Limitless Mindset

Kratom is a rare herbal biohack with a number of attractive attributes...

* The white strains have productivity-promoting motivational and anti-depressant effects.

* The green and red strains have a soothing anxiolytic effect that imbues some much-needed tranquility.

* It provides pain relief to the suffering.

* Helps opioid addicts taper off truly self-destructive drugs.

* Pleasant taste and aesthetics.

* Legal and highly accessible.

* It’s affordable and low-cost.

But there is a significant downside: Kratom is an addictive Opioid.

* It is habit-forming after just several weeks of usage.

* You will develop a tolerance to Kratom rapidly compared with Nootropics like Piracetam.

* As your tolerance increases, you will no longer get the beneficial performance-enhancing or anxiolytic effects from the dosage that used to work great; you’ll need to take increasingly high or frequent doses just to maintain.

In this article, I’m going to discuss two pharmacological solutions for addressing Kratom addiction or withdrawal: the drugs Memantine and Selank. However, I would not recommend these drugs to just any casual Kratom user; there are a lot of better options than using these drugs. I’ll discuss withdrawals themselves and the smart strategic usage of Kratom.

Kratom Withdrawals

Kratom users describe the withdrawals as uncomfortable but not excruciating, typically for 2 -5 days, but sometimes as much as a month.

Withdrawal symptoms can include things like irritability, restlessness, anxiety, cough, depression, etc.Disruption of sleep cycle; sleep apnea, insomnia, etcDifficulty breathing and pulmonary problems

The majority of the anecdotal cases of negative withdrawals are from people using between 15 - 30 grams daily, which seems like a pretty extreme dosage. These people should not be so surprised that there are consequences for that kind of excess.

Tapering Off

* A better solution to sustainable Kratom usage is tapering down or off Kratom every couple of months.

* Your dosage will inevitably creep up - when it does, do a 7-10 day taper; every day take like a quarter gram less of Kratom. You’ll at least lower your maintenance dose.

* If you’re like most Kratom users, you will not get withdrawals from the taper itself; in fact, it might actually make you feel better.

Cycling

* I used Kratom for about 6 months, and although I didn’t find it as performance-enhancing as Nootropics, smart drugs like the Racetams or Adaptogenic herbs, I did like it quite a bit.

* I did not, nor would I recommend that people use Kratom every day; I cycled Kratom with other Nootropics, using it 3-4 times a week.

* I did not find myself impulsively using it and did not experience any withdrawal symptoms at all when I ran out. However, I’m very lucky to NOT have an addictive personality.

Memantine

The NMDA antagonist is known within the Kratom community as a way to lower tolerance. No studies have been done on Kratom and Memantine specifically, BUT there are two promising studies done with opioid addicts.

From a 12-week, placebo-controlled 2015 Chinese study that gave Memantine to 53 Methadone addicts. It concluded

We conclude that low-dose memantine might be a feasible adjuvant therapy for attenuating inflammation and inhibiting methadone tolerance.

From a placebo-controlled study of heroin addicts

Memantine attenuated the expression of opioid physical dependence in humans, indicating that glutamatergic neurotransmission at the NMDA receptor site contributes to the maintenance of opioid dependence. This finding suggests that memantine may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of opioid dependence.

One Kratom lover reported enthusiastically...

Over the past three weeks I have been taking 10 mg of memantine daily.Since I have started doing this, all my Kratom has more of a stimulant edge. There is not a ton of added jitteriness or anxiety, but rather the get and go effects of each strain are more prominent.Used to when I took 2.5 grams of a slow strain I would feel really chill and mellow. Now when I take this dose, I have the urge to physically get up and get my body moving and exercise, do yard work, etc...If you want stronger effects from your kratom, or you need to reduce your tolerance, I recommend memantine.

However, Memantine is a bit of a double-edged sword as a drug; it seems to have a high occurrence of undesirable side effects, but unlike Kratom, it hasn’t killed anyone, so if your Kratom usage is becoming a problem, it is worth trying.

Selank

This anxiolytic Russian peptide will likely give you more bang for your buck from your Kratom. Two Russian studies combined it with an opioid benzodiazepine and found that it potentiated its desirable effects.

A 2015 study of 70 Russians found that it markedly decreased the negative side effects of the opioid

The combined treatment decreased the level of undesirable side-effects of phenazepam (attention and memory impairment, asthenia, sedation, increase in sleep duration, sexual disturbances, emotional indifference and orthostatism) during the course of treatment and after the tranquilizer withdrawal. Taken together, the therapeutic efficacy and reduction of side-effects had a positive impact on the quality-of-life of the patients treated with selank as add-on to phenazepam.

It concluded

The results extend therapeutic possibilities of treatment of [anxiety spectrum] disorders with the combination of benzodiazepine tranquilizers and selank.

From a recent human tolerability study of the two

Pronounced anxiolytic and mild nootropic effects of selank were demonstrated. The anxiolytic effect lasted for a week after last receiving the peptide.

Does this mean it’s going to also mitigate the negative side effects and potentiate the desirable effects of Kratom? You’ll have to try it yourself and find out...

I could not find a lot of Kratom addicts reporting anecdotal experiences with Selank and Kratom, but world-class Biohacker MisterYouAreSoDumb reported on Reddit:

I find that tapering the dosage down over the course of two weeks, then using Semax, Selank, and Tianeptine during the transition, makes getting off [Kratom] easy. I used kratom 2-3 times per day for almost a year, and got off it with that protocol without any withdrawals. The Selank will slow the breakdown of your endogenous opioids, the Semax will give you the stimulation and dopamine edge you will be missing, while the Tianeptine will hit the opioid receptors just enough to keep you level. Overall, it was extremely easy to get off. I actually felt much better after the transition than while on kratom.

