“I knew it was killing me, but I also believed that the monster I was drowning would overtake me if I stopped. I tried various ways of controlling it, always failing eventually. My fight against drugs and alcohol was all-consuming and exhausting. In moments of exasperation, I cut my wrists and prayed for the courage to cut deep enough to let all the pain out. Luckily, I could never drive the knife that deep.”

That’s a passage I found chillingly eloquent from a chapter that Dr. Aleksandra Gajer contributed to the book Triumphs of Transformation. In it, she lays bare her struggles with vice and her long personal and professional path through traditional medicine to reclaiming agency, health, and happiness by eight foundational lifestyle pillars, which we’ll get into in this wide-ranging discussion of the science of health and the art of transformation...

Mentioned in this interview

Trauma resolution

I lost a child - Our story of recovery with EMDR/Accelerated Resolution Therapy

Methylene Blue - A fascinating and potentially world-changing effect is in helping the user overcome the fear, trauma, and PTSD of the past...

My essay: The Myth of Sex Addiction

Biohacks

Whole Genome Sequencing - If you’re an MTHFRer, don’t be so stoic about stress!

Semax and Selank - Neuroplasticity-promoting peptides

Stack these with Phenylpiracetam, then meditate to feel like "a young Jedi dabbling with the dark side of the force for the first time"

Epigenetic mindset transformation meditation - from You Are The Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Weight loss

GLP1s - Like Ozempic, Wegovy’s Semaglutide, or Manjuaro

Retatrutide - “the data is very promising!”

Books

Triumphs of Transformation: Inspiring Stories of Resilience and Life Change

Weight Lifting Is a Waste of Time by Dr. John Jaquish - instead use an X3 bar OR blood flow restriction style bands for variable resistance training

The Tapping Solution for Pain Relief

Sexaholics Anonymous White Book

The Gajer Practice

Brings “The Science of Health, The Art of Transformation” to their devotion to their patients in northern Virginia, the Washington, D.C. area, and nationwide via telemedicine.

Clearly, Dr. Gajer & Co are on the cutting edge of functional medicine and applied longevity science. So if DIYing your own Biohacking is not getting you the health transformation you need - sometimes even the best Biohacker needs a doctor - schedule a free call with them...

On social media

The Gajer Practice on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Dr. Aleksandra Gajer on LinkedIN

Need a little more inspiration to break out of the pain and pattern of the past? Here’s a catchy song about trauma resolution...

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

This “smart peptide” is a genetic hack for enhanced immunity, which is particularly helpful to the elderly for treating or preventing...

* Chronic and acute inflammatory diseases.

* Viral respiratory infections: pneumonia, bronchitis, sore throats, ear infections, and sinusitis.

* Autoimmune diseases.

* Cystitis, Pyelonephritis, Prostatitis, and Adnexitis.

* Systemic connective tissue disease.

* Along with recovering from chemotherapy.

Crystagen differs from other immune medicines and biohacks I’ve discussed; it’s more of a tool for restoration than prevention. It’s used to rebuild a compromised immune system.

A 2014 study out of St. Petersburg evaluated CRYSTAGEN® and explained the little-known connection between the spleen and the immune system...

The spleen plays an important role in the immune response. Its main function is the development of macrophages and different types of lymphocytes, including their proliferation and differentiation. The functional activity of the spleen reduces with aging; however, the age associated changes in its immune function are less pronounced than those of the thymus. The spleen, after the thymus, is the second most important organ of immunogenesis, which is important for both innate and adaptive immunity. Each area of the spleen provides high specificity, mediated by unique interactions between lymphoid and stromal cells. These interactions create a special microenvironment that ensures the implementation of an adequate immune response

And notes that Crystagen also activates B-cells of the immune system.

The Bioregulatory peptide mechanism is explained on Dr. Khavinson’s website here...

According to the concept of peptide bioregulation, a theory of endogenous peptide bioregulators’ involvement in the maintenance of structural and functional homeostasis of cell populations, containing and producing these factors, was formulated. These endogenous peptides became commonly known as «Cytomedins». Cytomedins control gene expression and protein synthesis, thus preventing age-related accumulation of quantitative structural and functional alterations, which are the markers of transition of a biological system from the norm to the pathology. Disordered peptide bioregulation reduces organism resistance to external and internal destabilizing factors, serving a cause of premature ageing.A long record of peptide bioregulators application in the health service has demonstrated their high effectiveness in combating various disease and pathologies, including those refractory to other medicines.

