L-Theanine is a naturally occurring ingredient that is found in green tea. It has been proven in hundreds of studies to promote focused attention, calm, mental alertness, energy, and a relaxed state of mind. L-Theanine is commonly combined with caffeine due to its calming nature. When a person takes caffeine, it is common for them to experience anxiety and jitters. Combining caffeine with the calming effects of L-theanine results in a relaxed and energized state. This is because L-Theanine promotes alpha brain waves (a-waves) which have been proven to reduce stress. L-Theanine also has other lesser-known effects:

• L-theanine can be broken down into glutamate, which is a building block for glutamatergic signaling (i.e., the glutamate-GABA pathway), and glutathione, an antioxidant used for detoxification.

• Promotion of gamma delta T cells which boosts immune memory to help fight illnesses much faster.

L-Tyrosine is used as a nootropic because it acts as a precursor for the important brain neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine plays a massive role in brain activities linked to motivation, reward, and pleasure, and plays a vital part in modulating, concentration, focus, cognitive flexibility, and emotional resilience. In addition to these creative-productive capacities and states, dopamine is one of the main regulators of coordination and motor control of body movements. It is also important for muscle performance, strength, and endurance. Supplying L-Tyrosine for cognitive support can be exceptionally useful when participating in extremely stressful and demanding situations.

Phosphatidylserine is a dietary phospholipid. The best food sources are fish and animal meat. The three best vegan food sources are sunflowers, white beans and lecithin. Phosphatidylserine is found in the internal layer of cell membranes where it supports the function, integrity, and activity of receptors, enzymes, ion channels, and signaling molecules. Phosphatidylserine is one of the major membrane phospholipids in the brain, accounting for around 13% of the phospholipids in the cerebral cortex. Phosphatidylserine can be synthesized from another membrane phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine, which in turn can be synthesized from dietary choline or supplement ingredients such as citicoline or alpha-GPC. Human studies on phosphatidylserine have mostly focused on investigating cognitive function, mood, and stress regulation.

Alpha-glycerophosphocholine (alpha-GPC) is a choline-containing phospholipid that is utilized to augment the body and brain choline pool. In this role, it serves as a precursor for both acetylcholine and phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis. Alpha-GPC is considered the nootropic form of choline, with both forms able to increase brain choline levels, act as building blocks for acetylcholine, and support choline-dependent neurotransmission. After ingesting an oral dose, alpha-GPC metabolizes into choline and the phospholipid glycerophosphate. Choline is used for acetylcholine synthesis and neurotransmission. Acetylcholine is central to brain neurotransmission; it’s also used in both the fight or flight and rest and relaxation parts of the autonomic nervous system.

In addition, it is a signaling molecule for initiating muscle activity. Because alpha-GPC is a precursor in the biosynthesis of acetylcholine, it plays a major role in a multitude of cognitive functions, including attention, mental focus, concentration, memory formation, depth perception, and recall. Alpha-GPC also supports aspects of muscle performance and is involved in supporting and maintaining organs and tissues. Also, due to the fact that Alpha-GPC can be easily converted into phosphatidylcholine, it can be used to support the integrity and strength of brain cells.

Bacopa monnieri has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for almost 3000 years. One of its main traditional uses has been as a neural tonic to support intelligence, cognitive performance, nervous system rejuvenation, and brain function. Due to their massive benefits, Ayurvedic religious figures would use Bacopa to help them memorize religious text at a time when paper did not exist. Scientific studies on Bacopa have focused primarily on cognitive function and mood. Bacopa has been proven to have adaptogenic properties, supporting the nervous system and brain under stressful situations. Bacopa contains saponins called bacosides. These compounds, most notably bacosides A and B, are believed to manifest the plant’s nootropic popularity. Bacopa also has powerful antioxidant properties that may contribute to cognitive longevity and neuroprotective features in the brain.

Lion’s Mane is a mushroom naturally grown in China that is big, white, and remanicent of a lion’s mane (hence the name). While Lion’s Mane has numerous benefits, we have included it at a high dose due to its neuroprotective and cognitive longevity effect. It has been shown to drastically improve memory, focus, and mood. Those who have taken it alone have reported enhanced debate, reasoning, and conversational skills. Also, Lion’s Mane has been shown to drastically improve neurogenesis (the production of new nerves and neurons). Due to these effects, it has been shown to reverse Alzheimer’s and Dementia in mice.

