THE FORUMS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutraceutical

Nutraceutical, a term combining the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”, is a food or food product that provides health and medical benefits. Such products may range from isolated nutrients and dietary supplements to specific diets to genetically engineered foods and herbal products. With recent developments in cellular-level nutraceutical agents, researchers, and medical practitioners are developing templates for integrating and assessing information from clinical studies on complimentary and alternative therapies into responsible medical practice. They act on your brain and change the way you feel. They make it so that you don't sit there bumbling around in your head. You're just smart enough to be right there with the appropriate thing to say.

Some of you are saying "cut the shit, tell me what to take, I don't want to learn all kinds of advanced nutritional concepts."  That's cool.  Leave.  You're going to have to do your own research.  Don't inject jenkum into your eye because some idiot on the internet told you to.  In fact, there are deliberate LIES in my article that will kill you if you accept my suggestions uncritically.  Now that you know they're there, you'll have to double check everything yourself.  (Lies are what I call sloppiness.)

Here are my recommendations for a beginner. These are the things that give you a temporary but immediate boost. In some sense it is almost like taking a shortcut in to a better state. On the other hand, they are natural.

Healthy:
SAMe
Theanine
Sulbutiamine
Adapton/Lion's Mane Mushroom

Potentially Dangerous:
Phenibut
Deprenyl + PEA

SAMe will give you energy, lift your spirits, and is a known antidepressant. It doesn't work for everyone, as will be explained later. But for the people it does work for, it has a very noticeable effect. SAMe will just make you feel better with more energy. I think this will help you be Mr. talkative energetic fun guy, not Mr. low state guy.

Theanine is an amino acid that is exclusively found in tea. Drinking green tea has a relaxing effect despite the fact that it has caffeine. This is because the caffeine is balanced out by theanine. Theanine was the supplement in Gatorade Focus, which was supposed to relax you and help you focus. You can find powdered theanine online. Theanine calms you. That's all there is to it. It's mentally soothing. You feel more relaxed. It reduces stress. This is a great thing to have in a social environment. Before you can be a little uptight and after you are just calm and feeling good.

Sulbutiamine is taken by athletes because it puts them "in the zone." Your mind quiets. It is a relaxed, focused, calm, unthinking, undistracted zone right in the middle of the most vigorous cardio exercise of your life. If you don't know what the zone is like, you're missing out on one of life's awesome experiences. You just melt in to the physicality of what you're doing becoming fully here and now.

Adapton is a bunch of fish oil polypeptides that are precursors to endorphins in your brain. It is relatively inexpensive to take two a day. A lot of people respond favorably to it. In three months, your calm brainwaves have tripled. Next, Lion's Mane mushroom has a different set of polypeptides that interact with Adapton. Don't buy the Lion's Mane in the store. That stuff is an extract for a different set of molecules. Buy Lion's Mane in bulk as discussed in this thread. Cap your own. Take 15 a day in the beginning. I am waiting for someone else to do this, but this is one of the best things that has happened to me since SAMe. It could very very well blow you away with a calm, weird good feeling.

Potentially dangerous:
Phenibut is a supplement with effects similar to alcohol. For a while I completely stopped drinking going out and took 2 grams of Phenibut. You relax. You become slightly more talkative. There is a mild euphoria. You're more positive. You just enjoy things more. It's like alcohol-lite, without the gross impairment. It isn't the strongest effect in the world, but it is noticeable.

Deprenyl + PEA is god's designer combination for being in state. PEA is known as the "natural amphetamine." Your body produces it naturally from phenylalanine. Part of the reason you feel better after you exercise and get the "runner's high" is because your body is producing more PEA. The problem with taking PEA is that your body metabolizes it very very fast. That's where Deprenyl comes in. Deprenyl comes in, finds the molecules responsible for breaking down PEA, and inhibits them. The PEA effect lasts hours. You're more energized. You're more relaxed. You have this natural energy that isn't too intense. It is also taken by athletes in order to enhance the quality of their workout by giving them more energy, more drive, and more focus. WATCH OUT. It can be nearly too intense. So start small, and don't say I didn't warn you. Always do your own research.

