What do you guys think of ginkgo? worth it? effective?
It sounds like it effects blood flow in brain similar to vinpo.
[quote]InTheZone wrote:
What would someone recommend for taking supps for this, as far as supp timing/scheduled dosing etc…
Classes are on Tues/Thurs nights from 5:30-10:30 I believe…so I don’t want to “overstim” before class, but I am a geezer so wtf? lol…
Seriously any help would be appreciated.
p.s. there was a period of moderate/heavy pot smoking in the earlier years which isn’t helping the short term memory banks at all…can you relate??
thanks,ToneBone[/quote]
Unforunately, there is no brain pill, just like there is no lung pill you can take to reverse the effects of smoking. Neurogenesis in people your age, while it still occurs, is very impaired in that most of the newly formed neurons die quickly. You have compounded your problem by engaging in marijuana use during some of your brain’s formative years, especially since marijuana mostly affects areas for memory formation and retention.
You made some poor choices. What a bad deal. All you can do now is do the best you can with what you have. No pill is doing to do what you seek.
It was only a matter of time before some gunslinger came saddling in with them fightin’ words. heeeheee…okay, who first?
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
And in comes a new poster.
He appears to be riding a high horse!
Bushy[/quote]
Yeah no shit he’s riding himself into intellect heaven.
For your info tanazaki or whatever the hell, I have been doing great with the supps that I've been taking thanks to guys posting here...According to you I shouldn't be able to tie my shoes let alone make any progress cognitively....what a joke...
How's a perfect 100 on my latest lecture exam in Anatomy sound bonehead? Doesn't sound like what you predicted in your "big brain" mode now does it? You're doing a lot of talk about neurons and seem like you want to prove how intelligent you are to folks here...well, actually you did the opposite in my opinion. You are way off track and should go blow your horn somewhere else where people might listen to your massive intelligence more closely...we ignorant peeps will stick to what the real world results say, not your witless babbling.
"You made some poor choices, what a bad deal"...NO YOU made a bad choice by coming here and trying to convince the real smart people who have been posting here of your superior knowledge of all things Cerebral..
You aren't the end all of brain studies despite what you obviously think of yourself studmuffin.
[quote]Brant_Drake wrote:
http://www.smart-drugs.com/smartdrugs-page.htm
Prices seem decent. Any thoughts about the “Get smart” formula?[/quote]
I tried the Get Smart formula two years ago. It’s changed from their original formula, which was released a few more years back. Each capsule contains:
Vinpocetine 10mg
Centrophenoxine 250mg
Pyritinol 200mg
Picamilon 100mg
Aniracetam 200mg
Oxiracetam 50mg
Idebenone 10mg
Galantamine 300mcg
Huperzine A 100mcg
They even threw in a free bottle of Piracetam as well, which was an unexpected bonus.
It contains a good amount of centro, but the other active ingredients in small amounts. I think it’s meant to have a synergistic effect.
I found that I got a bit overstimulated on the stack and could not sleep if I took it with Piracetam, but if I took it on its own, honestly I didn’t notice much difference. Well, I have to admit that while I didn’t feel any immediate effect - I did ace a couple of tests and quizzes at university while I was on it.
Hey folks, I am taking Vinpocetine (Vitamin Shoppe 10 mg.). The bottle says I should take it with food ‘preferably’. Any insight will help, thanks.
(Not sure if this was already mentioned)
Meditation really works.
Just sit some where quiet, relax the body and follow the breath in and out(breathe naturally) i.e. focus your mind on breathing. Do this for
5-10 minutes at first.
Hope this helps.
There’s also a non-drug technology, called binaural beat meditation.
The main two developers of this technology are Holosync and Hemi-Sync. Basically they are special CDs that you listen to while you meditate, which is said to stimulate the creation of new neural pathways between the right and left hemispheres of your brain, balancing your brain and leading you to a high-performance state scientists call “whole brain functioning”.
“Holosync’s ability to increase synchronous neuro-electrical activity between the two hemispheres of the brain, and it’s ability to drive the nervous system to higher levels of functioning over time, naturally brings with it the potential for some remarkable improvements in cognitive functioning. Learning ability, creativity, problem solving ability, focus and concentration, memory, and intuition are among the areas typically showing improvement.”
I haven’t tried it before, because it’s a bit costly. But I’ve always wanted to try binaural beat meditation WITH nootropics. Imagine [b]that[/b]…
I always thought, using both binaural beat meditation and nootropics together, achieving this higher level of brain functioning far beyond that which people use every day, one could probably turn into some kind of super-genius!
[quote]JohnnyBlaze wrote:
There’s also a non-drug technology, called binaural beat meditation.
The main two developers of this technology are Holosync and Hemi-Sync. Basically they are special CDs that you listen to while you meditate, which is said to stimulate the creation of new neural pathways between the right and left hemispheres of your brain, balancing your brain and leading you to a high-performance state scientists call “whole brain functioning”.
