Taking supplements to improve your health and fitness levels is pervasive in today’s society, but what about using supplements to improve your brain?
Maintaining proper mental function and health is arguably the most important task for ensuring long-term quality of life. Not only that, but optimizing your brain’s performance can help you become more motivated, productive, satisfied and successful in your daily activities.
It is now becoming more and more commonplace to buy health products, neutraceuticals and vitamins to improve your cognitive powers. These pills are known as cognitive enhancers, brain boosters, smart drugs and by the lesser-known name nootropics.
Nootropics are a specific class of brain supplements that can enhance your cognition, learning, memory, focus, motivation and mood while also contributing to brain health with very low potential for side effects.
Thousands of people around the world use nootropics for a number of different specific purposes, but all have the same general goal: to heighten their brainpower.
Here are some of the most common uses of nootropics as well as the benefits and effects you can expect from certain top nootropic supplements.



- Promotes brain health & communication
- Supports memory, reasoning & cognition
- oosts focus, mental clarity & attention
Nootropics for Learning, Intelligence and Cognition
Related Topics
- What are Nootropics?
- Nootropics List
- Types of Nootropics
- Effects & Benefits
- How Do Nootropics Work?
- Natural Nootropics
- Enhace Intelligence
- Boost Memory
- Improve Concentration
- Reduce Anxiety
- Treat Depression
- Nootropic Side Effects & Dangers
- How to Stack Nootropics
- Best Nootropic Stacks
- Strongest Nootropics
- Where to Buy Online
- Cheapest Nootropics
- Are Nootropics Legal?
The most prevalent use of nootropics is to improve intelligence and cognitive abilities.
While no pill can instantly make you smarter, many nootropics have positive implications for your ability to learn, understand, reason and perform calculations.
These concepts are broadly understood as increased synaptic plasticity and improved computational power.
Nootropics work to enhance cognition by raising levels of key neurotransmitters and making the fundamental processes by which your neurons communicate more efficient.
This can include modulating receptors to make them more sensitive to the neurotransmitters acetylcholine and glutamate and actually causing the formation of more neurons and synapses between neurons.
Many nootropics can also increase communication between the two hemispheres of your brain, leading to greater verbal fluency, increased creativity and better integration of the left and right brain in problem solving. Some of the best nootropics for learning include the Racetam family of Piracetam, Aniracetam, Oxiracetam, Pramiracetam and the related Noopept.
Which one of these you use is up to you: Piracetam is a great overall brain booster, but it is relatively weak. Oxiracetam is noted for improving logical thinking and other analytical forms of processing while Aniracetam is great for recognizing connections and patters as well as being able to communicate more effectively. Pramiracetam and Noopept are much stronger versions of these supplements with similar benefits.
Nootropics for Memory
Nootropics are also recognized for their ability to increase all functions related to memory including new memory formation, short term working memory and long-term recall.
The creation and maintenance of memory in your brain is due to a function called Long Term Potentiation in which a stronger connections is formed between neurons.
There are three basic ways in which you can improve the brain’s ability to form new connections: increasing acetylcholine levels and efficiency, increasing glutamate levels and efficiency, and by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain.
There are a number of different nootropics that work in either some or all of these ways and you might want to consider stacking several different supplements together to achieve these results.
The Racetams are excellent at stimulating acetylcholine receptors as is Noopept. In addition to a drug like Piracetam or Oxiracetam, you may want to add a choline supplement like Alpha GPC, Citicoline, Centrophenoxine or ALCAR to further increase levels of acetylcholine in the brain.
Another option is to stack with Huperzine A which has been shown to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine in the synaptic cleft. You can also use Aniracetam, Sunifiram and other Ampakines to stimulate glutamate receptors and increase your memory.
A final option is to use a natural nootropic like Vinpocetine to increase blood circulation to the brain which results in greater oxygenation.

- Focus longer, clear brain fog & feel more motivated
- Boost energy, alertnes & memory
- Contains 12 safe and natural nootropic ingredients
Nootropics for Concentration and Motivation
Learning and memory are very cerebral activities and their ability to function at optimized levels is known as synaptic plasticity. But without suitable concentration and mental energy, an increase in brain plasticity will not necessarily give you the results you want.
Many people use nootropic for concentration and to increase their ability to focus on one thing without distractions for extended durations of mental work. If you find that you often experience brain fog, have a short attention span and have difficulty remaining alert after an hour or two of studying or working, then nootropic supplements may be able to help you.
