Alex Whybrow brings you his Nooceptin review as he looks to assess how effective this new nootropic is at improving cognitive functioning and alleviating symptoms of stress and anxiety. Read on to find out how he fared with it.
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Written by Alex Whybrow – fact checked by Jason M & the editorial team
Alex is a full time writer. 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.
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I was pretty excited about the prospect of conducting this Nooceptin review. After all, I’d heard very good things about this nootropic, but it’s one that I haven’t had the opportunity to try until now – so I ordered myself a month’s supply and got to testing it.
Made by SAP Nutra, a UK-based company but with production facilities (FDA approved) here in the US, Nooceptin has passed all of the relevant quality control tests before it was available to buy, as have all the nootropics that we review. It is a safe product, which is the absolute minimum that we require before we write about a nootropic.
SAP Nutra are also the brand behind Vyvamind, another nootropic that you may be familiar with, and one that we hold in high esteem and so goes some way to proving their pedigree.
We are always more wary of companies that only have one product, as they have no reputation on the line when they launch something new. SAP Nutra seem to be a reputable company with the intention of unleashing your potential through natural nootropic ingredients.
Quick Verdict On Nooceptin
Nooceptin is a high quality nootropic that is made up of high quality, natural ingredients – all of which are effectively dosed and designed to yield impressive results.
Opting for a 3 month supply should see you reap a range of cognitive benefits – including improved focus, heightened energy levels, whilst delivering a calming and stress relieving impact.
In this Nooceptin review we are going to be taking an in-depth look at this powerful nootropic to help us understand it a little better, and to help you decide whether this is the product for you.
We will be looking at the perceived benefits that Nooceptin could offer you, before looking at each of the ingredients to see why they have been included and then putting it to the test.
Finally, we will offer our closing thoughts on Nooceptin, and look at some of the pros and cons related to the product, all with the aim of helping you decide if it’s right for you.
So let’s get into it – is Nooceptin “exactly what you’re looking for” if you want better cognitive function? Let’s find out…
Nooceptin Benefits
Before we get into the meat and bones of what Nooceptin can offer you, I first want to highlight something that I admire about the way they market their product. They seem honest and reasonable in what you can expect, which is quite novel in the nootropics industry.
We see a lot of companies promising all kinds of life-changing, miracle pill sort of benefits. ‘Take this pill and you’ll be a superhero’ – it feels a lot like that. The movie limitless has a lot to answer for!
What we get with Nooceptin is honesty like this: “Nooceptin isn’t a bandaid for cognitive decline” and “it doesn’t have instant effects”. Perhaps this is a marketing ploy in itself, but we appreciated it, and it made us trust Nooceptin a little more.
Anyway, let’s take a look at the main benefits that it should offer you:
Brain Blood Flow
In order to function effectively, your brain needs a healthy supply of blood. Nooceptin is designed to keep this regulated to healthy levels so that you can think quickly and focus, along with providing you with a good energy boost.
Neuron Connections
The speed at which the neurons in your brain can connect with each other has a direct impact on how quickly we can think, and how quickly we can learn and remember things.
Nooceptin is designed to increase these neuron connections, and therefore, how quickly your brain works.
Brain Cell Growth
We are always losing brain cells, so we need to replace them or our brains will start to decline. This is controlled by neurotrophic factors which can be boosted by using the right nootropic ingredients, which is precisely what Nooceptin is designed to do.
Key Neurotransmitters
The key neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, is imperative to how our brains function, responsible for things like learning and information processing. Nooceptin has ingredients that are included with the intention of increasing acetylcholine levels in our brains.
Memory Retention
Always a popular benefit in nootropics, memory retention is far more than just getting people’s names right. It can speed up the way we work, and help both professionally and socially. Nooceptin contains ingredients tasked with improving both memory and recall.
Resistance to Stress & Anxiety
Stress is not just a problem in itself, it also has huge knock-on effects to other aspects of our brain’s functions. If we are stressed, we can’t think clearly, we lose focus and our mood is low. Nooceptin targets the source of stress and anxiety.
You may have noticed something else that is a little bit different about Nooceptin, just in the way the benefits are promoted – it is less about the end result, and more about what’s happening inside your brain.