Are you perplexed by peptides?

Check out this deep-dive article and investigation of bioregulatory peptides (includes two interesting documentaries on the topic)...

Anecdotal evidence

Sofie reported, Good boost during cold/flu season!

...the Crystagen boosts my immune system for sure! I babysitting my grandchildren often and do not get sick when they are sick with cold...

FatherRomanus on Twitter combined it with other biopeptides and reported (surprisingly) a Nootropic effect in less than an hour...

the distinct effect is clarity and sharpness... Calm lucidity, like the tide rolling on your feet went up a millimeter for the natural, ten millimeters for the synthetic. We might mostly agree that it was there, like aniracetam.

I did scour Google search results for any cases of undesirable side effects reported and found none, which is a good sign!

An immune bio-prep

This package of CRYSTAGEN® is going into the “bio-prepping” corner of my immune war chest because I already have a lot of good prevention habits and biohacks: vitamins, nutrients, fasting, red light therapy, and the adaptogenic tea that I sip daily. CRYSTAGEN® I see as more of a “break in case of emergency” biohack, if myself or a loved one was facing a serious infection or autoimmune condition, I’d do a course of treatment - several capsules a day with meals for 10-30 days. It can be stored for at least five years and used when needed, so it’s a good addition to my doomsday medical prepping supplies.

For more overviews and reviews of little-known peptides and Biohacking tools…

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

May your March be magnificent with these Biohacking questions answered...

Listen to it as you go about your business in the chilly streets.

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.

Q&A #6 Questions

Q

I just finished watching your “Piracetam Decoded” video on YouTube and had a few questions that I was hoping you could help me with.

I have a stutter and wanted to know if, in your research, you ever came across any studies that involved Piracetam being tested on stutterers. I found a very interesting study, but it was performed on a group of stroke sufferers.

Also, in your video, you mention how Piracetam helps to improve blood flow. I tend to suffer from cold hands and feet, but not quite to the extent of having Raynaud’s Syndrome. I wanted to know if you think it would help with that as well.

A

Recommendations

For Biohacking Stuttering

Piracetam

Phenibut

Vinpocetine for vasodilation

Ginkgo Biloba

Picamilon

Beet Root Juice and Capacin

Read: The Social Anxiety Protocol for Biohacking Confidence

on Longecityhttp://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/62487-nootropic-stack-for-stuttering/http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/13685-nootropics-for-speech-problems-stuttering-etc/http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/61978-stuttering-and-neurofeedback/

Q

what Nootropics can you use safely if you elevated blood pressure?

A

RecommendationsOxiracetam

Aniracetam

Piracetam

Q

Hello. What do you think about stacking vinpocetine with supplements that increase dopamine and serotonin levels? L-tyrosine is the building block of dopamine. Mucuna contains l-dopa, the precursor to dopamine. 5-htp creates serotonin. I think l-theanine does too. They might help, but I would like an educated opinion before I try. I feel like I might be one of the people who gets depressed from vinpocetine, but I am intrigued by its potential benefits. P.S. Could you make a video about which nootropic you would take if you could only take one?

A

Recommendations

L-Phenylalanine

Tyrosine

Caballo - If I could take just one Smart Drug, it would be the racetam-rich stack I created

Q

hey do you know anything that helps you get into a calm state except for meditation, L theanine, and kratom high-dose?

A

RecommendationsDual N-Back

Kava

Phenibut

Yoga and breathwork

Q

Why is Rhodiola Rosea so Popular in Smart Drug Stacks? Thoughts?

A

Recommendation

Organic Rhodiola Rosea Extract

Your questions inspired this old school hip hop song about Biohacking...

To get your yearning biohacking questions answered, first…

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

Is beauty vain, or is beauty, instead, a philosophical treasure that refracts the potency of our inner life force?

Is physical beauty something we’ve programmed to respond to by the 5000 ads a day? Is the obsession with one’s own physical beauty a sign of a deeply corrupt soul? If all you have to offer is that which you did not earn, you’ll be terrified to lose it. Is the lustful obsession with physical beauty the way of what appears to be a man, but is really an animal?OR is physical beauty a gift from the divine (or evolution if you prefer)? A reward for when we draw nearer to the most metaphorically divine act, that of creating new life in our own image.

