It appears that your cart is currently empty
Research
An honest reference to the ingredients we sell. What each one is, what the research has actually looked at, how it is typically taken, and where the evidence is thinner than the marketing suggests. No hype, no percentages pulled out of context.
If you would rather skip the reading and get a starting protocol, run Stack Check — it asks about your goals, sleep and focus and builds a stack from what is below.
Focus and Attention
Alpha-GPC
What it is: A highly bioavailable choline compound that crosses the blood-brain barrier efficiently.
What the research looks at: Acetylcholine production. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter most closely associated with memory encoding, learning and sustained attention, and choline is the raw material. Alpha-GPC has also been examined in sports settings for power output.
How it is taken: Typically in the morning or before demanding cognitive work. Frequently paired with caffeine and L-Theanine.
Worth knowing: Not all choline sources reach the brain equally well. Choline bitartrate and lecithin are cheaper and less bioavailable.
Arriving this week — see Just Arrived.
Citicoline (CDP-Choline)
What it is: A compound that supplies both choline and cytidine. Cognizin is the branded form used in most of the published human research.
What the research looks at: Attention and mental energy in healthy adults, not only clinical populations. The cytidine portion supports the phospholipids that make up brain cell membranes.
How it is taken: Usually in the morning with food. It is not a stimulant and does not disrupt sleep.
Worth knowing: Generic citicoline has not been studied to the same depth as the branded Cognizin form. The distinction is real.
Arriving this week — see Just Arrived.
L-Theanine
What it is: The amino acid in green tea responsible for the difference between how tea feels and how coffee feels.
What the research looks at: Calm, alert attention. Combined with caffeine it forms one of the most consistently replicated pairings in the cognitive literature.
How it is taken: Commonly 100–200mg alongside coffee, roughly 1:1 or 2:1 with caffeine. Also taken alone in the evening to wind down without grogginess.
Worth knowing: Well tolerated and non-habit-forming. This is one of the lower-risk places to start.
Also found in OLLY Sleep Gummies.
L-Tyrosine
What it is: The amino acid precursor your body uses to build dopamine and norepinephrine.
What the research looks at: Mental performance specifically under demanding conditions — sleep loss, cold exposure, high cognitive load. Under stress those neurotransmitters deplete faster than they are replaced.
How it is taken: Usually on an empty stomach, 30–60 minutes before a hard block of work.
Worth knowing: Most people notice it more on difficult days than easy ones. That is consistent with how it has been studied, and it means a calm well-rested trial may show you nothing.
Arriving this week — see Just Arrived.
Huperzine A
What it is: A compound derived from Chinese club moss that slows the breakdown of acetylcholine.
What the research looks at: Memory and attention. It works from the opposite direction to Alpha-GPC — rather than supplying more raw material, it slows the clearing of what is already there.
How it is taken: Usually cycled rather than taken continuously, because of its long duration of action.
Found in LifeSeasons Focus-R and Forebrain Gummies.
Ginkgo Biloba
What it is: One of the oldest and most widely used botanical supplements, from a tree species that predates most flowering plants.
What the research looks at: Cerebral blood flow and memory. The literature here is genuinely mixed — some trials are positive, several large ones are not.
Worth knowing: We are including the caveat because it is true. Ginkgo is popular partly through momentum, and the evidence is weaker than for citicoline or lion's mane.
Found in Brain Booster and Zhou Neuro Peak.
Memory and Learning
Lion's Mane
What it is: A medicinal mushroom containing hericenones (fruiting body) and erinacines (mycelium).
What the research looks at: The relationship to Nerve Growth Factor, a protein involved in the growth, maintenance and survival of neurons. That is a different mechanism from stimulants or adaptogens.
How it is taken: Daily, morning or evening, no timing constraint. Full-spectrum products including both fruiting body and mycelium give the widest range of compounds.
Worth knowing: This is a long-term investment, not a same-day effect. Give it several weeks.
Available as OM Lion's Mane, or blended in Mushroom Magic and Four Sigmatic coffee.
Bacopa Monnieri
What it is: An Ayurvedic herb used for centuries, now among the better-studied botanicals for memory.
What the research looks at: Memory formation and retention of newly learned material. The human trials run 8 to 12 weeks.
How it is taken: Daily with food — bacosides absorb better with fat, and food reduces the digestive upset some people get on an empty stomach.
Worth knowing: This is the least instant-gratification supplement we carry. If you judge it at two weeks you will conclude it does nothing, which is not what the research design would predict.
Found in our Nootropic Memory Stack. Standalone arriving this week.
Creatine Monohydrate
What it is: A compound your body already makes and stores in muscle and brain tissue, used to regenerate ATP.
