Alpha Brain – product review

Alpha Brain is a dietary supplement from Onnit Labs. Here’s how the company describes their product:

The idea behind the Alpha Brain dietary supplement was to create the first ever fully balanced nootropic. GPC choline and Huperzia Serrata maximize acetylcholine levels while other ingredients assist in elevating dopamine and GABA levels, crucial components to remaining calm, focused, and mentally driven. Our vinpocetine assists in delivering oxygen and nutrients to the brain via increased blood flow, and the combination of neuro-specific antioxidants, led by our proprietary AC-11® helps to clear away mental fog and reduce free radical burden. The result experienced by many of our satisfied customers is an extraordinary combination of lucid dreams, mental drive, focus, memory, and mental acuity.

As someone still feeling the aftereffects of a 2-year battle with vertigo (the condition, not the Batman villain), I was very curious to try out a product that promised some mental clarity. Onnit Labs was kind enough to send me a 30-capsule bottle to take on a trial basis so I could report my results.

I should also note that I’m straight-edge, meaning that I’ve never taken alcohol, tobacco, or recreational drugs. The reason Alpha Brain looked safe to me is that it’s an all-natural supplement and the ingredients are all water-soluble, so if any side effects surfaced they would soon wash out of my body.

These are the instructions for usage according to the Alpha Brain bottle label:

Suggested Use: For enhanced mental performance take 1 capsule in the morning with food. Depending on body size and tolerance you may increase this dosage to a maximum of 3 capsules. For enhanced dream state, take 1-2 capsules 6 hours prior to sleep. Do not exceed 3 capsules in any 24 hour period unless otherwise directed by a physician.

With only a 30 capsule supply and knowing that a body can take some time to adapt to a new supplement, I opted to use the following schedule:

• 1 capsule daily with breakfast for about the first three weeks
• if no effects are noticed in that time, increase to 2 capsules daily with breakfast for 3 days
• on the last day take no capsules in the morning, but two in the evening in hopes of encouraging lucid dreams

I proceeded with the planned schedule and these are my findings:

• Week 1: no effects noticed, no negative side effects
• Week 2: a less foggy mind when waking up the following morning, no negative side effects
• Week 3: a less foggy mind when waking up the following morning (same level as Week 2), no negative side effects
• After increase to 2 capsules daily: a less foggy mind when waking up the following morning (same level as Week 2), no negative side effects
• After evening dosage: no change in sleep, no negative side effects

Conclusion: After taking Alpha Brain for the roughly 3 weeks that I did, the only benefit I received was waking up with a slightly clearer mind. I didn’t notice any lasting effects throughout the day, even after increasing to 2 capsules in the morning. Taking capsules at night lead to no change in my quality of sleep. I’ve read other reviews where people felt positive effects after increasing their dosage to 3 capsules in the morning and 2 later in the day, thus surpassing the recommended dosages. I was not willing to attempt this. I also didn’t feel it beneficial to increase my dosage to the maximum 3 capsules a day, as that would make a 30-capsule bottle last only 10 days. At a price of $34.95 for a bottle of this size, you’d have to shell out a ridiculous amount of money for the month, not to mention the year. While Alpha Brain didn’t live up to my hopes, I’m happy to report that there were never any negative side effects either, so if you’re curious to try it out for yourself you can get it on Amazon.