It’s all too easy to call the woman vain who spends hours before the mirror fixing her make-up. Mainstream self-help pop culture would call her insecure for the way she frets over how her attire falls on her form. Surely, she must be compensating for her intellectual shallowness or bad childhood when she rouges her lips. But what about the health-conscious Biohacker - who spends hundreds of hours a year in the gym shaping their physique? Who never misses a day without their collagen supplements? Who shines beautifying wavelengths of red light on their skin every day? The Biohacker who dares to defy human condition: grow old, grow ugly, and die - long thought of as nonnegotiable. The Biohacker who spends a small fortune on sophisticated anti-aging supplements and tools for the fight to become a beautiful immortal, have they merely multiplied vanity by delusion?

These are the most pragmatic of philosophical questions. I discuss them with François Vix, who has dedicated the past two decades to advancing health through scientific breakthroughs in the beauty and wellness space. Most notably, he pioneered the use of a stable, bioactive form of SuperOxide Dismutase (SOD), bringing GliSODin to more than 50 countries. I’ve trialed their two products: GliSODin Anti-Aging and VSOD. These are more than just beauty products, with over 20 clinical trials backing SOD’s effect on health and longevity, it may be one of the keys for aspirational beautiful immortals.

Mentioned in this interview

SuperOxide Dismutase (SOD) on PubMed

Derived from organic Melons farmed in Provence, France

GliSODin multiplies the effect of more mainstream “beauty supplements”: Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, etc

GliSODin.org - research portal with +20 studies

The hacks

Lifestyle longevity hack for SOD: take the advice of the Taoist masters and train take fewer breaths

Minimalist hack for productivity: Name just one goal a day during a morning breathwork session. I do this listening to Othership’s Morning Intentention track

A snapshot of one of the most beautiful places I ever visited - Valencia, Spain

My book about how to seduce the enduring affections of a virtuous and beautiful woman: Don’t Stick Your Dick in a Blender

Biohacker review: The vitality (and great hair) that new-ish parents need!

My wife and I took both GliSODin Anti-Aging and VSOD for about two months. I wouldn’t categorize them as classic Nootropics, but I think they are something that helped with the energy we need as new parents - I’m proud of how well we’ve managed the avalanche of new responsibilities (elevated SOD probably has something to do with that)! Additionally, I noted that my wife’s hair was looking particularly vibrant while we were making love on Valentine’s Day.

As you can tell, I really like what GliSODin is about, so I’ve included them in the illustrious ranks of Limitless Mindset Secret Society partners. Pick up over $300 worth of their products, and you’ll be eligible to join our Biohacker secret society and get a free consultation session with me.

Check out GliSODin on Instagram or YouTube

Take-away question: Beauty is a silver lining to life that makes hardships endurable, so how can you earn more beauty in your life in 2026?

My discussion with François inspired this epic song about the philosophy of beauty...

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

Q

Responding to: Prepping for an Uncertain Future with Nootropics

i don’t think they ever put a man on the moon... but i’ll never believe there’s nuthin’ up their sleeve!I don’t buy into cold war propaganda either. But I also know that flat Earth is a psyop to distract, discredit, and draw out thought criminals. Pretty effective psyop.

A

My connection the moon landings...

The moon conspiracies go deeper...

* Richard Hoagland’s theory and debates on the moon landings

* JF Debunks the Moon Landing Conspiracy (in 3 hours!)

This question inspired this (AI) art...

Q

what do you think of maca for sport ? what would you recommand for intense swimming ? no dopamine inductor, I don’t use coffee neither for instance. I believe everything that use dopamine receptor has a cost in the end, not worth it to my view. ( any thought on this, cause coffee fuck the hell up of me in the end of day, maybe I m really sensitive to this ).

A

More about Maca: PubMed articles on endurance effect: A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sportsmen.

14 days ME supplementation improved 40 km cycling time trial performance and sexual desire in trained male cyclists.

Retracted article: The Research on the Impact of Maca Polypeptide on Sport Fatigue.

Nootropics for intense swimming...

Gotu Kola from an Indian review

The antidepressant effects of total triterpenes from [Gotu Kola] on the immobility time in forced swimming mice...

L-Tyrosine for acute stress

Rhodiola from a Belgian study of young athletes:

Acute Rhodiola rosea intake can improve endurance exercise capacity in young healthy volunteers.