I would recommend Selank before Memantine because Selank is a very affordable and safe non-prescription Nootropic drug with a comparatively low occurrence of side effects.

Some other suggestions for mitigating withdrawals and healthy usage...

* Avoid Kratom extracts

* Drink Kava Kava

* Supplement Magnesium and Mucuna Pruriens

* Get out and do some exercise

Kratom alternatives

Rhodiola - The “King” of Adaptogen herbs

Siberian Ginseng - Physical performance-enhancer

Panax Ginseng - For mental health

Ashwagandha - For stress and anxiety relief

Turmeric - For natural pain relief

Watch these videos to learn more about Kratom...

For more guides to herbal hacking…

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Cognitive decline is prolific; at least 25% of Americans over age 65 suffer from mild cognitive impairment, according to Scientific American.

Doctors like to tell their patients that there’s no cure for Dementia or Alzheimer’s, that you just need to suffer a slow decline of your mind for decades, and will be spending a small fortune on increasingly ineffective pharmaceutical drugs. Being diagnosed with a degenerative condition is not a death sentence; it can be overcome with an intentional and persistent biohacking strategy.

Smart Drugs

Piracetam -- This is probably the first thing I’d recommend because it falls at the intersection of being very safe, affordable, effective, and scientifically proven to improve the mind.

* It’s been used in a 20-year population study of cognitive decline in the elderly.

* Along with Ginkgo Biloba, it was identified as a promising pharmaceutical intervention in a 2018 German paper, Mitochondrial Function, Dynamics, and Permeability Transition: A Complex Love Triangle as A Possible Target for the Treatment of Brain Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease.

* A 2018 Taiwanese meta-analysis paper analyzed 235 selected studies [involving] 44,854 patients with dementia (mainly vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and mild cognitive impairment). It identified Piracetam and Aniracetam as an effective intervention for dementia.

It imbues a cognitive edge both in the short and the long term; usually, it has an energizing effect that peps you up 40-60 minutes after dosing and improves verbal intelligence; it opens up your vocabulary. It’s a quintessential smart drug that imbues pleasantly intense focus. After several weeks or months of dosing, it has a more profound effect on your long-term memory -- it’s frequently reported that people remember obscure little things from their distant past. You’ll find yourself remembering the foreign language that you learned in high school as opposed to forgetting where you left your keys this morning.

While non-prescription and very safe, Piracetam is a hardcore drug that has an invasive effect on neurobiology. If you’re going to use it in the long term to upgrade your mind, you’ll want to combine it with a few cofactors in a specific protocol, the Piracetam Protocol, to maximize the cognitive bang for your buck.

There are other smart drugs in the Racetam family that are certainly interesting, and there are a lot of ways to use them, BUT Piracetam is probably the safest, cheapest, and most consistently effective for most people, so it’s what you should start with.

Phenylpiracetam -- This is a supercharged version of Piracetam. There are three human clinical trials totaling nearly 500 human subjects that demonstrate a positive effect on cognitive decline.

Oxiracetam -- The anti-aging properties of this Racetam have been demonstrated in five human clinical trials.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Cognitive decline has everything to do with Mitochondria, the little power plants of the cells. Dr. Lee Know explains in his book, The Future of Medicine

...compromised mitochondrial function is now seen as one of the leading causes of a wide range of seemingly unconnected degenerative diseases , and even the aging process itself .(1095-1096)

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of adult - onset dementia ; an eighty - year - old has about a 30 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s . (1399-1400)

Based on the research I’ve done for this book, I would agree that the long-held beliefs about Alzheimer’s are falling apart and the most current research shows we need a greater focus on mitochondria in the prevention and treatment of the disease. (1409-1411)

Mitochondrial Nootropics

I have here the Mitochondrial Nootropics that deliver the best ROI and credible sources to order them from. Listed in descending order of the most effective and most economical, if you have a limited budget, get the ones near the top of the list...

* Piracetam (Source)

* ALCAR (Source)

* CoQ10 (Source)

* Glutathione (Source)

* Magnesium (Source)

* Creatine (Source)

* Sulforaphane (Source)

* Methylene Blue (Source)

* Nicotine (Source)

* Grape Seed Extract (Source)

* Krill Oil (Source)

Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng

This is probably the best nutraceutical combination for helping cognitive decline. A significant placebo-controlled study of several hundred human subjects over 12 weeks strongly suggested a quintessential cofactor relationship with Ginkgo Biloba; together, they had an exponential effect on alertness, relaxation, and appetite. From its abstract:

“It was concluded that despite the fact that healthy, employed subjects were evaluated, treatment with the combination of active substances had significant advantages over placebo therapy.”

Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng are such a popular combination that you can probably find them at any pharmacy, BUT when it comes to herbs, sourcing really matters, and there’s a quality spectrum. You don’t want to just get any herbs, and certainly not the cheapest ones. You want to get herbs that are certified organic and ideally verified as 97% pure with a certificate of analysis. Here are some sources that meet my high standards...

* Organic Ginkgo Biloba Powder

* Auragin: Authentic Korean Red Ginseng

Brain Training

There’s good evidence that 10-15 minutes of brain training daily with brain training software, especially the Dual N-Back app, can sharpen your mind and memory.

From a 2017 human clinical trial.

We studied 97 healthy older adults above the age of 65. Healthy older adults completed either an 8-week web-based cognitive training program on working memory or logic and planning. An additional no-training control group completed two assessments 8-weeks apart. Participants were assessed on cognitive measures of near and far transfer, including working memory, planning, reasoning, processing speed, verbal fluency, cognitive flexibility, and creativity. Participants improved on the trained tasks from the first day to last day of training.

