Our nootropic expert Alex Whybrow examines just how powerful this brain boosting supplement is in our Hunter Focus review. Read on to find out if it suits your brain boosting needs…
Hunter Focus – An Introduction
The nootropic industry is expanding at an impressive rate. While many companies have been around for a decade or so, in the last few years the popularity of these supplements has blown up, with new products springing up all the time.
With so many different options available to you, choosing the right one is a big deal. While every individual will react slightly differently to different nootropics, you can put the odds in your favor by doing a little bit of research. Sites like ours are designed to help you make the best decision possible when it comes to nootropics.
Our article today will be looking at Hunter Focus – described as “the ultimate brain pill” on their website. Our aim is to assess how effective it is as part of our full Hunter Focus review.
Hunter Focus is made by a company called Roar Ambition – a specialist supplement producer that was formed in 2012. Based in Leeds, England, Roar Ambition has an extensive range of products – all designed to create the best ‘you’ possible, body and mind. From getting lean and building muscle to boosting testosterone and improving focus – they have the products to help you on your way.
It is the ‘improving focus’ that is the desired impact of Hunter Focus. On top of that, these supplements are designed to make you more creative and improve your concentration. The idea is not that it artificially enhances you in any way, but more that this is a natural way for you to get closer to fulfilling your potential.
The ability to think more clearly, and focus more on the things in front of us is undoubtedly an attractive benefit – but does Hunter Focus work? In this article, we are going to be taking an in-depth look at the potential benefits of Hunter Focus, as well as analyzing the ingredients used. We will then put Hunter Focus to the test and report on what we found when we started taking these capsules, before then looking at some frequently asked questions and delivering our verdict.
Let’s kick things off with a look at the benefits of Hunter Focus.
Hunter Focus Benefits
On the Hunter Focus website, they list 6 main benefits that you can expect if you take this nootropic. I thought it would be helpful to take a deeper look at each one in order to help you work out whether this is the supplement for you.
Enhanced Memory
The immediate thing we think of when we consider the prospect of enhanced memory is usually around remembering people’s names or key dates from our lives. This is undoubtedly a welcome benefit, but when we improve our memory we can also work much faster. All those times that you are working really well only to have to suddenly stop to look something up, or when we just can’t think of the right word. With improved memory, you can work faster and better, as well as avoid all of those uncomfortable social occasions when you can’t remember your colleague’s partner’s name!
Greater Focus
Focus is everything, isn’t it? Above we mentioned the frustration of having to stop work when you need to look something up, but what about the frustration of getting distracted. Everything in the modern world is designed to demand our attention – emails, calls, text messages, and social media. Getting distracted is so easily done but the result is that we don’t make the most of our time.
Taking a nootropic that promises to give you greater focus is incredibly appealing. You could get so much more done.
Elevated Mood
Want to feel happier and more balanced? I’m not sure there is anybody in the world that would answer ‘no’ to that question. Happiness is wonderful, but not just because of the direct feeling that you get when you are happy – you are generally much more productive when you feel good, and much more pleasant to be around!
Increased Energy
Energy is critical if you are going to make the most of your potential. From dragging yourself out of bed in the morning to getting down to the gym or pushing yourself to get that extra bit of work done – the more energy you have the better.
What you may find with other supplements (particularly those that include caffeine) is that you experience a quick boost in energy, and then comes the crash… Hunter Focus does not include caffeine supplements, so the theory is that you will feel the lift throughout the day, with no crash at the end.
Boosted Creativity
We’re not just talking about artistic merits here – creativity is crucial to solving problems. Thinking about things in a new way is the key to making progress and to bettering yourself and your work. The ability to work smarter, not harder.
Hunter Focus aims to unleash your creative potential.
Optimized Learning
Obviously, this will appeal to students, but the ability to process, retain and apply knowledge is important for everyone, particularly in the modern world that changes so quickly with new technology and software being created all the time. Being able to pick up new concepts quickly is imperative when it comes to becoming more successful.
The real target with Hunter Focus is to improve your all-round cognitive performance – but how does it hope to achieve this? With a carefully crafted combination of natural ingredients.
Hunter Focus Ingredients
The theory behind the ingredients that are used in Hunter Focus, as well as most nootropics, is to harness the power of naturally occurring chemicals and compounds by using natural ingredients. Each one plays a slightly different role, so let’s take a look at each one, and what you can expect from them.
The Hunter focus recipe is split into three main areas (Concentration Activation, Memory Matrix and Mood Amplification), and each of these is made up of different natural ingredients. We’ll look at each one separately.
Concentration Activation
Citicoline
As a naturally occurring brain chemical, citicoline plays a role in increasing the production of other chemicals in the brain that transport messages. The theory is that the more citicoline you have in your brain, the quicker the messages are sent, and the quicker your brain works.
Citicoline has been used for helping people with memory loss, as well as to treat eye disorders such as glaucoma. The exact effectiveness of this is not clear at the moment, but research is ongoing.
