What's the Best Nootropic Supplement To Make Me Smart?

Correct us if you're not in this boat: you saw Limitless and now you want the best nootropic brain booster – the one that can boost your focus, resilience, memory and, we'll say it, make you more intelligent.

Well, assuming you're into quick answers, as most people are these days, from our experience, Brain Pill is the way to go. Yes, if you take Brain Pill, you should focus better, lower stress and, we're going to say it, increase your cognitive function to go with it.

Now, assuming you want us to explain how we reached that conclusion, that's going to take longer. Want to learn more about these so-called 'smart pills' and what to expect from the best nootropic for your money? Pull up a chair and get comfortable.

What Is a Nootropic?

A nootropic is a substance, be it synthetic or natural, that helps increase cognitive function. Yes, they do exist, despite the creative license Hollywood took in some film released in 2011 starring Bradley Cooper that we shan't mention again because it's clearly run its course.

Still, it does raise an interesting premise. Would you be surprised to learn that caffeine is a nootropic? And while it won't help you learn the Italian language in 20 minutes or make millions on the stock market in just two weeks with little capital, a nootropic can certainly help your focus, sharpen your memory, lower your stress levels and, yup, even boost your cognitive function.

When we say 'cognitive function', we mean your brain's ability to think, work with and manipulate information. In short, we mean it 'makes you smart' – just like that nootropic called NZT-48, although nowhere near that level of efficacy.

If you've seen the film, that's probably a good thing.

What a Nootropic Won't Do

Before we get into the best nootropics in greater detail, it's important to clarify exactly what a nootropic does – and just as importantly, what it will not do. The latter includes:

Tap the 90% Unused Part of Your Brain
– There's a reason why even the best nootropics won't unlock the 90% of your brain that you 'don't use'. That reason is because, well, the 'you only use about 10% of your brain' myth has been debunked repeatedly.

While you may not consciously use all your brain power at any given time, your brain is always working in some capacity. It's the operating system that keeps you going – whether you know it or not.

Give You a Four Digit IQ
– Here's another common misconception, and something even the best nootropics won't do. A nootropic will not give you a four digit IQ, which means, unfortunately, you're not gonna make $2 Million on the stock market in two weeks.

With that said, a good nootropic should help boost your working memory, which some neurologists argue is a much better gauge of true intelligence than IQ. We'll get to that later.

Help You Remember Everything You've Ever Seen
– Remember that scene in that film where Eddie Morra (OK, Bradley Cooper) fights off a group of thugs on the New York subway when he remembers a fighting technique he once saw on TV that basically turns him into Bruce Lee?

Indeed, there are a very few documented cases of people who remember everything they've ever seen, read and generally done, it's extremely rare. And more over, it's torture. Imagine, remembering every single thing that ever happened to you from birth. Not being able to forget that phone number, what that person was wearing, what you said that one time, and the other time, and the other time...

You get the idea.

Instantly Make You a Genius – Brainpower is like muscle. You're born with some, and the more you use it, generally speaking, the more efficient it gets. That means you're not going to learn a new language in 20 minutes. But...a good nootropic can certainly make it easier to learn a new language with time and practice.

Help You Destroy the Stock Market
– News flash: the market is smarter than you. Sorry, but it's true. We're not saying you can't make money in the stock market. But we are saying even Warren Buffett himself would have a hard time finding an algorithm no one else can spot and parlaying that into two million bucks with zero losses in two weeks.

What a Nootropic Can Do

OK, that was a reality check. Now, with that out of the way, let's talk about what the best nootropics can really accomplish, and what you can expect when you put a product like Brain Pill in your life.

Sharpen Your Memory
– Remember what we said about IQ being outdated? IQ is static. It's not nimble and it doesn't adapt readily or say anything about your ability to use that intelligence. Want a better measure of true intelligence? Here's a hint: it's your memory, and your short-term 'working' memory in particular.

Think of your short-term memory like the memory chip in your computer, smart phone or tablet. Among other things, it governs your cognitive function, learning capacity, memory retention and your ability to work with information.

Want to know how smart you really are? Sharpen your memory – something the best nootropics should definitely help.

Boost Your Cognitive Function –
This stems from the previous point. Your working memory assists with your overall cognitive function. The sharper your memory, the better your cognitive skills. In other words, if your memory is sharp, you get more intelligent. There is no tippy-toeing around that one.

Help You Focus Better
– A nootropic should help you tune out distractions and focus better.

Be More Productive
– Nootropics are popular among students. The best nootropics should also be of interest if you're a career worker who needs to be more productive – and who doesn't?

Learn New Skills
– A good nootropic supplement should sharpen your memory. You know what that means – you can totally kill it at Jeopardy! OK, and you've also got a good shot at picking up new skills as well. Granted, you've got to put effort into it, but you may find a nootropic makes it easier to learn new skills than if you were not taking a supplement at all.