Exercise

Dr. Mark Ashton Smith analyzed a 2018 article, Multi-modal fitness, and cognitive training to enhance fluid intelligence, that appeared in the journal Intelligence:

The study was a comprehensive 4-month placebo controlled trial, with 424 healthy adults (age 18–43 years, 50% Caucasian), and the results are summarized in this figure:Visual search training (simple perception exercises) saw a 4 point post-training IQ gain. Fitness training saw a 7 point IQ gain. Cognitive and fitness training (combined) saw a >9 point IQ gain.

The training gains were in visuospatial fluid intelligence. No groups improved in verbal IQ. This is an important finding, helping to explain some of the null results in previous studies.

Fluid intelligence includes such abilities as pattern recognition, abstract reasoning, and problem-solving.

The cognitive training in this study - also implemented in HighIQPro - takes a multi-modal approach - combining both dual n-back (working memory) training with executive control (attention) training.

So, 4 months of exercise increases your IQ by 7 points, even more when combined with brain training.

According to Dr. Lee Know

It’s been known for decades that aerobic exercise can increase the number of mitochondria in your muscle cells by up to 50 percent in as little as six weeks . To get the benefit , however , you need to do aerobic exercises ( such as running , cycling , swimming , or walking briskly ) at an intensity that’s at least half of your maximum capacity . This intensity needs to be sustained for at least fifteen to twenty minutes per session , three to four times a week . (3014-3017)

So you want to do cardio to the point of sweating for 15 minutes a few times a week.

Keto Lifestyle

Five days a week, try to practice what the world’s leading anti-aging researchers and biohackers recommend enthusiastically: a daily fast of about 16 hours. Do all your eating and snacking within an 8-hour window; for most people, this means eating a large, filling dinner around 9 PM, going to bed, skipping breakfast, and eating a substantia…

Sittin’ in wool socks in Sofia, while sipping on some Pau D’Arco tea, my wife and I answer the October Biohacking and lifehacking questions in the Q&A podcast below.

Expats and digital nomads: Got a plane or bus ride ahead of you? Listen to this podcast on the go here.

Disclaimer

What you find on this website is NOT medical advice. I’m not a doctor. I’m just an experienced unlicensed self-experimenter practicing free speech in talking about my own extensive experiences and my interpretations of published science. Please see my guide on How to Biohack Smart and Safe. You should consult a doctor about any biohacking you’re doing and ideally, also get a second opinion.

#27 Questions

Q

I’m considering moving somewhere in Europe with low cost of living and with good stuff when it comes to the biohacking and nootropics world.But I wonder how of a good place would Bulgaria be when it comes to access to biohacking stuff... Supplements, JobI’m a biohacker and I like to go to saunas, have red light therapy and such things...

A

Read More

* Seducing Sofia (Bulgaria)

* Bulgaria is a Red Pilled Bastion of Western Civilization

My Go-To European Nootropics Sources

* RUPharma and MOSPharma

* Youth and Earth (Serving the EU and UK)

* Indigo Herbs, Focus Supplements, and Zoya.BG

Q

I write to you today about something in the industry that seems strange to me and hope you have some insight and if so, maybe foundation for new content that you could use online.

In my opinion, it is very possible that sarcosine is the one nootopic that could most hinder the sales of harmful expensive Psych drugs like lithium, SSRI’s. The potential is there and I think the Pharma industry knows it, but I do not think the supplement industry is very aware if it. Maybe because when used alone, there is not much benefit.

The Pharma industry tried to mimic the benefits of sarcosine with bitopertin, but failed. As they prepared this drug to come out 2017, sarcosine became scarce and it still is scarce. What a coincidence.

Who was known for sarcosine sales? Powedercity. hmmm, where are they now? ... ( ya I know ) Where is a safe place to buy sarcosine now? Maybe only nootropicsdepot, but they limit to one bottle. ... does bigger sales frighten nootropicsdepot. ...? .. think not.. must be a supply issue.

So, do I think sarcosine became scarce because a group wants to harm others? No, but someone may want it be scarce to gain leverage, increase competitive edge, even if it harms others. Maybe I am nuts, but Sarcosine is such a simple compound. Why else would it be scarce? Conspiracy? Not sure, but I find this strange. Do you have any opinion or insight on this?

Conspire. Let me ask you about the ridiculous (overused) words Conspire & Conspiracy. How is conspiracy any different than every business/sport competition that is performed by 2 or more? Tennis singles is not, but tennis doubles fits the definition, ... make secret plans jointly to commit an unlawful or harmful act. Tennis doubles does harm the opponent to some degree. Although not the primary objective, but in every sport/business competition, the winner is awarded at the expense of the opponent and that expense is harmful. Some might call this a stretch, but in all conspiracies, I just see competition. Those that cause the most harm have an unfair advantage = exploitative, which is used by every government, billionaire and most millionaires.

Sorry for the length. Tried my best to condense. Very interested in your response.

A

Sarcosine Research

18 clinical trials on Pubmed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=sarcosine%5BTitle%5D

Sarcosine Source

Sarcosine tablets from NootropicsDepot.com

Q

The only problem is that breath retention or “kumbhaka” is an extremely dangerous practice. Im talking from personal experience, not mere book reading. And Im not the only person who knows this.Authors & gurus have been warning us for over 50 years to not hold the breath.Are you aware of this?

A

Read More

* The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity

* The Multi-Orgasmic Man

Lean Life Coaching biohacking consulting

As mentioned in the podcast, this is a very lean biohacking consulting/life coaching program. Here’s how this would work...

* The Biohacking Consultation is 1 hour and 45 minutes total - which is actually two consulting calls.

