Farrinstitute is reader-supported. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site.
Nootropics are “smart drugs” for brain health too, that provide similar side effects for the brain, such as a boost in memory and increase in energy level. But you don’t need to see a doctor to obtain a nootropic stack.
Research provides the answers on the best nootropic stack benefits, effect, which is best for mental performance and more.
This nootropic stack by Mind Lab Pro features an array of Mind Lab Pro ingredients for memory recall and focus enhancement, including the amino acids L-Tyrosine and L Theanine and B vitamins, too.
If anxiety or a low mood and energy get in the way of your everyday life, Mind Lab Pro might be an alternative solution to combat the symptoms. It’s one of the best nootropics on the market.
Mind Lab Pro is FDA-approved and the facilities are GMP-certified, which means that Mind Lab Pro adheres to rigorous standards and regulatory procedures. The Mind Lab Pro capsules are vegan-friendly, caffeine and allergen-free, making Mind Lab Pro the best option for individuals with sensitivities and dietary restrictions.
NooCube for cognitive performance is a stack that’s free of GMOs and caffeine. Instead, this nootropic features a basic list of powerful, and natural, nootropics stacked for optimal performance. This includes Alpha GPC and L Theanine.
If you need to improve your critical thinking skills or your memory, this nootropic may provide you with the focus necessary to get the job done.
Performance Lab is one other nootropics company that produces its supplements in GMP-certified facilities, for a high quality outcome.
The Performance Lab pills themselves contain just four ingredients and suit individuals looking for better brain health and energy levels without the need for exhaustive supplementation. This includes L Tyrosine and Citicoline. No caffeine included.
Qualia Mind is the one nootropic supplement that contains the most antioxidants, minerals and amino acids out of any best nootropic stack on our list. The company includes this potent combination of ingredients (28 of them, to be exact) for those in need of peak mental performance, long-term.
Included here is L Theanine and Alpha GPC. Your memory and ability to focus may improve with this caffeine free nootropic.
BrainPill nootropic stack is produced with the purpose of providing individuals with benefits such as long stints of productivity and mental clarity. BrainPill may protect your memory and lower anxiety levels, allowing you to focus without the jitteriness of caffeine.
The Alpha Brain nootropic supplement for brain health benefits brain function through carefully chosen ingredients such as the proprietary Alpha GPC, B Vitamins and L Theanine. Benefits include an uptick in focus, memory recall and mental processing speed, which often slows down due to stress and anxiety.
“Getting into the zone”, according to the Alpha Brain company, is the aim of this Alpha Brain nootropic stack.
No caffeine included.
Believe it or not, each and every nootropics stack for mental performance on this list may help increase dopamine, one not excluded.
The reason behind this is that each nootropic supplement, such as Performance Lab and Mind Lab Pro, contains L-Tyrosine (Acetyl L) as an ingredient.
Research proves that this amino acid benefits dopamine production, which is one of the essential neurotransmitters that affects mood regulation and working memory [13]. Dopamine also has effects on attention span, motivation and other intrinsic factors of productivity.
L-Tyrosine is sometimes listed as N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, so don’t feel confused. This simply depends on the exact name brand used in one of the nootropics on the best nootropic supplements list. L-Tyrosine and N-Acetyl L Tyrosine are the same thing.
Noopept is a brand of synthetic nootropics, opposed to the natural options on the best stacks listed here. This nootropic stack could be useful in boosting dopamine for help with memory and other tasks [14]. Dopamine plays a role in perception of pleasure and thinking skills to boot.
It may help in supporting the brain functions after trauma or in response to stress effects, although studies are quite limited at this time. Noopept may also have a positive effect on anxiety levels, as well, though do keep in mind it’s a synthetic derivative.
The best nootropic stack for anxiety is Mind Lab Pro or Performance Lab.
Studies show that the ingredients in the Mind Lab Pro nootropic stack can help offset the difficult consequences of this condition such as poor focus and mood, memory recall, and exhaustion.
For example, the best nootropic supplements include ingredients such as Rhodiola Rosea, L-Tyrosine and Bacopa Monnieri.
Mind Lab Pro is the best nootropic stack and doesn’t contain caffeine either. This is better for anxiety because it lessens the chance of an individual facing any jittery side effect as a result of consumption. Keep in mind that the nootropics best for anxiety will lower this nervousness, not make it worse.
As previously mentioned, “stacking” is when a company combines various nootropics or ingredients to achieve better results than one nootropic can carry alone.
There are three factors at play when it comes to creating a nootropic stack:
Some ingredients work better when others are present and you can see this with the combination of Citicoline and Phosphatidylserine, for example. Both of which exist in the best nootropic stack, Mind Lab Pro.
The nootropics on this list are equal in the caffeine regard. We don’t recommend stacking any of the best nootropics with caffeine because each one nootropic stack offers the mental energy we turn to caffeine for in the first place.
Stacking a nootropic with caffeine may lead to unwanted side effects like poor sleep and anxiety, for example. A rise in blood pressure or heart rate could be other consequences of stacking with caffeine.
If one of the best nootropic stack isn’t doing its job, on top of your morning coffee or tea, we recommend opting for another best nootropic stack before stacking with caffeine supplements.