To summarize, a nootropic should help sharpen your memory and the cognitive skills linked to it, including new skill acquisition, focus, resilience, lower stress and greater overall cognitive function.

Will the best nootropics put you in NZT-48 territory? Nope – but given how that worked out in the film, that's probably fine.
What Are The Best Nootropic Ingredients?

A nootropic can be any substance that helps to boost brain performance. This might be something as simple as coffee, a nutrient like Phosphatidyl Serine, a prescription drug, like Ritalin or Brain Pill – a natural cognitive booster that we've already discussed.

Each of these ingredients and substances bring cognitive benefits that put them among the best nootropics. Yet, while these have merit, we're not huge on prescription nootropics and prefer the natural route. With that in mind, some of the best natural nootropics include:

L Theanine

This is an amino acid found in tea that can help you seriously chill out without being drowsy. Studies show that taking just 50 grams of Theanine, which is about what you would get in your average tea cup, can increase alpha waves. Why is that important? Alpa waves are linked to creativity.

Bacopa Monnieri

Bacopa Monnieri is an herb commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine. If you want your brain to work faster, this is your nutrient. Bacopa Monnieri is linked to faster information processing, shorter reaction times and sharp memory.

You can thank several active compounds in Bacopa Monnieri for that, called bacosides, which appear to reduce oxidative stress in the brain and sharpen the functioning of the hippocampus – the part of the brain that processes memory.

You may not feel the full benefits of Bacopa Monnieri right away. Slow and steady wins the race among some of the best nootropics, and to really put this nutrient to work, you'll want to use it for several months at least.

Gingko Biloba

Wait, Gingko Biloba – isn't that an aphrodisiac?

Well yes, Ginkgo does help blood flow throughout the body, including to the genitals. But Ginkgo Biloba is also one of the best nootropics out there and is shown to sharpen memory and processing skills in healthy adults when taken each day for six weeks.

The Chinese herb is also linked to lower blood pressure and a decrease in Cortisol – the stress hormone – when taken before a stressful event.

You may want to speak with a doctor before using Ginkgo Biloba, especially if you're currently on some form of medication, as it clearly has an effect on blood flow and blood pressure as well. Still, if you're looking for the best nootropic, Ginkgo Biloba is definitely a contender.

Brain Pill: Our Pick For the Best Nootropic Supplement

We've covered a lot of ground here in our discussion about the best nootropics. We've clarified what a nootropic is, what it does – and what it won't – and some of the best natural cognitive boosters for your money.

Assuming you want an easy way to put this all together, all roads from here lead to Brain Pill, our pick for the best nootropic supplement. Here's why we like it.

Uses:

  • Sharpens Working Memory
  • Helps With Focus
  • Enhances Cognitive Function
  • Reduces Brain Fog
  • Helps With Faster Recall
  • Boosts Learning Ability

Brain Pill is a natural cognitive booster that does something we really like: it's designed with natural ingredients to help sharpen working memory. And you know what that means.
Why It's The Best

So how does Brain Pill rise to the top of our best nootropic list among a sea of competition? It starts with the formula. Brain Pill has each of the nootropics we've talked about – L Theanine, Bacopa Monnieri and Ginkgo Biloba – along with others, including Vinpocetine and Phosphatidyl Serine, that help round out a formula that's going to have a profound impact on your short term memory and the functions it governs.

The fact alone that Brain Pill helps memory should be on your radar. Some of these nootropics may have a protective effect on memory, which tends to decrease over time.

Not to put the fear of God into you, but you're at higher risk of dementia after 65. And once you go there, you don't come back.

We also like how relevant the product is for most people. Rather than the 'boost your IQ' angle, Brain Pill sharpens memory, and in doing so, increases resilience to stress, along with better focus, ability to learn new skills faster and, of course overall cognitive function.

This makes Brain Pill good for:

Students – Who need to focus on exams and lower stress (exams are stressful!)

Workers – Want to be more productive and shine at work – and collect the financial rewards of the person who gets stuff done?

Adults – As we've discussed, your risk of memory problems goes up once you're over 60. Brain Pill's formula may have a protective effect.

Finally, we like the fact that Brain Pill is endorsed by Dr. Dave David, a medical correspondent seen on CNN and Fox News, among other places. Yes, we agree that he's probably paid to say nice things about the product, but it also says something about the product – no doctor wants to put their name behind a product that sucks for fear of what it could do to their reputation.

You see where we're going with this.

If you want the best nootropic, look for L Theanine, Barcopa Monnieri and Ginkgo Biloba – preferably in a single supplement. We like how Brain Pill blends them together in a formula that can boost your cognitive function and – dare we say it? - make you that productive and intelligent person biology wants you to be.

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