Yohimbine - an athletic performance enhancer

Q

Hello Jonathan. Please tell me what do you think about Flmodafinil. I’ts safe? Dont give me SJS? Or allergy and skin interaction like adrafinil? Thanks for your answer :)

A

More about FlmodafinilCortex Labs ReviewNo clinical studies on Flmodafinil on PubMed

Q

John have you ever heard or tryed Omega-3 from red krill and not wild caught salmon or from sardine ect.. The absorption of this omega 3 krill oil is something amazing you can really feel it. The scientific logic behind this is that the loads of golden omega 3 pills we see with huge amounts of DHA and EPA are not fully getting absorbed .The red you see is a powerfull anti oxidant Astaxanthin which is naturally found in krill and helps preserve the omega 3 so no smelly fishy smell

A

Listen: Ben Greenfield’s podcast with Twinlabs CEO

Order: Red Krill Omega-3 Oil

Q

Responding to: Post-Piracetam Intelligence Deficit

Thanks for sharing. I’ve read many reddit posts myself and many of the things that I have read are absurd. One, in particular, was a guy complaining about various negative side effects that came with his noopept consumption, although he then states that he was using modafinil along with it, but he was sure that it was the noopept which was causing him to crash and have extremely low energy upon it wearing off, absolutely comical! Others have stated that noopept has ruined their brain despite the fact that they had abused substances such as benzodiazepines shortly prior to trying noopept. It seems that many individuals are trying to fix an underlying problem with certain nootropics and then if they have some sort of negative result after their use they are certain to pin the problem on the nootropic. In my experience, noopept is very subtle and it has had a positive impact on my brain therefore I cannot fathom how some can claim that this substance has had any significant negative impact on their brain. Also, isn’t noopept most effective for those with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers?

A

Read: Noopept stimulates the expression of NGF and BDNF in rat hippocampus.

Hello Jonathan. Please tell me what do you think about Flmodafinil. I’ts safe? Dont give me SJS? Or allergy and skin interaction like adrafinil? Thanks for your answer :)

Q

Responding to: Kratom 🌿 An opioid-based non-nootropic performance enhancer with a dark side

[Kratom is an] opioid agonist buddy not a legit opioid for real

A

78 papers on PubMed identify Kratom as an opioid or as having opioid properties

Q

How do racetams effect Bipolar Disorder especially mania?

A

Read: The cause of Piracetam Mania and Nootropics for bipolar people - Racetams induce hypomania?

Better Nootropic options...

Vitamin B12

ALCAR - A 2013 paper stated about a stack of ALCAR and CoQ10:

[mitochondrial modulators] treatment targets mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, altered brain energy metabolism and the dysregulation of multiple mitochondrial genes in patients with bipolar disorder... Convergent data implicate mitochondrial dysfunction as an important component of the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.

Uridine

Memantine - I’ve grown more bearish on this drug

Q

Responding to: How to Be Cross Eyed audio chapters

Great series. May I ask how you came to be able to write and publish a book? Is there a streamlined way to do this these days?

A

My books: How to Be Cross Eyed, Hourglass, and Don’t Stick Your Dick in a Blender

Kindle Book Formatting Tool: Reedsy

Your questions inspired this song: “Question the conspiracy theorist cred” 🎵 Disco for your doubt

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

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 or 60 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 or 60 days.

* I’m incentivized to come up with a really 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 of 30 or 60 days for you to make improvements and accomplish your goals.

Your skin is in the game here, that you’re paying good money for this, and you’re accountable to me on another call in 30 or 60 days. You’ll have to explain your lack of action if you fail to follow through.

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 really help. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

🌨️ Hope you’re feelin’ fabulous as February flies by! If not, and you’re hitting a bit of a motivational dip thanks to the seasonal blues, the retarded about-to-be-eaten by-AI economy, or the upcoming alien invasion 👽 (or whatever) LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST.

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&A #23

Q

I had a girlfriend who was addicted to her vibrator. She built up a tolerance so that she could ONLY orgasm with the use of a vibrator. Her continued use of “toys” escalated to the point that she ONLY wanted to have sex while using her wild and various “tools”. This became a problem as I felt ignored and slighted due to her addiction. Still, I don’t see videos warning WOMEN about VIBRATOR ADDICTIONS!!! (wonder why???) A lot of people think that vibrator use is perfectly okay and normal - but the truth is that if you can ONLY have orgasms with the use of these toys - then it is (by definition) an ADDICTION!!!