* First Call 1 hour - Discovery & Strategizing call, I need to ask you some questions, we’ll discuss your history, and outline a biohacking strategy and action plan to overcome your issues.

* Second Call 45 minutes - Follow-up call in 30 - 90 days to see how you’re doing with the plan we outlined; how you’ve improved, what you’re struggling with, etc

There are a few important reasons we split the time up into two calls

* It’s a significant motivation hack for you to follow through on the biohacking habits and plan we’ll outline because you’re accountable to me in 30 - 90 days.

* I’m incentivized to come up with an effective biohacking strategy for you because I have to talk to you after you’ve been following it for a month or two.

* It timeboxes us with a deadline in 30 - 90 days for you to make improvements and accomplish your goals.

PLEASE fill out this form

Take a few minutes to answer a few questions. If your issues are far outside my areas of expertise, I’ll decline the consultation. My time is finite and very valuable, so I only want to spend it consulting the people I can help. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

INVEST at least $300 in your own mind with these recommended sources and get a Biohacking consultation

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Winter is coming…

The cold season that a lot of people find depressing, you’ll notice your motivation and mood are lagging, you’ll sleep more, and maybe gain some weight. This has a very apt name — seasonal affective disorder.

There are a lot of Biohacks for beating S.A.D., but one mindfulness lifehack that anybody can do anytime is intermittent antidepressant meditation, and it is effective at improving your mood. It also goes by the name loving-kindness meditation, which I think is a really bad name! It makes it sound like a girly, wimpy thing, and it’s not! It’s quite an effective tool for managing your thoughts and emotions.

Loving Kindness Meditation

This is something I learned about in Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss...

to increase your happiness, all you have to do is randomly wish for somebody else to be happy. (p. 158)

I tend to do a single 3- to 5-minute session at night, thinking of three people I want to be happy, often two current friends and one old friend I havent seen in years. (p. 159)

One woman reported

Happiest day in 7 years. And what did it take to achieve that? It took 10 seconds of secretly wishing for two other people to be happy for 8 repetitions, a total of 80 seconds of thinking. (p. 158)

This is an intermittent meditation method; you do it for just seconds every hour, and it has a real antidepressant effect. You can spend a few minutes in the evening doing it, but I find it’s most effective if I aim to spend 10 seconds every hour, which may sound difficult to remember to do. My reminder is just to do it every time I go to the bathroom, which is about once an hour, because I drink a lot of water and tea — there’s a lifehack!

If I do this consistently, I find it interesting that its effect is akin to the enigmatic antidepressant Nootropic Tianeptine.

A 2017 European study got together a group of long-term meditation practitioners, and it concluded:

These preliminary cross-sectional findings motivate future longitudinal work studying brain plasticity following the regular practice of skills aiming at enhancing human altruism and prosocial motivation.

Loving-kindness meditation is NOT a metaphysical thing — it’s just a way of firing up your mirror neurons.

For happiness hacks…

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I put Pharmaceutical Grade in quotation marks because there’s not really such a thing as pharmaceutical-grade herbs and Adaptogens, but I use the phrase because it’s known to mean of the highest quality and purity. This is super important with Bacopa in particular. You’ll want to read or listen to my meta-analysis of Bacopa before purchasing or consuming this.

Bacopa is everywhere in the supplement world...

In branded nootropic stacks, on the shelves of nearly every vitamin shop, and in teas and tinctures. But there are two big things most supplement companies and “health gurus” don’t tell you. First, Bacopa takes a long time to work. This is not caffeine, nicotine, or modafinil, where you feel a sharp kick the same day. Human placebo-controlled studies show it usually takes a minimum of three weeks, and for most people, around twelve weeks, to feel meaningful improvements in memory, learning, or mental clarity. So think of Bacopa less like a one-night stand and more like a three-month relationship. Second, sourcing matters a lot. Because it is a plant, quality can vary widely, and low-end production has been found to contain heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury. That’s why I emphasize pharmaceutical grade - you want a vendor who publishes third-party certificates of analysis to prove purity.

As I explain in my meta-analysis of Bacopa, you need to take it for months to reap the performance enhancement benefits, and my supply was only about a month’s worth. So I don’t have anything notable to report as far as classic Nootropic effects.

This lined up with my own test run. I only used it for about a month, which is simply not long enough to unlock its core cognitive benefits. What I did notice was more subtle: a calming, tranquilizing quality. Bacopa down-regulates dopamine, and for me, it created a state similar to the red strains of Kratom - slowed down, a little more relaxed, and better suited for winding down at the end of the day. Some people find this especially helpful for anxiety, and I can see why. A customer of mine who stuck with Bacopa for two months described a breakthrough: not only did memory benefits finally kick in, but he noticed Bacopa potentiated stimulants. A simple cup of tea became noticeably more energizing when paired with it. That anecdote lines up with the science showing Bacopa’s role in modulating neurotransmitters in ways that could interact with caffeine or other mild stimulants.

Bacopa regulates dopamine down, which I find tranquilizing.

I consider Bacopa an alternative to red strains of Kratom. I’ll enjoy some Bacopa tea in the evening before bed while I’m doing some reading or whatever. A lot of people complain about its taste, which is a bit bitter, but it did not bother me that much. It’s kind of earthy, like Kratom or other Adaptogenic herbs I’ve made teas out of.

And beyond taste, Bacopa has serious history behind it. This is a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine for over 3,000 years, praised for sharpening cognition and calming the nervous system. Modern science confirms many of these claims. Meta-analyses of human studies show benefits for memory, learning, and even neuroprotection. But again, only with consistent use over time. It is a marathon, not a sprint. If you are tackling a long-term personal development goal like learning a language or acquiring a new skill set, Bacopa could be a supportive ally. Just don’t expect it to suddenly unlock photographic recall.