According to the producers of Hunter Focus, citicoline could be responsible for improving brain energy by 13.6% and membrane formation by 26%.
L-Tyrosine
Tyrosine is an amino acid – seen as a building block of protein. You’ll find tyrosine in protein-rich foods such as nuts, eggs, beans and meat.
It is another aid to the transmission of messages between different areas of the brain, which is crucial when it comes to mental alertness. It is thought that by taking tyrosine our memory will improve, as will our mental performance during stressful situations.
The people behind Hunter Focus have conducted double-blind tests with tyrosine supplements and found that the mental performance was improved in the group that had the supplements versus those that had taken a placebo. There needs to be further testing to back this up, but these are promising signs to support its effectiveness.
L-Theanine
Another amino acid now, this time L-Theanine. Rather than promoting brain activity and performance, theanine is linked more to our moods and can actually act as a mood booster. It is often used to tackle stress or anxiety.
You can find theanine in tea and some mushrooms, and it is linked to raising the levels of key chemicals in your brain, such as dopamine and serotonin – the effect of these is that we feel more calm and relaxed. It is also thought to have a positive effect on our imagination and can help us with our creativity.
Again, this has been tested by Hunter Focus, and they have found that subjects performing better under stressful situations have taken L-Theanine supplements than those that didn’t, but as ever, this does require more independent research in order to fully establish how effective it is.
Memory Matrix
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Lion’s mane is most commonly found on dead hardwood trees, like oak trees. It is a mushroom that is usually found in East Asia and has been used in medicine for centuries.
It is thought that when we take Lion’s Mane, it aids the development of nerves in our body, as well as protecting them from damage. This helps all over our body, but particularly the brain. It has been used to treat conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and anxiety.
In tests conducted by the people behind Hunter’s Focus, they found that people that had been taking Lion’s Mane for more than 8 weeks showed “significantly increased scores on the cognitive function scale compared with the placebo group”.
Maritime Pine Bark
Another naturally growing ingredient is Maritime Pine Bark. This is usually grown in Mediterranean countries and is thought to have quite a few positive health effects, from helping to treat asthma to helping with pains in the legs.
The main theory for this is based on circulation. Maritime Pine Bark is thought to contain chemicals that could aid blood flow, which is great for the brain as well as the body in general.
Increased blood flow in the brain is ideal for greater focus and concentration. Another trial conducted by the team behind Hunter Focus found that after 3 months of taking Maritime Pine Bark supplements, subjects performed much better at cognitive tests than their placebo-taking counterparts.
Bacopa
Bacopa, sometimes known as waterhyssop, is yet another naturally growing ingredient in Hunter Focus – this time found growing in wetlands all over the world, most commonly in India.
It is thought that bacopa encourages some chemicals in your brain, particularly the ones relating to memory and thinking. As such, bacopa has often been used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, as well as anxiety. It is thought that it can also help to balance your mood and prevent brain aging.
There have been plenty of studies of bacopa over the years, many of which suggest that taking supplements could improve your memory as well as help you process things in your brain more quickly, although again this does need further research.
Mood Amplification
Phosphatidylserine
Phosphatidylserine is a fatty substance that protects brain cells, which helps to prevent the damage in our brains that is associated with aging.
As a result of this, it is often used to help treat conditions associated with brain decline and memory loss such as Alzheimer’s disease, but there isn’t enough evidence to suggest it is particularly effective in this regard.
That said, there have been tests done that suggest that phosphatidylserine can normalize cortisol in our brains, which helps us manage stress. Many people that take phosphatidylserine report improved mental health and general well-being, but more research is required to back this up.
Ashwagandha
An evergreen shrub now – ashwagandha, which is usually found growing in Africa and Asia. It has been used in medicine for over 6000 years to treat a variety of illnesses and symptoms – arthritis, respiratory issues, tumors, insomnia and anxiety.
It is that last condition, anxiety, that we are particularly interested in here. Ashwagandha is thought to help lower blood pressure and reduce swelling, which means it helps calm us down in moments of stress. While there needs to be more research conducted to quantify its effect, some studies have shown that ashwagandha can help reduce cortisol levels by up to 27.9% – leaving us much more relaxed in stressful situations, and therefore able to think more clearly.
Vitamin supplements
Vitamins – B-Complex
On top of the three main groups of ingredients listed above, there are also a host of vitamins added. Vitamins B6, B9 and B12 all help to increase the amount of energy produced in the body – which is crucial for cognitive performance and preventing stress and anxiety.
It is generally considered that these ingredients are most effective at countering a deficiency, rather than boosting the performance of healthy brains.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants that we can introduce to our body, so by ensuring that we have enough we can ensure our brain is clear of oxidative stress and, therefore, functioning clearly.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin which helps your body take on crucial amounts of calcium and phosphate, which keep your bones healthy. Again, if you are low on vitamin D, it could impair your cognitive performance, but there is little evidence to suggest that taking supplements can help already healthy brains to perform even better.
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 is thought to help reduce inflammation which helps to protect brain cells, which has led to people suggesting that it could be used to help fight Alzheimer’s disease. The theory that this subsequently helps healthy brains to stay healthy is solid but does require more research.
