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Nootropics are dietary supplements that can improve mental performance, brain function and concentration. They are also known as smart drugs or brain pills.

In recent years nootropic supplements have become increasingly popular with people wanting to increase their cognitive function, memory and focus. The Bradley Cooper film Limitless, featuring the fictitious smart drug NZT-48, inspired countless people in search of a pill to improve brain function.

If you want to experience the benefits of a “smart drug” we have compiled a list of the best nootropic supplements for 2021.

Top Nootropic pill brands

What Are Nootropics and Smart Drugs

Although nootropics are still often referred to as a “smart drug”, the term is not strictly accurate. Nootropic science has evolved considerably in recent years. Chemicals and other synthetic substances are no longer the only options available to people wishing to boost their cognitive functions and increase brain cells.

These days, many of the best nootropics are powered by formulations that harness the brain-boosting capabilities of natural ingredients and organic compounds. They are supplements, not medications. Anyone can enjoy their benefits and no prescription is required.

The market market for natural cognitive enhancing supplements is valued at $2.2 billion (in 2021) and by 2027 could be worth an estimated $6 billion.

Chemical-based cognitive enhancers continue to have a role to play in mental health but their use requires a doctor’s intervention. They are rarely the right option for healthy individuals who want to enhance their mental function or cognitive performance and trying to get hold of medications of this nature via illegal channels would not be the smart thing to do.

The name “nootropic” was first used in 1964 by the Romanian chemist and psychologist, Dr. Corneliu E Giurgia. It’s a combination of the Greek words “noos” and “tropein.”

Noos is the Greek word for mind and tropein means to bend or turn. So nootropics are “mind-bending” medications or supplements. [source]

Nootropics are very popular. Lots of people use them to obtain an extra edge at work or during study. A good nootropic can sharpen the mind, improve concentration, enhance memory function, and/or provide other benefits that keep your brain in top gear.

Unfortunately, not all nootropics are as good as the manufacturers would have you believe. Unless you are unusually well informed on the subject or happen to get lucky, finding a good nootropic product can be difficult.

Nobody likes to waste money, and we don’t like it when people are misled, so we’ve compiled a list of the four best nootropics available today.

Best Nootropics for Memory, Concentration & Focus – Top Smart Pill Brands

All of our top four nootropic supplements are manufactured and distributed by reputable companies and have excellent customer feedback. They contain high-quality ingredients and none of them have a reputation for causing side effects.

Which one will be best for you? We’ve provided product overviews to help you decide.

NooCube

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NooCube is a nootropic supplement produced by Wolfson Berg Limited.

The company has more than 30 years of experience in the supplement industry and has a first-rate reputation for producing high-quality products and distributing them at down-to-earth prices.

As with all the products that made it onto our list of best nootropics, NooCube boasts an incredibly good ingredient profile.

The NooCube formulation was developed by a team of top neuroscientists and all the ingredients have decades of research that supports their abilities to boost cognitive function and enhance the mind.

The standard dose is two capsules per day. You take them with breakfast to get a good brain boost at the start of your day.

If you wish to do so, you can gradually increase the dose to a maximum of four capsules per day.

However, each bottle of NooCube contains 60 capsules. Taking four capsules would require you to use two bottles of NooCube per month. You need to be aware of that but, as well as being one of the most powerful nootropics on the market, NooCube is also one of the cheapest. So if you do decide to double-dose, you can do so without breaking the bank.

If you have experience with nootropic products and have been let down in the past, NooCube is one of the best options to choose. Apart from being one of the cheapest high-quality products on the market, it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee.

NooCube Benefits and Ingredients

NooCube has been specially formulated to provide several key benefits:

Improves memory
Enhances concentration and focus
Improves multitasking capabilities
Boosts mental energy
Improves communication

These desirable mental improvements are made possible by a special formulation that consists of eight key ingredients:

Bacopa Monnieri: An Indian herb that boosts neurotransmitter activity in the brain. Research shows it can significantly improve memory retention.
Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine (Alpha GPC): Another research-backed memory enhancer, Alpha GPC will work well alongside Bacopa monnieri.
Huperzine A: This ingredient improves memory too. Other Huperzine A benefits include improvements in concentration and sharper mental focus.
Cat’s Claw: A plant extract that provides antioxidants that protect the brain from free radical toxin damage. As well as being good for improving cognitive function, cat’s claw shows a lot of promise as a possible treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Oat straw: Oat straw was a popular brain booster long before the term nootropic was invented. Its use in this regard stretches back to at least the Middle Ages. Modern-day research suggests some of its nootropic value is due to an ability to increase alpha-2 brain wave activity.
L-Theanine + L-Tyrosine: Two important amino acids. Their combined abilities provide relief from stress and anxiety while also fighting mental fatigue and enhancing alertness and mental focus.
Resveratrol: A popular grape extract, resveratrol is a potent polyphenol that helps keep the brain healthy and protects it from harm. Resveratrol is also a vasodilator that improves blood flow to the brain. Research shows it may offer protection against cognitive decline.
Pterostilbene: An often undervalued nootropic ingredient that is chemically similar to resveratrol.

