Pre-made nootropics stacks are all the rage and with good reason. They’re an easier, cheaper, and often more effective way to give your brain a boost than taking the do-it-yourself route and putting together a stack of your own.
Mind Lab Pro is one of those products. After hearing a good amount of buzz on it, a few months ago, I finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and try it myself.
So, what can you expect to see after many weeks of consistent use? Let my Mind Lab Pro review be your guide.
Table of Contents
What is Mind Lab Pro
Created by a company called Opti-Nutra, Mind Lab Pro is a brain supplement that falls into the nutraceuticals category. Nutraceuticals are all-natural ingredients which have additional health benefits beyond their basic nutritional value.
In this case, all those ingredients are themselves, of course, nootropics.
What makes Mind Lab Pro unique is how broadly it targets your brain. Other popular nootropic stacks affect only a select number of cognitive functions. Onnit’s popular Alpha Brain, for example, was created just to help your focus, processing speed, and memory.
Mind Lab Pro is much more universal in its approach and was designed to enhance just about every part of your brain.
By affecting your brain’s energy, blood flow, neurotransmitters, brain waves, and regenerative and protective functions, Mind Lab Pro is a stack that tries to do it all.
It claims to not only better your memory, focus, and cognitive speed. It’s also supposed to improve your creativity, motivation, mood, reduce stress and anxiety levels, and on top of it all, offer several neuroprotective properties.
Delivering on all those promises is a very tall order indeed. But, with a few exceptions (and at the risk of spoiling the rest of this review), after taking Mind Lab Pro for a multi-month spin, call me quite impressed.
Does Mind Lab Pro Work
Let’s cut straight to the chase and answer the first question most of us would likely have: does Mind Lab pro work?
I’ll also cut straight to the chase with the answer: yes it does.
Now, for the extended version.
When you read the side of the bottle the supplement comes in, things start off on the right foot.
Mind Lab Pro is made up of many popular nootropic ingredients. Individually, they’re all scientifically proven to work and are included in doses which will be effective for most people, especially when combined with each other.
I’ll exhaustively cover every single ingredient a bit further in this review, but here’s a sneak-peak.
We’re talking about compounds like citicoline (better known as CDP-Choline) which can improve your focus, learning, and memory, l-theanine, which reduces anxiety, betters the mood and promotes wakefulness, and vitamins B6, B9, and B12, all of which can improve your mental performance and overall cognitive function.
That said, a bunch of impressive sounding ingredients doesn’t necessarily translate to an effective nootropic stack. So, let’s review exactly how things went down during my multi-month Mind Lab Pro test.
My Personal Experience With Mind Lab Pro
I didn’t feel much of anything during the first week of taking Mind Lab Pro, but that didn’t worry me. In fact, it’s to be expected.
All of MLP’s ingredients need time to build up in your system to become fully effective. This is a stimulant-free stack and giving you an instant jolt of energy is not what it was designed for. Long-term cognitive gains are its forte.
So, I diligently stuck to the recommended 2 capsules per day dosage and stayed the course.
By week two, it was a completely different story.
While there’s is no one specific effect which I can identify, I could definitely see a big difference in my ability to focus and overall productivity. Things started to flow better at work. My head cleared up and my writing became easier and more effortless.
Since everything seemed to be heading in the right direction, I carried with my Mind Lab Pro regimen.
By week three, it was party time. I wouldn’t say I felt invincible, but I definitely felt like little could stand in my way.
I was able to maintain focus for hours on end. My head consistently felt clear and achieving a state of flow seemed easier than I recall at any time recently.
Mind Lab Pro was doing its thing and doing it very well.
Notable Improvements
With nootropics reviews, I try to be as empirical as I can, which is why I tend to resort to various brain games as a form of basic measurement. If I can get them, I like cold hard numbers.
Compared to my results from a few weeks prior (just before I started supplementing with MLP), I could definitely see improvement in both my focus and memory.
One other thing Mind Lab Pro is supposed to help with is your mood balance. And I have to say, my state of mind also seemed better than before. It didn’t feel like a huge difference, but every little bit helps.
I should note, however, that it’s entirely possible my mood improved simply because I was more productive and wasn’t directly caused by any of MLP’s ingredients. Checking things off my long to-do list always makes me happy.
Either way though, directly or indirectly, I choose to conclude that Mind Lab Pro was responsible for my improved outlook on the world.