You don't have to be dangerous about Deprenyl, however. If you take two drops a week, it becomes an irreversible MAOI (you have to wait three months for your body to produce more MAO, because deprenyl forms a permanent lock and key for the MAO in your system.) This increases the catcholmine neurotransmitters and is an effective, non-toxic anti-depressant for people who don't respond to typical anti-depressants. SSRIs are for idiots anyway. You really think your problem is a lack of seretonin? Then take some 5-HTP and boost seretonin. Get this. A seretonin reuptake enhancer is JUST AS EFFECTIVE as an inhibitor. What's going on with these drugs is poorly understood.

Now to an article on advanced nutrition through nootropics. First, I will discuss methyl reactions. Second, hormones. Third, I will discuss the components of brain cell membranes. Fourth , I will address brain specific B vitamins. Fifth, I will discuss traditional herbs. Sixth, we'll talk long term brain plasticity. Seventh, activities that promote general intelligence. Eighth, we'll talk about GABA/glutamate and being more chill in a way you haven't experienced before and that shapes your perception and determines your experiences.

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First, methyl reactions.

I listed SAMe above because SAMe is a primary methyl donor. Methyl donors are molecules that have a methyl- group attached. They give up their methyl group to another molecule in a methyl reaction. Methyl reactions are very important to the brain. There are thousands of different methyl reactions. Among other things, methyl reactions convert the 21 essential amino acids into over 100 specific function amino acids. Methyl reactions are necessary to produce most of the neurotransmitters in your brain.

Some people are undermethylators. Undermethylators do not have enough methyl donors to feed all of the reactions their brain needs. Consequently, they have low levels of neurotransmitters in their brain. SAMe will produce a dramatic and immediate effect in someone who, like myself, is an undermethylator.

Some people are overmethylators. These people have an overabundance of methyl donors. These people will not benefit from SAMe.

Now, suppose you're taking SAMe and you like the effect it has on you. You need to also take methylcobalamin (vitamin B12) and methylfolate (vitamin B9) now too. Homocysteine is a stress hormone. Methylcobalamin and methylfolate are both necessary to convert homocysteine in to methionine. Methionine is then converted in the body to SAMe. You only had to take SAMe because your body wasn't producing enough of it naturally. SAMe is expensive, however. If you take methylcobalamin and methylfolate, your body should be able to produce enough SAMe on its own because homocysteine + methylfolate + methylcobalamin is the direct natural way to produce endogenous SAMe.

There is an added benefit to using methylfolate and methylcobalamin to produce endogenous SAMe. In addition to the total amount of SAMe available, your brain is also influenced by the balance between the stress hormone homocysteine and methionine as well as the balance between SAMe and the thing it breaks down in to SAM-homocysteine. When you take these two vitamins, you're converting the homocysteine in to methionine, which preserves the balance. You also make sure that SAM-homocysteine gets converted back to methionine, which preserves the balance. By taking these two vitamins, you're preserving the whole natural homocysteine-SAMe cycle, not just adding more SAMe to your system. However, taking SAMe is the most direct immediate way to increase the neurotransmitters dependent on methyl reactions, which is the best test to see if you're an undermethylator.

Also worth trying if you respond to SAMe are tri-methyl-glycine (TMG) and di-methyl-glycine (DMG). Many people report a sudden increase in energy and alertness after taking either of these. They are also important methyl donors.

Update: Vitamin B6 plays an active role in the methylation cycle above, in addition to B12 and methylfolate. The active form of B6 is P5P. I started taking P5P and noticed a difference. Over the long term, you want P5P not Pyritinol, which is explained below.

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Second, hormones.

Pregnenolone is a mother hormone in the brain. It is a precursor to a variety of other hormones including dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol. In fact, people supplement with DHEA itself because it is also a mother hormone, being converted to both testosterone and estrogen as needed. Pregnenolone does three things. First, it boosts acetylcholine levels, which makes you more alert and improves your memory. Second, it stimulates neurogenesis in the brain, giving you more new brain cells, which makes you smarter and more balanced over time. Third, it modulates the activity of GABA, increasing levels at some points and decreasing levels at others, which keeps this tranquilizing neurotransmitter system in better balance and creates emotional stability.

