Overview
If you’re looking for a nutritional supplement to boost your brain function—whether it’s for short-term memory, focus, creativity, mood, or motivation—you should consider a nootropic. The term nootropic comes from the Greek words “nóos” (mind) and “tropé” (turning). Natural nootropics can help older adults stay sharp, students improve their memory for exams, or busy professionals enhance their creativity.
Good mental health is more than just the absence of illness. It involves having a positive mood, enough energy, and mental clarity to make the most out of life. However, daily pressures and environmental toxins can lead to anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog, even if you follow a good diet and exercise routine. Supplements can add specific health-boosting nutrients to your diet, helping you optimize your health.
What Are Nootropics?
If you drink coffee or tea to start your day, you’re already using a nootropic. Nootropics, also known as cognitive enhancers, brain boosters, or “smart drugs,” are compounds that affect your central nervous system, enhancing one or more aspects of your mental state. These substances target “executive function,” which includes attention, learning, memory, alertness, and motivation.
Nootropics work in various ways. Some influence neurotransmitters, while others increase blood flow, oxygen, and nutrient levels in the brain. Some protect against toxins and free radicals, and others promote the growth of new neurons and brain cell connections, helping you adapt to change.
While food provides essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals, modern diets often lack variety. Unlike our ancestors who consumed a diverse range of plants, herbs, roots, and berries, most people today have diets full of meat, wheat, corn, soy, and processed foods. Adding nutritional supplements can broaden the variety of nutrients, antioxidants, and beneficial phytochemicals you consume, improving brain function and overall health.
Natural vs. Synthetic Nootropic Supplements
Nootropic compounds can be either natural or synthetic. People have used natural nootropics for centuries. These substances can be found in the wild or cultivated as crops and are available in foods and dietary supplements in capsule, liquid, or powder form.
Herbs, amino acids, and minerals all have nootropic uses. While natural nootropics may not act as dramatically as synthetic ones, they often come with fewer side effects. Natural products offer more overall health benefits because they are typically high in antioxidants and support the brain’s response to inflammation. Regular use of natural nootropics can lead to noticeable effects and are generally safe when used as directed.
Top Natural Nootropic Supplements
Natural nootropics include herbs, minerals, and other nutraceuticals. Here are some of the most effective and time-honored nootropics you can find:
Caffeine
Caffeine is the world’s most consumed nootropic. It’s found naturally in coffee, tea, cacao beans, and cola nuts. As a stimulant, it can reduce fatigue, enhance alertness, energy, and concentration, and promote a positive mood. However, its stimulant effects can increase blood pressure and heart rate in some people. Caffeine works by blocking brain receptors for adenosine, a chemical that causes sleepiness, and increasing the “feel-good” neurotransmitter dopamine.
Ashwagandha
Also known as winter cherry, ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an adaptogenic herb that helps your body and mind manage stress better. It may also ease occasional anxiety. Ayurvedic medicine uses ashwagandha roots and berries to make remedies for sexual libido, the immune system, and daily stress. Its plant alkaloids and lactones promote normal levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Bacopa monnieri
Used in Ayurvedic medicine, Bacopa monnieri or brahmi enhances memory and reaction time and may help with learning and information processing. Bacopa contains bacosides, antioxidants that protect your brain from free-radical damage, and boost signals in the parts of the brain that process memories.
Ginkgo biloba
The leaves of the ginkgo tree are popular in traditional Chinese medicine. Many people take ginkgo to stimulate mental performance or focus. Ginkgo biloba may enhance brain function by improving memory and information processing. It also helps some people stay calm and is an antioxidant that improves blood flow to the brain and promotes normal stress hormone levels.
Mucuna pruriens
Commonly known as velvet bean, Mucuna pruriens is used in ancient Ayurvedic medicine as a brain stimulant and adaptogen that counteracts stress. Modern science has found that this bean contains L-dopa, a precursor to several neurotransmitters that affect mood and cognition, and strong antioxidants that counteract oxidative damage in the brain.
Rhodiola rosea
This flowering shrub is an adaptogen that boosts mood and reduces fatigue. Part of traditional herbal medicine, Rhodiola rosea helps the mind and body handle stress, supporting better performance. It contains salidroside, an antioxidant, and rosin, which promotes a normal response to inflammation, supporting brain health, reducing fatigue, and improving mood.
L-Theanine
L-theanine is an amino acid found in black and green tea and moringa leaves. It helps regulate hormones and neurotransmitters that positively affect mood and cognition, relaxing you without causing drowsiness. L-theanine also increases alpha waves in the brain, associated with deep relaxation and creativity. Its effects can be enhanced when taken with caffeine.
BioPQQ
Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a naturally occurring compound in your body that boosts the brain’s nerve growth factor (NGF), supporting brain health, memory, alertness, and focus. BioPQQ is the most-studied PQQ supplement available and has an excellent safety record.
CoQ10
Taking BioPQQ with CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10), a molecule that helps create your cell’s mitochondrial energy, provides one of the most effective nootropics available. CoQ10 & BioPQQ with Shilajit is a synergistic blend that offers advanced antioxidant support while boosting heart and brain health.
Minerals
Your brain also needs certain minerals to function optimally. Here are some essential “brain minerals”:
Lithium Orotate
Lithium is an essential trace mineral linked to new brain cell growth. Lithium orotate, a molecule comprised of lithium bound to orotic acid, is extremely safe and can calm daily stress, promoting peace and calm.
Calcium
Calcium ions help the nervous system transmit messages and play a role in storing and retrieving memories. Calcium regulates neurotransmitter levels and affects neuron excitability. You can find calcium in beans, leafy greens like kale, or as a dietary supplement.
Magnesium
Magnesium partners with calcium in nerve cell excitability and message transmission and plays a crucial role in brain and nervous system function. Raising magnesium levels, especially in those who are deficient, improves brain function, including focus, memory, mood, and energy. Magnesium can also improve sleep and relax tight muscles.
Zinc
Zinc protects the brain, supporting normal brain function and a positive mood. Many people are low in zinc, and taking a supplement or increasing dietary intake can support healthy brain function, better mood, and overall cognitive performance. Zinc also supports the immune system and helps your body make DNA and proteins. This mineral is abundant in pumpkin seeds, greens, grains, and beans.
Which Supplement Is Right for You?
When choosing a nootropic, consider the effect you’re seeking—whether it’s stimulating or relaxing, improving memory, or gaining energy. Whichever you choose, it’s best to purchase natural, organic supplements from a trusted brand.
Everyone responds differently to nutritional supplements, and they vary in strength. Start with a low dose and consult your healthcare provider, especially if you are pregnant, have a serious health condition, or are taking medications.
Another option is to take a single nootropic supplement with a blend of natural ingredients. Global Healing’s Stress Relief contains vitality-boosting Bacopa monnieri, Mucuna pruriens, Rhodiola rosea, St. John’s wort, and other plant compounds that support mental health and healthy cognition, as well as lithium orotate.
Points to Remember
Nootropics, or cognitive enhancers, are compounds that affect your central nervous system and may improve your mental state and overall functioning. They can be synthetic or natural, but natural nootropics are safer and often offer additional nutritional benefits. Their effects range from increased alertness and reaction time to better memory and reduced daily stress.
Some of the most effective and popular natural nootropic herbs include ashwagandha, Bacopa monnieri (brahmi), Mucuna pruriens, caffeine, Ginkgo biloba, L-theanine, and Rhodiola rosea. Minerals with nootropic effects include lithium (especially lithium orotate), calcium, magnesium, and zinc.