A negative: Intellimeds does not double-bag its powdered Nootropics

Which is annoying as you are getting to the bottom of your bag. Inevitably, you’ll dump your powder on your desk, laptop, or clothes. Kind of annoying. One day, I mistakenly dumped about two grams of Bacopa in my tea, which is quite a mega dose, although it was not an outstandingly negative or positive effect. Double-bag your supplements, Intellimeds!

That packaging gripe aside, I still recommend IntelliMed for Bacopa. They are one of the rare vendors that display third-party certificates of analysis, so you can see exact spectroscopic results for heavy metals and purity. That’s no small thing in an industry where too many brands just list “Bacopa” as a line item on their label with no proof of what you’re really getting. Whether you buy from IntelliMed or another vendor, make sure you only commit to Bacopa if you’re buying the good stuff. When it comes to a supplement you’ll be taking daily for months, purity is non-negotiable.

Next, check out my more recent Biohacker review of Bacopa, where I break down the recent science on the supplement.

For more reviews of herbal Nootropics and natural medicines…

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

As September catches a chill, in this classic Q&A, I answer your Biohacking and lifehacking questions. From how to manage a YouTube addiction, the sorry state of the Kratom biz, to Biohacking in India and Monoatomic Gold - something that you may have heard some pretty fantastic claims about!

Disclaimer

What you find on this website is NOT medical advice. I'm not a doctor. I'm just an experienced unlicensed self-experimenter practicing free speech in talking about my own extensive experiences and my interpretations of published science. Please see my guide on How to Biohack Smart and Safe. You should consult a doctor about any biohacking you're doing and ideally also get a second opinion.

Q

Responding to 🤳 Women's Social Media Obsession = Men's Porn Addiction

What if I am addicted to YouTube?

A

Recommendations

* Working Memory Rehab Protocol

* Cold Turkey Blocker

* Self Control for Mac

* FocusMe: The Best App & Website Blocker for Windows, Mac & Android

* Self Control Chrome Extension

Q

Hey, Jonathan! Are you planning on doing any additional reviews on kratom. I became highly addicted to that stuff...to the point where I had to go to inpatient rehab for 90 days. I am mainly curious as to what your thoughts are concerning its positives and negatives as a botanical. I vaguely remember a video in which you concluded it really doesn't have a great deal of value as a nootropic...but I could be wrong. Just curious!

A

About Kratom - includes my videos on withstanding Kratom withdrawal

Herbal Adaptogens are a Kratom alternative

Q

Does this drug [Piracetam] have an ability to raise baseline levels? Or is it only for short term effects?

A

About Piracetam

Q

would it [aniracetam] be one to stack with adderall?

A

About Aniracetam

Read: Adult ADHD Cured! The Four Pillars of Maintaining Focus, Motivation, and Memory

Q

Hi jonathan i am 28yrs old,,,,,i am new to nootropics,,,,,i am a student from india,,,,,been seeing ur videos for sometime now,,,nice content,,,,the thing is my exams are fast approaching and i would like to be able to concentrate from 10 to 12 hrs a day for next 2months,,,,,in india not all nootropics are available,,,,,a little input from you regarding which among all drugs will best serve my purpose will be very helpfull,,.....plz let me know....waiting for ur reply:)

A

Recommendations

Modafinil - Order with cryptocurrency

Nicotine - PG or VG liquid solution

Lifestyle tips: Meditation, diet, exercise, and a standing desk

Q

Is alpha GPC better than choline, citicoline. Or Acetycholine?For Alzheimer patient, which one is best to take? Choline, Citicoline, Acetycholine.

A

About ACh precursors

Racetams - The quintessential category of smart drugs

Ginkgo Biloba - For memory support

Mitochondria Supplements - For supporting the powerhouse of the cell

Q

Thank you johnny it was very helpfull !!!can you do a video about hiperzin a or sq1 or monoatomic gold please... greetings from germany, have a nice day peace&harmony 💯✌️⚡️💪🏽

A

Recommendations

Huperzine - Less is more with this one

SKQ1 - a Smart Mitochondrial Antioxidant and Longevity Game Changer

Monoatomic gold is not a biohack - There's no substantial human clinical research on it; as of 2025, nothing can be found on PubMed. However, I found the lore around Monoatomic gold as a “superposition particle” so tantalizing that I wrote it into my new sci-fi novel, Hourglass, about biohacking, seduction, and philosophy. If you’re curious about these sorts of things, you’ll love it...

Skin in the Game biohacking consulting/coaching

As mentioned in the podcast, this is a very lean biohacking consulting/life coaching program. Here's how this would work...

* The Biohacking Consultation is 1 hour and 45 minutes total - which is actually two consulting calls.

* First Call 1 hour - Discovery & Strategizing call, I need to ask you some questions, we'll discuss your history, and outline a biohacking strategy and action plan to overcome your issues.

* Second Call 45 minutes - Follow-up call in 30 - 90 days to see how you're doing with the plan we outlined; how you've improved, what you're struggling with, etc

There are a few important reasons we split the time up into two calls

* It's a significant motivation hack for you to follow through on the biohacking habits and plan we'll outline because you're accountable to me in 30 - 90 days.

* I'm incentivized to come up with an effective biohacking strategy for you because I have to talk to you after you've been following it for a month or two.

* It timeboxes us with a deadline in 30 - 90 days for you to make improvements and accomplish your goals.

Your Skin in the game here that you're paying good money for this and you're accountable to me on another call in 30 - 90 days. You'll have to explain your lack of action if you fail to follow through.

