just as easily use the following stack, with that strategy:

7. 500MG Aniracetam/15MG Noopept/300MG Choline Bitartrate/400MG L-Theanine. The rule of thumb with L-Theanine is: the more the stimulation from other compounds (Caffeine, Aniracetam, Oxiracetam, Noopept, choline sources), the more you’ll need to balance it out. L-Theanine acts as the great balancer with stimulatory nootropic compounds. My suggestion is to always have it around, either in pre-made capsules (which you can find at any local supplement store or online), or in bulk powder. I keep bulk powder on me at all times, frankly, by a company (no affiliation) called BulkSupplements.com.

This stack should be stimulatory, focus, verbal fluency, and mental energy inducing, with a nice balancing calm.

8. 500MG Aniracetam/500MG Oxiracetam/50MG Triacetyluridine. Now, we haven’t talked much about triacetyluridine yet, but we will. It is basically a slighter more potent (and thus less dose requiring) version of Uridine monophosphate. 25-75MG is the dose range, and adding 50 to this stack really turns up the energy and memory facets of it. This stack will basically give you everything: verbal fluency, mental energy, focus, working memory, and motivation.

You’ll likely be motivated by the Aniracetam and Oxiracetam together, but, the triacetyluridine brings in an extra focus on Dopamine receptors, targeting the motivation system of the brain.

Aniracetam is a particularly interesting nootropic. It can be stacked with many things, mostly other nootropics. If you’re interested in further experimentation with the compound, the rule of thumb is: stack it with other cholinergic compounds, and if it becomes too stimulatory, or if you run into side effects, it’s usually because of over-stimulation of neurotransmission, and requires something like L-Theanine to reverse. Experiment wisely.

We briefly touched on Triacetlyuridine in one of the earlier stacks, and this compound is so powerful, it deserves a bit of individual attention. It also stacks incredibly well with a bunch of other cool nootropics, and offers one of the most unique nootropic experiences one can get. Let’s get into it!

TRIACETYLURIDINE

This is one of the most impressive nootropic compounds on the planet, and is relatively easy to procure. It’s a slightly more bioavailable version of Uridine monophosphate, requires pretty low doses, and dramatically improves working memory, mental energy, focus, motivation, and verbal fluency for most people who use it. Like Uridine monophosphate, it works on Dopamine receptors, Acetylcholine receptors, increasing Acetylcholine, improving dendritic and axon growth, building Phosphatidylcholine, and improving all around brain performance. The compound can certainly be taken by itself, in 25-75MG quantities. The generally applicable, highly effective dose for most people is 50MG.

But where Triacetyluridine really gets interesting, is when you stack it with a few other compounds, that work synergistically together, to create incredible brain performance. That said, let’s get into….

THE TAU LIMITLESS STACK

I hate hyperbole. But this stack is worth it. When I first put this combination together, I literally felt like Bradley Cooper in the famous nootropics movie, Limitless. This stack will turn your brain on, crank up your focus, improve your working memory, verbal fluency, speed of processing, and leave you with a powerfully motivating brain state. If you respond well to it, it should drastically improve brain fluidity. Words should flow effortlessly. Tasks that once seemed daunting should seem like a piece of cake. You should be able to be productive, without even thinking about it. This stack hones you in. Here it is:

  1. 50MG TriacetylUridine
  2. 500MG Aniracetam
  3. 75MG CDP Choline
  4. 350MG ALCAR
  5. 100MG Caffeine
  6. 300MG L-Theanine

To me, there is nothing quite like this stack. It’s in my top ten of combination stacks to take. It beats out virtually everything, and like our commercial nootropic stack Cortex, it’s comparable to Modafinil. It normally onsets in about 20 minutes, lasts about 8 hours all told, and is one of the safest stacks you can take. Bookmark or snapshot this stack. Write it down. Put it on a post-it note. And use it to totally mentally dominate when you need to.

Triacetyluridine can be stacked with other Acetylcholine centric compounds too, and I’ve come to find the following stacks quite effective:

  1. 50MG TriacetylUridine/75MG Phenylpiracetam/100MG Alpha GPC
  2. 25MG TriacetylUridine/15MG Noopept/100MG CDP Choline
  3. 50MG TriacetylUridine/500MG Oxiracetam/100MG CDP Choline
  4. 50MG TriacetylUridine/400MG Oxiracetam/400MG Aniracetam/100MG Alpha GPC
  5. Add Caffeine, L-Theanine, and ALCAR to any of these stacks to compound results, in 100/300/350MG quantities.

Ok! Moving right along. Let’s move on to not only a surgical nootropic compound in its own right, but a nootropic chemical that, when combined with the right things, can be a life saver for mental energy, speed of processing, and motivation. That is…

L-TYROSINE

First, this compound by itself is powerful. It’s a precursor to 3 major neuro-chemicals: Dopamine, Epinephrine, and Norepinephrine. These chemicals are responsible for motivation and alertness. I’ll make this definitive statement about L-tyrosine: it is one of the best compounds on the planet for alertness and mental energy. Partially because of its contribution to said 3 neuro-chemicals, but also because the thyroid gland uses L-tyrosine to produce thyroid hormone. Having adequate amounts of thyroid hormone equals: good, solid, sustainable energy, both physically and mentally.

It’s a part of many different nootropic stacks, like the pre-made stack “Alpha Brain,” which we’ll review later on in the book, and is one of my favorite compounds for mental energy and alertness. And that’s good and fine, but my personal take on L-tyrosine is that it should be taken with 2 other compounds that act as co-factors for the production of thyroid hormone.

Therefore, I suggest you take L-Tyrosine Iodine and Selenium. Together, these 3 compounds are used to create your thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland has a lot of functions, but in this context, it produces energy for you to use. Therefore, the definitive nootropic strategy with L- Tyrosine is:

  1. 250-500MG L-Tyrosine. The dose range is there because people will require varying degrees of L-Tyrosine. Some 250MG, some 500MG, some more. But you should start low, and move your way up to find the best dose.
  2. 1-2X the RDA for Iodine. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) is 150-200 micrograms. I recommend either the RDA, or twice the RDA (300-400 MCG).
  3. 1-2X the RDA for Selenium. The RDA for Selenium is: 55MCG. So, I would consider taking either 55 MCG or 110 MCG. Again, find out what works best for you.

Using this nootropic and energy strategy, you should be able to achieve good, solid, functional mental energy. It should increase your alertness quite a bit, and give you the ability to sit and focus for long periods of time. Donating to the neuro-chemical Dopamine, you should notice an increase in motivation. It will likely not improve your working memory, and will essentially be a stimulatory stack.

Tyrosine can be stacked with Acetylcholine modulating nootropics, like Alpha GPC, CDP Choline, or Uridine monophosphate. There are many pre-made stacks with similar combinations in them, like Alpha Brain by Onnit. I’d first start with something like that to gauge your response to cholinergics with Tyrosine, and then if you like it, move on to experimenting on your own with powders, your own capsules, and a milligram scale.

But the overarching point I want to get across here is that L-Tyrosine is quite stimulatory, should be taken with other thyroid hormone precursors, and doesn’t necessarily need to be stacked with anything else beyond that. If you find that the compound is a bit too stimulatory for you, you could again revert back to using the L-Theanine strategy to tone down the stimulation.

And ultimately, as with most nootropic and energy compounds, it may not jive with your physiology no matter what you do. We’ll get to that in the nootropics philosophy sector. In some situations, you just can’t get a compound to function correctly, mostly meaning that you don’t need the compound, won’t benefit from it, and therefore shouldn’t take it.

Ok! Now that we’ve explained the power of L-Tyrosine, and supporting constituent chemicals, let’s talk about one of my favorite nootropic compounds, that is massively underrated in the world of nootropics, the mighty…..

THEACRINE

Theacrine (AKA teacrine) is perhaps the most underrated nootropic in all of cognitive performance enhancement. It is up there in efficacy, intensity, and impressiveness with the likes of Noopept and the most powerful racetams. Dare I even say, in the right dose, and stacked with the right compounds, it can be as powerful as Modafinil? I would confidently make that statement. And we’re going to get into it right now.

Theacrine accumulates in a plant known to make a tea called “Kucha tea.” And the process is actually quite interesting. It is:

  1. A Camellia genus plant’s leaves have Caffeine naturally occurring in them.
  2. This Caffeine goes through a chemical change within the metabolism of the plant, adding a “methyl group” to it that turns it into another chemical.
  3. That chemical, is called “Theacrine.”
  4. The metabolic processes of the plant stop there, and Theacrine sits there and accumulates in the plant.

But the real impact of that metabolic chemical change, in terms of this nootropic’s efficacy, is that the plant takes Caffeine and does the following to it:

1. Makes it almost doubly soluble. Solubility refers to the compound’s ability to absorb, © Copyright Cortex Labs. You may not copy this book.

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and start producing effects.

  1. Makes it extremely more effective. Theacrine requires substantially less of a dose than Caffeine, to reach the same (if not better) effects.
  2. Increases the half-life. Theacrine lasts considerably longer, is active and affecting the brain for more time, and can remain impressively effective at improving brain performance, hours after administration.

And if that wasn’t enough, it also: improves liver functioning in rats, and is anti-inflammatory. This is a super nootropic compound. But perhaps the most standout component of the mighty Theacrine is its effects. Simply put: Theacrine induces lots of usable mental energy, improves verbal fluency, and fosters motivation. It is a noticeable, wakefulness promoting, sustainable brain energy producing nootropic.

Best of all? It doesn’t seem to turn on the anxiety mechanism at relatively high doses, like Caffeine does. Once you start taking Caffeine into higher doses, like between 150-300MG, it starts becoming unmanageable. The high dose range for Theacrine, is 200MG, and at that dose, that compound does not seem to induce anxiety for most people. Theacrine is nothing short of remarkable. Ok! Now you understand what it is, and how it should affect brain function. Let’s get to….

SURGICAL THEACRINE STACKS

1. Standalone dose range: 25-200MG. Start low, at 25MG, and work your way up in 25MG increments. My personally favorite strategy is to take 50MG, with a cup of coffee, and get to work. That alone, turns my brain on, and gives me considerably powerful

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nootropic benefits.

But one can certainly take the dose up. Some people will respond best to 75MG of Theacrine. Some, 100MG, some 150MG, and some, the full 200MG. Your mileage is going to vary, but I suspect that for most people, 50-100MG is going to be the best dose range.50MG Theacrine/700MG Oxiracetam. This is a powerfully functional nootropic stack. You’ve got the Theacrine stimulating the brain, preventing tiredness like Caffeine does via modulating the Adenosine neurotransmitter system, with the functional addition of Oxiracetam, improving working memory, verbal fluency, mental fluidity, and focus.

100MG Theacrine/500MG Aniracetam/500MG Oxiracetam. This is a profoundly stimulatory stack, and is one of the best combinations in all of nootropics, to sit down and get yourself to muscle through productive work. The combined racetams should keep your brain’s memory capacity strongly functional, while the Theacrine in 100MG doses should provide a nice, clean, stimulatory energy. This stack is a pure gem.

100MG Theacrine/Cortex Nootropic Stack (Gen 1). Gen 1, which we’ll talk about later in the pre-made stacks section, is a powerful combination of Uridine monophosphate, CDP Choline, Artichoke Extract, and Bacopa Monnieri. It is the closest thing you’ll get to “natural Modafinil,” But the addition of Theacrine to the Cortex stack creates a powerfully energizing nootropic experience, nearly unmatchable by any other stack. Theacrine, which is extremely structurally similar to Caffeine, stacks incredibly well with Uridine monophosphate. And that’s because both compounds work on receptor sites and signaling for the neuro-chemical Adenosine. Caffeine and Uridine have historically been known in the nootropics community to stack incredibly well together. I’m always

recommending to people that take the Cortex stack, to throw down some Caffeine with it. They do, and great brain function normally ensues. And stacking Theacrine with Cortex is like turning the brain’s ability to function incredibly, on autopilot.

  1. 100MG Theacrine/5MG Sublingual Coluracetam. Coluracetam taken under the tongue in 5MG doses is strong enough. It’s a major facilitator of choline uptake in neurons, alllowing them to function far better in a memory and focus capacity. But mixed with the powerful mental energy inducing nootropic Theacrine, Coluracetam can really flourish. This is a stack that no known nootropics forums, subreddits, or groups have ever discussed. I’ve kept it to myself, and now, I’ve given it to you. This stack will give you mental energy, working memory, verbal fluency, and powerful mental fluidity. Take the dose up to 10MG on the Coluracetam if you need the effect to be more pronounced.
  2. 100MG Theacrine/50MG Triacetyluridine/75MG CDP Choline/B vitamin Complex (any will do, but Jarrow B-right is one of the best). Get ready for an extremely powerful nootropic experience. This stack turns everything on, and lasts quite a long time. The Triacetyluridine/CDP Choline combination alone is one of the most powerful combinations in nootropics. But adding Theacrine to the Triacetyluridine/CDP combo, will take you into supreme mental functioning. This stack will have you firing on all cylinders, for 3-6 hours. Safeguard this one. Keep these ingredients around. This is a truly powerful nootropic stack.

Alright! Now that we’ve got the mighty Theacrine out of the way, let’s move on to one of the most impressive racetam nootropics in the book, one people often compare to the powerful Modafinil…..

PHENYLPIRACETAM

Phenylpiracetam was created to be a stronger version of Piracetam, one of the first known racetam nootropics. There was a slight chemical modulation to Piracetam, making it “Phenylpiracetam.” It requires much lower doses than Piracetam (Piracetam’s dose range is 1- 4G), at between 25-200MG, and is usually quite stimulatory. For some people, it gives them the sensation of having more energy not just in their brains, but in their physical bodies.

Cognitively, the compound improves a lot of things for most people: working memory, verbal fluency, mental energy, focus, and motivation. And here’s the interesting part: for some people, it’s just as stimulating as Modafinil. Modafinil is a powerful pharmaceutical nootropic, that is prescribed for hardcore sleep/wake issues like narcolepsy. It works on a variety of neurotransmitters, and gives users the sense that they’re firing on all cylinders, for a long period of time.

And the anecdotal word on the street is that Phenlypiracetam gives people a similar effect. It’s energizing, focus inducing, quite noticeable, and comparable to Modafinil. That’s saying a lot, because as we’ll discuss later in the book on Modafinil strategies, Modafinil is one of the most powerful nootropic compounds there is. For me, Phenylpiracetam does in fact deliver. I’ll take it right around 11:00 in the morning, and for about 2-3 hours, I’ve got good, functional, powerful mental energy and focus. Here are some quick notes on the compound:

GENERAL PHENYLPIRACETAM NOTES

• Phenylpiracetam can be taken by itself.

  • The dose range, again, is 25-200MG. I would start at 50MG, and gauge the effects.
  • You do not have to take the compound with anything particular.
  • For some people, going back to the racetam/choline dynamic, they might benefit from low dose Alpha GPC, or CDP Choline, which we’ll lay out below in discussing stacks.
  • It has a relatively short half-life, similar to other racetams, like Oxiracetam and Aniracetam, at 2-4 hours, with the regular effect duration being at about 3 hours for most people. The half-life in a rodent study was just about 3 hours. (source – reference 7). Some people experience more, some people experience less.
  • There are many anecdotal reports of it interfering with people’s sleep, when taken too late at night. As a rule of thumb, I’d say do not take Phenylpiracetam past 10PM, if you want to get to sleep at a reasonable hour.
  • It should be cycled, just like every other nootropic compound.
  • Phenylpiracetam is quite safe, and there are little to no reports of significantly troubling side effects out there on the web. SURGICAL PHENYLPIRACETAM STACKS

1. 75MG Phenylpiracetam/300MG Choline Bitartrate. This is a basic Phenylpiracetam (and racetam for that matter) stack. This should provide the brain with good, usable, functional energy, to focus on a task and get work done.

  1. 100MG Phenylpiracetam/100MG Alpha GPC. This is taking it up a knotch. Any time you throw on Alpha GPC, or CDP Choline (the bioavailable, blood brain barrier crossing choline sources), you’re adding an extra acute effect element to the nootropic stack. This, should improve focus, mental energy, and motivation, but add an extra verbal fluency and working memory effect to the situation, via the extra usable Acetylcholine for the racetam to fire through the brain.
  2. 100MG Phenylpiracetam/100MG CDP Choline. Now this stack is interesting. CDP Choline, as we discussed earlier, works on the motivation system of the brain. In this case, it will provide usable Acetylcholine for the racetam to work on, a small bit of Uridine monophosphate (through its donation of Cytidine, the C in CDP), as well as providing some stimulation to Dopamine receptors, adding a nice motivating, extra stimulatory effect. Since CDP Choline works on Epinephrine and Norepinephrine also, it will add even more alertness to the stack. For some, this third stack will be a good, solid, winner. Again – you can take the choline source doses higher if you please, but remember: that is when the side effects have the possibility of creeping in (excessive stimulation, tiredness, emotional numbness, other).
  3. 75MG Phenylpiracetam/15MG Noopept/75MG CDP Choline. Now we’re getting into some interesting waters. Noopept, as we discussed, is a cholinergic pharmaceutical nootropic compound that is similar to Piracetam, requires far less of a dose, and elevates interesting compounds involved in cellular repair like nerve growth factor.

Stacking Noopept with Phenylpiracetam creates a compounded effect of the Acetylcholine system enhancement, doubling down on the improvement of working memory. This would be a particularly useful stack for studying, or doing anything that requires a solid working memory.

The addition of CDP Choline allows the Noopept and the Phenlypiracetam some leg room to use up and put into use, Acetylcholine, complimenting the rest of the stack. You also have the extra motivating effect of CDP choline, and the overall neuronal function improvement from the Uridine that CDP choline will eventually become.

These doses can be manipulated, just like all of the proposed stacks in this book, but I’ve found that these are the best quantities for most people, and again, trying to get normal doses of compounds to work for you is best.

5. 150MG Phenylpiracetam/15MG Noopept/75MG CDP Choline/500MG L-Theanine. This stack takes the dose up on Phenylpiracetam, will be considerably stronger than previous doses, but includes the balancer strategy of inserting the calming amino acid L- Theanine.

This theme, the theme of balancing out stimulation with a calming herb or compound is used again and again both in this book, and throughout the nootropics sphere. This stack will give you good solid mental energy, focus, motivation, and work endurance, while adding a nice subtle calm, intended to not take you over the edge. The best nootropic stack is a balanced nootropic stack.

So far, we’ve discussed the pharmaceutical nootropic compound Noopept, in combination with other chemicals we were discussing at the time. But Noopept is so powerful, and so highly revered, that it deserves its own section. And in that spirit, let’s get into…

NOOPEPT

Noopept is a pharmaceutical nootropic, capable of improving a variety of functions in the brain, most notably, working memory. But for a lot of people, there are a myriad of additional benefits to taking the compound. People report more motivation, a feeling of high level cognitive function, better verbal fluency, and even euphoria. The compound is said to be neuro-protective, a general term that describes a compound’s ability to prevent cognitive decline from an agent or environment that harms brain function.

It was first synthesized in Russia, is legal to purchase, use, and have in the United States and most developed countries, and is one of the most impressive nootropics on the roster. I have taken Noopept on and off for about 5 years. It has helped me considerably in a variety of situations, most notably instances in which I have a lot of reading to do, that I need to comprehend and retain.

Noopept, to me, is one of the most powerful working memory nootropics there is. Generally, the compound is taken by itself, and as we’ve discussed, it can be used as an additive to other nootropics. It can be the sole dominant force of the stack, and there’s a particular combination, with the nootropic we discussed earlier, ALCAR, that we’ll discuss below. But first, some pertinent Noopept details:

  1. Dose range: 10-30MG. Noopept is a powerful nootropic. It does not need to be dosed in high quantities. 10-30MG is the general dose range, and most people will find their sweet spot between 10-20MG. My personal sweet spot is 13MG.
  2. Noopept, as far as anyone can tell, is a cholinergic compound (in addition to working on other facets of brain physiology), and it may therefore also require (for some people) a choline source to optimize the effects. You could employ either: 300MG Choline Bitartrate, 100MG of Alpha GPC, or 100MG of CDP Choline. Those doses are not set in stone, so increase them if necessary to achieve desirable results.
  3. Noopept should start affecting you within 30 minutes, and typically does provide a stimulatory effect, with an emphasis on working memory. For some, it improves verbal fluency. It does this for me.
  4. One of the best applications for Noopept is reading comprehension. Particularly, long scientific studies, preparing for a test in school, or otherwise necessary information retention exercises. That also means reading a fiction or non-fiction book. Noopept has an incredible ability to allow a user to hold information in their working memory, putting it all together, like a beautiful symphony.
  5. Some people dose the compound twice or three times a day, and this will all depend on your brain, and your necessity for brain function.
  6. Ultra microdosing Noopept: Noopept can work in smaller increments, dosed 3-4 times a day. Something like: 5MG every 2 hours, until 20MG is reached, is a good strategy.

    THE NOOPEPT/CHOLINE/ALCAR STACK

Remember: this book is not about giving you EVERY nootropic strategy. It’s about giving you the best nootropic strategies. You can certainly put Noopept together with many other compounds, but I’ve found nothing quite as effective as the Noopept/Choline/ALCAR stack. This stack packs a cholinergic punch, turning on focus and working memory powerfully, but with the extra mental energy amperage of adding the ALCAR.

It’s one of my favorite all around brain performance stacks. It motivates me (and should motivate you), gives me considerable mental energy, and improves focus, verbal fluency, and working memory. The doses follow:

  1. 15MG Noopept
  2. 100MG Alpha-GPC
  3. 500MG ALCAR

The logic behind this stack is to keep the choline source low, as per our usual strategy of avoiding side effects, but give the brain just enough extra Acetylcholine to use via Noopept’s acceleration of it. That stack alone (Noopept + Alpha GPC in those doses) is a great functional nootropic combination, but adding the ALCAR tones up the cholinergic (memory, focus, verbal fluency) effect, AND contributes a solid, noticeable, mental energy effect to the dynamic. This is one of my favorite, fully functional nootropic stacks on the roster.

I want to place heavy emphasis on this notion yet again: small, simple, fully functional stacks are the best nootropic stacks out there. And that’s what this stack delivers. It’s simple, works within 30 minutes for most people, and lasts quite a while. Once you start getting into stacking Phenylpiracetam with Oxiracetam, Noopept, Huperzine A, CDP Choline, L-Tyrosine, L- Theanine, and Ashwagandha, you’re muddying the waters to some oddly stimulatory stack that is unpredictable, and will likely lead to imbalances in neurochemistry.

People often learn to stack less as they exit the novice stage of nootropics, and enter the advanced stage. Usually this takes about two years of constant experimentation. More is not more.
And in line with that, another particularly effective Noopept stack I’ve come to learn is effective, is the…

NOOPEPT/OXIRACETAM/CDP CHOLINE/VINPOCETINE STACK

This is a killer Noopept combination stack, that really energizes the focus muscle of the brain, while facilitating clarity and proper brain oxygenation, via the Vinpocetine. It’s a unique punch for the cholinergic system of the brain, while improving Dopamine functionality and blood flow. It’s motivating, stimulating, energizing, and improves working memory quite noticeably. It will resuscitate you from sleep deficit induced brain fog, and put you above baseline, in a nice, clear, functional state. Each ingredient is specific for targeted brain states. These compounds synergize powerfully. Here is the stack:

1. 15MG Noopept
2. 700MG Oxiracetam 3. 100MG CDP Choline 4. 5MG Vinpocetine

There are no specific instructions for taking this stack, but as you’ll come to learn in the questions answered section, you’ll likely get the best effect with most stacks when: you have a relatively light stomach (some food and digestion is fine, and sometimes helpful, but not too much), you’ve slept well, and it’s earlier in the day.

But what’s great about Noopept, is there has been an increasingly popular new trend using the compound, that offers more bioavailability, a faster response time, and a more pronounced effect. It’s simple, easy to buy, and works quit effectively, and that is:

NOOPEPT NASAL SPRAY

Noopept Nasal spray combines Noopept powder with distilled water to make a liquid Noopept solution, that you can use intranasally (spraying through your nose), also called “insufflation.” It offers a powerful delivery system of the nootropic Noopept, right to your brain. It requires a lower dose than your standard 13MG, via the impact of the delivery system to your brain, and is as simple as it gets.

It typically comes in a nasal spray bottle, that you can insert into your nose, push down on, and send a good solid quantity of liquid Noopept toward the brain. It onsets the effects of the Noopept quicker, and is neatly situated. No powders. No messes. No complexity. Just a spray bottle, and quickly ensuing good brain function. Here is the “all you need to know” breakdown, on Noopept nasal spray:

  1. 1 spray, is usually equivalent to 1.5 MG of oral Noopept. But that doesn’t mean: take 9 sprays to get 13.5 MG of Noopept (just around the regular dose). And that’s because 1.5MG of nasally sprayed Noopept is, in my estimation, equivalent to 6.5MG of oral Noopept. Confused yet? Let me make it easier for you:
  2. 1 spray is like 6MG oral Noopept. 2 sprays is like 12-15MG. 3 sprays is like 18-24MG oral Noopept.
  3. My sweetspot is 1 spray. 2 is just a bit too much, and 3 makes me profoundly tired (over- stimulation of the cholinergic system, likely). You will have to experiment with what doses work best for you, but my intuition is that it will be anywhere from 1-3 sprays.
  4. The best, and most trusted place to buy Noopept nasal spray is at Ceretropic, a well known, reputable nootropic powder/capsule/product source.

5. Simple usage directions: upon inserting the tip of the spray bottle into your nose, push down on the push handles, and as you feel the liquid enter your nose, take a deep breath in, from your nose. You should feel some of the material end up in the back of your throat. You can wash that down with water, and get to work.

Noopept nasal is one of my all time favorite nootropic setups. The ease, and low dose of it really makes the difference. It’s always accessible in my nootropics arsenal, and can always be used in a pinch, for good brain performance.

The standout nootropic effects of Noopept nasal spray are virtually indistinguishable from regular oral Noopept. The compound should deliver a good, stimulatory state, with a positive mood orientation, and impressive working memory. In a pinch? Need a quick boost in brain performance? Noopept nasal spray is easily one of the best options for this situation. Noopept is an impressive nootropic. It works quite well for most people, seems to be one of the safest compounds out there, and is relatively cheap and easy. For me, it’s easily in my top ten.

All of the compounds we’ve discussed so far, in my mind, fall into a similar category. Whether natural or pharmaceutical, they work on very particular mechanisms, are all readily purchasable, and can be stacked with many things to get interesting results.

But the class of nootropics we’re about to talk about next, is of an entirely different world. They modulate more neurochemistry, are in a league of their own in terms of efficacy, and are easily the strongest, most effective nootropics on the planet. They require relatively low doses, work almost immediately, and have long half-lives. They are multi-factorial, multi-faceted, and work on brain chemistry in a variety of powerfully interesting ways. They are…

THE AFINILS

“Afinil” is a catchall phrase for a few strong nootropic compounds. They are: Modafinil, Armodafinil, and Adrafinil. My favorite of the 3, Modafinil, is most definitely in my top 10 favorite nootropics list, and holds a mighty spot within the top 3. In my view, and collectively agreed upon within the nootropics sphere, it is one of the most powerful compounds there is. And it works. Incredibly.

The afinils work particularly on inhibiting the neuro-chemical GABA, increasing the release of Serotonin, and by modulating/releasing Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, and Dopamine. The mechanisms are so complex, that there are some that science hasn’t divulged. Simply put: to some extent, we don’t know how the afinils work their magic, but suffice it to say: they do. But what we do know is that they’re pretty well tolerated for most people, and seem to be quite safe. A great, in depth read of mechanisms and safety of Modafinil particularly, can be found here.