In the end, I have zero doubt that taking Mind Lab Pro has benefited my cognitive performance. After it built up in my system, my ability to focus improved drastically, my memory got better, and I was able to think clearer.
I became more efficient, more productive and, as a result, felt great.
Going forward, I plan on sticking with Mind Lab Pro. Hacking your brain doesn’t get much easier than this and, at least for me, the results speak for themselves.
A Review of Mind Lab Pro’s Benefits
After taking Mind Lab Pro for several months, these are the most prominent benefits I feel I experienced.
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Improved Focus
Once the ingredients of MLP built up in my system to the point of being effective, focusing became much, much easier. Not just initially either. I was able to concentrate on my tasks for hours at a time, with little mental fatigue.
Despite not containing any stimulants, Mind Lab Pro still managed to make me feel more alert and mentally sharp.
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Improved Memory
Mind Lab Pro positively affected all three types of my memory: working, short-term, and long-term.
It became easier to remember what I needed to get done and I often no longer had to write things down. My vocabulary flowed better, and I felt like I was a better communicator than before.
I also saw notable result improvements when playing the brain games I often use to more empirically test nootropics.
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Better Mood
I’m not generally an anxious person, so I can’t comment on Mind Lab Pro’s effect there. But, overall, my mood definitely improved.
I felt happier, more energetic, and suffered from much less mental fatigue.
Whether it was MLP’s ingredients doing the work or I just felt better about everything because of how productive and effective I became is impossible to tell.
The bottom line is, though, when using Mind Lab Pro, I felt my quality of life took several significant steps in the right direction.
Mind Lab Pro Ingredients
When I reviewed the ingredients in Mind Lab Pro, what really jumped out at me is their use of premium, patented, and independently verified compounds instead of potentionally questionable generic products. To me, that’s attention to quality.
What I mean is that, for example, Opti-Nutra chose to use citicoline as Cognizin instead of some no name alternative, Suntheanine over bulk L-theanine, as well as full spectrum lion’s mane mushroom.
That may make the product a little more expensive, but I find it comforting to know I’m getting some of the best ingredients on the market.
Here is the complete list of Mind Lab Pro’s ingredients. The amounts listed are for a single serving, which is 2 capsules.
Every nootropic on the ingredient list provides multiple brain-enhancing benefits. That’s a somewhat unique approach Opti-Nutra chose to take when creating Mind Lab Pro.
The upside of this method is you can use less of each individual ingredient to achieve the same overall effect. In other words, the Mind Lab Pro ingredients represent nootropic synergy at its best.
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Citicoline (250 mg) (as Cognizin®)
Citicoline, also commonly known as CDP-Choline, is one of the primary forms of choline in your brain. Including it in any nootropic stack is always a good idea, and opting for the Cognizin brand just confirms Mind Lab Pro’s commitment to quality.
Research has shown that citicoline improves memory and boost executive brain function (the mental skills needed to get stuff done). It also acts as a neuroprotective compound.
The dose included in Mind Lab Pro is on the lower end of the scale (up to 1000mg is considered safe), but considering the other ingredients in the stack, this amount should still be very effective.
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Bacopa Monnieri (150 mg)
A well-studied compound, bacopa monnieri is, arguably, the most popular natural nootropic in use today. It’s a herb native to marshy regions of India, where it has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years.
When you review the list of cognitive benefits bacopa brings to the table, it’s a long one. It improves memory formation, prevents memory loss, can boost overall mental performance, and even reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Clinical trials have zeroed in on bacopa as a critical ingredient that makes Onnit’s Alpha Brain work as well as it is. Mind Lab Pro including a nearly identical amount of it in its formula is a very good thing indeed.
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Lion’s Mane Mushroom (500 mg)
Lion’s mane mushroom is a type of medicinal mushroom whose benefits are universally recognized. Like bacopa monnieir, it too is a natural nootropic favorite of neurohackers everywhere.
Not only does lion’s mane have proven neuroprotective properties and gives relief from symptoms of anxiety and depression. It also stimulates the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which are proteins that help with human brain regeneration and provide it with the neuroplasticity it needs for learning.
Using lion’s mane mushroom has the potential to do a lot of good for your brain in the long run.
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Phosphatidylserine (100 mg) (as Sharp PS® Green)
Another very popular natural nootropic, phosphatidylserine is an excellent general cognitive enhancer.
A structural part of brain cell membranes, it helps maintain good brain health and prevents cognitive decline and age-related memory loss. It can also increase focus and improve your ability to problem solve and reason.
In fact, research shows it to be so effective that PS is the only nootropic the FDA permits to make cognitive function improvement health claims.
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N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine (175 mg)
Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter in allowing your mind to perform and focus under conditions of stress and fatigue. A great way to increase the levels of dopamine in your brain is with an amino acid called tyrosine.
An even better way of doing it is to use the acetylated version known as N-acetyl-L-Tyrosine (NALT). The latter is what Mind Lab Pro includes.
In addition to helping you deliver when stressed and tired, clinical research has also shown NALT can improve your working memory while multitasking.
The amount of this compound included in the stack is once again a little on the low side (with 300 mg of NALT being the typical dose). But, considering all the other ingredients in Mind Lab Pro, that is not a concern. In fact, it’s likely a good thing.
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L-Theanine (100 mg) (as Suntheanine®)
If it’s creativity or relaxation you’re looking for, few nootropic supplements deliver better than l-theanine.
An amino acid that is naturally occurring in most teas, L-theanine has a scientifically proven ability to increase your brain’s alpha waves.
It also increases levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin and boosts brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). Like the aforementioned lion’s mane mushroom, L-theanine also stimulates the nerve growth factor (NGF).
The decision to use Suntheaning instead of a generic supplement once again speaks to Mind Lab Pro’s ingredient quality.
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Rhodiola Rosea (50 mg)
Rhodiola rosea is a herb that has been used to fight fatigue in European and Asian cultures for centuries. It improves physical and mental stress resistance and simultaneously promotes clear thinking.
In a recurring pattern, the 50 m of rhodiola which Mind Lab Pro includes is lowish. Taking up to 680 mg of this nootropic is considered safe.
That said, not only are there other nootropics in the mix to work synergistically with rhodiola rosea. This is also a compound which works on a bell curve, and lower doses of it can often be more effective than higher ones (especially when stacked).
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Maritime Pine Bark Extract (75 mg)
Even though maritime pine bark’s many benefits are well documented, it’s rare to see it used as a stand-alone nootropic. Combine it with other nootropics in the role of an antioxidant, however, and now you’re talking.
Maritime pine bark extract is one of the few compounds which can cross the blood-brain barrier, making it effective at neutralizing toxic free radical in your brain.
The other big benefit of maritime pine bark is that it relaxes blood vessels. That enhances brain blood flow and gives it access to more of the oxygen and glucose it needs to function optimally.
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Vitamin B6 (2.5 mg), Vitamin B9 (100 mcg), Vitamin B12 (7.5 mcg) (all as BioGenesis™)
Every B vitamin is beneficial to your brain. But, the B6+B9+B12 combination is especially useful (not to mention has the most research backing it up).
The three B’s help your brain produce more of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. Both prevent cognitive decline and improve mental functions.
The vitamins also keep homocysteine levels in check, reducing fatigue and brain fog, and giving you more mental energy.
In the long term, supplementing with vitamins B6+B9+B12 is well proven as beneficial for maintaining good brain health.
To summarize, here is how all of MPL’s ingredients work together synergistically to boost your brain power.
Is Mind Lab Pro Safe
If it’s safe to take vitamins and mineral supplements, it’s pretty much safe to use Mind Lab Pro.
The product is made up of eleven natural nootropics, all of which are well-researched and proven to have few, if any, side effects.
Opti-Nutra also chose to provide how much of each ingredient is included in Mind Lab Pro (kudos to them for being transparent). Other nootropic stacks like Alpha Brain or Optimind don’t do this. They list what the ingredients are, but not how much of each is used.
That’s not to say that those competing products are not safe.
But, when exact amounts are known, we’re able to independently confirm that none of the doses are excessive and will play nicely with the other nootropics in the stack.
Reviewing the Mind Lab Pro Side Effects
Every nootropic that makes up Mind Lab Pro is safe and should be well tolerated by the vast majority of us. That usually translates to no adverse effects, which has indeed been my experience.
At no point since starting to take Mind Lab Pro have I felt anything even remotely resembling any side effects.
In all the research I did on MLP before using it, I did run into someone reporting feeling a bit of gastrointestinal discomfort as a result of taking it. But, that seems to be an isolated case and ultimately, may have been unrelated.
Its nootropic ingredients aside, Mind Lab Pro doesn’t use any artificial colors, fillers, preservatives, or additives of any sort. It’s also non-GMO and gluten-free.