Pregnenolone has been proven in studies to create a heightened sense of well-being, functioning as an antidepressant. It reduced fatigue in people exposed to stress, making them feel and perform better. It also combats depression, and low levels are associated with people who are clinically depressed.

DHEA is the other hormone that is also taken, but DHEA is produced by pregnenolone, so there's no reason to supplement with it on its own.

I don't take these hormones, however. I did try pregnenolone, and I noticed nothing. I assume I'm already producing enough.

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Third, three components of brain cell membranes are relevant: phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylinositol.

These are produced with the following supplements:
Fish Oil
CDPCholine
phosphatidylserine
inositol
Molasses

Phosphatidylcholine is synthesized from uridine, choline, and DHA. Fish Oil has two omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA. CDPCholine is a superior source of choline. It is broken down into cytidine and choline, and cytidine can be converted into uridine. Thus, phosphatidylcholine can be produced from supplementation with CDPcholine and fish oil. Both phosphatydlcholine and phosphatidylserine are essential components of every nerve cell membrane. Increasing the levels of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine improve nearly every measure of mental performance. Phosphatidylinositol is produced with the same basic building blocks as the others, but this time substituting inositol.

Making sure that your get enough nutrients for brain cell membranes produces the following effects:

# strengthen your memory,
# increase vigilance and attention,
# boost learning,
# increase mental acuity,
# intensify your concentration,
# relieve depression and improve mood,
# inhibit exercise and stress induced increases in cortisol,
# decrease stress

Basically, everything just works better if you get enough of these. It produces a global improvement in brain function. If you just want to do one thing on the list, take fish oil and CDPcholine. Fish oil + CDPcholine produces phosphatydlcholine. Phosphatydlcholine is the most important and abundant part of cell membranes. Lots of people report that the combination of fish oil, CDPcholine and molasses is a very very effective antidepressant. Like a rat, you might swim longer before you drown in our ocean of ordered chaos: tinyurl.com/27clxnu There are many anecdotal reports of molasses making people feel better. It is high in uridine. Now there is a potential mechanism of action for this previously unexplained phenomenon.

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Fourth, the B vitamins in particular are crucial to the functioning of your brain. If you suffer from low energy, depression, erratic emotions, lack of concentration, or a low libido, one contributing cause could be a B vitamin deficiency. A large portion of the population has a B vitamin deficiency. TAKING AN OVER THE COUNTER CATCHALL B VITAMIN IS INADEQUATE to ensure you don't have a B vitamin deficiency. I would recommend playing around with all of these to see what sort of effect they produce in you.

The B vitamin nootropics are
Sulbutiamine
Picamilon
Pyritinol
Methylfolate (B9)
Methylcobalamin (B12)
Inositol
Choline

The blood-brain barrier is a threshold that any nutrient must cross in order to be used by your brain. If something is psychoactive, then it must be crossing the blood-brain barrier.

Sulbutiamine is a synthesized version of thiamine that crosses the blood-brain barrier better than regular thiamine. After crossing the blood-brain barrier it is broken down into two parts normal thiamine. It is essentially a brain specific source of thiamine. Thiamine reserves play an important role in mental endurance. Like I wrote above, sulbutiamine is taken by athletes so that they can perform "in the zone."

Sulbutiamine has been shown to have a number of profound effects upon physical well-being, as well as intellectual performance. It reduces fatigue and enhances cognitive function and memory. It is also a mood enhancer, with abilities to help alleviate depression and fatigue commonly associated with depression. If you are having sleep disturbances as many of us do from time to time, especially if you do lots of travelling, this substance serves as a tool to normalize sleep wake cycles and get you back on schedule.

Picamilion is a designer drug. GABA is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in reducing nervous excitement. However, taking GABA orally is ineffective because GABA cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Picamilion is a synthesis of niacin (vitamin B3) and GABA that was designed to cross the blood-brain barrier. After crossing the blood-brain barrier picamilion is broken down to niacin and GABA.

