Citicoline supplements are specially formulated nutritional supplements designed to protect neurons and nourish the brain.
Citicoline is a precursor of Acetylcholine which is one of the most important neurotransmitters for functions related to learning, memory, concentration, and reasoning.
If you have low levels of Acetylcholine your cognitive functions may be greatly impaired resulting in difficulty focusing, memory problems, and low synaptic plasticity.
By taking a Citicoline supplement, you can help deliver essential nutrients to your neurons to help the brain function at optimal levels.
This nootropic compound it is a water soluble intermediary in the generation of phosphatidylcholine from choline. Phosphatidylcholine is a major component of brain tissue, making up approximately 30 percent of all grey matter tissue.
What are the best Citicoline supplements to use and how should you be taking this nutrient to ensure your brain is working at its best?



- Supports memory, focus & mental clarity
- Increases levels of acetylcholine neurotransmitter
- Promotes brain cell health & communication
Citicoline Supplements for Sale
Related Topics
- What is Citicoline?
- Cytidine Diphosphate Choline
- CDP Choline Effects
- User Reviews
- Benefits for the Brain
- Comparison to Alpha GPC
- Risk of Adverse Effects
- Safe Dosage Guidelines
- How to Take
- Stacking with Piracetam
- Buy CDP Choline
- Supplement Ratings
- Ceraxon Citicoline
- Cognizin Citicoline
- Neuroaxon Citicoline
- Somazina Citicoline
- Zynapse Citicoline
At the moment, Citicoline products are being marketed and sold by a number of suppliers and manufacturers.
It is quite easy to find a source of Citicoline by performing a simple internet search.
Of course, not all suppliers are created equal. Three of the best, and most well-known brands for this supplement include Ceraxon, NeurAxon, and Somazina.
But which is the most effective among these three and are there better options out there?
In fact, by purchasing a non-branded Citicoline powder you can save a lot of money and may actually buy a higher quality supplement without as many fillers.
Before deciding where to purchase your Citicoline powder, you should take the time to learn more about not only the actual supplement itself but also Choline – the major component.
In this article we will explain the benefits that the supplement may deliver and help you understand more about Citicoline and overall brain health. Finally, some clear direction and guidance regarding how to choose the best types of these supplements might be helpful.
Benefits of Choline & Citicoline
Choline is a major component of all Citicoline supplements. In fact, during the first phase of action, Citicoline is broken down into its various components including Choline.
As a substance, Choline is very similar to the B vitamin family. Interestingly, this substance can be produced by the human body, although in small quantities. Most experts recognize the fact that in order to maintain good health, Choline must be consumed or ingested from outside sources.
Some of the best Choline sources are actually the foods we eat. These include beef liver, eggs, ground beef, cauliflower, navy beans, tofu, almonds, and even peanut butter. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to consume enough choline from our diet alone. This is why supplementation becomes necessary.
Citicoline may help protect the brain and promote overall brain health by helping with the production of the phospholipid Phosphatidylcholine. This compound makes up the cell membranes of neurons within the brain. Choline is used in the synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the body.
By providing a source of Choline, Citicoline helps with the synthesis and development of new cell membranes. In and of itself this offers a high degree of protection for brain cells. It also helps lead to less brain cell death and overall brain health.
Citicoline also acts as a powerful antioxidant. It is capable of flushing toxins from the brain and body. Some of the worst of these are due to oxidative stress. Additionally, it helps to reduce inflammatory responses which typically result from oxidation.
Citicoline Supplements & Brain Health
As Citicoline is broken down within the body, it turns into Choline (and several other substances). Choline is a precursor to the powerful neurotransmitter Acetylcholine.
As the levels of Acetylcholine are increased within the brain there are a number of cognitive benefits. These include an increase in memory and the speed of recall. Learning capacity may also be expanded in some users and may even result in more connections between neurons being developed.
Oxygen uptake and overall brain metabolism is enhanced as well. This may even lead to a feeling of greater mental energy, which can be a stimulating effect. As mental energy is enhanced, so is the ability to concentrate and focus.
Many users may also see their attention spans lengthened. In a number of cases, this mental energy can even spur people on to greater levels of motivation and productivity.
Another reason why you might be looking at taking Citicoline is to potentiate the effects of more powerful brain supplements called Racetams. These nootropic compounds can actually stimulate greater activity of the Acetylcholine neurotransmitter, resulting in higher performance on learning and memory tests.
Racetams such as Piracetam and Aniracetam are known to be significantly more effective when consumed in a nootropic stack with Citicoline or another choline supplement like Alpha GPC.
There are also a number of medical uses for Citicoline supplements. Citicoline has been studied as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Some preliminary evidence suggests that taking 1000 mg Citicoline per day orally may improve cognitive function in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The research for this is ongoing and there are currently a number of European countries that are actually using this supplement as a treatment for these degenerative diseases.
