Inside The World Of Nootropics

Pop a pill and get smarter – it’s a tantalising promise. But, just how far would you go for a BRAIN BOOST?

- Penny Carroll

Full disclosure: I’m writing this while sipping a hot cup of cognitive-enhancing herbs. I’ve spiked my afternoon espresso with a powder labelled Neural Nectar, an earthy blend of plants and mushrooms with mythical sounding names like Rhodiola and lion’s mane, and so far I’m feeling … well, my regular 3pm self. But I’m still hopeful there’s a burst of brilliance waiting for me at the bottom of my mug. Why? Like many of my twenty and thirtysomething peers with big workloads and even bigger goals, I’m fascinated by the idea that a powder or a pill could shift my brain up a gear.

It’s not as futuristic as it might sound: so-called ‘smart drugs’ are already here. Also known as nootropics (which loosely translates from Greek as ‘to bend the mind’), they cover any substance used to improve aspects of brain function, such as memory, learning and focus. Good old caffeine? Yep, that’s a nootropic. But, what really has biohackers frothing is the new wave of over-the-counter vitamin and herbal blends, along with a handful of prescription drugs that some say enhance concentration, productivity and even motivation. The big question as always though is do these products actually work?

*Mind games*

The answer might depend on what brainy benefit you’re chasing, and your nootropic of choice. First up, know this: any claims that smart drugs will make you smarter are greatly exaggerated. “There is a lot of academic debate about the efficacy of the types of substances that claim to enhance cognition, but one thing is certain – none of them will make you ‘smarter’,” says Dr Cynthia Forlini, a neuroethicist at The University of Sydney. “There is evidence that they have modest effects on alertness, concentration and working memory, but not intelligence.”