Again, while we aren’t offering medical advice, we don’t recommend stacking on top of the nootropics or cognitive enhancers listed here.
Piracetam is a cognitive enhancer, that’s similar in nature to the other synthetic mentioned here, Noopept. It’s said to improve the functioning of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine.
We recommend you use it with caution as Piracetam may cause drowsiness, diarrhea and anxiety, among other unfortunate side effects of this nootropic stack.
However, if you’re going to take the plunge, a common nootropic stack option with Piraceteam is Aniracetam. This is another synthetic product made for boosting cognitive function and creativity, to make an example of proposed benefits.
The best nootropic stacks or cognitive enhancers offer a well-rounded source of ingredients to improve performance, be it lowering anxiety levels, boosting mood, focus or memory.
Mind Lab Pro is the top pick all-around for the best nootropic stack, due to its rigorous testing standards and inclusion of high quality Mind Lab Pro ingredients including: B Vitamins, L Theanine, Citicoline and Lion’s Mane Mushroom.
As a popular nootropic stack for brain health, Mind Lab Pro gets our vote for the best nootropic stack to enhance memory recall and energy levels.
If you want a nootropic stack that contains few ingredients, opt for something like Performance Lab, for example, which contains just four. That’s not to say Performance Lab isn’t useful, some prefer a simple nootropic stack versus a more stacked alternative and Performance Lab fits the bill.
This isn’t medical advice, though, and we do recommend checking with your doctor before consuming one long term.
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “BlogPosting”,
“mainEntityOfPage”: {
“@type”: “WebPage”,
“@id”: “https://farrinstitute.org/best-nootropics-stack/”
},
“headline”: “Best Nootropics Stack”,
“description”: “Nootropics are “smart drugs” for brain health too, that provide similar side effects for the brain, such as a boost in memory and an increase in energy level. But you don’t need to see a doctor to obtain a nootropic stack.”,
“image”: “https://farrinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/anxiety-nootropics-featured-image.png.webp”,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Ethan Haynes”,
“url”: “https://farrinstitute.org/author/ethan-haynes/”
},
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Farr Institute”,
“logo”: {
“@type”: “ImageObject”,
“url”: “https://farrinstitute.org/”
}
},
“datePublished”: “2020-12-13”,
“dateModified”: “2023-05-26”
}
1. Wu, Chen-Yi, et al. “The Effects of Anti-Dementia and Nootropic Treatments on the Mortality of Patients with Dementia: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan.” PloS One, Public Library of Science, 22 June 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4476616/.
2. Thau, Lauren. “Physiology, Cortisol.” StatPearls [Internet]., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 29 May 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538239/.
3. Young, Simon N. “L-Tyrosine to Alleviate the Effects of Stress?” Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience : JPN, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1863555/.
4. Lai PL;Naidu M;Sabaratnam V;Wong KH;David RP;Kuppusamy UR;Abdullah N;Malek SN; “Neurotrophic Properties of the Lion’s Mane Medicinal Mushroom, Hericium Erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia.” International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24266378/.
5. Pratte, Morgan A, et al. “An Alternative Treatment for Anxiety: a Systematic Review of Human Trial Results Reported for the Ayurvedic Herb Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera).” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.), Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Dec. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4270108/.
6. Zhang, Hong-Feng, et al. “An Overview of Systematic Reviews of Ginkgo Biloba Extracts for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.” Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Frontiers Media S.A., 6 Dec. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5138224/.
7. Swanson, Danielle, et al. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids EPA and DHA: Health Benefits throughout Life.” Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), Oxford University Press, Jan. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3262608/.
8. Mao, Jun J., et al. “Rhodiola Rosea versus Sertraline for Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Phytomedicine, Urban & Fischer, 23 Feb. 2015, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711315000331.
9. Li, Yonghong, et al. “Rhodiola Rosea L.: an Herb with Anti-Stress, Anti-Aging, and Immunostimulating Properties for Cancer Chemoprevention.” Current Pharmacology Reports, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6208354/.
10. Benson S;Downey LA;Stough C;Wetherell M;Zangara A;Scholey A; “An Acute, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Cross-over Study of 320 Mg and 640 Mg Doses of Bacopa Monnieri (CDRI 08) on Multitasking Stress Reactivity and Mood.” Phytotherapy Research : PTR, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23788517/.
11. Alvarez-Sabín, José, and Gustavo C Román. “The Role of Citicoline in Neuroprotection and Neurorepair in Ischemic Stroke.” Brain Sciences, MDPI, 23 Sept. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061873/.
12. Simpson, Tamara, et al. “Assessing the Efficacy and Mechanisms of Pycnogenol® on Cognitive Aging From In Vitro Animal and Human Studies.” Frontiers in Pharmacology, Frontiers Media S.A., 3 July 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6619435/.
13. van de Rest, Ondine, et al. “Dose-Dependent Effects of Oral Tyrosine Administration on Plasma Tyrosine Levels and Cognition in Aging.” Nutrients, MDPI, 23 Nov. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5748730/.Matveeva, NYu., et al. “The Effect of Noopept on Neurochemical Changes in the Retina during the Experimental Thrombosis of Its Vessels.” Neurochemical Journal, Pleiades Publishing, 1 Jan. 1970, link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1819712419010112.