“Holosync’s ability to increase synchronous neuro-electrical activity between the two hemispheres of the brain, and it’s ability to drive the nervous system to higher levels of functioning over time, naturally brings with it the potential for some remarkable improvements in cognitive functioning. Learning ability, creativity, problem solving ability, focus and concentration, memory, and intuition are among the areas typically showing improvement.”
I haven’t tried it before, because it’s a bit costly. But I’ve always wanted to try binaural beat meditation WITH nootropics. Imagine [b]that[/b]…
I always thought, using both binaural beat meditation and nootropics together, achieving this higher level of brain functioning far beyond that which people use every day, one could probably turn into some kind of super-genius! [/quote]
Check out the immrama insititute - even better technology (I’ve tried holosync too) and much cheaper. Also, I’m going to look into Isochronic Tones which are even more cutting edge. Anyway, yeah, it’s a pretty phenomenal technology imo.
EDIT: actually, the more I look into Isochronic Tones, the more of a scam it seems to be.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Shire wrote:
(Not sure if this was already mentioned)
Meditation really works.
Just sit some where quiet, relax the body and follow the breath in and out(breathe naturally) i.e. focus your mind on breathing. Do this for
5-10 minutes at first.
Hope this helps.
I do this before every single exam, even the ones I feel confident about.
It is a priceless way to relax the mind/body connection and prevent adrenaline/cortisol from ruining your cognitive process.
I use the ‘breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth’, deep diaphragmatic approach, ‘seeing’ my breath as it enters my nose and then exits the mouth.
Bushy[/quote]
That’s v.similar to what I do, except I just breathe naturally(spontaneously).
Don’t want to sound like a weirdo, but Genuine Yoga or Chi Kung works too. I’ve practiced Shaolin Chi King for little more than a year now and have seen the clear improvement in my studies at School(studying for an Economics Degree).
Best of luck.
[quote]Shire wrote:
bushidobadboy wrote:
Shire wrote:
(Not sure if this was already mentioned)
Meditation really works.
Just sit some where quiet, relax the body and follow the breath in and out(breathe naturally) i.e. focus your mind on breathing. Do this for
5-10 minutes at first.
Hope this helps.
I do this before every single exam, even the ones I feel confident about.
It is a priceless way to relax the mind/body connection and prevent adrenaline/cortisol from ruining your cognitive process.
I use the ‘breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth’, deep diaphragmatic approach, ‘seeing’ my breath as it enters my nose and then exits the mouth.
Bushy
That’s v.similar to what I do, except I just breathe naturally(spontaneously).
Don’t want to sound like a weirdo, but Genuine Yoga or Chi Kung works too. I’ve practiced Shaolin Chi King for little more than a year now and have seen the clear improvement in my studies at School(studying for an Economics Degree).
Best of luck.[/quote]
I love where this thread is going these days!:)
Fantastic stuff guys!
Tonebone
Has anyone tried Phosphatidylserine ? I tried it last year for a bit, but did not notice much. I don’t know if I gave it enough of a chance.
Have had success with rhodiola rosea. Helps with fatigue - in lectures and studying, reading, etc. Find it gives me a mood boost. Taking it daily makes it less effective.
From the literature on it, 6 weeks of daily dose makes it ineffective. If you take it daily, only need about 200 mg standardised to 3 % rosavins and 1% salidroside.
Funny, I found SISU carries this at 1/3rd the price of NOW foods at the place I go to get my junk. But it has no salidrosides. Makes me leery to take it. I pay about 18 dollars canadian for 60 pills @ 500mg, 3% and 1% standardization. I use it say… Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Very affordable. Bottle says to take up to two per day, but from the literature, that’s not really useful. In fact, if I were to take it daily for a time, I’d dump the pill out and use only half at a time.
Single doses are effective, but require higher doses. I remember reading 500 mg, but it didn’t clarify what standardization.
Supposed to be felt 30 minutes after ingestion, and last at least 4-6 hours.
There is also a mention of “S. chinensis” and “E. senticosus” as effective for single dose, in the context of being adaptogens.
Go to Wiley Interscience (or Scopus) and search for “REVIEW ARTICLE
Stimulating Effect of Adaptogens: An Overview
with Particular Reference to their Efficacy
following Single Dose Administration”
for a comparison of the chinensis and senticosus and rhodiola as adaptogens.
In regards to my reference of dosing, that comes from, “Alternative Medecine Review” - Volume 7, Number 5, 2002. For some reason my saved PDF hasn’t the same info as the others. There’s no title.
L-Theanine? It’s found in tea. Particularly green tea. Good stuff coming from this, in literature. Some of you guys have university library access to e-resources. See if you can find an e-journal, or e-index called scopus. Best one for substances, supplements, imo.
Through this index, I found… http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713645878
“Nutritional Neuroscience
An International Journal on Nutrition, Diet and
Nervous System”
Title of the actual work in question is, “Effects of theanine, r-glutamylethylamide, on
neurotransmitter release and its relationship with
glutamic acid neurotransmission”
Suggests thre is benefit for, in my words, “general mental stuff” there. It’s a mix of human and rat data.