A comment on 🤳 Women’s Social Media Obsession = Men’s Porn Addiction

A

Recommendations

Kegel trainer apps

Sex with Emily podcast

The chapters on Tantric sex in my book for men, Don’t Stick Your Dick in a Blender...

This question inspired this (AI) art...

Q

just read one of your articles (about 5 HTP)... I find its the only thing that helps with pervasive low mood & depression but am worried about long term side effects and you mention it shouldn’t be used long term. Really interesting article (1/2)I was also born cross eyed but had surgery at a young age in an attempt to correct it. Still have a lazy left eye. Always wondered if my “brain wiring” was what affected both my eyes and my mental state. What do you recommend instead of 5 HTP

A

Recommendations

Beating Depression chapter from my book about thriving despite a physical imperfection

Rhodiola

Piracetam

Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, and Vitamin A, along with a UVB light

Intermittent Antidepressive Meditation (when you go to the bathroom)

A monogamous relationship with a virtuous man and ingesting regular doses of Biohacker Semen, yes, really! Listen to How Our Toxic Environment Is Impacting Our Sexy Brains and Hormones – Dr. Lindsey Berkson

For naturally fixing eyesight, read the book The experience of a fool: who had an epiphany about how to get rid of his glasses

Stem cell research is also promising for us cross-eyed people! Listen to Ben Greenfield’s interview of Dr. Matt Cook

Q

Don’t think you’ll answer this but what’s the best combination of brain supplements?

A

Recommendations

The Piracetam Protocol

Recommended Nootropic stacks: Excelerol, Nootopia, TAO Ultra Nootropic, QUANTUMiND - Nootropic

Q

I don’t like wine so i take Resveratrol instead. NMN is supposed to be better though. David Sinclair says he takes 500mg of Resveratrol along with [Nicotinamide mononucleotide] NMN supplement. What do you think of that?

A

Recommendations

Pterostilbene

C60

NAD+ Precursors: NMN or Nicotinamide Riboside (Tru Niagen)

Q

What do you think of Phenylalanine in the treatment of Bipolar disorder Depression ?

A

Recommendations

Phenylalanine

No clinical human studies on Phenylalanine and bipolar depression on PubMed. Read Nutritional therapies for mental disorders and The Subjective and Cognitive Effects of Acute Phenylalanine and Tyrosine Depletion in Patients Recovered from Depression

Uridine

A stack of ALCAR and CoQ10

Q

If I just took a larger dose of choline would I get the same result as less Alpha GPC?

See...

CDP Choline VS Alpha GPC? A mechanisms + effect comparison

On MindLabPro.com, Best Nootropic Choline Source: Citicoline, Alpha-GPC, or Choline Bitartrate?

Q

I’ve been meaning to ask... Do you think NAC could help taper off phenibut? I haven’t heard people taking it for phenibut, and I think it would be great if it’s viable. If it is... Could you make some awareness?

A

Recommendations

L-Theanine

Ashwagandha

Ginseng

Nefiracetam

Fasoracetam

Your questions inspired this AI song: “From conspiracies to capsules” Folksy medley to keep your February fantastic

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

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 or 60 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 or 60 days.

* I’m incentivized to come up with a really 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 of 30 or 60 days for you to make improvements and accomplish your goals.

Your skin is in the game here, that you’re paying good money for this, and you’re accountable to me on another call in 30 or 60 days. You’ll have to explain your lack of action if you fail to follow through.

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 really help. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

To get your Biohacking and lifehacking questions answered with wit and insight…

Support me on Substack? For $7/monthly?

In this article, I’ll do more than just criticize and point out flaws. I’ll point out how Onnit could improve this product and suggest some superior Nootropic stacks; products that have a whole lot more credibility and integrity behind their formulation, marketing, and creation. Of course, you might say: Jonathan, it looks like you’re getting paid by these guys to promote their products(and bash Alpha Brain). Where’s your integrity? Yes, I am affiliated with some of these Alpha Brain alternatives, and I’m certainly a fallible human, but my integrity is only as good as my arguments. I’d urge you to just evaluate the arguments and evidence I present about these products.

In my view, the cardinal sin that Alpha Brain commits is not proving that it contains the advertised ingredients.