User Experience, Comments & Testimonials

Customer feedback is excellent. A lot of people are praising the product and its abilities. If that were not the case it would not have earned a place on our list.

Buying Info

You can only buy NooCube via the official website.

Although the original price is $54.99 per bottle, Wolfson Berg normally offers significant discounts, often shaving up to $15 off the normal cost for a single bottle of pills.

There are no extra charges for shipping or handling, so the price you see on the site is always the price you pay.

Want to stretch your buck a bit further? The NooCube website offers some very enticing special deals. When you buy two bottles of NooCube, you get a third one for free. However, the best deal goes to customers who order three bottles. Do that and Wolfson Berg will give you three extra bottles on the house. That’s an incredible deal!

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Hunter Focus

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Hunter Focus is a nootropic supplement for men. Not just any men though. It’s been specially developed for men who have a burning desire to climb the corporate ladder and get to the top.

However, although the manufacturer created Hunter Focus to be a business brain booster, the benefits the formulation provides will be equally beneficial to men from all walks of life. Women could easily take advantage of its potency too.

The dose is four capsules per day but don’t worry about the monthly usage costs. There are 120 capsules per bottle so each one provides a 30-day supply.

Hunter focus is one of three male-orientated supplements distributed under the Hunter Resolve brand name. The other two supplements are a testosterone booster and a fat burner.

Hunter Resolve is a Roar Ambition brand.

Roar Ambition has a lot of experience in the supplement industry and is responsible for producing several very specialized products, including a high-potency energy-boosting fat burner developed for professional fighters.

Hunter Focus Benefits and Ingredients

Hunter Focus provides people who use it with the following benefits:

Improves memory retention
Provides greater focus
Increases mental energy
Boosts creativity
Elevates mood
Optimizes your brain for an improved learning experience

These mental enhancements are the result of nine key ingredients:

L-Theanine: There’s no point in going over old ground here. If you’ve read this far, you will already know L-Theanine is a good ingredient to have.
Bacopa Monnieri: Again, there’s no use going over old ground. Bacopa monieri is another potent nootropic we have mentioned before.
Citicoline: Another powerful nootropic we’ve mentioned before.
N-acetyl-L-tyrosine (NALT): An amino acid that stimulates neurotransmitter production. It enhances mental flexibility and comprehension, thereby improving multi-tasking abilities.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom: A species of edible mushroom that has a somewhat shaggy appearance. It provides anti-inflammatory compounds that have the potential to reduce anxiety and depression.
Maritime Pine Bark: More than 50 studies show maritime pine bark is a natural nootropic that works. It provides significant improvements in attention and overall cognitive abilities.
Phosphatidylserine: An amino acid derivative that improves brain function and aids neuron repair. Phosphatidylserine benefits include better memory, sharper mental focus, and improvements in mood.
Ashwagandha: A versatile adaptogen herb. Some men use it as an aphrodisiac, others use it to improve their minds. As with other adaptogens, ashwagandha is excellent for preventing anxiety and depression. It also provides several other desirable nootropic benefits and gets a lot of respect as a memory enhancer.
Passion Flower: An age-old natural remedy for insomnia and anxiety, passion flower elevates GABA levels, boosts dopamine production, and stimulates the areas of the brain that are responsible for learning.

User Experience, Comments & Testimonials

Hunter Focus is another nootropic that’s got people talking and saying all the right things. It also has an endorsement from, brainiac, Greg Gostincar.

A seasoned biohacker and brain transformation coach, Greg has tried more than 50 nootropic stacks and agrees Hunter Focus is one of the best.

Buying Info

Hunter Focus is exclusive to the manufacturer’s website. With a price tag of $75 per 30-day bottle, it’s the most expensive of our four top picks.

It’s a high-quality product though. It’s worth the money and the manufacturer is offering a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Needless to say, there are also rewards available to customers who place larger orders and the best deal goes to men who buy three bottles of Hunter Focus and get a fourth one for free.