The standout effects from the afinils typically are:

  1. Powerful wakefulness. Try to think back to your best night’s sleep. A night where you slept 10 hours straight, you didn’t wake up once, and you woke up completely refreshed, energized, and healthy. Now multiply that by 10. It’s like sleeping 20 hours straight in a perfectly temperature controlled environment, with an angel breathing over your face, while you’re covered in the most comfortable quilt on the planet, known to man, made by God himself. Then you wake up, and you’re unbelievable refreshed. That’s what the afinils feel like. They’re not excessively stimulatory, in the traditional stimulant sense. You’re light on your feet, incredibly able, and fluidly functioning. It’s really quite remarkable.
  2. Powerful mental endurance. I always say to people: the best use for Modafinil is sitting down to work on something, that you haven’t gotten a lot done around, but that you need to make a large dent in, in terms of completeness. Modafinil will take you through this time, in most cases, all the way through the end. Same with Adrafinil, and Armodafinil. The afinils have an incredible capacity to stimulate the kind of mental endurance it takes to power through cerebral tasks.
  3. Focus. The focus capacity most people get from the afinils is second literally to none. Distractions become a thing of the past. Hardcore focus on your work becomes effortless. You get lost in productivity. Focused on the outcome, and enamored by the process. What once was tedious, now becomes fun.
  4. Motivation. The afinils, and Modafinil particularly, are extremely motivating nootropics. They work on the neurochemistry involved in turning up your drive to get things done, and they do so like no other, but perhaps the mighty Uridine monophosphate, and the Cortex nootropic stack.
  5. Firing on all cylinders. That feeling when everything is working the way it’s suppose to work. Words flow effortlessly, focus is easy, and applying your full self to a particular task is finally achievable.

The afinils are hands down, some of the most productivity facilitating nootropics on the planet. Let’s break them down a bit, and explain the major differences:

1. Modafinil: Modafinil is probably the most popular of the afinil nootropics. It is a prescription only compound, but that can be procured on the web, from trusted sources (we are not at liberty to divulge). It is prescribed in the United States for narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

It goes right to work on turning up wakefulness, focus, mental endurance, and all around brain function. Technically, it is illegal to have Modafinil without a prescription, so you have to tread lightly here. But suffice it to say: many nootropics users procure Modafinil through various routes, safely and without issue. Later in the book, we will give you the best online nootropics communities to get into, where you can discuss Modafinil with members.

It’s my personally favorite afinil, is generally taken in 30-200MG quantities, and usually lasts between 5-12 hours for most people. The sweet spot dose for most people is going to be 75MG.

2. Adrafinil: this compound is similar to Modafinil, legal to purchase and have in the United States, works almost identically on neurochemistry, but goes through a conversion process in the liver after ingestion of turning it into Modafinil. So effectively, it’s Modafinil, but as a precursor. You take it, and it turns into Modafinil in your system. Because of the conversion process, some folks believe it is not as powerful as Modafinil, and therefore it is suggested to take in 200-300MG quantities. I do not agree with this, at least as it relates to me and many of my nootropics friends. I can take a cool 100MG of Adrafinil and quite noticeably feel the benefits. It may take just a bit longer to onset, but within about 30 minutes, I’m locked in, tuned in, and turned on. If you’re concerned about the legality of Modafinil, buy Adrafinil. It can be found on a popular and reputable website called Absorb Health, here.

3. Armodafinil: Armo, as it’s usually called, is merely a more efficient version of Modafinil. It has a chemical composition that enhances the effect of the compound, requiring a slightly lower dose than traditional Modafinil. For some people, that would have to take 100MG of Modafinil to get the best result, they only have to take 30-40MG of Armodafinil. Its effects are identical to Modafinil when the dose difference is accounted for. Some folks describe it feeling just a tad bit “cleaner” than the Modafinil feeling, but I’ve never personally noticed any degree of quality change from Armodafinil to Modafinil.

All of these compounds work similarly on the brain, and really turn up brain performance. Modafinil particularly, is actually referred to as the Limitless nootropic, using the title of the famous movie (Limitless – with Bradley Cooper) in which a broken down, deadbeat author takes a pharmaceutical compound that significantly improves his brain function.

The visuals in the movie convey the effect to be a sort of mental awakening. It depicts the lights coming back on again in the main character’s brain. And that is how most people explain the experience of taking afinils. Again, the afinils are regarded as the most powerful, and most effective nootropics for good reason. But just like the rest of the compounds in this book, there are surgical ways to use the afinils for incredible brain performance.

SURGICAL MODAFINIL PROTOCOLS

The primary afinil I want to discuss in this book is Modafinil. In my view, it is the best afinil there is. I don’t necessarily want the most efficient. I want a tried and true, time tested compound, and Modafinil is absolutely it. It has the most research behind it, the biggest group of anecdotal references throughout the web, and is well tolerated across large groups of people.

The compound, however, usually requires that you tone down other stimulants you may be taking, Caffeine particularly. But combining Modafinil with Caffeine can actually be quite powerful, for a degree of brain functioning that will really tone up your productivity. In that regard, as we’ve discussed earlier in this book, Modafinil can be combined with the calming amino acid L-Theanine, to balance out extra stimulatory effects.

L-Theanine can also be taken with Modafinil, by itself, without coffee/Caffeine, to add a nice, cool, calm to the powerful brain functioning that ensues with Modafinil. And of course, Modafinil can merely be taken by itself, and for most people, this will do the job just right. That said, here are the most effective strategies for taking Modafinil, for productivity, focus, mental endurance, and all around performance capacity, starting with the simplest strategy…

  1. 75MG Modafinil. This is a good, solid, functional dose of Modafinil. For most people, this will be quite enough. It should have the brain firing on all cylinders relatively quickly, and for a considerable period of time. Take this dose with a bit of food in your stomach, and then proceed to work. Take the dose as early in the morning as you can, to prevent the effects from lasting into your bed time, and preventing you from falling asleep.
  2. 100MG Modafinil/500MG L-Theanine. Now this is an interesting stack. It tones up the Modafinil quantity quite a bit, and brings in the almighty nootropic stack balancer, L- Theanine. It adds a pleasant control to the stimulation of the Modafinil dose, positively working on a few neuro-chemicals that allow you to feel calm, and in a good mood.
  1. 75MG Modafinil/120MG Caffeine (1 cup of coffee) /500MG L-Theanine. Warning: This will be a profoundly stimulatory Modafinil stack for most people, but the bit of L-Theanine in the mix will keep the extra stimulation under control, so that your brain uses it in a controlled, regulated manner. You’ll get all the speed of processing and mental fluidity benefits of Caffeine, with the massive power of Modafinil, by regulating the strong effect of the Modafinil/Caffeine combination with L-Theanine. If you find that the Modafinil/Caffeine combo in these doses is a bit too strong, add in another 500-1000MG of L-Theanine right away. Within 10-30 minutes, that dose should take things back under control.
  2. 100MG Modafinil/200MG 5HTP/300MG L-Theanine. This stack adds the actual production of Serotonin to the mix, which will give you the performance benefits of Modafinil, but with the ability for the brain to create more Serotonin (via the 5HTP), and the ability to release/put more Serotonin into use (via the L-Theanine). One of L- Theanine’s mechanisms is increases in brain Serotonin. This allows you to focus, have mental energy and endurance, and be in a positive mental state at the same time. You also use this stack if Modafinil is turning up an existing anxiety condition you may already have, or, if the compound is somewhat making you edgy. It’s been known to do that in susceptible individuals. I use to get a bit of anxiety when taking Modafinil, until I started executing on these strategies. Now, I take L-Theanine every time I take it and man, it works like a charm every time.

High Modafinil Standalone Dose.


Now, one can choose to up the standalone dose on Modafinil, up to 200MG. For some, that will be the ideal dose. For most, 30-75MG will be their sweet spot range. Just keep in mind, the higher the dose, the more the compound will last, and the higher the chance it will persist into later hours of the day, possibly interfering with your sleep.

But for some people, their brain just requires the extra dose. If you’re going to take 200MG or more of Modafinil, I suggest you do it before 11AM in the morning, to prevent the compound keeping you up at night, and slow sip your coffee, and only drink enough caffeine to prevent a withdrawal headache.

MICRODOSING MODAFINIL

As with most other nootropic compounds, microdosing, that is, frequently taking very small amounts of a particular compound, to achieve noticeable results just above baseline, applies to Modafinil. In fact, it’s personally my favorite strategy with Modafinil. Sure, I like the full on, powerful Modafinil nootropic response. I love the mental energy. I love firing on all cylinders. I love the focus capacity it gives me.

But in a lot of cases, I’m doing so many other things in my routine right, that I don’t need high quantities of Modafinil, or any nootropic for that matter, to facilitate great brain function. I already have it, and a bump above baseline is just what the doctor ordered.

Some microdosing strategies require frequent dosing of the compound throughout the day, like the Aniracetam strategy we discussed earlier in this book. But for Modafinil, the microdosing strategy requires 2-3 doses at most, and for me, sometimes just one. Here is the basic breakdown:

  • 30MG Modafinil, within 2 hours of waking up.
  • To get the best effect from this strategy, you ideally should have slept great the night before, exercised a bit in the morning, and at a relatively small breakfast, that didn’t negatively affect blood sugar.
  • This dose, if all other things relating to brain function are running optimally, should give you a good, clean, focus capacity, mental energy, and work endurance that is noticeably above baseline, but not extreme, over powering, or over stimulating.
  • You can break this down into 2 doses, in which case you would take the total quantity up to 40MG of Modafinil, with 2, 20MG doses spread out over a 3 hour period. The protocol would then be: 20MG of Modafinil within 2 hours of waking up, after good sleep and a stable breakfast, preferably with some degree of exercise in the morning. Then, after exactly 3 hours, another 20MG dose. This should enliven the effects of your first dose, and take you continuously through the ensuing hours of mental performance and productivity, without increasing the risk of running into issues falling asleep.
  • For those that will simply require more active Modafinil in their system to achieve the desired result, 3 different doses of 20MG of Modafinil, separated by 3 hours, totaling 60MG, is the best microdosing strategy. MICRODOSE MODAFINIL/CAFFEINE PROTOCOL Now this is one of my favorite nootropic protocols, and describes a way to really get the benefits of both Modafinil and Caffeine, with a microdose protocol of Modafinil. Here is the protocol:
  1. 20MG of Modafinil, first thing in the morning
  2. 1 cup of coffee, within 20 minutes of first Modafinil dose
  3. 2 hours later, 20MG Modafinil, 1 cup of coffee.

The combination of Modafinil and Caffeine is quite powerful, and this microdosing strategy should be sufficient for most people. I LOVE this strategy, use it often enough, and have suggested it to thousands of people and gotten great feedback. And as always, if the Modafinil/Caffeine combo is a bit too stimulating, you always have the rescue strategy of 200-500MG of L-Theanine, to calm things down and balance things out.

Modafinil is not only the usual favorite Afinil among nootropics users, it is one of the best, easiest to acquire, and most functional. I personally love Modafinil. I take it a few times a month, while cycling between stacks, use it for situations where I need to get a lot done and haven’t started much of anything on the task, and apply Modafinil to situations in which I just need solid, continuous, powerful brain function to engage in productivity.

Modafinil is the productivity nootropic. It is the longest lasting nootropic, with the least amount of side effects. It is the most predictably effective nootropic, and the one with the most far reaching implications, in terms of productive output. Using the above Modafinil protocols, you will be able to work like never before, engage your full brain, and discover what it feels like to be firing on all cylinders.

Now! With the mighty Modafinil out of the way, let’s discuss a powerful nootropic stack, that combines Alpha Lipoic Acid, with Uridine, ALCAR, and supporting chemicals, called…

THE ALA/URIDINE/ALCAR STACK

This is a stack I’ve kept to myself for quite some time, because it’s so powerful. It’s my secret weapon. I came across this stack looking to heavily optimize brain mitochondrial energy production, but wanted to combine that effect with a powerfully stimulating, mental endurance facilitating stack.

ALA, or Alpha Lipoic Acid is a massively powerful antioxidant, that crosses the blood brain barrier, and works on neurochemistry. It works on enhancing the neuro-chemical glutamate, is neuro-protective, slightly increases Dopamine, and slightly decreases Serotonin: all facilitative of an energetic mental state.

It also slightly elevates alertness based neuro-chemicals, like Norepinephrine. But perhaps the most interesting element of ALA is its ability to facilitate the production of major detox chemicals in the liver, like Glutathione. By itself, it’s actually quite stimulating. A 200-300MG dose, on its own, should provide noticeable mental energy nootropic benefits.

But ALA’s power really comes when combining it with other nootropic compounds that improve mitochondrial brain cell function, and improve neurotransmitter profile. Compounds like: Uridine monophosphate, ALCAR, DHA, and B vitamins. Combining these compounds, in very specific doses, produces a nootropic benefit, nearly second to none. The stack I’m about to give you, is one of my favorite all time nootropic stacks. Here it is:

  1. 300MG Alpha Lipoic Acid
  2. 150MG Uridine monophosphate
  3. 350MG ALCAR
  4. 1000MG DHA
  5. Jarrow B-right, B complex. (Link) – but any B complex will do. This is merely an optimized B complex, with high quality standards.

This stack should onset within about 20 minutes, and have you feeling quite stimulated, focus, verbally fluent, and ready to tackle the task at hand. It should last anywhere from 4-6+ hours, and should not interfere with sleep.

This, to me, is the perfect nootropic stack. It targets virtually everything. It works on Dopamine via the Uridine, mitochondria via ALA, mitochondria and Acetylcholine via ALCAR, the synthesis of neurotransmitters via the B vitamins, and the up-regulation of neurogenesis and neuronal repair via the DHA’s synergistic effects with B vitamins and Uridine monophosphate.