You can also get L-Theanine as a supplement.
I’m not sure on dosing strategies, here. I simply drink green tea - and not daily.
Anyone try Blueberries?
I saw this guy in lecture a few years ago. Went with a friend Specializing in Human Bio.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=2914
James Joseph. Has promising studies on rats and blueberries. Specifically blueberries allow for more regeneration of new brain cells and help learning new tasks. Only concern my friend had was for the selection criteria for rats in both groups not being stated as being equal or unequal. Other foods high in antioxidants did not have the same effect as blueberries. You can get em frozen at Costco for cheap, with other berries. I’m not aware they sell frozen blueberry alone.
One area to consider is caloric restriction. And intermittent fasting. There is some evidence that IF provides some of the benefits of CR. I do it every here and then.
epitome.
I picked up Vinpocetine today. Swear I got something out of it, 10mg first time use. Took with food. Sisu brand (I should start ordering online, but the thought of ordering supplements from online is foreign to me). Dunno if it’s placebo. Friend recommended it to me, and with this thread, had to try it.
I’ll repot back how it goes. This is one of those you gotta keep on using, it seems. I’ll still take an off day, once a week.
Tomorrow and onwards, will try 20 mg daily.
epitome.
Other things to consider are…
When you are sick, you can’t fucking study or do shit. So anything that keeps you from getting sick keeps you from a week of lousy studies and shitty retention from classes.
Manage stress. I see meditating has been mentioned here. Time management is important, and not spreading yourself out thin.
Sleep. Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride, 25 mg is what helps me sleep. Take it regular and it’s less effective from my experience on it. Melatonin? I take it here and there. Not sure about it’s safety. ZMA before bed? Cheap, so I do it. At the least, it’s an inexpensive placebo effect.
Can’t be forgetting basics like the above.
One BIG thing that helps you with life, is realizing that others think what you think of them WAY mroe than they think of you.
Like, before you go to bed, after a party and you lie down on a pillow, you go and think of what others thought of you. And they do the same.
Same with, I’m picking up a chick, and she tells me, you’re weird. Now, why the fuck is she talking with me if I’m a weirdo? Ain’t the case that I am.
It’s more a matter that she’s trying to impress me by calling me a weirdo. She wants to make me think that she is an authority on what is and isn’t weird, as well as that she isn’t wierd herself. Thus, she is seeking validation from me. Twisted, isn’t it?
Same token, you walk down the street and a guy makes hard eye contact with you like he’s a tough guy. Fucking ignore it. Guy is more concerned with what you think of him, as “macho”. You not giving a fuck says wonders about your self esteem and not letting this petty shit bother you.
People live thier lives seeking validation in these twisted ways, and when you see that this is what we do, a HUGE motivator for us is what do others think of me, I want to be thought well of. So much so, that a guy won’t fuck a chick his friends rag on, but she turns him on. It’s a primary motivator in life, and realizing it for something we all engage in and therefore pointless, as something you and I are prone to, also, you can stop this shit and not get all fuddled in your head, or have a racing and unrelaxed mind, and your happiness can go up and your stress down. Helps do better in school and enjoy life.
And in that example, where the guys buddies rag on the girl he wants to fuck? Same token, there. Making it seem like they fuck hotter women and to put you down to put themselves up in your eyes. Twisted.
BTW, Anyone have any opinions on L-Theanine? Green Tea? On the Blueberry studies linked above?
epitome.
Well just thought I'd report how things have worked for me since starting this thread months ago..
In the past month I have taken two exams in Anatomy, and a quiz..I got 100% on one of the exams, missed two on the other, and got another 100% on the quiz.
I have felt the increase in focus and cognitive function, and also much improved short term memory.
Here is what I have been taking regularly, although ONLY in the sense of pre-studying at home, and pre-class. I had to make that choice due to financial status only.
Vinpocetine: one pre study, two pre class, or one and one respectively if it’s a school day and am studying at home before class.
Oxiracetam: 400-800mg pre class always, and the same before studying. If it’s a school day I may only take 800-900 before, if no school, I’ll go with 400mg before studying. This one can cause some mild side effects similar to a regular stimulant in my opinion, though not too bad.
Mind Power:(PhysicianFormulas.com) a synergistic blend of many things including the vinpo at lower doses. This I usually take one pre-studying, pre-class.
I always incorporate 5mg creatine, and toss down a choline bitartrate as well with the aforementioned.
So much for the high horse rider telling me I made poor choices and may as well throw in the towel...
Don't think so.
I've been doing great, best ever since I was a young lad, when I had all my brain cells intact and healthy. I rest my case. Bushy guided me well with his firsthand experience and knowledge of the supplements and nootropics I have been using. He is the man to go to.
So, thank you Bushidobadass! I worked hard but wouldn't have done this well without the help.
ToneBone
I know modafinil + ativan before my tests helps a lot.