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Mind Lab Pro

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Mind Lab Pro is a nootropic supplement that was launched in 2015, by Opti-Nutra. It’s a reputable supplement manufacturer that’s known and respected all over the world.

Although Mind Lab Pro has always been good, it keeps on getting better because Opti-Nutra continues to keep tweaking the formulation to make it even more effective.

Mind Lab Pro is a universal supplement that’s designed to cover all the bases and offer the maximum level of cognitive support.

If you are unsure which nootropic is going to be right for you, Mind Lab Pro may be the best one to choose. It will allow you to enhance your mind and enjoy all the benefits of a complete mental overhaul just by taking two capsules per day.

The formulation is also 100 percent vegan-friendly so, if you prefer to boost your brain without using any animal extracts, Mind Lab Pro is one of the best ways to do it.

Mind Lab Pro Benefits and Ingredients

If you choose Mind Lab Pro as your daily nootropic, you can expect the following benefits:

Improves memory
Boosts brain energy
Increases motivation
Reduces stress and calms the mind
Enhances mental clarity and focus
Supports long-term brain health and function
Improves brain circulation and regeneration
Stimulates brain wave activity for maximum creativity
Improves test-taking performance and mental processing speed
Supports strategic thinking and mental drive

The formulation achieves these things by harnessing the natural powers of the following 11 ingredients:

Vitamins B6, B9, and B12
Citicoline
Bacopa Monnieri
Lions Mane Mushroom
Phosphatidylserine
N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine
L-Theanine
Rhodiola Rosea
Maritime Pine Bark Extract

As you can see, the Mind Lab Pro formulation contains a lot of old favorites. Ingredients like Citicoline and Bacopa Monnieri are so beneficial most of the top supplement companies use them.

However, Mind Lab Pro also provides a B Vitamin complex. That’s something new and the combination should help give this formulation an edge.

B Vitamins boost mental and physical vitality by helping the body extract energy from food. The combination provided here also improves blood flow to the brain and helps protect it from harm.

User Experience, Comments & Testimonials

Mind Lab Pro has plenty of customer reviews. People are heaping lots of praise on the product and confirm its ability to deliver the goods.

Buying Info

Mind Lab Pro costs $69 per bottle and you can only get it via the official website. Each bottle provides a 30-day treatment and customers who buy three bottles get a fourth bottle for free.

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BrainPill

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BrainPill! How’s that for a name that tells it like it is? It’s not just the name that’s good though. This brain pill can really deliver the goods. It’s one of several highly respected products developed by Leading Edge Health.

The company’s slogan is “created by nature, proven by science” and you only have to look at the BrainPill formulation to see the ingredients it chooses are both of these things.

When you look at the BrainPill marketing material, you will see the product is aimed at high-level executives and peak performers seeking a competitive edge. However, although BrainPill is a good fit for its target group, it’s equally suitable for other men and women as well.

After all, it isn’t only business people who have to work long hours, suffer from mental stress, or have an ongoing fight against mental fog. Many people have these problems and BrainPill can help.

Research involving 74 BrainPill users, proves the product’s ability to fine-tune the mind and you have nothing to lose by buying BrainPill because Leading Edge Health is offering a 67-day money-back guarantee.

BrainPill Benefits and Ingredients

BrainPill is designed to offer the following benefits:

Combats mental fatigue
Eliminates brain fog
Protects and enhances memory
Ignites rapid recall
Improves learning capabilities
Sustains cognitive energy.

These benefits are due to the combined abilities of 13 potent nootropic ingredients:

Citicoline
Tyrosine
Phosphatidylserine
Vitamins B5, B6, B9, and B12
L-Theanine
Bacopa Monnieri
Huperzine A
Vinpocetine
Gingko Biloba
DHA Complex

Again, we’re seeing a lot of the top natural nootropics but there are also a couple of new faces.

Vinpocetine is a plant extract that increases blood flow to the brain. It’s been a trusted nootropic for several decades and, in Germany, it’s deemed so powerful it’s only available as a prescription medication.

Ginkgo biloba also boosts blood flow to the brain. Herbalists have been using it to boost cognitive function for thousands of years.

DHA is an Omega-3 fatty acid that boosts memory and thinking capacity by improving important neurological functions.

User Experience, Comments & Testimonials

As with all the best nootropics, BrainPill has excellent customer reviews. It’s also doctor-recommended. Not just any doctor either. BrainPill is recommended by Dr. Dave David. If the name sounds familiar, it’s not surprising. Dr. Dave is a respected MD and cosmetic surgeon who is regularly featured on CNN.

Buying Info

A 30-day supply of BrainPill costs just under $70 and you can only buy it via the official website.

