I’m looking for something with the ability to help my mood and focus. Any recommendations?
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There are a ton of options out there and I’m sure the folks here would provide a few…
I’ve used AlphaBrain, Natrual Stacks has a few that are non-caffeine, I see Dr. Roussel has Neutein…The question is are you looking for something that would increase your mental capacity or simply a mood elevator?
I guess both.
Now personally I’ve had good experience with Nootrpoimax and Apollon Overtime recently but those both contain Caffeine. Here’s a wildcard for you - Brain and Mood Enhancing Prebiotics: Cognibiotics – BiOptimizers
I’ve used it and liked it. I would use it on non-workout days.
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Might just check that out
I respond well to Bacopa Monnieri, at least for that better sense of overall well being. KSM-66 does help me to relax as well, but some nice Supps I have taken that did a nice job for me combining lower stress and overall sense of well being would be
- Genius Mindfulness
- Zenquility
I think Zenquility may have some focus enhancements in there as well, it is pricey, but I never felt better than when I was on it!
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Anything on here you use with KSM-66?
Also, please describe your experience with it. Thanks.
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Alpha Brain is overpriced and pretty underdosed. I don’t see much stand-out about NS either TBH. And I don’t think I’d pay >$1/day for spearmint and lutein.
I forget what non-stim/caffeine options are solid in this area, but I can check through some old posts.
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KSM-66 (ashwagandha) is solid for a variety of uses, including stress, anxiety, body composition, sexual function, and even cognition. 600mg/day of KSM-66 is a solid standard dose.
Bacopa is a good one for memory with daily use for several weeks to really shine. Bacognize or Synapsa at 300mg/day is a solid dose.
As for other ingredients, if not products, rhodiola (at least 200mg of 3% rosavin and 1% salidroside), lion’s mane (at 2g/day of fruiting body powder), choline (preferably 250+mg of CDP or GPC), AChE-Is (100-200mg huperzine being the most common), tyrosine (2g of l-tyrosine, not NALT) and racetams (1.6-2.4g piracetam or 10-20mg Noopept being common options) are all solid additions, although the racetams are becoming harder to find as parts of actual formulas, not just as standalone ingredients. Etc.
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AlphaBrain worked well for me in the past…my biggest complaint was the inconsistency between bottles.
Hmm, I can’t see any reason why it would be inconsistent between bottles, seeing how big of a company they are. I don’t want to speculate, but the only explanations I could think of, and I’m not saying either is the case, would be that they switched an extract(s) between batches (which I suppose is theoretically possible given they don’t list the standardization for many of their extracts), or there were just other variables at play in your life that you may not have been aware of that were responsible for how you felt while using the different bottles.
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As others have mentioned, I would start with single ingredients first if avoiding caffeine is in the picture.
My first step would be bulk lion’s mane (mycelium or fruiting body).
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I forgot about this one as well from Legion - really good. I would caution against taking this later in the day though…couldn’t shut my mind off.
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Imo the best option is buying the ingredients standalone, premade ones are generally overpriced, and you can better tune what you want.
General suggestions
Swanson’s pure brainpower
Toniiq’s lions maine
Jacked factory’s ashwaganda(hovering at around 10-15$ atm, and has astragin)
Doctor’s best magnesium, or nac
Blueberries
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hahah, I would def not want that to happen to me.
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As a kid I once played too much pokemon and couldn’t sleep because the music was playing even when the game ended. That was harsh man.
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I would be careful with these too…be sure to pay special attention to other supplements you are taking such as your pre-workout and even some multivitamins include nootropics. As Robert (Supplement Engineer) would tell you - you can ‘over-tax’ (my word) your brain with too many nootropics and it can lead to some really fun headaches.
Thanks for the heads up. Currently, the closest to nootropics for me is MCT Oil. I haven’t taken pre in years. And I am trying to put caffeine down for a bit, though in C4 RTD, I am ok with that. But I have noticed lately that focus without stims is quite enjoyable. Constantly stemming for performance, Gym or for working is a young mans route- no offense. I just feel physically different always being buzzed from stims in general, the EINE in specific.
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Oh I get it and I can’t be offended.
Just be careful that you don’t get so used to stims that you literally cannot operate without them.
Yeah, that’s another thing. I usually just put caffeine under the category of stimulant, but I guess a lot of these ingredients, as beneficial as they are, fall under that banner as well.
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