There are also several nootropic that are known to be excellent for increasing motivation, clarity of thought, and purpose-driven activity, giving you more productive energy.
Some people will use smart drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin to increase energy and get them focused on one task at a time. But these drugs have some unpleasant side effects because they use amphetamines in their formulation.
There are however some excellent nootropic alternatives to Adderall that can give you similar results without the same risks to your health. Modafinil and Adrafinil are two drugs which increase wakefulness and keep your brain fueled to operate at the highest level.
The Racetams (especially Oxiracetam and Pramiracetam) and Noopept are great for this as well and Sunifiram use as a concentration aid is growing quickly. Other options include sulbutiamine, picamilon and vinpocetine.
Nootropics for Anti-Aging and Brain Health
Not all of the benefits of nootropics are targeted at short-term effects. Many nootropics also work by improving the brain’s overall health and reducing signs of aging. Using nootropic powders to promote longevity is very popular among both the young and old.
When looking at cognitive enhancers to promote the health of your neurons, it is important to remember that the original definition of nootropics requires that any supplement must be neuroprotective and not pose dangerous side effects for the brain.
While nowadays this classification scheme has been loosened with colloquial use, in general a supplement or drug has to be regarded as very safe with low risk of side effects to be classified as a nootropic.
There are several different mechanisms of action by which nootropics for anti-aging work. Some will increase Nerve Growth Factor levels contributing to the formation of new neurons. Others work by improving oxygen flow to the brain or by promoting regular maintenance of neurons and synaptic connections through proper nutrient supplies.
Some nootropics like Huperzine A are known to counteract the effects of Alzheimer’s and prevent other related forms of cognitive decline. Many nootropics such as Piracetam and Noopept are known to reverse some signs of brain damage including those from physical trauma, alcohol use and even drug use.
Noopept was originally invented as a “hangover cure” designed to keep your neurons healthy after a night of heavy drinking. These long-term effects of nootropics are a very interesting area of research that shows a lot of promise in the years to come.
Nootropics for Mood Enhancement
Perhaps one of the most popular reasons for using Nootropic is mood enhancement and relief from symptoms of depression and anxiety (especially social anxiety).
Many nootropics exhibit anxiolytic properties by activating GABA receptors in the brain. GABA is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and it is considered responsible for creating a relaxed and calm mood and for kicking you out of negative thought loops.
Anxiety is often created from not being able to move on from one thought to another and over-processing events and scenarios. This can occur when your neurons are over-active and firing on too frequent of a basis. By using a GABA booster, you can prevent some of this over-activity and produce feelings of tranquility and relaxation.
Aniracetam, Noopept, Picamilon, Phenibut and Inositol are all excellent options for reducing anxiety symptoms.
You can also enhance your mood and potentially curb depression by boosting levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. These neurotransmitters are known to produce feelings of well-being, happiness, joy and even euphoria. Depression is thought to be caused by chemical imbalances of these two neurotransmitters in the brain.
By using nootropic supplements that raise levels of these chemicals, you may be able to overcome some of the despondency and feelings of sadness or inadequacy that can come with depression. Substances that promote higher energy levels are also great for reducing the fatigue and ennui of various mood disorders. Picamilon, Inositol, Aniracetam, Modafinil and Adrafinil are helpful in this regard.
Final Remarks
As you can see, there are a vast number of situations in which using nootropics may be beneficial to your mental capabilities and cognitive health. Whether you want to improve your ability to learn or remember details and facts, to increase concentration and energy, to promote brain health or simply to improve your mood, there are nootropics that can help with each of these goals.
Decide what it is that you want from your supplement regimen and then pick one nootropic or design a stack that helps you reach your goals. Nootropics work on optimizing your brain functions at very basic levels, but these changes can result in dramatic changes in the way you feel and in what you are able to do.
The best way to prove it to yourself is to try one and record your own experience with a nootropic log. We wish you lots of luck in building a better brain!
Article last updated on: February 4th, 2018 by Nootriment
2 Comments
Ek wil graag die produk koop, maar hulle se hulle ‘ship’ nie na Suid Afrika toe nie?
These products do not work and could potentially cause harm. Ask your medical doctor or pharmacist if you should be taking these supplements. Be aware that the supplement industry is multi-billion dollar one and it is poorly regulated.