This article sucks, and is basically marketing for the new wave of nootropic companies. I think nootropic use is an issue that will enter the societal conversation relatively soon, but it's important to note that for the most part, the younger generation has already gone half-in on nootropic use-- while many were non-consensually plied with nootropics by their parents/teachers to increase their productivity, nearly all have experimented with nootropics to some degree on their own, even if it's just with coffee. I am of the opinion that a good place for us to land would be the removal of any and all limits on what a person is allowed to consume in the name of self-modification, so long as it doesn't hurt anyone other than the user. In practice, most nootropics are whitemarket or greymarket, with a number of notable entries being prescription-only.<p>Nootropics are for everyone, and always have been due to the fact that having greater cognitive ability is a large factor in success at most tasks.<p>Coffee (caffeine) is the most consumed nootropic in the history of the planet, and is probably the safest. There are probably a number of other equally useful yet harmless compounds out there that are ripe for discovery, but I wouldn't exactly put my money on the options that this article suggests.<p>I've experimented with nootropics extensively, and here are some of my findings:<p>1. Piracetam makes me very spacey and distant<p>2. Modafinil is good for staying awake without jitters, but otherwise useless<p>3. Adderall is too stimulative and leads to jittery, coked-out thoughts<p>4. Caffeine is a winner<p>5. Weed improves creativity but makes tracing the logical steps of your thoughts more difficult<p>6. Fish oil helps reduce skin dryness but nothing else that is detectable
What a terrible article. It takes all the interesting parts regarding psychonaut exploration / mind expansion, frames it in "revolutionary" terms because of an association with technology, and ends with the banal conclusion of "More research in this field is necessary." Could get about a B in a high school English class though.<p>Citing Reddit is interesting, if there wasn't something called Erowid that was trying to do research / public service for years and years and years...there's some great potential in learning more about the mind and the substances that can enhance talents or treat issues, but I'm inherently skeptical that the VC/SV environment is to be trusted with that kind of "disruption." Can't even re-invent the taxi service without protocols to prevent kidnapping and/or trust the leadership not to race-to-the-bottom by digging up dirt on critics. Yeah, anecdotal, but relevant to my trust factor.
This user submitted for the same company 2 days ago[1] and was subsequently flag-killed, it's no surprised that they sponsored to write this article for TechCrunch as well.<p>Their product is Bacopa + L-Theanine + Caffeine, which other than the caffeine, shows little nootropic properties. L-Theanine has only been weakly shown to relax people, and has had no scientific consensus that it improves attention.[2] Bacopa has only 1 study citing any enhancements from attention, but those people had ADD; the only positive was a majority consensus that bacopa enhanced memory, but required significant (4-6 weeks) dosage in order to see measurable results.[3]<p>[1] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9028594" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9028594</a><p>[2] <a href="http://examine.com/supplements/Theanine/" rel="nofollow">http://examine.com/supplements/Theanine/</a><p>[3] <a href="http://examine.com/supplements/Bacopa+monnieri/" rel="nofollow">http://examine.com/supplements/Bacopa+monnieri/</a>
I remain unconvinced that Nootrobox's mixture of caffeine, green tea extract, and herbal supplements is anything more than an expensive stay-awake pill.
This is interesting. I've dabbled with nootropics for reducing anxiety and helping with sleep, and I've been rather pleased with the results. This is obviously anecdotal, and could well be a placebo, but frankly I don't care. Whether or not it "works" the effects have been positive for me.