What are Nootropics?

What are Nootropics: The word ‘Nootropic’ has its origin in the Greek language – nous meaning mind and trope meaning to bend or turn. Nootropics are substances that can improve the brain’s cognitive skills in a short span of time. Through Nootropics you can achieve an increase in verbal fluency, rid yourself of social anxiety or the fear of public speaking, see patterns in a jumbled mess of data, improve numerical proficiency, increase your capacity to recall a name or face, improve overall focus and mental ability to handle a huge workload without getting fatigued, elevate your speed of processing, reduce reaction time, and the list goes on. Studies have even shown that Nootropics can improve one’s motivation! The USP of Nootropics is that it can be stacked to not only target several mental states at a time, but can also be customised to get granular to the extent of targeting a particular area of mental ability or behaviour. For eg. if someone wants to just remove social anxiety or fear of public speaking then

Our brain function and state of mind depends on the performance of the signalling molecules of the brain called neurotransmitters, also known as messengers of the brain. Nootropics cross the blood brain barrier and interact with these neurotransmitters, which then travel to neurons, and communicate whether to be excited, calm, active, joyful, content, inhibited, sad, euphoric and so on. Nootropics allow us to boost and regulate these neurotransmitters.

Some neurotransmitters inform the neurons to focus on numerical ability, while others communicate anxiety, stimulation and excitement and so on and so forth. Whatever be the state of mind, it is a function of the neurotransmitters firing or not firing. However, with the state of art Nootropics stacking formulations, we can design/customise the outcome we want. Nootropics also work on neurotransmitter receptors and prime them to be optimised for receiving proper messaging, which then translates to a better all-round response.

Today Nootropics are used by athletes, executives working in high stress jobs, students, pilots, special forces etc to optimise their neurotransmitters for superlative performance in different fields. Nootropics aren’t a new discovery – they have been in use for thousands of years as standalone supplements addressing a particular neural pathway. But new age science and the art of stacking various nootropics to address multiple mental states at a time has taken the Nootropics world to the next level!

Our brain needs to behave like a symphony with synergistic play between all the players in order to produce the desired music and not just sound. The main players in this symphony are Serotonin, Dopamine, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, GABA, Endorphins, Acetylcholine and Glutamate.

Nootropics are 360 degrees in their function. They not only target the neurotransmitters and the receptors but also optimize existing pathways in the brain, create new pathways (neuroplasticity), and ensure better brain cell integrity.

What is meant by Stacking of Nootropics:

Standalone Nootropics produce standalone effects. Stacking nootropics will synergize, multiply, and complement standalone effects for transcendent cognitive enhancement on various pathways without being antagonistic in their path. The art of alchemy may be dead but the search for the philosopher’s stone is not. It has simply transfigured into the art of Nootropic stacking, which refers to: combining two or more cognitive enhancing or neuroprotective substances at the same time to produce a sum greater than its parts.

Are Nootropics safe:

Nootropics fall under the GRAS category ie Generally Regarded as Safe. We use natural ingredients for our stacking to produce the most realistic, safe and sustainable results.

Should Nootropics be cycled for maintaining the efficacy in the brain:

In our opinion, all supplements, including Nootropics, should be cycled to ensure that efficacy in the body is maintained. A good cycling strategy that one could adopt with Nootropics is 5:2 or 30:5 or 60:7 or 90 :10, with the first digit in each ratio being the ‘number of consecutive days the Nootropic supplement is consumed’ and the second digit being ‘number of consecutive days without consuming the Nootropic supplement’.

How soon will I feel the effect:

If you have watched Bradley Cooper in the movie Limitless and expect yourself to experience the same earth-shattering transformation in an instance – you will be disappointed. In real life the changes are not as drastic. That said, in about 20 minutes from consumption, you should start noticing changes in your mental faculties, and in about 45 to 60 minutes you may experience a flow state of mind.

Can Nootropics be taken by women:

Absolutely! Every person, regardless of sex, largely has the same chemical messengers and nervous system in the body.

Who should avoid taking Nootropics:

People undergoing psychiatric treatments, children below the age of 18, pregnant or lactating women, people with known cardio-vascular problems should avoid taking Nootropics without consulting their doctor.

What is the difference between Adaptogens and Nootropics:

To put it simply, an Adaptogen is a plant derivative that helps the body adapt to and cope with stress. Adaptogens work to regulate the body’s cortisol levels, keeping factors such as stress, fatigue and restlessness at bay. However, an Adaptogen’s effect is usually noticed after consuming the product on a prolonged basis of at least 45 consecutive days. An example of an Adaptogen is Ashwagandha. Whereas, Nootropics are fast acting agents that enable mental faculties to optimise the neurotransmitter signals for creating a synergised flow state of the mind.

Are Nootropics addictive:

No! Nootropics are precursors or raw material for your brain to produce neurotransmitters/facilitate optimised messaging. However, overuse and misuse of Nootropics or for that matter anything, is not advisable.

Can there be instances where Nootropics don’t work:

If your lifestyle is out of whack, say due to poor sleep, poor diet, sedentary life, alcohol, drug abuse and other such circumstances, Nootropics may not have the desired positive impact on you.