Citicoline may also be effective for a number of other diseases and issues, especially those related to cognitive decline like dementia and aging. The Natural Medicines database has rated Citicoline as Possibly Effective for improving age-related cognitive impairment. A study has shown that in people 50-85 poor memory, taking 1000-2000 mg Citicoline daily helps improve verbal memory.
Research on Citicoline supplements is very promising so far, however more research is still needed, especially large-scale human trials. ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and general memory improvement are also seen as promising areas for continued Citicoline research. At this time, Citicoline is available as a health supplement only and the FDA has not approved Citicoline as a drug to prevent or treat any conditions.
Choosing the Best Citicoline Supplements
Knowing that Citicoline is an excellent brain supplement, you still need to be able to choose the right one for your situation. What is most important is that you pick a high-quality, reliable, and trustworthy supplier or manufacturer.
Since there are so many already available online, make sure to do your research and due diligence before making a decision. Some of the most popular suppliers include Cognizin, Ceraxon, NeurAxon, Somazina, and Zynapse Citicoline pills.
However, if you purchase your nootropic in pill or tablet form you will likely end up paying 5-10x more than if you purchase Citicoline powder. This is because the powder is much cheaper to package and sell. Citicoline powder also may test higher on examinations of purity because there are no filler agents included to solidify the raw ingredient in a tablet format.
For this reason, we recommend that you purchase Citicoline supplements as bulk powder and save yourself a considerable amount of money.
- Trovarelli G, de Medio GE, Dorman RV, Piccinin GL, Horrocks LA, Porcellati G. Effect of cytidine diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) on ischemia-induced alterations of brain lipid in the gerbil. Neurochem Res. 1981
- Ottobelli L, Manni GL, Centofanti M, Iester M, Allevena F, Rossetti L. Citicoline oral solution in glaucoma: is there a role in slowing disease progression? Ophthalmologica. 2013
- Brown ES, Todd JP, Hu LT, Schmitz JM, Carmody TJ, Nakamura A, Sunderajan P, Rush AJ, Adinoff B, Bret ME, Holmes T, Lo A. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Citicoline for Cocaine Dependence in Bipolar I Disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2015
- Nomani F, Kamal AK. Citicoline in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke: an international, randomized, multicentre, placebo-controlled study (ICTUS trial) is the use of Citicoline is beneficial for acute ischaemic stroke? J Pak Med Assoc. 2013
- Paroni R, Cighetti G, Del Puppo M, Kienle MG. Evidence for a different metabolic behaviour of cytidine diphosphate choline after oral and intravenous administration to rats. Pharmacol Res Commun. 1985
- Cetinkaya M, Cansev M, Kafa IM, Tayman C, Cekmez F, Canpolat FE, Tunc T, Sarici SU. Cytidine 5'-diphosphocholine ameliorates hyperoxic lung injury in a neonatal rat model. Pediatr Res. 2013
- Fagone P, Jackowski S. Phosphatidylcholine and the CDP-choline cycle. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2013
- Turkkan A, Alkan T, Goren B, Kocaeli H, Akar E, Korfali E. Citicoline and postconditioning provides neuroprotection in a rat model of ischemic spinal cord injury. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2010
- Hurtado O, Hernández-Jiménez M, Zarruk JG, Cuartero MI, Ballesteros I, Camarero G, Moraga A, Pradillo JM, Moro MA, Lizasoain I. Citicoline (CDP-choline) increases Sirtuin1 expression concomitant to neuroprotection in experimental stroke. J Neurochem. 2013
Article last updated on: March 13th, 2018 by Nootriment
5 Comments
Is there a non-soy source of a good choline? non-soy phosphatidylserine?
I would like to know which brands are more trustworthy in regards to ingredients and the way they are processed. Is overwhelming to pick one with so many products out there. Even in Amazon a lot of the reviews are fake, they get the product in return for a good review. I would just like to buy one supplement with Alpha GPC and another with Citicoline. I heard the combination of both is best in the lowest dosage.
Thank you
Adtiana
Hey Adriana,
Thanks for your question. You’re definitely right that a lot of reviews are fake on Amazon. – there’s a great website called “FakeSpotter” that tries to algorithmically determine which reviews are legit and which ones are bought.
In terms of quality, look for ones that are manufactured in cGMP compliant facilities and companies that make their third-party testing available online. There is an organization called NSF that does third-party supplement testing and manufacturing quality audits. If you find a product that has the NSF certification seal, that is a good sign.
Generally, the larger brands have all of their quality controls in place. You want to avoid products sold by companies that are smaller and don’t appear to have a presence outside of Amazon.
Thank you for your response, didn’t see until today. I will follow your advise.
Great website you have here.
Adriana
Thanks Adriana! Your feedback means a lot to me :)