These days, after nearly a decade taking nootropics, I’m really into stacks like this. Highly functional, cellular functionality improving nootropics. This is where it’s at for me. And now, with the ALA/Uridine/ALCAR power stack out of the way, let’s talk about the utility and convenience of….

PRE-MADE NOOTROPIC STACKS

Having formulated and made commercially available, a pre-made nootropic stack, I understand, perhaps from the most illuminating perspective, the value of them. Pre-made stacks are simply commercial nootropic stacks that individuals or teams of people worked tirelessly on, employed beta testing protocols with, and determined a good, functional, per ingredient dose that works as a good nootropic stack for most people.

The nootropics world traditionally frowns upon pre-made stacks, and that is for one specific reason: cost. And they’re right. You can also buy your own iPhone screen, when yours cracks, and replace it yourself. But if you don’t know what you’re doing, and you snip a wire that’s hidden and tricky in that device, you’re going to end up having to buy an entirely new phone. I actually saw this time and time again (at least 5 times a week) in a company I owned for 6 years, that did iOS device repair.

It’s also convenient as hell to be able to merely open up a bottle of something, and throw a capsule down. That’s perhaps the best part of using a pre-made stack. There is no opening up messy bags or jars of nootropic powders, weighing it all out on a milligram scale, and then having to sit and capsule them on your counter. Then cleaning the mess up. There’s no sitting and trying to figure out the best doses that work for you. Someone already did that for you, and though pre-made stacks won’t be situated in the best ingredient quantities for everyone, they will be for a good solid majority of people.

There are pre-made stacks that are subtle, and there are pre-made stacks that are intense. Some, mimic Modafinil, in terms of intensity and effects, like Cortex, and some, are subtle, like Alpha Brain. Others are in between, like the TruBrain stacks, and for some, they don’t seem to give people noticeable benefits at all.

I always suggest, even if you’re an advanced nootropics user, to keep some pre-made stacks around. You shouldn’t be buying them every month, but in the reservoir of nootropic compounds, pre-made stacks are a convenient thing to have around. Here are my suggestions on which pre- made stacks to keep around:

Cortex Nootropic Stack
  1. Cortex. To me (obvious bias), this is the best nootropic stack there is. It combines Uridine monophosphate with CDP Choline, Artichoke extract, and Bacopa Monnieri, for a majorly multi-faceted approach toward good brain function. It’s primarily used for verbal fluency, focus, speed of processing, mental fluidity, and motivation.
  2. Alpha Brain. This is a stack made by a company called Onnit. It combines Alpha GPC (a biologically available precursor to Acetylcholine, which we discussed earlier in the book), L-Tyrosine, oat straw extract, Huperzine A, and a few other common nootropic compounds to make a subtle, but noticeable nootropic stack. This was the first pre-made stack I ever tried. If you respond well to it, it should help you focus, have a bit more motivation, and improve verbal fluency. It’s a good one to keep around.
  3. CILTEP (Now Neuro-Fuel) This compound combines ALCAR (which is a great nootropic chemical), artichoke extract (another great compound), forskolin, Phenylalanine (similar to L- Tyrosine), and some B vitamins. Some people do not respond at all to it, others report improvements in mental energy, focus, and motivation. The quantity of people that positively respond to it is convincing enough, and the mechanisms of action are clear for most of the chemicals in it. I don’t personally respond well to this compound, but many people I know within the nootropics sphere do. That can’t be discounted! Keep it around.
  4. Mind Lab Pro – Not my favorite combination of ingredients and doses. Frankly dosed a bit all over the place with no real logic behind it, but for some, it hits pretty well
  5. Qualia Mind – Another “throw everything at this” type of nootropic. Again, not logically put together, but instead formulated to create an unsustainable, oddly stimulatory state. However – for some, for a brief period, it will register well.
  6. Torque – At the time of this writing, Torque is in production. It is a powerful dopamine and energy centered nootropic stack that is about to take the nootropics world by storm.

And that’s it. Sure, there are other stacks, but these are the best. I’ve tried them all, and most of the rest of them combine entirely too many compounds, aren’t sustainable, and have many ingredients in insanely high quantities. These 5 stacks discussed are solid, sustainable, functional nootropic stacks that have good history behind them, and solid, customer oriented founders behind their companies.

Pre-made stacks are convenient. Some of us don’t want to pull out the scale, powder, and capsules everyday, or every week to make our own caps of nootropics. We don’t want to sit there and experiment with a hundred different combinations with 10MG ingredient incremental changes to find the right stacks. We just want to take a few pills, and be on our way. That’s the beauty of pre-made stacks.

What we’ve discussed so far in this book, are generally stimulating nootropics. They all work on improving neurotransmitter profiles of particularly energy inducing chemicals. They turn UP the nervous system, rather than calming it. They turn ON speed of processing, rather than inhibiting it. And they all facilitate excitatory transmission in the brain, rather than inhibitory transmission.

But sometimes, for some people, they need a break from the stimulation, and for certain people, they’re always over-stimulated, anxious, and high strung. For those people, this next section will be the most important section of the book. It is called…

TRANQUILITY NOOTROPICS

This class of nootropics tone down excessive brain function, and work on the neuro-chemicals involved in regulating mood, anxiety, and well being. They are mostly natural compounds, that work on GABA and Serotonin, lower stress hormones like Cortisol, and induce particularly focus associated brain states.

For lots of people, they are actually in a surplus of Acetylcholine and Dopamine, and have a deficiency in Serotonin and GABA. They are extremely high stress, high paced, and fast moving. Their brains are in overdrive 18/7, they have trouble sleeping, and what they require is something to tone down their overactive brains. They require tranquility nootropics. This class of compounds are becoming more and more attractive to me, in my latter years of taking nootropics.

I’ve been taking stimulatory nootropic compounds for years, and though they’re incredible, functional, and highly effective, being able to induce a tranquil, calm state, is extremely valuable to me. These nootropics can be taken at night time, can be used in conjunction with Caffeine and other stimulants, and mix incredibly well with contemplative exercises that tone brain function down like meditation.

In this section, we’re going to lay out stacks mostly, that target particularly calming brain states. Some of them can be used for inducing productivity, and some can and should be used merely to calm down the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and level the brain out.

But there is one specific compound that I’d like to talk about individually, before we get into tranquility nootropic stacks. It is multi-factorial in its interaction with neurochemistry, can be stacked with stimulatory and tranquility nootropics, and is about as safe as they get. We’ve talked about it all throughout this book. It is…

L-THEANINE

L-Theanine, or just “Theanine” for short, is an amino acid that works on increasing brain Serotonin, GABA, and to some extent, Dopamine. It induces a particularly calm, electrical frequency in the brain called an “alpha state.” It works incredibly well by itself at inducing a nice, steady, focus effect, can be taken late at night to calm the brain and nervous system down for sleep, and is commonly combined with Caffeine, Aniracetam, choline sources, and other stimulatory nootropics.

The most popular nootropic stack with L-Theanine in it is a commercial combination called “Smart Caffeine,” which combines Caffeine and L-Theanine together. The L-Theanine balances out the Caffeine, and adds a good solid tranquility factor to the stimulation. For some people, this stack alone will be a powerful nootropic stack. But the generally recommended dose for Theanine in that stack is 200MG. I suggest taking much more than that, to get the desired effect of tranquility, while still retaining focus capacity.

I have used this compound for 5 years, and consistently make it part of my routine for optimizing focus, and inducing calm. The operative dose range on L-Theanine is 200-1500MG. As I mentioned earlier, my sweet spot is 700MG. It’s wonderful for positively affecting your mood, toning down anxiety and regulating brain function.

You can either purchase L-Theanine capsules from somwhere like BulkSupplements.com (this is my favorite source), or secure a bottle of pre-made capsules at your local supplement shop. Or (smirks), you could get real creative with the compound, make it more efficient, and take it in a way that achieves the desired results almost instantly, with the….

SUBLINGUAL LIQUID L-THEANINE PROTOCOL

This will be an incredibly valuable tip for people: L-Theanine is incredible when turned into a liquid, and dosed sublingually. Sublingual dosing, is putting a compound under your tongue, and letting it absorb into your bloodstream. It tends to register a lot quicker, and for most people, is a lot more effective.

Using this strategy, it’s hard to tell exactly how much L-Theanine you’re getting, and is one of several cases where effectively “eyeballing it” is perfectly fine. I keep a sublingual liquid Theanine solution in a spray bottle around with me at all times. It’s serves as an instant tranquility inducing strategy. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Purchase pure, bulk, L-Theanine powder. The best quality L-Theanine powder I’ve come across is from bulksupplements.com. It can be ordered from Amazon.
  2. Buy a small spray bottle, similar to those breath freshener bottles you can spray right into your mouth. I personally use a spray bottle of “bitters,” which are herbs that stimulate digestion. I empty the bottle, clean it appropriately, and then proceed.
  3. Fill the bottle three quarters of the way. The extra 1⁄4 of the bottle will be for distilled water.
  4. Pour distilled water into the bottle, until the water level nearly reaches the top.
  5. Put the cap back on the bottle, and shake it vigorously.
  6. When you need a quick infusion of tranquility, or just want to take some L-Theanine in combination with another nootropic compound, spray 5-20 sprays right under your tongue. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes before either swallowing, or spitting it out.

L-Theanine is in my top ten. These days, I take it more than most other compounds, and thoroughly enjoy the positive mood and nervous system calming benefits of it. It’s a simple compound. It works relatively quickly, and is a safe alternative to pharmaceutical drugs that are marketed for anxiety and depression. L-Theanine is simply amazing.

But, there is something much more powerful for those that may require an extra tranquility effect, to tone down anxiety, and restore well being, and that is….

PHENIBUT

Phenibut is by far the most powerful tranquility nootropic there is. It acts as a mimetic to the neurotransmitter GABA, effects both GABA A and GABA B receptors, and isn’t very subtle to most people. In fact, it’s quite overtly noticeable when taken, even in relatively low doses. The best way to describe the effects of Phenibut is that it induces a profound calm, that really tones down the entire brain and nervous system, and is remarkably effective.

There’s nothing subtle about it. This is strong stuff. What’s particularly cool about it, is though

it’s considered a tranquility nootropic, it also tends to give people functional nootropic benefits. When I take Phenibut, I take it in extremely low doses (which we’re going to get to in a bit), and almost invariably, I enjoy a nice bump above baseline in working memory functionality. To me, it’s both tranquil, and functional, in terms of effects.

Alright! Let’s get down to the details. I’d like to break this down in bullet points, to discuss the most important elements of Phenibut:

  • Dose Range: 50-500MG. This is important: start on the low end, and only work your way up if you absolutely need to. Are you getting the point by now? With all the references to it being “overtly noticeable,” and “not subtle?” Phenibut is powerful, so you have to be careful with it. We’ll get to the withdrawal caveat below, but suffice it to say, you want to tread lightly. Respect this compound. Starting at 50MG gives you a starting reference. You’ll discover how 50MG of the compound makes you feel, and then you can sensibly work up (or stay there) if you need to. For some people, 50MG will do very little. For others, it will be profoundly calming. It all depends on your baseline.
  • If you need to move up, do so in 50MG increments, until you reach a point where you are sufficiently calm, with a general feeling of wellbeing. My own personal dose on Phenibut is 100-200MG, with a good 150 being quite sufficient. But as I’ll get to below, that’s because I’ve really worked on my baseline, and try to target anxiety with other methods whenever it rears its head.
  • Phenibut, because of its profound effects on GABA receptors, can cause a pretty negative withdrawal in some people, after a few days to a week of use. The withdrawal symptoms range from feeling a bit tired and depressed, to feeling full on fatigued and generally useless. Again – this is a compound you want to tread lightly around because of this. It doesn’t make it an unsafe compound, it just requires you respect its power.

Therefore, to avoid side effects of this nature, it’s best you limit your use of Phenibut to a week at a time. You can take it for a week, cycle off for a week, cycle back on for a week, and then perhaps engage in a similar strategy over the course of 2-3 months, if you absolutely need to. It’s such a powerful stimulator of GABA receptors, that when abruptly stopped, after a week of use, many users report pretty atrocious withdrawal symptoms.

The best strategy you can apply in using Phenibut, is to optimize your anxiety levels via a solid month (or 3-6 months depending on the severity of your anxiety, if you have some) of doing every thing you can to get good, quality sleep, make sure you’re up on Serotonin via 5HTP supplements, meditating for 30 minutes a day, and ensuring you’re doing some degree of exercise 5 days a week. In addition to that, relatively frequent doses of L-Theanine, to keep GABA and Serotonin levels in a good place. Something like 500-1000MG daily.

If you follow this strategy, you have a better chance of positively responding to 100-200MG of Phenibut, which in the end, will reduce the severity of a withdrawal if you stay on it for a week or longer, and save you money. I respond greatly to low dose Phenibut. 400MG or more would likely put me in a catatonic state, lol. Joking! But – suffice it to say, I’d be absolutely couched. With 100-200MG, I can function quite fine, but I’m noticeably calm and cool, and have pleasant working memory enhancements. I really love Phenibut!

But some of the best strategies for using particularly calming nootropic stacks to tone down anxiety, and calm the nervous system, revolve around combining particular chemicals, for

compounded results. I’m going to lay out a series of combinations of tranquility nootropics, that work the best for me and a large contingent of people I’ve tested these recommendations on.