What the research looks at: Long established for physical performance. The cognitive research is newer and focuses on mental performance under fatigue, particularly sleep deprivation.
How it is taken: Around 5g daily, consistently. Creatine works by saturating tissue stores over weeks, so timing matters far less than not missing days.
Worth knowing: Probably the strongest evidence base of anything on this page, and among the cheapest. It is not a stimulant and will not affect sleep.
Arriving this week — see Just Arrived.
Stress and Adaptation
Ashwagandha
What it is: An adaptogenic shrub, also called Indian Ginseng. KSM-66 and Sensoril are the two extracts used in most trials.
What the research looks at: The HPA axis and cortisol response, sleep quality, and in some trials testosterone and strength in men who resistance train.
How it is taken: Daily, usually morning with food. Effects build over weeks rather than appearing acutely.
Available as Youtheory Ashwagandha or ASHWA by Goli.
Rhodiola Rosea
What it is: A Scandinavian and Siberian adaptogen used in demanding performance environments since the 1940s.
What the research looks at: Mental fatigue and work-related burnout, attention and processing speed under fatigue, and time-to-exhaustion in endurance athletes.
How it is taken: Morning or early afternoon. Taken late it is too activating for some people. Look for extracts standardised to rosavins and salidroside.
Worth knowing: Where Ashwagandha addresses chronic background stress, Rhodiola is the one studied for fatigue.
Standalone arriving this week. Also in our Nootropic Memory Stack.
Reishi, Cordyceps and Chaga
What they are: Three functional mushrooms with distinct roles. Reishi is the calming, sleep-supporting one; Cordyceps is studied for cellular energy and oxygen utilisation; Chaga is among the more antioxidant-dense foods studied.
How they are taken: Reishi in the evening, Cordyceps in the morning. Most people take them as a blend rather than separately.
All three in Mushroom Magic and FreshCap Ultimate Mushroom Complex.
Sleep and Recovery
Sleep is where memory consolidates. Every focus supplement on this page is working against a headwind if this layer is broken, which is why we treat it as part of cognitive performance rather than a separate category.
Magnesium L-Threonate
What it is: A magnesium form developed specifically to raise magnesium levels in the brain. Magtein is the researched branded version.
What the research looks at: Synaptic plasticity, memory and learning, and sleep quality.
Worth knowing: Common forms — oxide, citrate, glycinate — are fine for muscle and sleep but do not raise brain magnesium particularly well. If cognition is the goal, the form matters.
Arriving this week. For general magnesium support see Magnesium Ease.
Melatonin
What it is: The hormone that signals to your body that it is night. It is a timing signal, not a sedative.
How it is taken: Lower doses than most products contain are typically sufficient — 0.5 to 3mg, taken 30–60 minutes before bed.
Worth knowing: Because it shifts timing rather than forcing sleep, taking more rarely helps and often produces morning grogginess. Best used for occasional support or travel rather than nightly indefinitely.
In Lemme Sleep, OLLY Fast Dissolve and SmartyPants Relax & Sleep.
Structure and Protection
DHA and Omega-3
What it is: DHA is a primary structural fat in brain tissue and neuronal membranes. Your brain is built partly out of it.
What the research looks at: Memory and cognitive support across the lifespan, and inflammatory balance.
Worth knowing: Most fish oil is formulated for heart health and leads with EPA. For cognitive purposes DHA is the relevant one, so check the ratio rather than the total omega-3 number. Oxidised fish oil is a real and common problem — third-party testing matters here more than in most categories.
Available as Nature's Bounty Omega-3. High-DHA formulation arriving this week.
Astaxanthin
What it is: A carotenoid pigment produced by microalgae — the compound that makes salmon and flamingos pink. Hawaii is one of the world's primary growing regions.
What the research looks at: Antioxidant activity, recovery, and eye and cognitive support. It is unusual among carotenoids in crossing the blood-brain barrier.
Available as BioAstin Hawaiian Astaxanthin, grown in Kona.
Sulforaphane
What it is: A compound formed when broccoli sprouts are chewed or crushed. Broccoli sprouts are its richest known dietary source.
What the research looks at: The NRF2 pathway, which is involved in regulating a large number of genes associated with antioxidant activity.
Worth knowing: Much of this research is mechanistic — cell models and pathway studies rather than long human outcome trials. That is interesting, not proven.
Available as Broccoli Sprout Powder and Broccoli Sprout Extract.
Not sure where to start?
The honest answer is that it depends on what is actually limiting you. If your sleep is broken, no nootropic will fix your focus. If you are chronically stressed, an adaptogen will do more than a stimulant.
Run Stack Check and it will build a starting protocol around your goals, sleep and focus — drawn from exactly the ingredients on this page.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This page is educational and is not medical advice. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new supplement, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition.