Someday we may be able to improve our IQ with modern biotechnology. There are already many supplements available today to increase memory and boost your intelligence. By supplementing with a certain group of drugs known as nootropics, you may experience some noticeable improvements to your memory, learning abilities, mental clarity, and mood.
Also, it is crucial that you do not blindly go ahead and start consuming all of these brain enhancement supplements at once. By combining two or more of these supplements, you risk creating a cocktail effect in which the benefits may not work, and you might actually start to feel worse.
Here is the list of top ten supplements to increase memory and help increase your IQ level.
1. Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo Biloba is a unique tree native to China that has no relatives and is considered a living fossil. Extraction of Ginkgo leaves contains terpenoids and flavonoid glycosides that are renowned for their benefits, which including their ability to improve concentration and memory power.
Recently it has proved to help dementia patients. It can improve the speed of attention factors in adults, which peaks about 2.5 hours after intake. Other cognitive benefits include increased attention, faster memorization speed, and improved quality of memory.
2. Creatine
Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid that occurs naturally in animals and is quickly becoming a popular supplement. It not only builds muscle power but has also been shown to improve memory and attention span. Researchers have discovered that it plays a very important role in brain energy homeostasis. It acts as a buffer for cytosolic and mitochondrial pools of cellular energy.
3. Caffeine + L-theanine
Studies show that caffeine doesn’t usually improve performance in learning and memory tasks, though its stimulant properties may occasionally have beneficial effects on cognitive performance and mood. When consumed in combination with L-theanine, a common amino acid found in green tea, it does create more long-lasting and beneficial effects, including a boost to working memory, rapid visual information processing, and especially attention switching.
4. Omega-3 fatty acids
They are the compound that is found in fish oil and can be consumed directly via fish oil pills. It has been a brain food for a long time now and is increasingly being used as a dietary supplement to remove neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. And the recent study published in PLOS has shown that the same brain-boosting effects can also work for perfectly healthy adults. Benefits of Omega-3 DHA/EPA include an improved ability to focus, and it acts as a mood enhancer. In terms of dosage, about 1,200 mg to 2,400 mg per day should suffice (about 1-2 fish oil pills).
5. Dark Chocolate (Flavanols)
Dark chocolate also is known as cocoas found in chocolate, contains flavanols, a phytochemical which has cognitive-enhancing effects. It works through the action of antioxidant molecules that stimulates brain perfusion and an array of other neurological processes in regions that involve learning and memory. Even though it is not as powerful as some of the other supplements listed here, dark chocolate is readily accessible and a treat to eat.
6. Panax Ginseng (Asian Ginseng)
Panax ginseng has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years, is an amazing supplement that can be used to improve working memory, attention, calmness, mood, and even reduce fatigue. It’s a slow-growing perennial with fleshy roots that can decrease fasted blood-glucose levels and modulate cognitive performance in healthy adults.
7. Spanish Sage (Salvia lavandulifolia)
It is found mostly in southern France. It is an aromatic herb that boosts acetylcholine function. Studies have shown that it can help in enhancing memory and mood in healthy young adults, as well as having benefits for those with Alzheimer’s. Spanish sage has other beneficial attributes, which include anxiolytic (calming), antioxidant, estrogenic, anti-depressive, and anti-inflammatory properties.
8. Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola Rosea is used to improve cognition and memory, but it mostly useful during fatigue and anxiety. It is a plant that thrives in colder climates, including arctic regions, and it has beneficial phytochemicals that northern folks in Russia and Scandinavia have been taking advantage of for years. Studies have shown that Rhodiola Rosea can improve a person’s overall level of mental and stress-induced fatigue and complex perceptive and cerebral functions.
9. Bacopa Monnieri
It is mostly found in northern India. It is a perennial creeping herb that has been used for centuries to enhance memory, learning, and overall cognitive performance. The active ingredients responsible for these effects include sulfhydryl and polyphenol, compounds which lessen the oxidative stress.
10. Piracetam + Choline
This combination is probably the most popular stack used by nootropic users. Piracetam is also known as Lucetam, which works by improving the functioning of transmitters and receptors. Even though primarily prescribed by doctors for people suffering from Alzheimer’s, depression, and even schizophrenia, it is used off-label by healthy adults as a way to boost acetylcholine function that is an important neurotransmitter. But to experience its benefits, which include increased mental clarity, spatial memory, and an overall boost in brain functioning, choline needs to be ingested along with it.
Choline, as a water-soluble essential nutrient, works with the Piracetam and is often used to prevent headaches that are sometimes associated with its use. An effective dose would be 300 mg of Piracetam plus 300 mg of Choline three times per day (about every four hours or so). Those willing to step it up a bit can also try the Focus XT + Piracetam stack. And interestingly, Piracetam is a popular supplement in the subculture of lucid dreaming.