SURGICAL TRANQUILITY NOOTROPIC STACKS

  1. 400MG Valerian root/400MG L-Theanine/100MG Hops/120MG Lemon Balm. Hops and lemon balm are two incredibly awesome herbs for toning down anxiety, and inducing sleep. This should not be overlooked. The entire nootropics community seems hell bent on finding good sleep inducing compounds. Hops and Lemon Balm are a hidden gem among the noise. Valerian root works in GABA-A receptors in the brain, inducing a noticeable calm, by preventing excitatory neurotransmission from happening. This stack is powerful for calming the entire nervous system down, and prepping you for sleep.
  2. 400MG Valerian root/300MG 5HTP/100MG Hops/120MG Lemon Balm/.3MG Melatonin. This is a sleep specific stack, and should be used exclusively for inducing sleep. It’s close to the first stack above, but brings in 5HTP, to produce Serotonin, as well as Melatonin, at low doses. Most Melatonin supplements include entirely too much Melatonin, in my opinion. You do not make a whole lot of Melatonin when going to sleep, so .3MG is perfect. It’s less than a milligram.
  3. 1000MG Ashwagandha/500MG L-Theanine/100MG Hops. This is a profoundly stress reducing stack. Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herbal compound that lowers resting cortisol (a stress hormone), stimulates the immune system, and mildly inhibits an enzyme that breaks down Acetylcholine. It’s partially focus inducing in that regard, but mostly extremely calming to the nervous system.
  4. 1000MG Ashwagandha/500MG Rhodiola Rosea. This is the ultimate meditation stack. I’ve been meditating for nearly a decade. I wouldn’t live my life without it. And this combination of tranquility nootropics, is one of the best stacks to take to sit down and meditate. Rhodiola Rosea is known for its adaptogenic properties, as well as its ability to induce a cool, tranquil, stress controlled state in people.
  5. 1000MG Sublingual liquid Ashwagandha. With this strategy, you’re dosing liquid Ashwagandha under the tongue, similar to the liquid sublingual L-Theanine strategy we discussed earlier. It works profoundly quickly at calming down the brain, lasts quite a while, and is extremely powerful. This would be the strategy to use if you don’t respond to calming herbs all that well. The best representation of how this should affect you can be found here, in a video I did on the Cortex nootropics YouTube channel. The most optimal form of this can be found here, at Swanson. It has no alcohol, and is as pure as it gets.
  6. 350MG Phenibut. This is the powerful, standalone GABA mimetic we discussed a bit earlier. Its effects TRUMP the significance of the effects of any of the tranquility nootropics we’ve discussed so far in this book. This dose quantity, for most people, will induce a substantially calming effect, will last considerably long, and will facilitate a general feeling of wellbeing. This isn’t something to glance over: Phenibut is perhaps the most powerful calming agent available on the market. The best part? You can buy the compound, readily, at a known source called Ceretropic.
  7. 1000MG Ashwagandha/1000MG L-Theanine/400MG PharmaGaba. PharmaGaba is a modified version of GABA, that activates GABA receptors, and actually is effective at inducing a nice calm in the body. It’s created from a lactic acid bacteria, and is said to actually be an effective form of GABA, as opposed to regular GABA supplements which don’t have much biological utility. This combination is the closest thing you’ll get to something as powerful as Phenibut, in my opinion. And if you’re not quite sold on it after taking it, perhaps experiment with adding in 400MG of Valerian root with it, for the extra calming effect via the GABA receptor modulation.

There’s a bioavailable form of GABA that combines vitamin B3 and GABA in a chemical bond, that allows the GABA to enter the brain. It’s called Picamilon. And it’s quite good, even at low doses. The nootropics web generally recommends 100-300MG of Picamilon, but I suspect a large quantity of people will get an anti-anxiety, calming effect from just 50MG. I would suggest starting at 50MG, and then moving up from there to get the best effects.

There are plenty more tranquility nootropics out there, that all work very good. But these are the best. I identify these compounds as nootropics, particularly because of the complexity of their mechanisms of action, and because most of them, frankly, enhance my brain function, and many others’.

Tranquility nootropics have a special place in my book. They’re exceptionally useful for calming down the brain, taking a day to relax, and inducing a tranquil night’s sleep. Reducing stress and keeping the brain in a level, happy place is critical to life longevity, and frankly, to brain function. And hey, every once and a while, take a few weeks off of the focus inducing nootropics, and just enjoy the serenity of these powerful tranquility nootropics. You’ll thank me in the end.

END OF SECTOR 2

This is the end of sector 2. The goal of this sector was to cut directly through the fat of the disparate nootropics information on particular compounds and stacks, and give you only what uniformly works best for most people. The stacks and nootropics protocols I’ve laid out in this sector are the accumulation of almost a decade of nootropics usage. I’ve tried them all. Stacked them all. Gotten side effects from them all, and know how to put these various compounds together for the absolute best nootropic results.

Now, you do too. You just cut through a near decade of research and experimentation to achieve a solid, reference-able understanding of how to surgically use the most powerful nootropic compounds for total mental dominance and stellar brain performance. Use these stacks, save this book, and use it as a reference for your nootropic stacks in the future.

The stacks discussed so far can absolutely be modified, but my personal suggestion is to only change the doses by 15-25MG increments, one ingredient at a time. That’s the only way you’re going to know what’s working for you. The larger the jumps, the more uncertainty there is. But generally speaking, those stacks are the combinations and quantities of nootropic compounds that I’ve found to be universally applicable, for a large percentage of people.

With the above disclosed information, you are now armed with the knowledge and nootropic stack strategy to use nootropics to improve brain performance to ascend to higher echelons in life, business, and the job sector. Use these stacks, and nootropics in general, to have the mental edge to perform in life. After all, if there’s anything significantly relevant that my 10 years in business has taught me, having taking 2 companies from the ground, to thriving, selling services and products globally, it’s that: brain performance is the ultimate determinant of success. I mean it.

This is the difference between people that fast track, and people that don’t make it. It’s the difference between getting the promotion, or not. It’s the difference between having the verbal fluency to sell your product or service to client, or falling flat, in the pitch process. Mental performance is everything.

But even with the information we discussed, there are some broadly and specifically applicable, critical identifications, that will really help you take your nootropics game to another level. The nootropics world is littered with unanswered questions. Like why do some people need choline with racetams while others don’t? Why am I not responding to nootropics the way I’d like to?

The way everyone else does? Is there something wrong with my physiology? Can I optimize it, to better respond to nootropics? Teaser: yes. And these questions and more, will be answered in the next, highly informative, situationally specific sector: nootropics questions answered.

Sector 3: Nootropics questions answered

Part of why I wrote this book is to give the large contingent of dissatisfied nootropics information seekers, one solid location they could go to get the best nootropics stacks, what doses to take them in, and answers to the most commonly asked questions. Information about nootropics on the web is scattered, at best.

The nootropics subreddit is filled with arrogant knowitalls, that may have, in some cases, a mere 2 years of nootropics usage under their belts. There are a few good Facebook groups that talk about nootropics, which we’ll get to in a bit, but sometimes even then so, the admins and members are a bit snappy at new people asking basic questions.

This is a problem. Everyone that learns a thing or two about nootropics, should remember what it was like to know nothing, and thus, want to help people out that are new to the arena. On our nootropics youTube channel, we welcome any question. From the simplest to the most complex.

And this book is partially dedicated to providing both the nootropics basics, and answers to the hard nootropics questions. This book is meant to be a solid, reference-able guide to surgically using nootropics for better brain performance, and answering the burning questions many people have, whether they’re brand new to taking nootropics, or they’ve been wired in for 5 years.

The format of this section will be: headings to the questions, and paragraphs with the answers. I will address the most commonly asked questions, questions about stacking, questions about cycling, what nootropics to take for what situations, and more. Ok! Let’s get to it!

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: SHOULD I CYCLE NOOTROPICS

The short answer is yes. Sometimes you should cycle off for a week. Sometimes a month. Sometimes a year. It all depends on the situation. But generally, though some nootropics seem to clinically be safe to take long term, like Aniracetam, there’s still a lot we don’t know about what happens when you positively modulate a neurotransmitter receptor site, as is the case with AMPA receptors, a glutamate receptor sub-type, and Aniracetam. The science tells us that the modulation of AMPA receptors with Aniracetam is a good thing, but how long can that go?

How far should you push it? Is there a breaking point at which the receptor site starts to not work well because of the excessive stimulation of it, via a neurotransmitter (in this case, glutamate)? There is such a thing as excitotoxicity, which is when a particularly stimulating neurotransmitter fires excessively, for a considerable period of time, leading to malfunctions in brain chemistry.

To avoid even the remote possibility of this happening, cycling is necessary. Then, there’s the notion of gains being locked in, and the person therefore not needing to continue taking nootropics. Ever seen the movie Limitless? In the movie, the main character takes a particular pharmaceutical nootropic called “NZT,” which he eventually learns to modulate to lock in permanent neurological gains. Translation: he doesn’t have to take the nootropic compound anymore because his brain works as if he’s taking the compound, when he’s not taking the compound.

I believe there are nootropics that do this. Actually, I know there are. CDP Choline makes positive modulations to Dopamine and Acetylcholine receptors. That increases the signal strength of these neuro-chemicals, through the receptor sites. Over time, the brain will need less of the neuro-transmitter to function optimally. The receptor site is optimized for the Dopamine or Acetylcholine signal, and therefore when either of those chemicals land on a receiving neuron (also called the post synaptic neuron), it will respond stronger, triggering the ensuing associated brain state/function (motivation in the case of Dopamine, and focus/working memory in the case of Acetylcholine).

I have noticed that in me, and reproduced in many other people I’m connected with, they require less CDP Choline over time. I firmly believe this is because of the positive and continuous modulation of receptor sites for Dopamine and Acetylcholine. In these people, myself included, I have nootropic benefits, in terms of working memory, motivation, and focus, without taking nootropics. I have literally locked gains in.

So, situations like this don’t necessarily prompt urgency to cycle nootropics, but instead set up an environment where one just doesn’t need them anymore. I believe compounds that work on increasing Phosphatidylcholine, like Uridine monophosphate and CDP Choline together, make long lasting positive changes to the brain that require less of these compounds over time, and lock nootropics gains in.

But then there’s the notion of receptor down-regulation, which we know, 100%, does happen. That is: you’re increasing a neuro-chemical consistently in your brain, the brain in turn tries to negatively modulate a receptor site, so that the signal strength is a bit less strong. It does this to prevent overstimulation of the receptor site from the given neuro-chemical. This is why some nootropics may lose their “oomph” over time. The Alpha GPC may lose its power. The Modafinil may become less strong. The Caffeine becomes less noticeable. It’s routine.

In these cases, cycling off for a few days, a week, a month, or even 6 months, is in order for particular compounds. Then, once your brain’s receptor sites have fully come back to normal, you’ll get the response from the nootropic quite strong again. The best example of this that everyday people experience all of the time, is with Caffeine. It gets less potent over time right? You may require a bit more of it to get the result right? This is receptor down-regulation. And you can largely avoid it by engaging in sensible cycling strategies.

Then there’s the notion of liver functioning. This should not be glossed over. Everything you ingest orally, passes through your liver. So if you’re constantly giving your liver the burden of having to convert the chemical nootropic you’ve taken into an innocuous compound that can be excreted via urine, you run the risk of taxing it. People do this with alcohol, and then end up sitting with their doctor, having to contend with elevated liver enzymes, which indicate the liver is working on overdrive to clear some kind of toxic insult.

Now – I’ve never had elevated liver enzymes. Not once. And I’ve been taking nootropics for almost a decade. But. I have also cycled off of everything for months at a time. I consciously engage in very liver centric supplement strategies, like 1200-2000MG of N-Acetyl-Cysteine (precursor to liver detox chemical, Glutathione), and or 300-500MG of Alpha Lipoic Acid (massive antioxidant, known to repair liver functioning). Everyday, I blend an entire grapefruit, which contains a food source of Glutathione, I run several times a week, 2-4 mile distances, and eat a lot of detoxing vegetables.

If I didn’t do these things, would I be overburdening my liver with nootropics? Maybe. I can’t say for sure, but as you’ve come to learn in this book, the general tone is a conservative tone. Be smart. Cycle off. Optimize your baseline so you don’t have to solely rely on nootropics for brain performance. But probably the most valuable thing I can do for you, is to give you the best cycling information I know, that has worked greatly for me over the years, and is generally applicable to most people, for particular compounds.

Cycling Aniracetam: Aniracetam should be cycled. I would not take Aniracetam everyday for any longer than 1 month. After a month of continuous use, cycle off for at least two weeks. Alternatively, you could avoid a two week off period by doing a 4 days on, 3 days off strategy. In this case, you could take Aniracetam for 2-3 months. Then, even with this cycling strategy, after month 3, take 1-3 weeks completely off of the compound. Repeat.

Eventually, if you notice that Aniracetam is giving you some degree of side effects, over- stimulation, or other, cycle off for 3-6 months. Perhaps target other neuro-chemicals besides Acetylcholine. Switch to a high dose Caffeine/medium dose L-Theanine stack, with a dose strategy of: 300MG Caffeine/500MG L-Theanine. Cycling Oxiracetam should be approached exactly the same way.

Cycling Modafinil: all afinils, in my opinion, should be cycled. Studies do demonstrate that long term Modafinil use is mostly safe. But again: you’re constantly putting your liver to work taking Modafinil, so if you have some sort of genetic susceptibility to bad liver function, drink a lot of alcohol, or have some sort of otherwise liver impairment, frequently taking Modafinil may not be a good idea.

Additionally, though, chronically raising and releasing certain neuro-chemicals, like Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, and Dopamine, as well as inhibiting others, like GABA, may cause degrees of receptor down-regulation over time, or have other unknown side effects. Again, I’m not trying to be somber, I’m trying to be truthful. I would take Modafinil no longer than 50 days straight. I actually did something similar, at 40, and I was fine.

I didn’t even have withdrawal symptoms. It was a very productive 40 days. An optimal Modafinil cycling strategy would be: 5 days on, 2 days off for 2 months, then 2 weeks off completely to reset. After 6 months of this strategy, I would cycle off of Modafinil completely for at least a month. Gauge where you’re at from there, to determine future cycling/usage strategies.