• In addition, It has numerous other brain-health effects such as:

• Increases NGF levels in the brain – enhanced neuronal growth, regeneration and synaptic plasticity

• Improves myelination – enhanced neuronal communication and nerve regeneration

• Increases long-term synaptic potentiation – improved memory

• Decreases glutamatergic transmission – decreased neuronal excitability and excitotoxicity

• Protects neurons from endoplasmic reticulum stress

• Anxiolytic

• Anti-inflammatory effects

Kanna (sceletium tortuosum) is a plant in the Mesembryanthemaceae (succulent) family that’s used to make herbal treatments and supplements.

It can be found in various forms, including extract/tincture, brewed teas or smokable leaves. (When chewed, it’s called a “masticatory.”) It’s also sometimes referred to as kougoed or by the species name Mesembryanthemum tortuosum L.

Zembrin, one type of supplement made with active compounds derived from kanna, is the kanna supplement that’s been most widely researched.

Zembrin is described as “a nootropic ingredient for enhancing mood, decreasing anxiety and stress, and improving cognitive function under stress. It’s high in alkaloids, which seem to affect a number of cognitive processes:

• Help Relieve Anxiety or Stress
• Helps Treat Depression
• Improve Energy and Prevent Fatigue

Ginkgo Biloba is one of the most widely used and researched herbs for brain health. G. biloba has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for hundreds of years. G. biloba extracts have been used for their medicinal properties since the mid-1960’s.

Despite their recent popularity, the Ginkgo biloba tree has survived on earth for nearly 190 million years. For that reason, it has been nicknamed the living fossil. The trees can grow so old that some specimens have been dated to be as much as 1,500 years old. It contains several bioactive substances including flavonoid glycosides such as quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin, and terpene lactones such as ginkgolides A, B and C, and bilobalide.

Through the action of these compounds, Ginkgo is able to support several neurotransmitter systems, support neurogenesis, and promote healthy vascular function and cerebral blood flow. We have elected to use Ginkgo for its enhancement of attention, concentration, memory and mood.

Saffron is a spice derived from the flowers of Crocus sativus. It’s been used and traded as a spice for at least 4000 years and is considered the most expensive spice in the world. Saffron has many numerous traditional uses. In Traditional Persian Medicine, saffron was used for supporting mental health, sleep, and mood. And in India, it was widely considered an aid for relaxation and sleep support.

Iran produces the majority of saffron: Greece, Kashmir, Morocco, Spain and Turkey are also producers. Saffron refers to the deep red-maroon colored stigma and styles. Not all saffron is of the same quality and strength, with price increasing substantially for the highest grades. In general, the content of several of saffron’s active compounds are used to judge its power and efficacy. A greater content of crocin (responsible for saffron's color), picrocrocin (a bitter compound giving the characteristic taste), and safranal (which gives the fragrance) would be graded as higher strength.

In addition to these marker compounds, saffron also contains zeaxanthin, lycopene, and other carotenoids. Crocin is water-soluble, which is part of the reason it is used in rice dishes and other water-based food recipes. There’s been a growing interest in the use of saffron for health purposes, including in areas such as mental health, enhanced mood, cognitive supports, enhanced vision, sports performance, appetite suppression, fat loss, sleep, and women’s health.

Huperzia serrata is a species of fir clubmoss that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (as Qian Ceng Ta).

Huperzia serrata has a long list of bioactive compounds, including lycopodium alkaloids, triterpenes, flavones and phenolic acids. As far as a nootropic ingredient, the most important of these is the alkaloid huperzine A, which supports healthy acetylcholine levels in the brain.

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator that plays a vital role in cognitive function and memory, executive function, alertness, attention, and learning. Acetylcholine also enhances both working memory and long-term memory along with memory formation to consolidation and retrieval. By supporting acetylcholine signaling, huperzine A supports cognitive function.

Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (P5P) is the active form of (vitamin B6), which is part of the B complex—a group of water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cellular metabolism and energy production.

The term vitamin B6 refers to six forms—pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, pyridoxine, and their phosphorylated forms. The P5P form is the bioactive form of vitamin B6: it requires less metabolic “work” to be used as coenzyme in vitamin B6-dependent enzyme reactions. The more common form of vitamin B6 used in dietary supplements, pyridoxine, must undergo metabolic transformation and requires ATP to be converted into P5P. P5P is a cofactor involved in over 4% of all enzymatic activities, including many metabolic pathways important for cellular energy generation [1]. Major functions of P5P include burning of fats, sugars, and proteins, neurotransmitter synthesis, synthesis of the hemoglobin used in red blood cells, and increasing and decreasing the expression of certain genes.