Combined, all those factors go a long way towards keeping Mind Lab Pro side effects free and a very well-tolerated product.
Will Mind Lab pro Interact With Other Medication
Whether Mind Lab Pro will interact with other supplements or medication is, unfortunately, impossible to say. It contains all-natural and safe ingredients which should theoretically play nice with most other substances.
Ultimately, though, if you are on any medication or have a known condition, you should talk with your doctor first. With every new substance you introduce into your body the risk of side effects goes up.
The packaging also warns not to use Mind Lab Pro if you’re pregnant or nursing (standard fare with just about any brain supplement) or if you are under the age of 18.
How and When to Take Mind Lab Pro
As with most nootropic stack products, taking MindLab Pro is easy-peasy. The regular recommended dosage is 2 capsules a day in the morning or early afternoon.
That’s the regimen I follow, and it has been working very well. I take 2 pills right after breakfast, and off I go.
Opti-Nutra does mention being able to take as many as 4 pills on days when a bit of extra cognitive effort may be required. I never felt like I needed to do that, but a double dose may be something you want to consider if you have an exam or a work project deadline coming up.
Also, do note that 4 pills per day are the maximum recommended dose over 24 hours. Anything more and you’re increasing the potential for side effects.
How Long Does It Take Mind Lab Pro to Work
When you stick to 2 pills daily, you should start feeling a noticeable boost to your mental performance within a week or two.
I take 2 capsules, and that has indeed been my experience. By week two I was unquestionably feeling a difference (for the better, of course) in my focus, mental clarity, and overall productivity.
I always prefer to start conservatively with any nootropic supplement. But, if you’re willing to jump on a 4 pill per day double dose straight away, I have seen users report feeling benefits within a few hours. It’s also something Opti-Nutra confirms on its website.
Opti-Nutra also suggests taking Mind Lab Pro consistently for a full 30 days before making a final call on it.
I think that’s slight overkill and, based on my own experience, a few weeks should be plenty. But, it’s something to keep in mind if you don’t feel the effects are quite where you would expect them after a week or two.
Can You Build up a Tolerance to Mind Lab Pro
When taken as instructed, there is no scientific evidence to suggests you can build up a tolerance to Mind Lab Pro. There is also no anecdotal evidence to the fact that I have been able to dig up on any forum or the many Mind Lab Pro reviews I scoured through on Reddit.
And then there’s my own experience. After months of use, I too have not experienced anything resembling tolerance.
The one caveat is this is all assuming you follow the recommended dosage. If you choose to ignore it (something I never recommend), you will be venturing into unchartered territory and tolerance may be something you develop over time.
Should You Cycle Mind Lab Pro
To be on the safe side, Mind Lab Pro’s website does suggest cycling the product to ensure it consistently works at its full potency. They recommend one of two schedules:
- 4 weeks on, 1 week off
- 5 days on, 2 days off
I suggest you follow Opti-Nutra’s guidance and pick whichever schedule you feel works best for you. I prefer and follow option two, only because it lines up better with my work week.
Comparisons With Other Nootropics
While Mind Lab Pro is certainly one of the best nootropic supplements in the market, it is not the only option. Far from it. Here is how, in my opinion, it compares it to other similar products I have tried.
Mind Lab Pro Vs. Alpha Brain
The most popular nootropic stack in the market is, arguably, Onnit’s Alpha Brain. It was the first of its kind and has certainly carved out a substantial following for itself.
Both Mind Lab Pro and Alpha Brain do well ingredients wise by ensuring everything they contain is all-natural. Neither product includes any fillers.
Both also contain well-dosed amounts of bacopa monnieri, a nootropic known for providing consistent results and whose benefits are confirmed by much research.
Mind Lab Pro does, however, target a much broader set of cognitive function than Alpha Brain. So, unless you’re only interested in improving your focus, memory, and processing speed, you may want to lean towards MLP.
Price wise, Alpha Brain is marginally cheaper. Assuming you take the recommended amount, a month’s supply of Mind Lab Pro costs $2.17 per day, while Alpha Brain sets you back $1.99. Not a huge difference, but, worth noting.
In both cases, you can bring down the cost further by ordering larger quantities (for an apples to apples comparison, I use a single month as a baseline) or by taking advantage of any available discounts.
The two products are both worth the price of entry and which works better for you will ultimately depend on which cognitive function you want to target.
