Our nootropics and nutrition expert James Dixon examines just how effective this memory enhancing nootropic is in our Cognium review. Read on to find out if it’s a good fit for your supplementation regime…
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Written by James Dixon – fact checked by Jason M & the editorial team
James Dixon is one of the key players in the SOMA Analytics’ team. He is a personal trainer and is educated to Masters level in Philosophy. He is a published author and is a keen advocate of high quality nootropic supplements.
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We all get stretched thin from time to time, sometimes more often than others. Our cognitive processes are often pushed to the very edge with the amount that is asked of us, the amount of stimulation we go through, and the amount we want to get done in any given day.
And these pressures continue to increase. This is modern life.
We also all go through periods of heightened cognitive demand, and with it comes heightened stress. Pressured phases in our lives – whether it’s moving house, sitting a life-changing exam, trying to raise a family, or even every day of your profession – can push our minds to their limits, even impacting our responses.
But what if there was a way to make all of this more manageable? What if you could take a supplement proven to improve your cognitive faculties – your memory, attention, provlem-solving, and so on – whilst also warding off mental fatigue and ring-fencing your long-term brain health?
This is what nootropics are for. These ‘smart drugs’ are designed to supercharge your brain either long term or in shorter bursts. There are some fantastic nootropics available on today’s market, some real, bona fide gems.
Today I want to talk to you about a smart drug called Cognium. It’s far from a favorite of mine, but it comes well-recommended from a decent enough company. So, let’s give it fair crack of the whip as I look to give it an impartial assessment in this Cognium review.
Quick Verdict – Cognium
Cognium has just one active ingredient and has quite a narrow remit when it comes to what it actually achieves.
We much prefer NooCube. It offers the same cognitive benefits of Cognium, plus a lot more. All while retaining an all-natural, stimulant-free ingredient profile.
I often go back to it in between trials – it never fails me, thanks to its intelligent formula, and at a very fair price point.
Cognium – What Is It?
Cognium is a bit of a garden variety nootropic. It should do everything mentioned above – it should improve your cognitive function and brain health.
Cognium is made by a company called Natrol, a big-hitter in the natural nootropic sphere. They are based in Chatsworth, California, and were founded in 1980 by Elliott Balbert as a cosmetics company.
However, they soon saw the need to expand into the world of health supplements. They quickly evolved, changing into a brand focused on health, churning out vitamin and mineral-based supplements.
Today they have global reach, with shops in over 60 different countries.
Natrol make some big claims with Cognium, with a fair amount of evidence backing it all up. Though I’ll get into detail a little later on, it’s worth briefly taking a look at these claims.
According to Natrol, Cognium can give you several cognitive benefits in as little as four weeks. These include enhanced memory and recall speed, improved memory retention, and improved brain health, as it helps to protect brain cells from oxidative stress.
That’s quite a list. There’s no arguing that a supplement able to do all of this would be well worth investing in. However, it’s worth giving Cognium a bit of scrutiny before getting too excited.
A closer examination reveals that it only has one unique ingredient. This is Silk Protein Hydrolysate Complex, which Natrol claim is the ultimate nootropic available today for boosting memory and recall.
(Edit: This was previously called Cera-Q. On studying this change, there appears to be no difference between the two, except the name itself. Cera-Q is a branded form of silk protein hydrolysate derived from silkworm cocoons, just like Silk Protein Hydrolysate Complex. The change in terminology appears to be a rebranding effort rather than a change in the actual ingredient used, though there is no clear statement from Naturol on this.)
This may be fantastic – simple, potent supplements are always worth taking seriously. Or it could be disappointing – in a market flooding with high-quality complexes, this might well represent a bit of a let-down. We’ll dig deeper…
Cognium Benefits
There are a few benefits to be gained from taking Cognium, as we have seen. In short, it should improve your memory.
It does this by preserving and boosting your overall cognitive functions, and slowing down the effects of the aging process within the brain, such as neuron degeneration through oxidative stress.
This improves circulation to your nervous system, meaning more nutrients and oxygen to power your brain. This process is an adaptogen against stress, which further protects your brain.
This all sounds really good – a helpful few benefits you’d want to see from a nootropic. If it can deliver on these, Cognium may well be a good bet.
However, I’ve seen better lists of intended impact when it comes to nootropics. Much better, in fact.
Cognium protects against aging and gives your memory a boost. All nootropics do this to a certain extent. Many, many go a lot further.
For example, my favorite nootropic is NooCube (though Mind Lab Pro is also a very good product). NooCube does everything that Cognium does. It slows down the aging process, protects your brain against stress, improves your brain’s circulation, and enhances your memory.
In addition, it gives you a mood boost, aids focus and concentration, improves your ability to multitask with much greater energy and clarity, and improves your communication abilities.
It also includes VitoCholine (Edit: Previously Alpha-GPC, changed to avoid soy), a well-known compound which accounts for NooCube’s ability to protect against cognitive decline; and Bacopa Monnieri, which is perfect for anxiety relief and warding off the effects of stress.
These are two of the best nootropic compounds going. Anything wanting to be a big player in this market should think twice about overlooking them – and perhaps this is where Cognium falls down.
That being said, let’s take a closer look…
Cognium – The Ingredients
Cognium does have some significant benefits over many nootropics. Namely, its simplicity ensures it is really quite safe (though always speak to your healthcare provider if you have a medical condition), and completely free from stimulants.
This may be good news for those of us who are sensitive to stimulants, who nevertheless want a bit of a cognitive boost. Having said that, there are increasing numbers of com