Basic kickass nootropic stack

The film Limitless has a protagonist who is portrayed as a slacker who comes across a genius pill called NZT-48 that turns him into a prolific writer overnight, improves his memory and confidence, has him become a stock prodigy and later run for the US senate. This was the movie that engendered a lot of mainstream interest in nootropics. 

Nootropics are smart drugs that improve the way you think, and have proven effects across multiple measures of intelligence and brain performance. They are also neuroprotective and extremely nontoxic (as opposed to cognitive enhancers that don't necessarily have to have the former two qualities). 

The most basic nootropics are the racetam analogues, and Piracetam has been know to be the grandaddy of all nootropics. It helps in improving information processing, learning and memory and motivation. 

If you are having a racetam, your Acetyl Choline can get depleted, and cause headaches. So it's important to remember to add a choline source such as Alpha GPC or CDP Choline. Choline is the brain's most basic nutrient and 90% of the population is in deficiency. A lack of choline can affect your memory, with sluggish cognition and make you feel like you're functioning in a fog. 

Noopept is the latest of the racetam analogues, and is around a 1000x stronger than Piracetam. 
It is reported to improve learning ability and memory (including the initial processing of information, consolidation, and retrieval). In Russian studies Noopept helped to restore memory and other cognitive functions disturbed as a result of brain injury, local and global ischemia and prenatal damage (alcohol, hypoxia). The therapeutic effect of the drug in patients with organic disorders of the central nervous system appeared within 5-7 days of treatment. Also reported was the reduction or disappearance of anxiety, irritability, emotional lability and sleep disorders

Sulbutiamine is a brain specific source of thiamine that prevents mental fatigue, and causes a lift in mood or euphoria, and a feeling of tranquility. However it also sometimes has a side effect of adversely affecting erections in some men. There are also some concerns it adversely affects dopamine feedback mechanisms thus affecting important punishment and reward seeking mechanisms like food, sex, mood and other motivational drives. 

Lion's mane is a mushroom that is the only known substance that is known to cross the blood brain barrier and stimulate the performance of Nerve Growth Factor, which determines the rate at which new brain cells are produced. The scientists who found out about this (it's been used in the east for centuries) mechanism of action were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery. Lion's mane literally makes you grow new brain cells. 

Bacopa is a herbal supplement used in India to enhance memory. It also repairs old and damaged neurons and dendrites and has a significant anti-anxiety/calming effect. 

Dosing suggestions:

Noopept 10-30 mg once or twice a day (1.5-3 months on. 1 month off). The cycling is to reduce receptor downregulation. 
Alpha GPC 600mg-1g / day (A more proximal precursor of Choline, and cheaper than CDP Choline).
Sulbutiamine 600mg-1g in the morning. (Twice daily dosings sometimes cause a crash, watch out for boner issues in men, and tolerance so skip 1-2 days a week if you are having it). 
Lion's mane 500 mg twice daily
Bacopa 1 g in the morning

Additionally
Fish oil 1-4 grams/day
Multivitamins and minerals to round the stack off. 

There you go, that's probably as well rounded and as basic a stack as you can construct.

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💬 6 comments

6 Comments

noelani91· 18d ago

Thanks for the great info zing. A number of us on here having recently started taking Noocept. If you'd care to add your experience, you can find the thread here: https://ibogaine.club/community/noopept-trials I got headaches just a few days after I started taking it - some really bad ones. i found cutting the dose from 30mg /day to 15mg/day took care of that but sounds like taking choline is a good idea even if you don't get the headaches. I'm taking Shilajit, Ashwaganda and Gotu Kola. Will check out the others you mentioned just as soon as I clear some more cabinet space (!)

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mistyfalcon17· 18d ago

I also take Lion's Mane. It's pretty amazing what it does to my clarity of mind and memory. I also take Rhodiola Rosea, which I also notice helps me stay "on the ball," mentally and energetically. Basically motivationally. I used to take 5-htp, but that's not good to take for extended periods of time.

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vividmeadow80· 1d ago

Update: Ashwagandha - Excellent for anti anxiety, anti stress with it's pro GABA-A GABA-B properties. A lot of people have it a half hour before stressful situations too for e.g. an exam or an interview. it has a whole host of other purported uses (a lot of which have been clinically proven) like - anti depressant effect, nerve regeneration, anti arthritic, alzheimer's, parkinson's, epilepsy, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti cancer, anti gastric ulcer, etc etc. Rhodeola Rosea - anti-anxiety, anti-stress, anti-depressant, anti-fatigue, energisin So here's the stack with dosing suggestions: Noopept 10-30 mg once or twice a day (1.5-3 months on. 1 month off). The cycling is to reduce receptor downregulation. Alpha GPC 600mg-1g / day (A more proximal precursor of Choline, and cheaper than CDP Choline). Ashwagandha 500 mg - 1.5g (once daily or spl Rhodeola Rosea Lion's mane 500 mg twice daily Bacopa 500 mg - 1g AM

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moll31· 1d ago

Good info in this thread. I'll certainly be trying some of these herbs as I combat caffeine withdrawal and adrenal repair. That damn cup of jo has had a stranglehold on me for far too long and I've always caved in after a few days into a kick. My plan for now is to stack Ashwagandha, Gotu Kola and Schizandra Berry and also include a quality juice to start my day. I am all ears if anyone has experience kicking a long-standing caffeine habit. When the adrenals are shot it can be a real sonuvabitch!

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rusticotter· 1d ago

I know of a bit of a cult following of folks who have kicked by substituting Dandy Blend... https://www.dandyblend.com/ Also of quality and taste is Tecchino but I don't know of folks that have used it to quit Caffeine, it seems Dandy Blend is more medicinal. For me it also really energizes me. I drank lots of Ilex Guayusa, Yerba Mate, and Cacao so I personally can't speak on caffeine addiction. I can say I was able to break a long term coffee addiction I had with Kambo. When I did the 3x in 3 hours it reset me in many ways and that was one of them. Since then I can drink coffee (usually one time per week) and have no other cravings.

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moll31· 1d ago

Thanks for the reply KP, if you don't mind me still calling you that. There is a K and a P in Kampum...so there! My sis just recently gave me some roasted dandelion root and much to my surprise it really resembled coffee in every way and was quite enjoyable to taste and pleasantly aromatic as well. I enjoyed it, but 20 minutes later I was pouting because I wanted that damn upliftment that a good cup of coffee gives. Unfortunately, substitutes don't work very well for me since it leaves an even stronger desire for the real thing. I can be pretty weak in that way. As for Kambo, sometimes I forget that these things are even in my arsenal. Last time for me was about 2 months ago and I pretty much swore it off because it was so damn excrutiating. Really though, I'll be using it again....it's just that last year when in desperation it was a heck of a lot easier to grind out a kambo session. 3x in 3 hours, shit I remember thinking about that toward the end of my last session and basically wondered how anyone could muster the warrior strength or insanity to endure such a thing! In an effort to repair the adrenals, immunity, liver and all that, I will definitely bring kambo in as well as castor oil packs, which have worked very effectively for me in the past....but I was never persistent with them. I am determined to keep moving toward a healthier state and I will try to do my best at sharing any of my successes and asking questions along the way. In the 12-step programs you will commonly hear people talk about staying in the middle of the boat. I often feel like I should get closer to the middle of the boat here on this forum considering all of the wonderful knowledge shared along with the unparalleled empathy and enthusiasm for healing.

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