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I Spent Over $10k Experimenting on Supplements So That You Don’t Have to

3 Mins Read

Last year I had a painful surgery. Lost 5 lbs. Felt tired and depressed.

I decided to overhaul my health, tried a wild amount of supplements. Some were probably dangerous 🤪☠️

But I feel happier & more energetic than ever.

A list of what worked for me and what didn’t👇

 

Worked: High quality nootropic blends

Qualia Mind by @theneurohacker and TianChi by @herbworks are both freaking amazing. They keep your mind calm and focused, and your mood steady.

I take both, which is overkill as they have common ingredients. If I were only allowed to take one to my Mars colony, I’d pick TianChi.

Didn’t work: Most other nootropic blends

If you search for “brain nootropic” on Amazon, you get 1000+ results.

I probably tried half of the top 10. Got nothing out of them.

Worked: L-Serine and Phosphatidylserine

Drugs that treat Parkinson and Alzheimer’s diseases are being marketed as brain supplements. This makes sense (mostly). You can benefit from things that improve the brain, whether you’re sick or not.

These two 👆 worked for me. But they are also ingredients in nootropic blends. And blends (at least the good ones) work better than singles.

Didn’t work: L-Theanine and most nootropic singles

Including alpha GPC, L-Tyrosine, uridine, etc. These are supposed to increase the supply of your neurotransmitters, among other things. None of them did anything for me.

Worked: Indirect adrenal support

Much of depression and brain atrophy is caused by stress— you worked your system too hard for too long.

Adrenal and thyroid supplements help with stamina and stress. So they benefit your brain and mood indirectly.

I had a Chinese herbalist prescribe me a custom blend for this. It worked well, but cost $800 a month.

Now I take Phytisone by @thornehealth. It works less well, but is way less expensive. Excellent value overall.

Didn’t work: Direct adrenal support

There are adrenal supplements made of bovine adrenal cortex. These made me wired up and restless like drinking a gallon of coffee 👎

Worked: Mushrooms

I drink a blend of lions mane, cordyceps, and reishi from @microingre, mixed with cocoa shells in the morning. I feel instantly calm and focused. Way better than coffee.

Worked: Beef liver

This is an unexpected winner, for stamina, energy, and eye health.

There are many manufacturers. The one from @AncestralSupps is excellent.

Didn’t work: Fish and shrimp oil

DHA, EPA, Astaxanthin— chemicals abundant in fish oil— are supposed to benefit brain health and mood. Didn’t do much for me and I have tried many brands.

I file these under the “vitamin” category— things that are vaguely nice but don’t solve any specific problem.

Worked: NAD boosters

NR and NMN boost your NAD+ level, which regulate your metabolism and repair cell damages. In other words, good for energy.

They are game changer for me. Highly recommend.

Didn’t work: Glutathione

Supposedly an important antioxidant. But I suspect the bioavailability is low if you take it in pill format. That’s why I didn’t get much out of it.

There are IV infusion and injection for it too that promise better absorption. I haven’t tried.

Not sure if working: Resveratrol, MCT oil, K2 / D3

Popular and hyped supplements. I take these regularly. But if they are doing anything, I surely don’t feel it. I file these under the “vitamin” category (see definition above).