Picamilon delivers GABA. Alcohol works in part by affecting the GABA system. Increasing GABA gives you a tranquilizing effect. In studies, picamilon decreased the number of negative emotions people experienced. In addition to GABA, picamilon has niacin. The niacin gives you a nice stimulant effect, boosting your energy and your state.

Pyritinol is a neuroenhanced version of vitamin B6. It is one of the oldest and safest nootropics available. Pyrinitol is also proven to reduce hangovers. Pyritinol gives you increased energy, increased concentration, decreased mental chatter, and a more positive feeling.

Pyritinol also works by improving glucose uptake in the brain which in turn increases brain cell energy. By normalizing or enhancing the transport of glucose through the blood brain barrier and by increasing brain cell energy production from glucose, Pyritinol is able to improve brain cell energy which is so important to optimal healthy brain function.

Methylfolate (B9) is a specific version of vitamin B9. Most nutritional supplements have folic acid as their vitamin B9. Breads and cereals must be supplemented with folic acid. There is a problem, however. Folic acid must be converted into methylfolate through a series of four chemical reactions. Folic acid cannot be immediately used by the body. Methylfolate supplements are a form that can be immediately used by the body. 10% of all people have defective genetics and cannot convert folic acid to methylfolate at all. Another 40% of people have defective genetics and can barely convert folic acid the methylfolate. There is a 50% chance you aren't getting the folate needed. Methylfolate is used in many types of chemical reactions in the brain, so a decreased amount of methylfolate due to defective genetics leads to a lot of problems.

Methylfolate acts as an important regulator of a critical co-factor for neurotransmitter synthesis. A lack of methylfolate decreases all of your neurotransmitters and destroys how well you feel in general. For this reason, a low level of methylfolate is also linked to depression. I'm just reporting the studies on these polymorphisms even though methylfolate did nothing for me.

Methylcobalamin (B12) is the only form of vitamin B12 used by the central nervous sytem. When you take a vitamin B12 supplement or eat food fortified with vitamin B12, you are getting cyanocobalamin. There are two problems with cyanocobalamin. First, very little of it is absorbed in the first place. This is not a problem with methylcobalamin because methylcobalamin is usally taken sublingually (under the tongue). Second, cyanocobalamin must be first converted into methylcobalamin before it can be used by the body because methylcobalamin is the only form of vitamin B12 that can be used by your body. However, the liver only converts a very small portion of cyanocobalamin into methylcobalamin. So even if you're taking mega-doses of B12 as cyanocobalamin, you're not receiving very much of the active form of B12 and can still have a deficiency.

Methylcobalamin increases energy, improves alertness, decreases the need for sleep, and increases the quality of sleep. Vitamin B12 plays a huge role in your nervous sytem in general, meaning it will affect nearly everything about your state. When doing blood tests, almost 40% of people have a level of vitamin B12 in their system that is low, and I consider potentially problematically low given that there is no realistic upper limit to B12 levels. Vegeterians especially tend to have low B12 levels.

Inositol was originally considered a B vitamin. It lost its status as a vitamin because it was found that the body could synthesize some of it. Regardless, it plays a huge role in the normalization of brain function in general. It decreases anxiety, decreases depression, and helps with impotence. It is so pervasive in the brain that it helps all sorts of affective mood disorders.

Choline is related to the B vitamins. Choline is crucial for normal function of all cells and is synthesized in the body. Choline improves your memory. Choline helps people with bipolar disorder maintain stable emotions. Choline is an essential nutrient required by the body to make several important compounds necessary for healthy cell membranes. This nutrient helps form phosphatidylcholine, the primary phospholipid of cell membranes. Choline is also the precursor to acetylcholine, one of the crucial brain chemicals involved in memory. A major use of choline in the body is the formation of betaine, an important methyl donor.

I especially like the effect of the brain specific and neuroenhanced B vitamins. Sulbutiamine is broken down to two thiamine parts (vitamin B1) after crossing the blood-brain barrier. Picamilon is broken down to niacin (vitamin B3) and GABA after it crosses the blood-brain barrier. Pyritinol is enhanced B6. Methylfolate (B9) crosses the blood-brain barrier better than folic acid and is more readily available. Methylcobalamin is the only form of B12 used by the nervous system. Inositol and choline are essential to all cell membranes. The combination of brain specific B1, B3, B6, B9 and B12 is greater than any of them alone. They are highly synergistic.

