What are brain supplements, or nootropics?

Brain supplements, or nootropics, are a complex topic and many people don’t really understand how they work. But, in essence, brain supplements help people improve their memory, focus, reduce stress and anxiety and so on.

Brain supplements have a long history, which you can learn about here. Not surprisingly, their usage has expanded over the years. Nootropics or brain supplements now find their consumers in athletes, students, multitaskers and creatives across the globe.

Using brain supplements helps the brain work properly, especially in the long run. It provides a steady performance when it comes to your mind. Still, many people are confused by the public image of some synthetic smart pills that exist on the market and their side effects. Yes, there bad smart pills, but nootropics are not synthetic. They are made will natural ingredients and brain-boosters. This is why they are better and they provide better effects on your brain.

What are the different types of brain supplements that go into nootropics?

Important nutrients

Everyone knows that proper nutrition is essential to good brain function. Nutrients feed our health, immune system and our metabolism. Elements like minerals and vitamins are crucial to our brain health, but the fact is that many of us don’t get enough of them through our diet and that we may need supplementation to boost our brain.

This is especially true for nootropic vitamins like the ones from the B group. For instance, these include vitamins B12, B9 and B6. Since we don’t get enough of them through food, brain supplements give them to us. Here’s a study that explains why and how B vitamins are important for our brain: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/vitamin-b-complex#benefits

Plants, herbs, spices

Nootropics are a concoction of truly natural ingredients, most of which are botanical in nature. The ingredients range from those that were brewed to those that are steeped or chewed roots to various leaves and other plant parts. There are extracts which are produced following a strict standard.

Of course, it’s not just leaves and roots that are used. Mushrooms, for example, are often incorporated too, especially ones that are well-known as brain supplements such as Lions Mane or similar ones. These are by no means new in medicine. In fact, they are well-known by traditional herbalism and medicine as good for your mind.

Adaptogens

These have been found and classified by a group of Russian scientists and they are a form of a subcategory of nootropics. They can help the brain defend itself from stress whether it’s a chemical sort of stress, emotional or physical. They can make your body stronger in the face of stress and improve your response to various situations, especially during moments of instability. One of the most well-known adaptogens, as Nootropics Nerd website says, often used in nootropic supplements is Rhodiola Rosea.

However, nootropic supplements are very new in the UK and some of these products contain ingredients such as vinpocetine that is illegal in the UK. It is essential therefore that you seek professional advice before you take nootropics and purchase your products from a certified UK supplier.

Phospholipids

These are often sourced from natural plant and animal wildlife. You can get them from food like fish or egg yolks, sunflowers and soy, various animal organs and so on. They are essential in our ability to grow brain cells and repair them. This type of fat is truly important for our health. The levels of these compounds will lower as you age and it can be alleviated if you take brain supplements.

Choline

This is a natural nootropic that is necessary for our body as it creates and uses good fats. Since the brain is around 60% made of fat, it’s an important element for our brain construction and repair, as well as its regeneration. Nootropic sources of this compound can enable you to get more of it or to help the brain have more choline in various indirect ways. It boosts memory and energy that you have, as well as your motivation and it boosts your mood. One of the prime examples of this is citicoline which has a positive effect on your multi-tasking abilities.

Antioxidants

These are responsible for your brain’s ability to protect itself against the unstable molecules that can ruin the brain cells and speed up your ageing process. There are many of them in nature and you are probably already taking in some of them. Most of them are great at defending your brain, but not all of them can reach the brain, and that’s the problem. However, nootropics provide you with plenty of antioxidants that can protect your brain from ageing and other issues.

Amino acids

Amino acids are one of the best parts of brain supplements because of the number of benefits that they provide and the functions that they cover. They represent a set of compounds that can boost your brain, cognition, focus, and energy. They also reduce stress. Of course, it’s not just one amino-acid that does all of these things, there are more of them and they can all be included in a nootropic. They have metabolic benefits as well, which is why people who exercise a lot and people who do intermittent fasting like taking them.

Stacks or individuals

Nootropics are either used as just one ingredient or a stack of ingredients. For instance, you could take just one of the ingredients from the list above, or you could mix a few of them – or all of them.

From there, stacks of nootropics divide into two subcategories: homemade and pre-made. All of them can seem equally interesting for an average user. Single ingredients are used to help with specific problems. For example, you are suffering from stress, you can take L-tyrosine.

Stack supplements are made by mixing a few ingredients into one formula. Then, you get several benefits from taking them. Of course, there is a homemade stack formula, often based on individual testing and trying to get the best solution. It can be hard to come up with something effective this way.

Then there are premade stacks that have been created in a professional environment. These have to be safe because they are regulated and tested.(See note above)