  • Cycling biologically available Acetylcholine precursors: Alpha GPC and CDP Choline should be cycled. You don’t want to constantly flood the brain with extra Acetylcholine over baseline. A month on, 2 weeks off is probably one of the best strategies for these compounds. If you’re finding that you’re over-stimulated, or running into strange side effects with these compounds, lower the dose immediately. If that doesn’t help, cycle off for a week. If that doesn’t work cycle off for 3 weeks. If that doesn’t work, you’re likely going to have to cycle off for a few months. You’ve likely over-stimulated your receptor sites, or for one reason or another, these compounds just aren’t a good fit for you. Some people do seem to have what’s called “cholinergic dominance,” where their brains already fire Acetylcholine quite effectively. They really won’t need more of it circulating among neurons.
  • Cycling Noopept: I see Noopept similarly to CDP Choline and Aniracetam in the realm of cycling. Continuous use for some people will over-stimulate the cholinergic system. I would suggest cycling off of Noopept for at least two weeks, for every 3 weeks of continuous usage. Otherwise, a 4 day on, 3 days off strategy can be applied, and once you reach 2 months of this strategy, cycle off for at least 3 weeks. There are also increases in Nerve Growth Factor and Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor in the Cerebral Cortex and Hippocampus with long term Noopept use, which can absolutely be great, but doesn’t require constant dosing. Generally, you want to apply the strategy of: make improvements, back off a bit, see where your baseline is, gauge, and then move forward.
  • Cycling Phenylpiracetam: the frequency of use of Phenylpiracetam, in my opinion, should be a bit less than with other nootropics. This is a nootropic to keep in the arsenal for specific situations, like needing a good surge of brain energy to tackle a relatively long task. I would stick to using it no more than 10 times a month.
  • Cycling Huperzine A: if there’s anything you really want to cycle, it’s this. Huperzine A inhibits an enzyme that breaks down Acetylcholine. You do not want to inhibit this enzyme long term. This compound is meant exclusively for short term use. A few days on, a week off. After a month of use like this, cycle off for an entire month. Use this compound sparingly, and only when you really need powerful working memory and focus. Perhaps in test taking, or scientific reading.
  • Cycling between stacks: this is my favorite cycling strategy. It really gives the brain diversity of effects, and doesn’t get it use to a particular stack. A general stack cycling protocol would be: Aniracetam/Caffeine/Theanine stack for 1 day, Cortex pre-made stack for 2 days, a dopamine centered stack for a day, then back to the cholinergics, but different ones.. say: Oxiracetam/Noopept/Choline source. Caffeine/Theanine for 2 days, cycling off of everything for 2 days, and so on. The basic gist being that you’re giving the brain a break from constant elevation of the same neurotransmitters, to prevent tolerance.

Then shoot for something like the AACT stack for a day or two. Then the Tyrosine/Iodine/Selenium thyroid stack for a day thereafter. Then, perhaps for a few days, just work on Serotonin and GABA via some of the tranquility stacks we laid out earlier.

The general pattern is to cycle between stacks that work on different systems of the brain, to prevent side effects/down-regulation/other, and to give the brain diversity of stimulation. I think people make the mistake of using one stack that works well for them continuously. You want variety. You want options. You don’t want to be locked into one compound or stack.

  • Cycling research chemicals: these should basically be used sparingly. PRL-8-53 is a great example: it’s a research chemical, with very little available science/studies behind it, that is postulated as being cholinergic and dopaminergic. Specifically because of the unknowns of this compound, it shouldn’t be taken any more than 5-10 times a month. In my estimation, if you need PRL-8-53 to study for a week, you should be fine. But cycle off after that. It all comes down to being cautious on unknown compounds, or compounds without much published research on them. Cycle these compounds wisely, and don’t take any of them for longer than a month at a time. Have people taken them for a month or longer? Sure. Are they ok? Sure. But we have zero idea what is going on in their brains, and if said research chemicals are doing any harm.
  • Cycling L-Theanine: as far as I can tell, L-Theanine is one of the only nootropic compounds that does not have to be cycled very often. I’ve taken L-Theanine for 3 months at a time, nearly everyday. And it was nothing short of marvelous. I did, however, after reaching the 3 month mark, cycle off for a month for good measure, and instituted St John’s Wort, an herbal compound that works on the neuro-chemical GABA, and is quite effective at low doses at toning down the nervous system.
  • Cycling Cortex: Cortex is one of those all in one nootropics, so folks tend to take it and exclusively it. Cortex works on Acetylcholine, GABA, Dopamine, Phosphatidylcholine, neurite outgrowth, and more. And as such, it should certainly be cycled, particularly because it is optimizing neurotransmitter receptor sites, for better signal strength of said neuro-chemicals. This stack is extremely powerful. Thus, it should be cycled. I recommend cycling off of Cortex for 1 week, every 4 weeks. After 2 months of this strategy, cycle off for two weeks. Follow a similar pattern. Ultimately, if you feel the need to take Cortex on this schedule for 6 months or more, consider trying to find an equally stimulating stack, via all of the combinations we’ve laid out in this book, and cycle off of the product for at least two months. We give these recommendations to optimize the effects of the compound, and to keep neurotransmitter receptor sites happy.
  • Cycling Phenibut: as we discussed earlier, Phenibut should not be taken for any more than a week at a time. I personally suggest cycling off for an entire week after a week of constant use. One week on, one week off. The most ideal cycle strategy, though, would be 3 days on, 4 days off. Then, you wouldn’t need to cycle an entire week off. After a month of this strategy, I would then take an entire week to cycle off. In the meantime: Use something like Valerian root at 600MG, with 500MG L-Theanine. This will produce a similar result for a lot of people.

And so on. I would apply similar strategies to similar chemicals. Cycle other research chemicals like you’d cycle PRL-8-53. Cycle other racetams like you’d cycle Oxiracetam and Aniracetam. Cycle other compounds that work on BDNF, NFG, and the cholinergic system like you’d cycle Noopept. Cycle other strong GABA modulators like you’d cycle Phenibut. Cycle compounds that work on receptor sites strongly, like you’d cycle the biologically available Acetylcholine precursors like Alpha GPC, and CDP Choline. Ok! Onto the next question…

CAN I MIX RACETAMS

The short answer is, yes. But for optimal results, there is a “best” way to do it, and we’ve laid it out in the above sectors. Generally, Oxiracetam and Aniracetam stack incredibly well together, and have published science behind the two of them in combination. We know what these compounds do, and they can absolutely be taken together.

The same is true with Piracetam and Aniracetam, or Piracetam and Oxiracetam. Once you start getting into Pramiracetam, a compound that was meant to be more effective than Piracetam, which we didn’t discuss because it isn’t particularly awesome/better than Aniracetam or Oxiracetam, you’ll probably want to tread lightly on mixing, to prevent side effects, or overstimulation of the cholinergic system. You can also mix racetams with Noopept, as we discussed, with Oxiracetam, Aniracetam, and Phenylpiracetam being good candidates to stack with it.

Phenylpiracetam can be stacked with Aniracetam and Oxiracetam, but for most people, that is going to be overkill. I you decide to put the 3 together, decrease the dose on everything, below the threshold of the suggested doses we’ve laid out in this book, to keep the effect level.

Again: oddly stimulatory, over-taxing stacks are not only a waste of money and powder, but end up creating unpredictable surges in brain activity, that are anything but measured and smart. If you want to get cranked out of your mind, just drink 2 Monster energy drinks. But generally, racetams are safe to stack together. They are the most widely studied nootropics in the book, and though they can induce side effects, they’re generally pretty harmless.

DO I REALLY NEED A CHOLINE SOURCE WITH RACETAMS?

The answer is, it depends. Many, and I mean tens of thousands of people, do better with racetams when they take a choline source. The best source of published science (with a pretty digestible explanation) on this can be found here, and explains that the racetams, like Aniracetam and Oxiracetam, stimulate cholinergic pathways, and the release of Acetylcholine from certain regions of the brain.

It is theorized, therefore, that if the brain doesn’t have enough usable Acetylcholine for this accelerated usage, headaches can result. Whether this is a blood flow issue, or an Acetylcholine issue, remains to be scientifically elucidated. For some people, myself included, they do not need choline sources with racetams. I can take any of the popular racetams and not have a headache.

I’ve gotten a small, ice pick headache that lasted about 2 minutes, a few times with Aniracetam. I then started taking Vinpocetine, a compound that increases blood flow and oxygen in the brain, and I never ran into that problem again. I’ve postulated that since some racetams, like Piracetam, send blood flow to certain activated regions of the brain that they stimulate, there might be a lack of blood flow elsewhere, which could be triggering headaches.

The major takeaway is: some people will require a choline source, and some people won’t. You’ll have to figure out which category you fall into. Choline Bitartrate, Alpha GPC, or CDP Choline are the best sources to take with racetams, and as we’ve laid out in this book, I generally recommend starting out low, and titrating upward if necessary. And some people will do better taking Vinpocetine in 5MG doses, with racetams, to give the brain enough of an optimized blood flow profile.

WHAT IF NOOTROPICS GIVE ME BRAIN FOG?

Nootropics can absolutely give you brain fog. That’s partially why I wrote this book: to HAMMER DOWN the notion of low dosing on nootropics, and slowly working your way up, to find what doses work for you. People get brain fog from nootropics mostly because they are not taking measured approaches, and mostly, it’s because the dose on something is too high. Brain fog from CDP Choline? Take the dose down. Brain fog from Alpha GPC? Take the dose down. Brain fog from DMAE? Take the dose down. Aniracetam? Take the dose down, or add in a choline source. Noopept? TAKE THE DOSE DOWN.

I have woven in a serious of solid takeaways within this book, and if you haven’t gotten the one I’m alluding to now, it’s more is not more with nootropics. Not even close. Less is way more, and your approach should be to optimize the brain, optimize your doses, and optimize cofactors (B vitamins with Alpha GPC, minerals with L-Tyrosine, choline sources with racetams), so that you require less of particular nootropic compounds.

© Copyright Cortex Labs. You may not copy this book.

Smarter Better Faster

That said, after you’ve tried to optimize everything, taken doses down, had a measured approach, and you’re still having brain fog issues when taking nootropics: I still think there’s a way to fix it. And this gets into a lot further investigation into what’s going on with your brain. Are you on an SSRI? Other medications from the pharmaceutical world? These can absolutely be contributing to the problem. I offer consulting packages, from $500.00-$5,000 for stuff like this, and with them, have successfully gotten people to respond very positively to various nootropic stacks that were causing them brain fog at some point. There’s always a reason. And normally, it’s more than one reason.

But, there are a few cases that I’ve seen over the years where no matter what you do, certain nootropics just don’t jive with their brain chemistry, for whatever reason. That doesn’t mean other nootropics can’t. It just means they’ll likely never respond well to racetams, Noopept, Uridine, choline sources, or PRL-8-53. But they might to ALCAR, L-Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, ALA, DHA, and Vinpocetine. It’s all about finding what works for you, based on what your brain needs. I have never, ever, even with 5MG dose changes, and all cofactors covered, gotten DMAE, a cholinergic nootropic compound, to work well for me. It’s just a reality.

But for most cases of brain fog with nootropics, it’s the dose, cofactors, or something else you’re taking that’s interacting with the nootropic compound. Chemistry is very specific. Brain chemistry is no different. The actionable takeaway is to lower the dose and see where you’re at. Research what may need to be taken to support the neurotransmission involved in the compound you’re taking. Vitamin B5 is necessary for the synthesis of Acetylcholine, for example. And minerals like Iodine, Selenium, Magnesium, Calcium, and Zinc, are necessary compounds for optimal brain function.

ARE NOOTROPICS CHEATING?

No. The product “5 hour energy” is effectively a nootropic. People do not consider that product cheating. Mechanistically speaking, Caffeine is a nootropic. People don’t call that cheating. Nootropics are no different. It’s the construct that people fit it in that makes people think it’s cheating. They’ll, on one hand, throw down a 5 hour energy drink, which has CDP Choline, L- Tyrosine, and Phenylalanine in it, and on the other, tell you you’re cheating for taking Aniracetam. Lol.

Do you see what I’m saying? It’s all a matter of what you call it. 5 hour energy is not marketed as a neurochemistry modulating nootropic drink. It’s marketed as an energy drink, and people categorize it as that. But Aniracetam is a “nootropic” or “smart drug.” That automatically changes what people do in their heads about it. Suddenly, it’s something different than 5 hour energy, even though it really isn’t. But the real important argument for nootropics not being cheating, is asking the questions:

  1. Is it cheating to try to feel the brain with building blocks to stuff it already makes? If the answer is no: nootropics aren’t cheating.
  2. Is it cheating to try to stave off the breakdown of your brain, and keep its chemistry functioning optimally, in the face of an inevitable degradation as you age? If the answer is no: nootropics aren’t cheating.
  3. Is it cheating to drink coffee? To drink alcohol? To take B vitamins? If the answer is no: nootropics aren’t cheating.

You really have to break this down for people that bring up the notion of nootropics being cheating. The truth is: they don’t know what they’re talking about. I mean literally, they are operating from logical fallacies. The most widely used, universally acceptable nootropic in the world is Caffeine. And drinking a cup or two of coffee, within the first part of your day, is not “cheating.” That’s ridiculous.

WHAT GEAR DO I NEED TO MAKE MY OWN CAPSULES?

Very little! Making your own nootropics capsules is incredibly easy. All of this is purchasable via Amazon.com. Here is what you need.

1. A milligram scale. This is the scale on which you will put small spoonfuls of powder, to measure the milligram quantity to take. You should not pay any more than $30.00 for a scale that does the job.

2. Double zero capsules. Double zero (00) refers merely to the size of the capsule. You can get either gelatin or vegetable capsules. Get 500-1000 or more of them, and use them to capsule your nootropics. These are extremely cheap.

3. Small measuring spoons. You’ll use these to scoop out the powder, from bulk powder bags, to put on scales to measure. Amazon search for these. They’re cheap as well.