Pyritinol is a nootropic, but over the long term it is the wrong form of B6. Google P5P, and take that instead over the long term. It is the most effective form of B6. If I were to research something else, it would be B5, which is a cofactor in acetylcholine production. Someday I'm probably going to try it.

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Fifth, traditional herbs. You can purchase bulk powders by the pound for NEXT TO NOTHING at http://www.herbalcom.com It is the best place I've found. Buy empty gel caps and cap your own. This lets you take larger doses than the REALLY expensive stuff you buy in the store, which is only more expensive because they sell "extracted" versions, the superiority of which are debateable. The only thing to be wary of is the lead content in Bacopa from certain suppliers as it tends to absorb lead from its environment at a high rate. This can be offset by N-Acetyl Cysteine, which chelates heavy metals. If you're worried about that, there are organic suppiers, and you can also research other chelation supplements.

Ginseng
Bacopa
Ashwagandha
Reishi
Schisandra Berry
Rhodiola Rosea
Lion's Mane

Ginseng. I added this now. It's the quintessential adaptogen supplement used in the East. I'm not going to link any studies because Ginseng is the gold standard to which other supplements are compared. The ginseng in your energy drink doesn't compare to taking a few caps. But I never found it terribly noticeable, so I only take it randomly. It's in the pill arsenal, but I'm not committed to it. Google Ginseng. Many many people love ginseng.

First, bacopa is a herbal supplement long used in India to enhance memory. It also repairs old and damaged neurons and dendrites. An interesting side effect is that it is as effective at reducing anxiety as prescription anti-anxiety medicines. I really like the prescription strength anti-anxiety effect.

Bacopa’s traditional use as an anti-anxiety remedy in Ayurvedic medicine is supported by both animal and clinical research. Research using a rat model of clinical anxiety demonstrated a Bacopa extract of 25-percent bacoside A exerted anxiolytic activity comparable to Lorazepam, a common benzodiazapene anxiolytic drug. Importantly, the Bacopa extract did not induce amnesia, side effects associated with Lorazepam, but instead had a memory-enhancing effect.24 A one-month, limited clinical trial of 35 patients with diagnosed anxiety neurosis demonstrated that administration of Brahmi syrup (30 mL daily in two divided doses, equivalent to 12 g dry crude extract of Bacopa) resulted in a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms, level of anxiety, level of disability, and mental fatigue, and an increase in immediate memory span. Other changes noted were increased body weight, decreased respiration rate, and decreased systolic
blood pressure.25

Second, Ashwagandha has an anti-anxiety and anti-stress effect. It also elongates axons and dendrites, so your nerve cells communicate on a more sophisticated and complex level. Extracts of the shrub had activity that was similar to GABA, which could explain why the plant is effective in reducing anxiety. Studies have also proven it to be effective at anxiety and depression in animals.

One study done in India, and published in the International J. of Phytotherapy (2000 Dec:7 (6):463-9), was performed on rats over a period of 5 days. Ashwangandha was given to one group and an anti-depressant was given to another.
It said that “the results support the use of Ashwagandha as a mood stabilizer in clinical conditions of anxiety and depression.”

Third, Reishi mushrooms promote overall health. You will feel better in general with more energy. There is no upper limit on how much you can take, and there are no reported negative side effects. Reishi has the unique ability among medicinal mushrooms to calm and support nerve function for people with chronic stress, anxiety, or insomnia (Hobbs C 1995). The Chinese name for the mushrooms specifically includes the meaning that they exist in an "intermediate dimension between mundane and transcendent reality." Take caps like it is just another vegetable to include in your diet.