Unfortunately, placing larger orders won’t get you any free products but it will help you to stretch your money further by providing reasonable discounts.

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How Nootropics Can Help Memory

People buy nootropics for a variety of different reasons. One of the most common ones is poor memory.

Memory function can be hindered due to a number of factors including stress and anxiety, alcoholism, Vitamin B12 deficiency, and disease. Certain medications can affect your memory too.

There are steps people can take to reduce the impact of all of these factors because they are largely lifestyle-related. However, the aging process also impedes memory function. We all get older. It’s a natural part of life but that doesn’t mean we have to accept the cards we are dealt.

All the best nootropics provide ingredients that boost memory function. Of course, if you suspect your failing memory may be due to Alzheimer’s or a similar disease, you will need to seek professional advice. If you think it may be age or lifestyle-related, a good nootropic could help.

Huperzine A, Citicoline, and Bacopa Monnieri are a few examples of ingredients that can remove the fog from your brain and improve your ability to access the information stored inside.

Can natural ingredients really make such a big difference to your brain? Absolutely.

For example, Huperzine A is a species of moss. You can’t get more natural than that but it can offer mind-blowing benefits to the brain.

It’s an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor. By inhibiting AChE, Huperzine A prevents acetylcholine from being broken down, helping to maintain adequate levels of circulating acetylcholine.

Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter. Higher levels help to sustain better memory and provide improvements in mental clarity and concentration.

The results of one study show Huperzine A improved memory and cognitive function in 58 percent of the participants. All of whom were suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

How Nootropics Can Improve Concentration

We’ve all had those moments where we feel distracted and unable to concentrate. Fatigue and stress can interfere with our ability to concentrate too.

Inability to concentrate can make even simple tasks unnecessarily hard. Fortunately, this is also an area where nootropics can help.

As you may be aware, caffeine is good for improving concentration. That’s why students often take caffeine tablets to help them through late-night cramming sessions.

Caffeine works by boosting the production of dopamine. It’s the neurochemical that’s responsible for governing mental focus and concentration.

However, caffeine is a stimulant. It can cause jitters and other side effects, so the best nootropics usually use alternative ingredients to boost dopamine instead.

Citicoline is one of several natural ingredients that have this capability. So is L-Theanine, which is famed for its ability to produce a state of alert calm.

Citicoline and L-Theanine are not the only two ingredients that can do this, the manufacturers of nootropic supplements have several others at their disposal and this is, perhaps, a good time to point out all of the best nootropic ingredients benefit your mind in multiple ways.

How Nootropics Help You to Focus

Nootropics can improve mental focus in several ways. Any ingredient that increases dopamine levels has value in this regard because one of its many roles is to help you tune into the task at hand and avoid unwanted distractions.

So, needless to say, as well as improving concentration, Citicoline and L-Theanine are good for boosting mental focus.

Increasing norepinephrine levels improves mental focus as well. Norepinephrine is another important neurotransmitter. N-acetyl-L-tyrosine (NALT) is one of several nootropic ingredients that has this ability.

The herb Rhodiola rosea boosts norepinephrine as well. It also increases dopamine levels. As stated earlier, the best nootropics ingredients benefit the mind in many different ways.

Moving forward, let’s take a look at some of the ways good nootropics can benefit the mind.

Additional Nootropic, Brain-Boosting Benefits

Although many people using nootropics are doing so through a desire to improve their memory, concentration, and focus; nootropic supplements appeal to people with other needs too.

Good nootropics can:

Fight stress
Relieve anxiety
Enhance creativity
Help alleviate depression
Enhance learning capabilities
Improve multitasking capabilities
Ward off mental fatigue
Improve your mood
Increase brain cells
Relieve oxidative stress

Nootropics provide these benefits in several different ways. Increasing neurotransmitter activity is just one of them. The best nootropics also increase alpha wave activity, help regenerate brain cells, and ensure our thinking organ gets a sufficient supply of blood.

How We Rate and Review the Best Nootropics and Smart Drugs

When we are evaluating nootropics there are certain things we like to see. There are also things we don’t want to see such as dangerous ingredients, excessive pricing, and poor customer reviews.

Rejecting the bad products is reasonably easy. Evaluating the rest of them takes significantly longer.

We have to double-check the science supporting the ingredients is up to date. A good nootropic needs to have the right ingredients to enable it to do the things it’s supposed to do.

During our evaluation, we also thoroughly check through all the customer reviews. We want to know what people are saying based on their experience using particular nootropics.

We are all different. What works for one does not necessarily work for all but, if certain products have worked well for the majority of users, it’s a very good sign.

