What is the best nootropic supplement? Well, that depends. And you knew I was going to say that. I firmly believe there are two things a nootropic must do to be considered the best. One of those things is pretty clear. The other, a lot more subjective and will vary from person to person.
The clear thing is safety. Whatever it is they do, a top nootropic supplement must do so without causing damage to your body. In theory, meeting this requirement should be easy. Nootropics by definition should not cause you harm.
In practice, however, there are a lot of products which call themselves nootropics that simply are not, meaning you can’t take anything at face value. So before considering anything, double check it has a clean and proven track record. Its safety and cognitive enhancement abilities need to be backed by at least a few properly done clinical studies.
The more subjective part of the best nootropics answer is what the supplement should do? Some are much better than other at certain things. Adrafinil is, for example, one of the better choices for promoting wakefulness and alertness. On the other hand, adrafinil doesn’t do much to reduce stress and anxiety, but that is something a supplement like phenylalanine is excellent at. Noopept is a bit of a jack of all trades and comes with many benefits, but some of its effects are not as strong as those of more targeted supplements. So in other words, to know what the best is, you need to know the answer to “best at what”?
Every nootropic I talk about on this site gets a checkmark in the safety and clinically proven box. Whatever I write about, I have personally used. Anyone who knows me knows I always do my research and, as a matter of principle would never put anything in my body which would do it harm. I would also never use a supplement that doesn’t work. What purpose would that serve?
As far as what a nootropic should be best at, only you have the answer. The only thing I can do is to give you the top options for each benefit you may potentially be interested in.
Below, you will find links to pages containing category specific lists of the best nootropic supplements. If you know exactly what you want to achieve, your next step is clear. Pick that particular benefit and read on. If you have several goals, begin with and take care of your most pressing one first. Once you feel you have a handle on things, look into nootropics that will give you the other benefits you’re looking for and start stacking.
And if you happen not to have a specific goal and would just like to get a feel for what nootropics can do for you, then I recommend you give either Noopept or pramiracetam a try. Both will open your mind, pun intended, to what’s possible.
Nootropics for Anxiety
Unfortunately, anxiety seems to be a way of life these days. Nootropics can go a long way towards managing it and help bring about your relaxed, calm and confident best.
Nootropics for Energy
For peak physical and mental performance, your body needs a reliable and sustainable source of energy. By releasing and optimizing key neurotransmitters, that’s exactly what nootropics can give you.
Nootropics for Focus
For maximum mental performance, being able to focus and concentrate is a must. It can be hard to eliminate things that prevent you from doing so, but nootropics can help your brain deal much better with any distractions.
Nootropics for Studying
Every student or anyone who does information intensive work can benefit from nootropics. By optimizing the production and use of several key brain chemicals, they make learning easier and quicker.
Nootropics for Memory
Good memory is absolutely central to everything you do, and the right nootropic supplement can vastly improve the brain’s ability to process and store information in both short and long term memory.
Nootropics for Mood
Apathy, indifference and feelings of negativity are just few of the many conditions which can impact your productivity. Make them a thing of the past by managing your mood and increasing your sense of well-being.
Nootropics for Motivation
Give yourself the motivation to do anything. Anytime you need a boost to help you push ahead and crush whatever obstacle stands in your way, nootropics can be your best friend.
This is good, nuanced advice and also sorely needed reading for beginners. People new to this subject seem to think that there is one golden ‘nootropic’ that somehow immediately works on everything from mood to cognition, and stress to focus etc. That simply isn’t true and the best stack for one person will be different to the next depending on their physiology and goals. However, I do agree that Noopept is a great place to start for many.
Also, good luck with the blog Simon and keep on crushing it with the reviews! (Informed) opinions on this subject are highly welcome and its great to see someone approaching their work with a rational and science-based though process.