Fourth, Schizandra Berry has long been used for its potent effect on mental and nervous function. They call it a herb, but people also eat the berries like any normal fruit. Again, there is no real upper limit. Unlike caffeine, schizandra stimulates the central nervous system without creating an excitatory effect. In my experience, it's kind of like a half of a cup of coffee if you take enough, and there is none of the caffeine jitteriness. The Chinese used it to increase stamina and mental clarity and fight against fatigue and stress

Fifth, Rhodiola Rosea may be effective for improving mood and alleviating depression and early stage studies on people have shown some efficacy in improving physical and mental performance, alleviating fatigue, and reducing high-altitude sickness. Studies have shown it to aid the brain by alertness and energy. A possible mode of action involves “optimizing serotonin and dopamine levels”. This apparently happens by inhibition of the enzyme monoamine oxidase, which supposedly ties in with an effect on endorphins, the body’s natural opiates. I don't take it, however, because I don't want the MAO inhibition.

Sixth, Lion's Mane is a mushroom that has been used for centuries in the east to enhance the nervous system. Recently it has been discovered that this is because lion's mane increases the production of Nerve Growth Factor. NGF and BDNF are responsible for determining the rate at which new brain cells are produced. A Nobel Prize was awarded for this discovery because no other substance is known to cross the blood-brain barrier and stimulate the production of NGF.  The bulk, not the extract found in stores, also contains polypeptides that support the nervous system.  Traditional Chinese medicine says that it gives you the nerves of a lion and the memory of a woman scorned.  Lion's Mane is great.  Buy the bulk powder from MushroomHarvest and cap your own.

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Sixth, brain plasticity. This is going to be quick, and I'll write more extensively later. However, studies of taxi cab drivers in London were done. The idea that your brain is shaped at 21 and never grows again is ANTIQUATED. Your brain is constantly evolving. Taxi drivers have to memorize the densest, most non-sensical street layout imaginable in order to be certified. Six months after doing this, brain studies show that areas associated with memory have become denser. Similarly, studies on Zen buddhists who have been studying for decades demonstrate that there are thicker areas in their brains than in typical, non-enlightened non-meditative brains. You are always shaping your own brain over time.

The nerve cells in your brain extend to interconnect. The interconnections are called synapses. Our understanding of the brain at the micro level as it impacts the macro level is pretty minimal, but the number of synapses is universally acknowledged as pretty important. (Same with the mylenation around the nerve extensions.) These extensions are called axons and dendrites. NGF and BDNF are responsible for inducing new nerve extensions and formation, which is the heart of brain plasticity.

Acetyl L Carnitine/Alpha Lipoic Acid - Should be taken together due to oxidative stress
Lion's Mane - NGF release
Gotu Kola - increases branching, elongation and mylenation via different mechanisms
Uridine - inhibits receptors that stop synapse formation

First, Acetyl L-Carnitine makes your cells more sensitive to NGF. You get a 5% increase in elongation with Acetyl L-Carnitine. Acetyl L-Carnitine promotes intense oxidation, however. So take Alpha Lipoic Acid because it is an intracellular anti-oxidant. The studies with ACL/ALA show a remarkable counterballancing effect producing massive improvements in the brain function of old rats. ALC also donates an acetyl- group to brain reactions, in part helping to form acetylcholine. The donation of an acetyl- group is also why N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine is far more potent than L-Tyrosine, but I digress.

Second, as long as we're now more sensitive to NGF, you can take Lion's Mane, which induces the release of inceased NGF.  Also, Acetyl L-Carnitine Arginate functions as an equivalent to NGF. When ALC/ALC Arginate were given in combination, an axon/dendrite elongation of 20% was noted. NGF sensitivity + increased NGF = 20%!!!! By the way, interconnections don't really happen in that first 20%, so there's a compounding effect that takes place with every bit of exension.