Price is also an important ranking factor. If a nootropic works, that’s not sufficient justification for making customers pay through the nose. We believe it’s unfair when manufacturers expect people to pay more than $75 for a single bottle of pills.

Don’t be fooled into thinking a high price tag indicates a high-quality product. In our experience, ridiculously high prices often go hand in hand with extremely poor products.

Reputable manufacturers, selling potent nootropics, charge sensible prices because they know their customers will be back for more.

There are a few other brands that deserve a mention: Brain PowHer, Littledrops, Prevagen, Neuriva and Neuropeak.

A Guide to Getting the Right Nootropic Supplement for Memory, Concentration & Focus

If you are like most people seeking a good nootropic product, you will probably be most interested in finding one that improves your memory, concentration and focus. However, it’s entirely possible you may have additional or alternative goals.

Before you make a decision, try to spend a little time evaluating your goals. If you primarily need a nootropic that improves memory, all of the top nootropics can do this. The same is true for concentration and focus.

If you want to improve your multitasking abilities, increase creativity, or reduce mental fatigue, certain nootropics will be better than others. You will need to do some research.

Of course, if you choose one of our top-four products, the decision should be easier. We’ve already done the hard work. You don’t have to.

Still feel the need to explore further options? There’s nothing wrong with that but try not to be fooled by clever marketing hype.

Check the ingredients and make sure the list is complete. Then make sure the ingredients are safe and have abilities that will help the product to work.

Avoid shady companies that don’t reveal their identity or where they are based. Check customer reviews. It’s the best way to see how well products work and find out about side effects.

It’s also important to check for stimulants and, where present, check the doses are not overly high.

Stimulants are good for improving mental clarity but they also have the potential to make you feel unwell. So tread carefully. Better still, choose one of your top picks. All of them are stimulant-free.

Nootropic Supplements FAQ’s

Are nootropics safe, do they cause side effects?

Research to date has shown that nootropics are safe as long as they are taken in the appropriate dosages. Reputable brands include natural and clinical studied ingredients that improve brain function without harmful side effects.

Are nootropics legal?

Over the counter supplements that improve and enhance cognition are legal. The OTC brands include natural substances. Although they are sometimes called smart drugs – they are not “drugs per se.

Do natural nootropics or smart drugs work better?

That really depends. What you’re looking for in a smart drug will determine what’s best for you personally – if it’s just to get some energy, then something like caffeine is probably the way to go. If you want an extra boost of focus and concentration, though, that is when other substances come into play (i.e. the prescription drug Adderall). Finally, if your goal is memory enhancement or better mood regulation (like with depression), there are plenty of natural nootropics available including ginkgo biloba and panax ginseng root extract which are both shown to have significant effects on these things – but again this might not be right for everyone so each person needs to experiment individually!

Do nootropics help brain fog?

Nootropics can help with brain fog. The most commonly reported symptom of brain fog is confusion and an inability to think clearly. Nootropics seem to have synergistic effects on the neurotransmitters in your brain which make it easier for you to remember things and form coherent thoughts without feeling mentally exhausted or frustrated.

What is the most effective nootropic supplement?

Identifying the best supplement for cognitive enhancement is subjective. The popular brands all have their pros and cons. If you are looking to improve memory, concentration and focus the Noocube formula is an ideal product.

Who are Nootropic for?

Anyone wanting to improve their mental capacity, memory, focus or mood. Brain boosting supplements are ideal for students, people who need to increase their attention span or someone who has mild cognitive impairment.

Do Nootropics Work?

If you were to ask anyone on the street if nootropics work, they would say yes. The problem is that people assume without actually reading up on any of the research and just assume what others are saying must be true.

The truth is, there’s a lot of misinformation out there brain boosting supplements so you need to know which ones to avoid as well as which ones will really change your life.

As long as you’re getting quality ingredients in an effective dosage then chances are good that you’ll experience some great benefits from using them.

Conclusion – Summary

If you want to improve certain aspects of your health; focus, alertness, memory or improve your mood then a natural nootropic supplement would give you a major benefit.

There are many nootropic supplements and mind enhancing pills on the market that offer everything from a treatment for mild cognitive impairment to complete cognitive enhancement.

Our advice would be to choose a trusted brand that offers realistic results. Our list of products identifies the best brain stimulant and nootropic pill on the market.

It would also be wise to treat taking a nootropic as part of a healthy lifestyle. This would also include a balanced diet, a regular fitness regime and getting enough sleep.

The post Best Nootropics – What Brain Supplements and Smart Drugs Really Work appeared first on LA Weekly.