Mind Lab Pro Vs. Qualia
Comparing Mind Lab Pro and Qualia is a little trickier since they target slightly different markets. Qualia is a much more complicated in composition and several times more expensive than Mind Lab Pro.
As we’ve seen, Mind Lab Pro contains 11 well-balanced ingredients. Qualia, on the other hand, has 42! There are definitely advantages to keeping things simpler, and that’s the route I typically prefer.
When you mix 42 ingredients, especially if you’re just starting out with nootropics, it’s a lot harder to pinpoint which substances your body is responding well to, and which are ineffective.
Don’t get me wrong. Qualia can still work very, very well (at least it did for me). It’s just you’re playing it a bit safer by going with a simple, straightforward formula.
There is also the cost. Expect to pay $2.17 per day for a month’s supply of Mind Lab Pro. Qualia, on the other hand, will cost you over three times as much, setting you back $6.77 daily.
If you’re new to nootropic supplements, I suggest going with Mind Lab Pro. Though, ultimately, I bet you’ll be satisfied with either.
Mind Lab Pro Vs. Optimind
Another popular nootropic stack is Optimind. It’s fairly comparable to Mind Lab Pro in which substances it contains with one big exception. Optimind also contains caffeine.
That is the biggest reason why I prefer Mind Lab Pro.
Yes, you get a slight brain energy kick when you take Optimind which is lacking with Mind Lab Pro. But, I don’t necessarily feel like it’s needed. That’s what coffee is for.
The makers of Optimind also don’t disclose the exact amounts of each nootropic in the stack under the pretense of it being a proprietary blend. Going by how it feels, I do find Optimind’s formula to be a bit weaker.
Cost wise, a month’s supply runs $2.17 per day for Mind Lab Pro and $2.00 for Optimind (again, not taking into account any potential sales or discounts). I’m guessing that for most of us, that’s too small of a difference to be the deciding factor.
Personally, I lean towards Mind Lab Pro for the simple reason that it works better for me.
Mind Lab Pro Vs. Performance Lab Mind
Last but not least, let’s quickly compare Mind Lab Pro to its sibling Performance Lab Mind. Both are products made by Opti-Nutra. The difference between them is they target slightly different market segments.
In a nutshell, Performance Lab Mind is a stripped-down version of Mind Lab Pro.
It only contains 4 ingredients (citicoline, phosphatidylserine, tyrosine, and maritime pine bark extract) out of Mind Lab Pro’s 11. Except for tyrosine (of which Performance Lab Mind contains almost twice as much), the individual ingredients are dosed the same.
If you feel like you don’t need the other ingredients, Mind Lab Pro contains, then Performance Lab Mind may be what you need. Its benefits are pretty similar, and it’s slightly cheaper too.
However, if you’re looking for a much more complete nootropic stack, Mind Lab Pro is the clear winner.
Where Can You Buy Mind Lab Pro
If you’re interested in trying MLP, the only place you can do so is directly from the product’s website (right here). You can’t get it on Amazon and you can’t buy Mind Lab Pro at your local supplements store.
The reason? Opti-Nutra prefers you have access to all the product information and understand their formula before making a purchase, something that would be difficult to guarantee through any other seller.
You do get free worldwide shipping, and a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee if you decide to give MLP a go.
Can You Get a Free Mind Lab Pro Sample
Opti-Nutra does not offer free Mind Lab Pro samples. But, with a 30-day risk-free “empty bottle” money-back guarantee I don’t feel like that’s necessarily an issue.
Besides, a few free capsules would likely not be enough to let you fully experience everything this excellent nootropic stack can offer. You need at least a solid week or two worth of pills to get there.
Mind Lab Pro Review Conclusion
Is Mind Lab Pro worth the price of admission? Absolutely.
It’s a very well-formulated product. It not only contains high-quality ingredients but also includes them in the right doses (which doesn’t always happen).
On paper, MLP is more than capable of significantly boosting your mental performance, especially in the long run. And in practice, based on my experience, it delivers just as expected.
From improved focus and memory to better clarity, mood, and productivity, all the effects it promises are there.
Whether you’re a beginner looking for an easy and effective introduction to nootropics, or a hardened neurohacker in search of a great foundation to build on with more advanced substances like Noopept or pramiracetam, this is one preformulated stack you can’t go wrong with.
And personally, I plan on continuing to use it long after this Mind Lab Pro review is posted.
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