Third, Gotu Kola increases axon/dendrite branching, extension, and mylenation in developing rat brains. Synapses increase significantly in young mice who are developing their neural interconnections. Surprise, surpise, it's a spiritual herb. WhodAThunkIt!? Gotu Kola and Bacopa are the primary gifts from the divine in Ayruveda. Check out PubMed for the latest science. It's also kind of like Spinach. You can have a Gotu Kola salad. It's just good for you. Take a few caps and consider it your powdered potent vegetable from the East. In one study, where Gotu kola was given to lab animals during postnatal development stage “(the) extract caused brain cell dendrite outgrowth and branching of dendrites in the hippocampal area of the brain.” This showed the extract “can influence the neuronal morphology and promote the higher brain function of juvenile and young adult mice.” In other words, permanent structural out branching of the neural network of the brain was observed and this resulted in higher brain functioning. Rao SB, Chetana M, Uma Devi P. Centella asiatica treatment during postnatal period enhances learning and memory in mice. Physiol Behav. 2005 Nov 15;86(4):449-57. Soumyanath A, Zhong YP, Gold SA, Yu X, Koop DR, Bourdette D, Gold BG. Centella asiatica accelerates nerve regeneration upon oral administration and contains multiple fractions increasing neurite elongation in-vitro. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2005 Sept;57(9):1221-9.

Fourth, Uridine. It's found in Molasses. Take a few tablespoons each day. In 2005, a study confirmed that uridine added to brain cell cultures stimulated neurite outgrowth branching and increased the number of new neurites per cell. The researchers found that uridine stimulated neurite outgrowth and branching by two different pathways—it enhanced phosphatidylcholine synthesis, as was previously shown in the earlier studies, but it also blocked receptors that stopped neurites from growing. Pooler AM, Guez DH, Benedictus R, Wurtman RJ. Uridine enhances neurite outgrowth in nerve growth factor-differentiated PC 12 (corrected). Neuroscience. 2005;134(1):207-14.

All I'm saying is.... EXPERIMENT. I'm messing around with it. And given that I'm working on things that rely on brain plasticity, I see no reason not to speed this up as much as possible as fast as possible.
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Seventh, activities that promote intelligence.

First, I should research this more later, but exercising is proven to produce a DIFFERENT type of neuron, one less responsive to stress. Over time, you'll develop a more sophisticated nervous system. It's also good for balancing everything out, getting your endorphins and hormones pumped up to full speed.
Second, Dual N-Back for a few minutes each day. Google Dual N-Back yourself, it's the one activity that is proven to promote a general increase in intelligence. Until now, no exercise was known to improve adult persons IQ. People who have obviously been using it were smart enough to act on the intuition and confirm the IQ boost with studies.
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Eighth, here is another sketch at a chillness protocol. GABA is a relaxing neurotransmitter. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter. L-glutamine is required to produce each of these neurotransmitters. Their balance in your brain produces a certain type of edginess.

First, N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) is a known precursor to gluthionine, a powerful intracellular antioxidant used everywhere, especially the liver in the Phase II detoxifaction process (If I recall correctly. Do your own research.) So if you combine it with milk thistle, you're going to be binding heavy metals through the liver at a higher rate. It chelates heavy metals by binding to them, enabling the liver to excrete them. I'm glossing over this at a very superficial level. Confirm it yourself.

But NAC is also a precursor to a molecule that competes with glutamate as a neurotransmitter. This effectively decreases the level of glutamate in your body. You become less jumpy, more chill. Smokers are proven to smoke less without having a reduced craving, because smoking is an impuslive behavior. People who compulsively pull their hair out hair by hair as a nervous habit don't respond to anything, but they start pulling their hair out much less after taking NAC. Not only that, the first study I pulled up googling "N-acetyl-cysteine glutamate" talks about decreasing addictive behaviors in general. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17445781

Excess glutamate is screwing you up. How much would the feel of your energy improve if you didn't fidgit, nail bite, pull your hair, and be restless? Give it some consideration. Not only that, those behaviors come from a foundational level that you can't correct in a given situation. It's also in your fidgety eye contact.

Second, after we decrease glutamate, let's consider things that modulate the glutmate receptors NMDA and AMPA. Aniracetam is widely used in Japan as the preferred -racetam. It modulates the gluamate receptors, among other mechanisms of action. You don't get excesses, and you don't get lows. Not only that, it has an anti-anxiety effect. I wonder why modulating the glutamate receptors has an anti-anxiety effect. Seems somewhat intuitive.