PLEASE fill out this form

Take a few minutes to answer a few questions, if your issues are far outside my areas of expertise I'll decline the consultation. My time is finite and very valuable, so I only want to spend it consulting the people I can help. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

In this minisode interview with William Mulvaney, we discuss the rather insane feat he's undertaking (with his feat) - a 100-mile ultramarathon. We talk about injury workout prevention, share unconventional willpower shortcuts, and swap stories.

Mentioned...

Creatine - A must for athletes

HMB - For strengthening bones

Book: Weight Lifting Is a Waste of Time: So Is Cardio, and There’s a Better Way to Have the Body You Want

stickK - Get sunk cost working for you

Oxiracetam - The Discipine molecule

Dual N-Back Brain Training

My article, 23 Biohacks and Uncommon Mindsets for Superhuman Will Power

My new novel: Hourglass: A science fiction novel - Not For Sex Addicts - about seduction, biohacking & philosophy

Will's podcast: The Willpower Podcast

Share this with a runner…

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Stoicism - the philosophy articulated by the embattled Marcus Aurelius as his personal life and empire threatened to collapse around him in 170 BC. It's over 2000 years old, and we are now living in a world utterly inconceivable to even the most imaginative Roman aristocrat in the midst of a psychedelic Dionysian fever dream. Modernity seems architected to conflict directly with every facet of evolutionary psychology and the philosophical values that have edified men and women for millennia. While new science, thinking, and practice from the fields of Biohacking and personal growth seem to offer pragmatic solutions in a world doing its damnedest to claw away our free will with digital talons.In a world utterly corrupted by politics, big business, big government, and devouring ideology, is stoicism as a mindset an individualistic "cope" to keep your metaphorical hands off pitchforks that should be raised?That's the question I'll be exploring today with Will R. Young, a behavioral finance strategist, philosopher, top-performing superforecasters in the Good Judgment Project, author of a new book, "The Enough Equation," and avid surfer - he knows a thing or two about dodging shark fins.

Resources mentioned

The Enough Equation: Wealth, Wisdom, Virtue & the Pursuit of Less

The Siren Song of Online Dating - chapter from my book for men: Don't Stick Your Dick in a Blender: How to meet a nice girl instead - from a tantric husband with a better sex life than you!

The best biohack for attentional control: Dual N-Back

Breathwork sessions focusing on giving up control with the Othership app

"Anger puts a high cost on very small things" - from On Anger (De Ira) by Seneca

From the book: How to define your "enough"

Here’s a simple but confronting exercise:1. Write down what you need to feel safe. Not luxurious. Safe. Roof, food, health, rest.2. Then write down what you’d like to do when you’re no longer chasing. Time with kids. Writing. Building. Surfing. Serving.3. Now ask: How much does that life actually cost?

The Good Judgement Project

Who are the Superforecasters?Good Judgment’s global network of Superforecasters has its roots in research funded by the US intelligence community. The Good Judgment Project—led by Philip Tetlock and Barbara Mellers at the University of Pennsylvania—emerged as the undisputed victor of the geopolitical forecasting competition. Reports that Superforecasters were 30% more accurate than intelligence analysts with access to classified information rocked the conventional wisdom. Tetlock and Mellers co-founded Good Judgment Inc to provide forecasting services to partners and clients in the non-profit, government, and private sectors.

From GoodJudgment.com

If Will’s message about stoicism in financial life resonates with you - he’s a licensed financial planner, schedule a free consultation with him

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I'm done uploading because YouTube sucks! And YouTube sucks so much that, like the swirling accretion disk of a supermassive black hole devouring a brilliant galaxy, it illuminates how much people (in general) suck these days. Strong words, I know. I'll elucidate and I've got some tough love for you here, but first, a little bit about my history with YouTube, you may find this interesting...

I've had a rocky relationship with YouTube over the past decade...

Once upon a time, I was kinda-sorta a YouTube star. I had over 10,000 subscribers (back when that was a respectable following!) I had videos that got over a quarter of a million views. I would travel to new countries, and random guys in cafes would approach me and tell me they knew me from YouTube. Pretty sweet!

Then came the #BiohackerBan - back in 2018, YouTube decided it didn't like Nootropics and terminated my channel, along with those of a few other prominent Nootropics YouTubers.

In the early 2020s, I decided to take another crack at YouTube and began uploading again here.

But after a few years of consistent uploading, I get pitiful engagement on YouTube! I have a little over 500 subscribers, and my videos often get few views. Sometimes, less than 10% of my subscribers watch them.

Any YouTuber is faced with the quality vs quantity question; do you put a ton of work into producing a few high-quality videos, hoping that the audience and algorithm will reward you, OR do you do a bunch of lower-effort videos to play the Pareto principle, knowing that a few of them will go viral? The frustrating thing is I've really tried both approaches...

* For a long while, I've done daily uploads of older content which I refurbished and improved (cleaning up audio, polishing the presentation, cutting the fat, improving slides, etc). Like this older video (recorded in a really cool setting) about free speech.

* While also working long hours on new videos; researching, scripting, shooting, and producing. Like this recent video about common personal genotyping mistakes Biohackers make.

And the results are embarrassing, a tiny amount of views and engagement. I'm more than a bit concerned that this YouTube channel is hurting my credibility. Potential partners, collaborators, and coaching clients will look me up and see that I have hundreds of well-produced videos with appealing slides, with hardly any views. This doesn't make me look great!

In the +14 years that I've operated Limitless Mindset, I've really upped my video production game. I've gotten dramatically better at research, scripting, performing on camera, and post-production, yet my videos get a tiny fraction of the views of the awfully done videos I once put out on YouTube!

Perhaps, I'm shadowbanned because in many videos I include a call to action to follow me on one of the pro-free-speech YouTube alternatives, OR because once upon a time, YouTube did kick me out of their club. But I'm not really sure...

