What is a nootropic?

What is a nootropic? What are nootropics?

Recently you might have heard the term nootropic being used. It is a word that refers to any substance which enhances cognition and memory, helping with learning.

A nootropic is not a “smart drug,” although notoriously badged with this title, but rather it is a tool that activates the brain's potential to do more mental work and come up with new ideas.

Nootropics refer to any substance that improves cognitive function. The term was originally used among synthetic substances but is now being used more broadly by users of dietary supplements.

Examples of nootropics include caffeine, nicotine, Ashwagandha or L-theanine.

A history lesson in Nootropics

Derived from two Greek words, "nous" meaning to bend the mind and "tropein" meaning to turn it, nootropics are substances designed around improving cognitive function.

Nootropics are not new, as Romanian chemist and psychologist Dr. Corneliu Giurgea coined the term decades ago. The story goes that he was trying to invent a sleeping pill but wound up instead with a substance he called a nootropic - piracetam.

The original conditions and specifications of a nootropic in the eyes of Dr. Corneliu was to do the following things:

Improve memory
Improve behaviour under conditions of stress
Shield the brain from injury by physical or chemical means
Improves mental capacity
Demonstrate a low toxicity and side effect profile

Who uses nootropics?

The type of people that take nootropics are varied. There are students, entrepreneurs, athletes and even people who just want to have more energy during the day.

Nootropics are very effective at helping people navigate through stress, they can be calming, they can reduce brain fog, improve memory recall and give you a sense of drive or what some people describe as a "flow-state" that can last right through the day. It's not surprising why nootropics have become so popular.

What nootropics are in Simply Nootropics Elevate and why?

Our research and development team which includes neuroscientists and natural health leaders, identified 20 evidence back nootropics that support multiple brain pathways and provide the right nutrition to the brain. The formula includes ingredients such as antioxidants, herbs and enzymes that are all equally a nootropic by themself.

By creating what we call a "nootropics stack" we are able to improve multiple cognitive functions, enhancing multiple brain pathways, energy metabolism, neuroregeneration, neurotransmitters, neuroprotection, cerebral circulation, and brain waves. We optimise towards short term and long term brain health.

The ingredients that can be found in Elevate include:

What is the benefit of a nootropics stack over one singular nootropics ingredient I can get from the chemist?

The benefits of taking a nootropics stack is largely due to the synergistic effects between different ingredients.

A single ingredient may be great for focus, but not as effective when it comes to memory recall or creativity - whilst combining two complimentary ingredients in one dose can have an equal if not better effect than one singular ingredient alone.

Every ingredient counts when it comes to your brain’s performance

We've done our research, which means everything in our capsules has a purpose. Working with experts, we've created meaningful doses of high quality, natural ingredients.

What other things can you do to improve the impact of nootropics?

There is a lot you can do to improve the impact of nootropics. One thing in particular that has been shown to be very helpful is getting enough quality sleep and exercise, which will help ease stress levels and allow your brain more time for renewal.

You may also benefit from trying some other natural remedies such as regular socialization with friends, family or co-workers (which can promote healthy emotional responses), meditation/mindfulness practices (which have been shown to increase focus) or even thermogenesis through cold showers.

The core focus should be to take nootropics whilst living a health lifestyle, to maximise the effects and impact they can have on your brain and mindset.