4. A double zero (00) capsule maker. In this, you place capsules, dump powder, and formulate capsules. It’s very easy, and self explanatory. Find one here.

That is literally it. You don’t need to overcomplicate it, and all of this will cost you less than $70.00, and will last up to 6 months. The most common thing to go, in this setup is the milligram scale. Just buy a new one!

WHO ARE THE MOST REPUTABLE, TRUSTABLE NOOTROPICS VENDORS

This is an important question. Because you want companies that have been in business for a while, that several thousand people trust, that are obsessive about quality. You generally know when a company has their stuff together. Their web representation of their brand is a pretty good indicator of the standards the owners of the company have. That said, there are 4 major vendors that fall into that extremely trustable, been around for quite some time category. They are:

  1. Nootropics depot. Web: http://nootropicsdepot.com/
  2. Liftmode. Web: https://liftmode.com/
  3. Nootropics Source: https://nootropicsource.com
  4. For natural compounds: BulkSupplements.com. Web: http://www.bulksupplements.com/

There are some less reputable companies, that haven’t been around for a while, that do not have the same level of trustability and stability as the companies mentioned above. You will have to trust your own judgement on the quality of those companies, to determine whether or not to do business with them. But the above mentioned companies, should keep you covered on your nootropics needs.

You can certainly use Amazon.com as a source for certain natural nootropic compounds as well. Many reputable brands have natural nootropic compounds on their roster, that sell on Amazon. Jarrow Formulas, for example, a well known natural supplement company, has individual supplements for Alpha GPC, Uridine monophosphate, L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, CDP Choline and more. They sell on Amazon, and have all of their products on their website, here. Jarrow is as reputable as they get.

Ok! What I just divulged is all you’ll need to find 99% of the compounds mentioned in this book, both pharmaceutical and natural nootropic compounds. Now, moving right along to…

WHY AREN’T NOOTROPICS WORKING FOR ME?

First, I want to start off by saying this is not an unusual place to be. And most of the time, it’s fixable. The single most effective thing you can do to understand more about using nootropics the right way, is watch Nootropics Ground zero, Nootropics Master Class, and Nootropics God Course.

People don’t respond to nootropics for many reasons, and once those reasons are addressed, they start responding to them. The primary reasons people do not respond to nootropics are:

1. You have a sluggish thyroid. The thyroid gland regulates/helps produce energy in your body. If it is under-functioning, your brain won’t be able to create the energy/effects sought after by taking particular nootropics. It just isn’t chemically possible. Are your thyroid blood tests fine? Great. That doesn’t mean much. Sub-clinical hypothyroidism is a very real thing, and modern western medicine doesn’t much know how to recognize it. They’re very myopic.

How to fix it: start a regimen of 200-500MG of L-Tyrosine, 1000-10,000MCG of Iodine, and 400-800MCG of Selenium. Your thyroid gland will use these raw ingredients to make thyroid hormones. Once your thyroid gland is able to sufficiently product thyroid hormones, if this is what underlies your non-responsiveness to nootropics, you should start responding relatively soon.

  1. You require more B vitamins for nootropics to work correctly. B vitamins are required for the synthesis of the chemicals you make in your brain. How to fix it: if you’re taking particularly cholinergic nootropics, like Aniracetam, any of the choline sources, Noopept, PRL-8-53, DMAE, Centrophenoxine, Oxiracetam, Pramiracetam, ALCAR, or others, and you’re not responding to them at all, take them with a B complex supplement. Jarrow makes a supplement called “B-right,” which is an extremely high quality product.
  2. You require minerals for chemical reactions necessary to positively respond to nootropics. Calcium, for example, is necessary for excitatory neurotransmission. Magnesium regulates Acetylcholine. Any many people report anecdotal situations in which they started taking Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc together, and started noticing nootropic compounds they were previously unresponsive to. How to fix it: take a Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc supplement. This can be taken together, or separately. Take at least the RDA for each of these minerals. You might start responding to the nootropics you’re taking right away, or it may take a week or more.
  3. You’re hungover. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that after you completely tax your liver from alcohol consumption, throw off the GABAergic system, and otherwise negatively affect your entire body with a night out drinking, you’ll be able to take nootropics and realize their benefits. You won’t. For me, I’ve come to learn that nootropics take considerably longer to onset, and work considerably less effective when I’m hungover. Nothing works right. Nothing functions correctly. And nootropics are the same way.

How to fix it: don’t be hungover. Alcohol is one of the worst things you can put in your body. I understand that most of the developed world abuses this substance, and it’s impossible to get away from it while you’re out and about, particularly doing leisurely things, like going out to eat.

But you have to do everything you can to largely avoid it. Have just 1 drink. Sip it slowly. Drink water while drinking it, and take a complex B vitamin before or after your drinks. There is no way to fix non-responsiveness to nootropics because you’re hungover. You’re just going to have to wait it out, or avoid hangovers completely.

5. Interactions. You’re taking other medications, or other supplements, that are chemically interfering with the nootropics you’re taking. Even if you read somewhere that X shouldn’t interact with X, it likely is. There are still a multitude of biochemical unknowns. We really don’t know what interacts with what, at what level. I’ve come across many people that are taking Noopept, Oxiracetam, or Aniracetam, but they’re also taking high dose Ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha is profoundly calming to the nervous system. Cholinergic compounds like the ones listed above work on turning up the nervous system. They email me asking what’s wrong, I tell them to remove the Ashwagandha, and suddenly they’re responding to the racetams or cholinergics.

Any many other interactions exist. Not just with supplements and medications, but with food. A large, rapidly absorbable, sugar based meal, for people that can’t handle it well will absolutely induce a sugar coma. It will rapidly crank up, then shoot down, your blood glucose levels. Similar to what it’s like to have thyroid issues, and your body thus not being able to appropriately produce energy, having a negative blood sugar response to a particularly sugary food will inhibit the effects of most nootropics.

How to fix it: be conscious of the glycemic index of your meals. Google the elements of your meal, and their glycemic index, to determine the kind of blood sugar response they will induce. Heavily research the mechanisms of action of the medicines or supplements you’re taking, and understand how the may interact with the efficacy of a particular nootropic compound. I am not telling you to stop taking your medications. Don’t do that. But understand, if some of them are working on neurochemistry, they’re likely interacting

with your ability to respond well to nootropics.

Check your supplement regimen. Check your protein shake. Check your fruit smoothie. Does it contain precursors to certain neurotransmitters? Is it working on your hormones in any way? It may be interacting with your nootropics. Every little thing counts. Chemistry is very specific. You cannot fit the wrong puzzle piece into a puzzle, and have it work. It has to fit (and thus, interact) perfectly.

6. You are not sleeping well. Once your sleep starts to go, everything else starts to go. If you can’t sufficiently replenish neurotransmitters over night, it’ll be hard for them to work in response to nootropics. The brain wants to conserve what it has. It does not want to fire on all cylinders if you don’t have the energy.

How to fix it: optimize your sleep. Try experimenting with the tranquility nootropics we discussed in the previous sector, to tone down the nervous system, to facilitate restorative sleep. If you have an underlying health condition that is fussing with your sleep, I understand that these complex chronic health problems are difficult to solve. Keep trying! You’re either going to get beat by this thing, or you’re going to win. You need to resolve to win.

If you can fix your sleep, you should notice an immediately positive change in your responsiveness to nootropics.

I have a large sample size, of people that follow the Cortex nootropics YouTube channel, other people that follow the Cortex Labs blog, customers that buy the Cortex nootropic stack, and everyone else in between, and within this group of people, the above mentioned strategies help nearly 95% of people respond to nootropics better. I have absolutely run into complete non- responders. But this is quite rare.

There is always a reason for everything in biochemistry. Always. We just do not have invasive, accurate tools and technology to truly understand every element of a person’s physiology. The best we can do at this point is research, experiment, test, and repeat.

AM I FEELING PLACEBO, OR THE NOOTROPIC?

Nootropics are quite black and white: they modulate neurochemistry in a way that should produce results, if all other things are working correctly enough. People tend to foolishly overstate the significance of the “placebo effect,” when it comes to nootropics. You take a compound, and then 20-30 minutes later, when it goes through the process of being metabolized, and crossing the blood brain barrier, you notice stimulation, focus, memory, and in a conversation with someone you’re more verbally fluent. This is not a placebo effect.

This is a chemical, or series of chemicals working on your neurochemistry, just like it is (or they are) suppose to do. Could you placebo your way into increasing Dopamine receptor densities? Who knows. Can you placebo your way into increasing Acetylcholine quantity? Maybe. But you’re not taking a sugar pill. You’re taking compounds that induce the associated positive brain states with these underlying physiological changes.

Your response to nootropics is likely not placebo, and I would be extremely skeptical of anyone that tells you it is. They are conditioned by the limiting nature of modern science. Science is a great thing. But it can also be wrong. Very wrong. And when it starts making assumptions about things, based on the rigid structure it uses in clinical environments, it can start getting people to doubt their own intuitions about how their brains are working. Is your brain working differently? Ok. You’re responding to nootropics. Are you relatively unchanged? You’re probably not responding to nootropics.

ARE NOOTROPICS SAFE TO TAKE EVERYDAY?

The short answer is: it depends. The safest nootropics to take, in my opinion, that one could take everyday of their lives, are probably Caffeine and L-Theanine. Everything else should be cycled. Again, for the sake of preventing down-regulation, over-stimulation of neuro-chemical receptor sites, and for the preservation of the liver. Cycling is smart. It keeps you from being dependent on the brain performance you get from nootropics, and, though it doesn’t guarantee you won’t run into side effects or problems, it drastically reduces the possibility of them.

There are people that take nootropics daily. Rick Rosner, who we discussed in the beginning of this book, who has one of the highest IQ scores of anyone alive today, takes nootropics daily. But what do we know about his body? His liver? His brain? Not much. He is merely an anecdotal example of someone frequently taking nootropics. Dave Asprey, the founder of Bulletproof, is the same way. The verdict is: cycle off. Take days off. Take breaks. And then cycle back on. That isn’t to say you couldn’t take nootropics everyday and be fine. I’m just saying, err on the side of being conservative.

WHAT ARE THE BEST ONLINE NOOTROPICS COMMUNITIES?

This is definitely the question to ask. First, I think it’s important to stay away from one particular community, and that is the nootropics Subreddit. These days, it’s filled with extremely arrogant, wannabe nootropics experts, who snap at newbies for asking basic questions. Not cool. It’s unwelcoming, is filled with snarky internet anonymouses, and riddled with misinformation. Just steer clear of it. There are better, more welcoming, higher information, people vetted communities out there that offer a much better experience. They are:

  1. Nootropics 2.0. This is a group of 21K members and growing. A lot of them are people I’m personally connected to, that are solid, useful, friendly sources of nootropics information. A good bit of them have their own companies, are founders of commercial stacks, and are generally good people. Like John Mitchell, founder of “Hapi,” a company that makes a few nootropics stacks that sell in Australia, one of which is a cool blend called “Flow.”
  2. The Cortex nootropics and smart drugs channel. This is our company YouTube channel. All of our videos are of me getting super granular, and excessively detailed about nootropics mechanisms, combinations, effects, and philosophy. It’s a very open, positive community. No question is a stupid question. The tone is extremely positive, and it’s filled with thousands of GREAT PEOPLE, with a lot of useful information. Everyone is welcoming. Everyone is learning. Everyone is cool.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPEND PER MONTH ON NOOTROPICS?

The ideal target range is between $30-$75. And perhaps less. That includes:

  1. Keeping 1 pre-made stack around with a price range of $20-$35, that lasts 1-3 months.
  2. Buying bulk powders of particular nootropic compounds every 3-6 months. You may have a big spend less frequently, like once every 6 months, buying a bunch of bulk powder and nootropics capsules, and then spend virtually no money on nootropics in the ensuing months. Dividing your total spent by the number of months it all lasts you, will get your monthly nootropics spend.
  3. Cycling smartly between certain stacks, and compounds, thus lessening the chance that you’ll quickly deplete any one bag of nootropics or another.
  4. Cycling off of everything completely for a couple days, to a week, every month.

5. Optimizing baseline with sleep, diet, exercise, minerals, meditation, and other necessary nutrients/vitamins so that you respond positively to nootropics, and thus need less of them.

These days, I spend about $20-$30 a month on nootropics, if that. I’ve accumulated a lot of bulk powder over time, take less of compounds I use to require more of, and cycle off of everything with the exception of Caffeine. The more you accumulate, and the more you optimize your brain from baseline, the less you end up spending.

The idea is to use the strategies laid out in this book, to preserve your cash spending on nootropics. Nootropics do not have the break the bank, and by following these instructions, you can fall within the suggested range above, and even get down into the $20-$30 range of monthly nootropic spending. Or less! If you’re iffy about the notion of even spending $50.00 a month on nootropics, realize: you likely spend $60.00 a month just on coffee.

You likely spend $100-$300 or more on things you absolutely don’t need, and weighing it all out in the end, in rank order fashion according to how helpful your spending is and how it correlates to productive output/better ability/better capacity to make money, nootropics should take priority over said things. Like new knife sets, or $19 candles.

END OF SECTOR 3

Alrighty! Now that we’ve gotten some of the most widely asked questions out of the way, and we’ve discussed the best combinations of the world’s most effective nootropic chemicals, there is one last piece of the puzzle we have to discuss. You see, everything we’ve talked about can only get you so far. Knowing which stacks to take to target which brain states, is only one part of the complex dynamic that is taking nootropics. There’s more.