How to take Hunter Focus
It is recommended that you take 6 capsules a day, which is a lot compared to most other nootropics that are available today. It is thought that they are best taken with a meal, so breakfast is probably the best time to take them so that you can feel the benefits throughout the day.
They come in packs of 180 capsules, which will last you a month.
Using Hunter Focus – The Results
At the time of writing, I have been taking Hunter Focus for a month, and I am going to detail my findings below. It should be noted that it is recommended that you take Hunter Focus for at least three months in order to notice all of the benefits.
Just before I begin, to give you a little bit of context as to who I am and what I do – I am a self-employed writer, with a young family (two boys aged 5 and 2). I am in my mid-thirties. My biggest weakness, if I’m honest, is focus and motivation – not having a boss is great, but sometimes getting work done is hard without someone to answer to!
So when I began taking Hunter Focus a month ago, I wanted to notice some improvement on that front. I have to say, the first morning of taking the full dose of 6 capsules was a bit of a shock to the system. I felt a bit like a resident of a retirement home!
As is often the case with nootropics, and all supplements for that matter, I didn’t notice much change at all initially. My work went as it tends to, struggling to focus for most of the week before trying to cram everything in on Thursday/Friday so that I can enjoy the weekend. I did manage to get everything done that I needed to, and I worked really well on those two days. But this isn’t particularly new – I find I am able to focus when I need to.
The following week, though, I did notice a bit of a difference. Without really noticing a substantial change, I got to Thursday and realized that I didn’t have quite as much work to get through as I normally do at that stage of the week. I didn’t feel like I had done much different to normal, but I had just got more done. I even managed to finish early on Friday and go to pick my son up from school!
This has continued for the rest of the month – I have got more done on the days that I normally really struggle to focus. Not massive amounts, just little bits that have made my week much more manageable. I have now got the confidence to pitch for more work, knowing that I will have time in my week to get it done.
I have also been able to spend more time with my family, and truly be present when I am. I’m not thinking of all the work that I have to finish before the end of the week – that’s all in hand. I can be with them and genuinely enjoy it.
Hunter Focus has helped me exactly where I needed help – with focus. It has had a significant impact on every aspect of my life, even if the initial change hasn’t been overwhelming. Just a little more focus has made a huge difference.
Pros and Cons
In order to portray an accurate picture of Hunter Focus, I have taken into account the experience of other users to help me determine the pros and cons of taking this nootropic.
Pros of Hunter Focus
Focus: We’ll start with the obvious one. While it would be unfair to expect Hunter Focus to radically alter your mind and productivity, we found that most people that start taking this supplement do find themselves being able to focus and concentrate for longer. It may be that you notice it more if this is an area you struggle with generally, as improvements might be less if you are already quite focused generally.
Elevated mood: Many people that take Hunter Focus report that they feel more emotionally balanced than they did before they started taking it. Less stressed and generally more ‘at peace’. This may be a by-product of the increased focus – more work done = less stress and feeling better. Regardless, it is certainly a positive impact od taking Hunter Focus.
More energy: Having more energy, and therefore getting more done, is another benefit to taking Hunter Focus. Again, this may be another by-product of being more focused (more focus, get more done, feel better about yourself, feel energized to do more). Whatever the cause, it is a great feeling that many people have as a result of taking Hunter Focus.
Cons of Hunter Focus
Six capsules: It is a strange feeling to take so many capsules in one go, and I know this may put some people off if they don’t enjoy the feeling of swallowing pills. You do get used to it after a little while, though.
Caffeine: While Hunter Focus doesn’t contain any “harsh caffeine stimulants” there is some caffeine in these capsules – in the form of caffeine anhydrous. The dose is minimal (100mg), but it may put some people off.
Price: Perhaps because you are required to take so many capsules a day, Hunter Focus does come out as one of the more expensive nootropics per dose.
Check out our founder’s test of Hunter Focus below:
Verdict
The impact that Hunter Focus has had on my work, and home life, has been very positive. It may all boil down to just a little bit of focus at work, but the knock-on effect of that has been that I have experienced a lot more positivity in other aspects of my life. It seems perfect for someone like me who is capable of working well, but just wasn’t doing it regularly enough.
I do think that the change it made in me was relatively minor, it is just that this is the exact area where I needed improvement. It may be that people that already have quite good focus don’t see quite the level of improvement that I saw as they don’t have the same weakness as I do.
If you think that you struggle with focus, though, Hunter Focus could be the nootropic for you and I would wholeheartedly recommend giving it a trial to see if you notice the same level of improvement that I did.
This article was written by: Alex Whybrow – Full Time Writer, Coffee Connoisseur & Nootropic Fan
Alex spends a lot of his time writing. He is a creative soul who loves to express himself through his written word. When focus or concentration becomes an issue he turns to nootropics. Aside from the world of nootropic supplementation and writing, Alex is a huge fan of coffee and can regularly be found consuming it and writing about it.