A lot of YouTubers would blame this failure on the almighty algorithm

But I think some blame falls on the shoulders of the audience (you, perhaps). Here's why...

In the past 14 years, I've gone on this amazing odyssey of personal development; I've tried over 200 smart drugs and Nootropics. I lived in several interesting countries. I dated a politician's daughter in Colombia and hung out with spies in Kyiv. I've tried a bunch of weird and wacky personal growth things with surprising results. I took psychedelics high in the Andes mountains. I cultivated myself as a tantric man and achieved a rare form of sexual sovereignty. I found true love and have remained deeply in love with my wife for eight years now. I'm happier and healthier than I have ever been. I became what I always wanted to be: an adventuring philosopher. And I've lived by these two passages from my all-time favorite novel...

I was young again, as if on the sea or in the air, made lively by having everything to lose and everything to gain, made content only by risk, for in the light of risk every earthly color catches heavenly fire. (p. 366)

In breaking the rules, I broke other things too, including the veils of falsehood that cover the truth like thunderclouds. Were the world perfect it would always be wrong to trespass, but as the world is not perfect, sometimes one must. And when you do, you live, you break free, you fly. (pp. 272-273)

Going all in on personal development has been the most fun and exhilarating thing I've ever done (even more fun than having sex in a brand new Maserati, that story is in my first book!) Via my videos, I invited you to come along on this edifying and liberating adventure with me.

And, particularly on YouTube, the general audience of folks into personal growth seems not that interested in what I have to offer. So, my uploading to YouTube is more and more becoming a "casting pearls before swine" thing.

Years back, I read and reviewed this great book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Minds, which is about how Internet content has this dire effect, dumbing us all down. Consuming shorter-form content just hacks away at your working memory and attention span, giving you a goldfish's mind.

The way to counteract this and maintain your mind while enjoying everything the internet has to offer is Dual N-Back brain training and mnemonic memory training; which I've done a bunch of videos and podcasts about. If you use the internet for hours and hours every day and don't do these two things, you will, to paraphrase the philosopher Heidegger, invite the frenziedness of technology to entrench itself in your own soul.

And I fear that is what's happened to some of my YouTube audience.

My content is usually longer form, thoughtful, and challenging - it's not for stupid people. I fear it's just not the kind of content that there's much audience for anymore on YouTube. But, I'd love for you to prove me wrong about that by sharing this and following me elsewhere on the internet where I speak freely.

I'm still going to be producing informative reviews of Nootropics and anti-aging products, along with deep-dive book reviews and personal antifragility philosophy content. This will all be published on the YouTube alternatives - Rumble and Odysee.

Odysee is, I think, the very best pro-free-speech, pro-privacy, pro-respecting the user and the creator platform. Odysee has NO ADS (no pre-roll or mid-roll ads interrupting your viewing experience and no banner ads). The only downside to Odysee is that its load time is about a second slower than YouTube's. So, would you rather have free speech and no interruptive ads, OR that one second of faster load times? That's not a hard decision for me to make!

I'd really like to make a deep-dive, long-form philosophical documentary about why I'm optimistic about the future...

Not just personally, but the case for optimism about the coming state of the world and civilization. Given what's gone on in the world in this hectic decade - a pandemic/plandemic, the decline of democracy, authoritarian overreach by our governments, the revelation of how corrupt almost all our societal institutions are, the rise of AI, inflation, and the looming threat of nuclear war - most people have become pretty pessimistic about the future. But, I'd like to make a compelling case in a new documentary for being an optimistic accelerationist and lend you something in real short supply these days - hope. For its title, I'm thinking...

Beyond this velocipedic age, a golden Aquarian epoch beckons

Since I'd like to spread hope as far as I can, this documentary would be free to watch on Rumble or Odysee. But it would be a massive investment of my time to script, shoot, create animations for, and produce. And I need some audience buy-in to make that kind of time investment. I need your support of the kind of content you would like to see more of.

If you'd like to see that case for optimism about the future documentary made, please support me on Substack, which is a free-speech platform. On Subst…

In this special Q&A episode, I'm joined in my Biohacking Lair by my mom to answer your questions and respond to some of the feedback we got from you in the recent Limitless Mindset Audience Survey. Ranging from how to Biohack without the tedium of consuming endless pills and powders to yielding the awesomeness of Elk Velvet Antler and how to get your very own Bulgarian "model wife."

Listen to the full Q&A podcast on the go with Castbox, here

Announcements

My new science fiction/cyberpunk thriller novel, Hourglass, about seduction, biohacking, and philosophy, is now available as a digital book and audiobook on Google Play. Maybe you got some Google Play gift cards or prefer their sharp e-reader app (as good as Kindle and works on any smartphone or tablet).

This podcast received an accolade here from MillionPodcasts.com, which listed this show as one of the top 100 lifehacking podcasts.

Disclaimer

What you find on this website is NOT medical advice. I'm not a doctor. I'm just an experienced, unlicensed self-experimenter practicing free speech by talking about my own extensive experiences and my interpretations of published science. Please see my guide on How to Biohack Smart and Safe. You should consult a doctor about any biohacking you're doing and, ideally, also get a second opinion.

#44 Questions

Q

Summarized: Hey Jonathan — I’ve been experimenting with Elk Velvet Antler (from Noble Elk Farms), and I’ve noticed something wild: every time I take just one capsule before lifting, I’m hitting personal records — easily 20% more strength across the board. I’ve rarely used pre-workouts, but this stuff felt like a cheat code. That said, I’ve run into an issue — intermittent, intense cramps in strange places (like abs from laughing or even muscles under my tongue). They’re rare but seem linked to EVA. I’ve tried scaling back to every few days, then once a week, and while the cramping is less frequent, it still occasionally happens. I suspect a possible interaction with another supplement, but isolating the cause without dropping everything is tricky. There's not a ton of research out there on EVA, but with its IGF-1/2, glucosamine, collagen, and other bioactive compounds, it seems worthy of deeper investigation. Have you looked into this? I'd love to hear your take or see a full breakdown on a future episode.