Rather than just saying “our product will give you better focus” they concentrate on the fact that they are getting more blood to your brain, which could give you better focus. It seems more like they are treating their audience like educated adults, rather than relying on impulsive sales and people looking for a quick fix. We respect that.
Nooceptin Ingredients
In order to create these benefits, Nooceptin is loaded with ingredients that have been carefully selected, and researched, to give you the desired effect.
Before we get into looking at each one individually, it is important to point out that Nooceptin is made at FDA inspected facilities here in the USA, and all of the ingredients are natural. They have been awarded a ‘Good Manufacturing Practices’ certificate, so you can rest assured that this is a safe product to use.
Now let’s look at those ingredients one by one:
Citicoline
Citicoline is responsible for increasing a chemical in your brain called phosphatidylcholine, studies have shown. This phospholipid is often found in foods like whole grains and eggs, and it is thought to help improve our memory.
Citicoline is also thought to increase other chemicals in the brain, which may speed up our thinking. It has been used as a drug to help people following a stroke, as well as older people that are struggling with age related brain deterioration.
More research is required to determine the effectiveness of citicoline on healthy brains, but having higher levels of citicoline in your brain is thought to help memory and when this ingredients is included in any nootropic we have tested we have seen really positive results.
Panax Ginseng
Panax Ginseng is another ingredient that is there to help boost your memory. It is a species of plant from East Asia, and it is thought to help your body regulate blood sugar levels and even fight against some types of cancer.
It’s often called an adaptogen (natural substances that help your body regulate against stress) and a trial in Korea concluded that there was a notable improvement in cognitive performance on subjects that had taken panax ginseng for more than six months, particularly with their visual memory.
This sort of independent research is so valuable when assessing a nootropic supplement, so we can say with some confidence that the inclusion of panax ginseng should help Nooceptin improve your memory.
Ginkgo Biloba
Another Asian plant now, ginkgo biloba – one of the oldest living known species of tree, dating back over 200 million years. Due to its longevity, it has been used in Chinese medicine for a very long time, to treat all manner of ailments.
It has been proven to help to reduce anxiety a small amount after just 4 weeks of taking it, and it has been used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other memory loss disorders.
Studies have suggested that it can help to improve memory, especially when it comes to fighting age-related cognitive decline. Its effectiveness on healthy, young brains is more uncertain however.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Lion’s mane mushroom has a long history in medicine, particularly in East Asia, where it is most commonly found. As well as lining the stomach, it is thought to improve nerve development and function.
In terms of cognitive improvement, which is what we are mainly interested in here, some believe that lion’s mane mushroom can protect brain cells, help to create new neurons and improve memory. Although more research is needed to validate these claims, it is again an ingredient that we have anecdotally seen yield positive results.
Bacopa Monnieri
Otherwise known as water hyssop, bacopa monnieri has used in medicine for centuries, particularly in relation to cognitive impairment.
At least three separate trials have shown that taking bacopa monnieri can improve your memory, and it also contains many antioxidants. As ever, more research is needed to fully grasp how effective it can be, but there seems to be enough to validate its inclusion in Nooceptin.
Rhodiola Rosea
Growing in cold regions across Europe and Asia, rhodiola rosea is a perennial herb that has a long history of use in medicine, particularly in Russia and Scandinavia.
It is generally thought that it can increase stamina, mental capacity, help to manage mood and anxiety and even improve athletic performance.
L-Theanine
A common ingredient in nootropics, L-Theanine is an amino acid that is usually found in plants and fungi.
There have been studies that have suggested that L-theanine has a positive effect on cognitive function, particularly memory and concentration, but more research needs to be done.
It is also well known for reducing anxiety and is an ingredient we are very familiar with and see as a very worthy inclusion.
Taking Nooceptin
The recommended dose for Nooceptin is to take three capsules per day, ideally first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach with a light meal. Although you can take 3 a day if you want a strong dose, we would always recommend starting with one and building up if you feel you need to.
As Nooceptin does not contain caffeine, you could also choose to spread out the three capsules throughout the day.
The reason that some supplements and medicines are best taken on an empty stomach is because some get into your body’s system in the same way that food does, so if you were to take it while your body was digesting food, it may dilute the supplement, and therefore lessen its effect.
It is recommended that you take Nooceptin for around three months to allow your body to adjust and then feel the full effect. On their website, they suggest this timeline:
Month One: You may start to feel a little less anxious, and feel a little bit ‘sharper’.