Third, after decreasing glutamate and modulating the receptors, we need to balance glutamate with GABA. L-theanine stimulates the production of GABA, emulates GABA, or is a precursor to GABA. I forget. Also picamilon is a form of GABA that crosses the blood-brain barrier. People recovering from psychiatric problems are proven to have far fewer emotional distrubances when using picamilon. Picamilon dialates the blood vessels and brings blood flow to your entire brain. (Ever see those brain scans where the dark areas demonstrate brain damage? Those are the areas with VERY LOW BLOOD FLOW. Picamilon helps to open up those areas to increased blood flow). So, it calms you with GABA and the niacin dialates blood vesses improving blood flow. Good stuff.

Sooo, I've sketched out how to decrease the excitatory neurotransmitters, modulate the excitatory receptors to produce an anti-anxiety effect, and then balance the excitatory neurotransmitter with the calming neurotransmitter.  This is my personal speculation, and it is highly unproven.  You can do each of these individually, and many people do. But not many people understand the potential inter-relationship between L-theanine (used for social anxiety) and NAC (used for compulsive, reactive, jumpy behavior). Just give it a shot under medical supervision. OK it with the doctor one by one, she'll have no problems with it. They'll also be so clueless that they couldn't imagine the interrelationship either.

The other night I was out talking to people. Maybe 5 conversations. Not a single person failed to open. All of them went well. One stuck out in particular. This girl, pretty attractive, starts talking to me as I walk past. I had just gone to the bathroom as a way to avoid engaging the packed sports bar immediately. CHODE. I swear if I look in the mirror the muscles around the eyes are very relaxed and other intuitive indicators make it seem like I'm almost stoned. But I'm just fully present and feeling the endorphins after exercise. There was something about the very relaxed but present and holding eye contact as she started talking to me. Really really relaxed.  I'm in a much slower moment but just as alert.  The eye contact had no fididgety breaks. We both kept it as we talked, and I thought I saw blushing and her hands fidgeted to pull her shirt down. I don't want to say it was trying to show the bust line, but she bent back and the cleavage started to show with a much lower neckline at the same time. Weird. I'm a foolish perv for noticing. She had 7 guys around, the only girl on a guy's night out. She started introducing me to them. I thought she was going to have a boyfriend there, so I Ieft. She said "See you later honey" Something is definitely going on as I attempt make this natural at a biological level and never have a forced moment. There was no pressure or artificialty behind the eye contact for either of us, and I could feel something about her in the face start to be, you know, well, maybe you don't, but it was clearly there, was it flushing? I don't know. It was there. I should have gone for the number. The number of men around her intimidated me though.

Warning: There is one study where NAC simulated an effect of oxygen deprivation in the blood, which was hard on the heart. Don't use more NAC that necessary. Do your own research. But this was in a rat model, is only one study, and NAC is being studied on the assumption it is generally safe with tons of PubMed studies. So what if the oxygen deprivation were true? Hawthorne berry is AMAZING for the heart and caridac muscles. It provides more oxygen. Before, when I worked out, if I were doing my hardest, my pulse would go up to 170. After using Hawthorne (the only change I made to my diet) my pulse dropped to a 160 maximum. I am totally engrossed in exercise with a 160 heart rate, and it's difficult to go above it. This is the recommended range on the exercise machines. Soo, again, speculatively, if you're going to use NAC and are worried about an adverse consequence, Hawthorne is very very safe and brings extra oxygen to the heart.

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What have these supplements done for me?

They actually made me more in the moment and more present. All of this stuff is natural. It normalizes all of your neurotransmitters. It makes sure that you have the right building blocks for your brain to take care of itself. Depression, anxiety, agitation? Those things have almost vanished from my daily life. It's amazing what happens to you when your brain is balanced nutritionally. Before I was kind of on edge. It is hard to describe. But when I read Tolle's advice - make a decision to be right here right now with your full being, feeling good with inner body and your natural state - it seemed kind of hard to practice. But now it's a whole lot easier and seems natural. I actually DO feel good by default when I clear my mind. I want to keep working, through meditation, supplements and exercise, until I get to a point were I just feel great with my own body's inner presence when I clear my mind.