This next, and last sector, explains the operating logical framework within which to take nootropics. There’s an optimal way, and a sub-optimal way. There’s a 5,000 foot view, which we’ve discussed so far, and a 50,000 foot view. That higher view, gives us a framework within which to use nootropics. It gives us constant, operating, background parameters within which to make decisions about nootropics, and it keeps us headed in the direction of realizing the best application of nootropic chemicals. Let’s get into…

Sector 4: Nootropics philosophy

We’ve discussed a lot in this book. We’ve talked about the most optimal nootropic stacks to take for targeted mental states, in the world. You are now armed with information accumulated over a near decade of taking nootropics, to improve brain performance, and be at your best with nootropic chemicals. But all of what we’ve talked about so far is only so useful, without a solid operating philosophical framework.

You see, there is an optimal philosophical strategy to operate from while taking nootropics. It guides how much of each compound you take. It guides how long you take nootropics. It guides what compounds you take to target which brain states, and over time, it you’re following the best philosophy, it will end up saving you money, optimizing your brain over the long term, and just maybe, you’ll be able to stave off age related cognitive decline.

The basic tenants of this sector, which will be short, sweet, and to the point, are:

  1. Take nootropics to optimize a particular system, for a particular task.
  2. Take nootropic compounds that induce residual brain performance results. Over time, this will require taking less nootropics, spending less money, and having better brain performance.
  3. The goal, in the end, is to take less nootropics. If you don’t need to take a substantial quantity of nootropics, or any nootropics at all, because your brain is working so optimally, why take them?
  4. Not all nootropics should be acutely noticeable. The best nootropics are subtle.
  5. Everyone has a “sweet spot,” for every nootropic compound or stack. Your sole mission in life, in nootropics experimentation, is to find that sweet spot.

TAKING NOOTROPICS TO OPTIMIZE A SYSTEM, FOR A TASK

Taking nootropics with an intention, is the best way to take nootropics. The notion of a general upgrade to brain function, without any degree of specificity, is vague. Don’t get me wrong: you can certainly take Aniracetam, know it improves brain function, and leave it at that. But using nootropics surgically means knowing that Aniracetam is going to optimize Acetylcholine and AMPA receptor functioning, provide energy and working memory benefits, and therefore help you in a situation where those systems, and that brain function, would be useful. Studying, would be a great example of a situation to take Aniracetam for.

To study, you need mental energy, stimulation, and working memory. Right? Boom. You just got specific with your nootropic choice. You just took nootropics, to optimize a system, for a particular mode of brain output. Taking a test in a university environment might be similar. Or any test, for that matter. You need mental energy, and you need working memory. Using nootropics surgically is knowing which nootropics to take for which situations.

Are you running into unexplained fatigue throughout the day and just need a good, solid, pick me up? In that case, a great target would be to use nootropics that work on alertness based neuro- chemicals, and the thyroid gland. And the best cocktail to achieve this outcome, would be the L- Tyrosine/Iodine/Selenium nootropic stack. You’ll be giving the brain and body the raw ingredients for Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Dopamine, and thyroid hormone production. That should knock your fatigue right out!

Do you need sustained focus for hours at a time, on a project you really haven’t started, that you need to get done by the end of the day? Then you’ll need to turn on mental endurance for a considerable period of time. You need to be firing on all cylinders. You need sustained brain energy. In this case, the Cortex pre-made stack or Modafinil are your best bets. Both will work on turning up focus, and sustained mental endurance capacity, for long periods of time.

Are you going to give a speech somewhere? Heading into a meeting? Need sustained verbal fluency? A Uridine and choline centric stack will do the trick! Whether that’s the TriacetylUridine Limtless stack, the Mr. Happy Stack, the Cortex Stack, or the ALA/Uridine/ALCAR stack, Uridine and choline centric stacks are hands down, the best stacks for verbal fluency. The effects they have on the brain allow neuronal fluidity, and thus, a smooth fluidity of language processing and output.

Getting the drift? The idea is to know what compounds, whether individual or nootropic stacks, work for particular situations. Over time, I came to learn for example, that Oxiracetam was one of the most powerful nootropic standalone strategies for resuscitating my brain from sleep deficit induced fog. This works every time for me. 700MG Oxiracetam down that hatch, and even if I didn’t sleep well, and my brain is falling apart, within about 30 minutes I’m back up to speed, and in most cases, functioning over my typical baseline.

I know that if I really need to crank up mental energy and motivation for 2-3 hours, I can shoot directly for 75MG of Phenylpiracetam. I know that if I need a good, subtle, fluid brain, an Alpha Lipoic Acid based stack, of say 300MG ALA, 300MG ALCAR, and a complex B vitamin is the way to go. If I really need a good solid session of powerful working memory, like for reading a long scientific study with the ability to digest and understand everything I’m reading, 13-15MG of Noopept is my go to.

This is the best way to take nootropics. Understanding over time, based on the mechanisms of the stack or compound, and its associated effects, when and how to use it. You can either shoot in the general direction of the enemy, or take a long range precision shot with a sniper rifle. The latter will be more effective, every single time.

TAKING NOOTROPICS THAT HAVE RESIDUAL EFFECTS

Some nootropics work on the brain in an acute, and residual manner. They optimize the brain in a noticeably acute way, and contribute to better brain function long after you stop taking them. These are the kinds of nootropics that work on everything else besides just neurotransmitters. Some, like Uridine monophosphate, CDP Choline, and Alpha GPC, work on neuro-chemical receptor sites, and other critical elements of brain physiology.

Uridine, for example, is a substrate in Phosphatidylcholine synthesis. Phosphatidylcholine is an important element of the structure of cell membranes in the brain. The higher the integrity of these membranes, the better the cells in your brain work. There is no known timeframe to take Uridine to achieve residual results, but I’d wager that you could get a degree of residual effect from taking Uridine for a 3-6 month period, with some sensible cycling in between.

The same is true with CDP Choline and Alpha GPC. CDP Choline enhances Dopamine receptors, creating a more sensitive response to Dopamine from receiving neurons on the brain. Meaning: take CDP Choline for a while, stop taking it, and theoretically, you should have residual levels of motivation that are long lasting. Alpha GPC also helps build Phosphatidylcholine, and taken over time, should enhance brain function fluidity, even after you cycle off.

My own anecdotal experience tells me something extremely good is going on with the synergy of Uridine monophosphate and CDP Choline. I took the two for quite some time, with cycle periods in between, and these days require far less of them to get the same results. I also have an incredibly functioning brain, at baseline. I’m 33, and I function better than I did at 25. Now that’s something.

Noopept, with semi-long term use, increases Nerve Growth Factor, a compound that repairs and fosters the growth of neurons and brain tissue, in both the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. That makes Noopept a great nootropic compound to take, to stimulate long term, residual brain performance benefits. I’ve taken Noopept on and off for years, and though I can’t tell for sure, I’m quite confident it has improved my memory, or at the very least, kept my hippocampus in pristine functioning form.

TAKING LESS NOOTROPICS OVER TIME

But the greatest part about taking compounds like this, of which there are many, is that over time, you require less of them. I use to require higher doses of Alpha GPC, CDP Choline, Uridine monophosphate, and Noopept. Not anymore. And after 8 years of usage of these fine compounds, my brain operates like I’m taking nootropics, when I’m not taking nootropics. That’s the goal. I spend far less on nootropics these days, require far lower doses, and still get rocking results. That’s the ultimate goal. Acute brain performance enhancement is useful, but improving the profile of your brain over time, is king.

The goal isn’t to be taking nootropics forever. It’s to take nootropics, to optimize certain systems, and then take less nootropics over time. Myself, and many other people I know that have been taking these compounds for quite some time, require mere maintenance doses of select compounds, to keep gains achieved through prior nootropics use. I can get away with not taking any nootropics, but perhaps some Vinpocetine, Caffeine, and Theanine, for an entire month, and still have rocking brain performance.

My working memory from baseline is incredible. My verbal fluency functions better than it has my entire life, and my motivation, mental energy, and drive to produce is higher than ever. I am a productivity machine, and I think this is achievable for you too. That said, these days, what excites me the most, are….

SUBTLE NOOTROPICS THAT TRULY OPTIMIZE BRAIN PHYSIOLOGY

Alpha Lipoic Acid is a particular favorite of mine, in this regard. It is a massive antioxidant that crosses through the blood brain barrier, scavenges free radicals, and optimizes brain cell mitochondria.

© Copyright Cortex Labs. You may not copy this book.

Smarter Better Faster

Life Extension, an extremely high quality, mechanism centric supplement company, discusses ALA’s capacity to reverse mitochondrial decay, to a considerable degree, here. ALCAR helps the brain to remove lipofuscin, a collection of toxins from the body that can be detrimental to brain cells, in aged rats. It’s not far fetched to think this happens in humans, too.

This is non trivial. Vinpocetine, a really interesting compound derived from the periwinkle plant, improves cerebral blood flow and oxygenation. L-Theanine is neuro-protective, increases brain Serotonin and GABA, and improves the brain’s ability to enter an alpha brain wave state.

These are the most impressive nootropics to me. I like the stimulation from the hardcore, powerful nootropics. But I like the deep chemical optimization of these subtle compounds, and how they make the brain stronger over time. The best and most optimal way to take nootropics is to target both of these strategies.

It’s to take the acutely powerful compounds, like Modafinil, Phenylpiracetam, Oxiracetam, and others, for immediately heightened brain performance, and to take compounds that may not discernibly, drastically alter subjective brain feel, but work on optimizing brain physiology in the moment and long term.

I want long term brain optimization. I want optimal brain blood flow. I want sustainable mitochondrial functioning, and I value long term maintenance of brain physiology. I want to be 85, and functioning amazingly. I want to have not even as much as a hint of Alzheimer’s disease, or neurotransmitter degradation. And with the compounds that really keep the brain healthy over time, I believe this is achievable. That, is the ultimate strategy to target.

FINDING YOUR SWEET SPOT

Everyone has a sweet spot for certain nootropic compounds. The sweet spot is the exact ingredient quantity of the individual compounds in your stack, that jive the best with your brain. Some people, will do quite well with 400MG of Aniracetam, for example. Others, will require the standard dose of 700MG. And some, will respond better doing the ANR microdosing protocol we discussed earlier.

Though I suggest starting low on doses for most biologically available Acetylcholine precursors, there is a contingent of people that’s sweet spots will actually be quite high, in the 300-600MG range for something like CDP Choline. I theorize that this is 100% due to the need for that particular nutrient their brain has. Folks with noticeable cognitive decline, related to age, are likely candidates for that category. Younger folks that have somehow depleted normal levels of brain Acetylcholine, may require higher doses of CDP Choline or Alpha GPC.

Noopept is another relevant nootropic in this arena. I respond perfectly to 13MG of Noopept. Any more, and I get brain fog. Any less, and it doesn’t quite do it for me. 13MG exactly, and I’m wired in. I know people, though, that’s sweet spot for Noopept is 20MG.

Some people’s sweet spot for Modafinil is 100MG. For others, it’s 75. And for others, it’s 50. But whatever the compound, the “sweet spot” is the picture perfect dose, that’s sustainable, affects the user well, and doesn’t come with side effects. That is the essence of sweet spots, and you should be consciously moving toward your sweet spot, for every nootropic you take, over time. But – your sweet spot will be fleeting, and temporary, for some nootropics. It’s floating. It fluxes. It will change.

A lot of it has to do with, as we talked about in this sector, the fact that the nootropic in question has modified your brain positively, so you require less of it to get the best effects. Therefore, your sweet spot will become lower. And that’s ok! It’s optimal, really.

With the recommendations in this book, I’ve calculated, and accumulated, the most likely sweet spots for most people. That is how the dose recommendations were formulated. Most people respond well to the standard dose of Aniracetam. Most people respond well to 15MG of Noopept. Most folks respond well to 150MG of Uridine Monophosphate, 350MG of ALCAR, 75MG of Phenylpiracetam, 200-300MG of ALA, and 75MG of Modafinil.

But for others, there will be a specific sweet spot dose for these and other compounds. Their brains will require a 10% increase in Acetylcholine production to function optimally. Not a 12% increase. They’ll require a half of a B vitamin complex to potentiate certain nootropics. And or they’ll require only 50MG of Modafinil to function at their peak.

For these people, the 12% increase in Acetylcholine production is too much. Higher than 50MG of Modafinil gives them side effects, and the whole B vitamin complex makes them irritable. A person’s sweet spot is the exact dose they need, of any compound or complex nootropic stack, to get near perfect results.

FINAL WORD

We have come to the conclusion of Smarter Better Faster. And man, I’ve really enjoyed laying all of this out for you. I’ve got 15 years worth of nootropics information pouring out of my brain. I can’t contain it all anymore! And you know what? I couldn’t fit it all in this book. There’s more. There’s always more. There’s an endless amount of nootropics information to divulge, and we continue to break down the details of individual compounds, and great nootropic stacks on the Cortex YouTube channel, and here our nootropics and biohacking blog.

On both our website, and the YouTube channel on nootropics, you’ll find endless streams of good solid nootropics information, for many years to come. So stay tuned!

Now that you’ve ventured deep into the core of nootropics with this book, you’re primed to get more advanced in using nootropics and getting better results. We have video courses for each stage of usage, as well as nootropics consulting programs to help you REALLY get insane brain performance results from nootropics.

Nootropics Ground Zero is for absolute beginners. It’s a video course that you absolutely MUST watch if you’re going to get into nootropics and get good results. Nootropics Master Class is a far advanced video course, aimed to take you to the 6 year mark on usage and results with nootropics. Nootropics God Course is the highest level nootropics course that exists on the planet, taking everything I’ve learned in 15 years of using nootropics and getting insane results. Get those products below.

If you need ME, Ryan, to formulate your stacks for you, we have consulting programs for that. The 1 on 1 programs will get you the best results, but we also have an on call, retainer like service to always have me available to answer questions and help you in your nootropics journey.

Otherwise I hope to talk to you soon, I am eternally grateful for your business, in purchasing this book, and I really want you to know, I value it a lot. I value your time and your energy. I value that you’re still with me after this epically long book! And I am indebted to you now, for buying this book. Hit me up if you ever need anything. If I can do it for you, consider it done.

Happy Hunting – Ryan

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