Month Two: Feel significantly less anxious and sharper for longer periods.
Month Three: Major improvements in memory, concentration and general cognitive performance.
Month Four: The benefits become stronger and longer-lasting.
It all sounds great, doesn’t it? But before we get too carried away, it’s time to put it to the test.
My Nooceptin Testing Results
Having done my research, I was quite excited about trying Nooceptin. I really liked the ingredients and the theory behind them, and I really felt like I needed a little boost in my professional life.
As a writer, I need to meet deadlines. It’s a huge part of my job, and on an almost daily basis, I have something looming over my head. Like a lot of people, I find this quite stressful at times, and things can quickly spiral. If I get stressed, I struggle to concentrate, and if I can’t concentrate then my work slips, which puts me under more stress.
Obviously, this is far from ideal. And one of the knock-on problems from this is that I work from home, and I find it very difficult not to bring that stress with me when I stop being a writer, and start being a dad. I am often distracted – not present for my wife and kids. And I hate being like that.
I have tried nootropics in the past with varying degrees of success, but I was optimistic about Nooceptin, so I started taking the recommended dose – one capsule, first thing every morning. The theory here is that it would start to kick when I have got everyone packed off to school, and I am sitting at my desk.
At first, I didn’t feel a lot. With some nootropics, particularly the ones that include caffeine, you can feel something even on the first day of taking it, but I can’t say I felt anything initially with Nooceptin. Fortunately, they had prepared me for this in their marketing, so I didn’t feel disheartened, as much as deep down I just wanted to pop a pill and become a prolific writer!
I was surprised, though, when I did start to notice a couple of things in the second week – much earlier than I was braced for. I had also upped the dose by this point and had started taking three capsules per day (the recommended serving).
Like I often find with nootropics, the change was small. I caught myself one morning really enjoying a piece of work that I was writing. I wasn’t thinking about the deadline, I was immersed in the work itself. That afternoon, I had finished in time to pick my kids up from school – a rarity these days.
As I said, it was a very small change, but in the same way that a little bit of stress about a deadline can spiral, so can taking away that stress. I was working better, and I was enjoying my life outside of work much more. I was having more fun with my kids, and enjoying more time with my wife. Being in the moment, rather than distracted by all the work I still had to get through.
This kept up throughout the time I was taking Nooceptin. I feel much more at peace, and I have even been able to pick up a couple of extra clients – something I didn’t think I would ever have time to do.
I didn’t experience any side effects from taking Nooceptin, other than some very mild nausea when I first started taking it – I often feel that way when I take things on an empty stomach.
Pros and Cons
Based on my own experiences, and having researched the experiences of others, here are some pros and cons of taking Nooceptin
Pros of Nooceptin
Less anxiety – a little less worry goes a long way. Many who have taken Nooceptin have reported feeling less anxious and stressed, which has helped both socially and professionally.
Better concentration – Many have reported an improved level of focus when they started taking Nooceptin. The ability to work for longer, with greater intensity, was particularly beneficial to students.
Cons of Nooceptin
The price – While not the most expensive nootropic, not by a long shot, Nooceptin is expensive for people on a budget. If you find that you need to take two or three capsules for every dose, then you may find that it becomes expensive to use in the long term.
FAQs
Is Nooceptin safe?
Whatever the effectiveness of Nooceptin, and like all nootropics, that is open to debate, we can be sure that it is safe. The ingredients are 100% natural, and it is manufactured in FDA approved facilities.
Who should take Nooceptin?
Nooceptin is aimed at anyone who requires cognitive support, either in their job or to contribute to the health of their brain. The examples listed on their website include: academics, military personal, financial traders, adults over 55 and medical professionals.
Who shouldn’t take Nooceptin?
Nooceptin is not advised for people with a history of drug abuse, people who are pregnant or under 18s.
Verdict
I found Nooceptin to be an excellent nootropic. The research behind the ingredients is as good as I have seen, and the impact that it has already had on people’s lives is generally very positive.
The price might put some people off, but this is generally one of the best nootropics that I have tested, so if you are on the fence I’d urge you to consider it. I think that the price is justified considering the quality of ingredients you get and the dosage of each serving.
All in all, Nooceptin looks to have placed itself pretty comfortably in the top 5 brain enhancing supplements on the market today.