A

Overview of Elk Velvet Antler - Clinical evidence for:

* Joint health, tissue repair, & arthritis relief

* Boosts Growth factors (e.g., IGF-1, EGF, TGF-β)

* Immune Modulation: Studies in mice show enhanced natural killer cell activity and antibody response, likely translating to immune system priming in humans.

* Muscle Growth & Recovery: One double-blind study in athletes (New Zealand) showed increased endurance and strength recovery vs placebo. Some marginal improvements in VO2 max and lean mass, though not always statistically significant.

* Androgenic or Pro-sexual Effects: Animal models show increased testosterone, sperm quality, and mating behavior. Human data is anecdotal, but reports of increased libido, morning wood, and vitality are common in biohacker circles.

How to source Elk Velvet Antler1. Country of Origin MattersBest sources: New Zealand, USA (esp. small farms), and Canada.Avoid: Cheap imports from China or Eastern Europe, often irradiated, contaminated, or underdosed.2. Look for Full Spectrum Powder (NOT just extract)Full-spectrum EVA includes the cartilage, blood matrix, and bone marrow phase, offering the widest biological payload (IGF-1, collagen peptides, minerals, etc.)Avoid products that only use “antler tips” or “bloodless” EVA, as they lose potency.3. Low-Heat, Freeze-Dried ProcessingEnsures growth factors (like IGF-1) and delicate peptides aren’t destroyed.Ask vendors how they process — high-heat or spray drying = reduced bioactivity.

How they get the elk velvet...Yes, the antlers are removed — but no, it’s not barbaric. Think of it like pruning a plant to stimulate healthier regrowth. The velvet phase is when the antlers are most bioactive, rich in IGF-1, collagen, and joint-restorative compounds. On ethical farms, elk are anesthetized and treated with care. They regrow their antlers each year, stronger and larger, just like your mitochondria should.

RecommendationsI did a perusal of EVA anecdotes, and cramps are reported in a few places along with GI Upset.TakeElectrolytes: Magnesium Glycinate or Malate, Potassium Citrate, Sodium,AndTaurine - 500–1000mg (optional) - Stabilizes calcium flux in muscles

Athletic performance alternatives: Creatine + HMB

Q

Responding to: What is a health/Biohacking/personal growth product that you wish you could find?

I don't know what I'm looking for, how about a life extension product so I don't have to take handfuls of pills & powders daily.

A

Take your supplements infoceutically by downloading them into water with the IC Pad from Infopathy

Shelve all your supplements and take C60 in olive oil for a month or two

Q

Responding to: What is a health/Biohacking/personal growth product that you wish you could find?

Supplements to massively increase eyesight?

A

Schisandra - for natural eyesight support

Visoluten - A bioregulatory peptide + Visomitin - Mitochondrially-targeted SKQ1 eye drops

Q

Responding to: What is a health/Biohacking/personal growth product that you wish you could find?

I have too much energy, and my mind goes 100 miles an hour, but I feel like I never get anything important done. I have tried mindfulness, meditation, brain training, and so on. I don't find that they help, I constantly forget to do them, and I don't have time anyway. I've considered being prescribed stimulant meds, but I do not wish to be at the mercy of doctors & big pharma. I'm currently taking Omegas, Zinc, Iron, L-theanine, B vitamins & magnesium, which don't seem to help at all. Some days I take Modafinil, which helps, but I struggle to fall asleep most nights, and the Modafinil makes it even worse. A nootropics product that is quicker-acting and shorter-lasting would be amazing. If I set my alarm early to take the Modafinil, I can't get back to sleep & I lose precious sleep when I've probably only had 4 or 5 hrs. But when I take it too late in the morning, I can't get to sleep that night. I can't seem to win.

A

Recommendations

Catuaba - the best natural dopamine-booster

Breathwork focusing on flow vs control or one thing a day - Othership my favorite app for that...

Nicotine can be "A nootropics product which is quicker acting & shorter lasting, would be amazing"

Get a personal assistant to hold you accountable

Take a vacation or do a plant medicine ceremony?

Q

Responding to: Do you have any constructive criticism of Limitless Mindset?

I'm a female, and some of your content geared toward helping men get women is just creepy & sleazy. I often wonder if you are just some nerd, promoting smart drugs from his mum's basement, and your 'life' (so-called career success, travelling & Bulgarian model wife) is just a figment of your imagination. All that aside, I still enjoy listening to your podcasts. Although it is a struggle to stay focused with the strange speech pattern you have. Your voice almost sounds like it is AI-generated at times.

A

Video of my wife and I (CHECK HER hands - not AI-generated!)

My "creepy and sleazy" dating advice for men.

Q

Responding to: With which piece of content did I first "hook you?"

Nootropic plus your interesting sex life plus pretty wife (she should be with me!!!)

A

Read my book: Don't Stick Your Dick in a Blender: How to meet a nice girl instead - from a tantric husband with a better sex life than you!

Q

There is a Nootropic I took called X. It is advertised on Facebook. I would like to know your opinion about it.

A

From its website

https://www.xbrain.science

17 Ingredients clinically proven to benefit brain function† - No other supplement contains this unique combination of ingredients.

My take on it...

* A few patented ingredients - that's good! But...

* 5 milligrams of Huperzine - that way too much or a typo!

* KSM-66 Ashwagandha - this stuff is …