And Alpha Brain is not unique in this — this is a huge problem with the supplement industry in general. Nobody is verifying that supplements actually contain the vitamins, nutrients, and Nootropic ingredients on the label or listed on their website. Somebody who just wants to make money can build an e-commerce store, create some graphics of a bottle or label, and list a bunch of ingredients that empower our health, but just fill the capsules with sawdust (or whatever) and make a killing. It’s an often-undiscussed ethical hazard of being in the supplement game. If you don’t see a certificate of analysis (COA) for the ingredients of the product, you’re really making a faith-based decision to consume it. Onnit is probably not doing this because they are a big company with a lot of money; the value of their multi-million dollar brand is probably not worth the risk of betraying their customers to maximize profits a little more, but as industry leaders, they really should take that ethical step and just make their COAs public.

I’m sure there’s a good reason why they don’t do this — It’s probably because some of the individual ingredients are of questionable quality. Not all Bacopa (or any other ingredient for that matter) is created equal. There’s really good stuff that is produced by organic farms that is stringently tested, and then there’s cheap stuff from China, which is probably not pure and may contain problematic toxins and heavy metals — you don’t know if you don’t see a COA. In the case of Alpha Brain, they just list the ingredients…

For many of the ingredients, they don’t give us any additional information about the sourcing of the ingredients or specific derivatives used. Without more information, it’s fair to assume that they are just using what’s most cost-effective.

Huperzine — The Profiteer’s Nootropic Ingredient

Two very popular Nootropic ingredients make me raise a skeptical eyebrow when I see them in a product. DMAE and Huperzine. DMAE is an awful pseudo-Nootropic with some concerning (and often undiscussed) side effects, thankfully Alpha Brain doesn’t contain it, but it does contain 400 micrograms of Huperzine-A. Huperzine is an effective energy Nootropic, but less is really more.

* Very few of Onnit’s customers probably know that large doses of it may be toxic. You want to be taking minuscule amounts of the stuff. At doses over 50 micrograms, you run into side effects like insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, slowed heart rate, restlessness, sweating, loss of appetite, contraction of muscle fibers, constipation, and twitching.

* Huperzine stays in your system for at least 24 hours. When you consume 400 mcg of huperzine the next day after you think that Alpha Brain’s effects have worn off, there’s still 200 mcg in your system. The Huperzine in your system accumulates when you then take another 400 mcg, or maybe more if you mega-dose Alpha Brain, taking 6–8 capsules the way Joe Rogan describes doing frequently on his popular podcast. Huperzine doesn’t belong in your daily stack.

The final really important thing to understand about Huperzine is that it is cheap — at .0006 cents per dose or 2 cents for a month’s supply! If you want to make a killing, get into the Huperzine business!

My view on Onnit

Having been the internet’s smart drug dealer for the better part of the decade, I have some experience dealing with Onnit, and without getting into too many sordid details, I think they may be doing too many psychedelics there in Austin! My experience with them was of the organized irresponsibility that characterizes large bureaucratic organizations and companies. Usually, how a company does one thing is how it does everything. My experience with various departments of Onnit furthers my suspicion of their products’ quality assurance.

If you watch just a few of the podcasts that they produce, you’ll see that they embrace a lot of postmodern pseudo-social science and wuwu New Age spirituality. This is good for marketing, I’m sure, but this doesn’t seem like a very appropriate corporate culture for the rigorous endeavor of creating scientifically-backed health products.

A final thing I don’t love about Onnit is that they were acquired by Unilever, the multinational consumer goods corporation that produces like half of the stuff that you’ll find below your sink. It’s very naive to assume that Unilever won’t sacrifice product quality at Onnit to cut costs and increase shareholder value. Your purchase of Alpha Brain or other Onnit supplements no longer supports the (now very wealthy) men, Aubrey and Joe, with whom you have a one-way parasocial relationship, thanks to their popular podcasts.

The Cost Question

The final crucial point of comparison is cost. A 45-day 90 capsule supply (for most biohackers, a month’s supply) of Alpha Brain (with 18000 micrograms of Huperzine!) is about $75 (a lot cheaper, I’m sure, when they run discounts).

Biohacker Review: A decent brain power supplement, but no real-life NZT-48

In January 2012, I began taking AlphaBrain by Onnit Labs. I heard about this Nootropic supplement from Joe Rogan’s (Host of Fear Factor, UFC commentator guy) podcast.

Overall, I’m a little disappointed in AlphaBrain; the ad copy on their website suggests a near ‘Limitless pill’ NZT-like mental enhancement, and this is the effect I was hoping for. AlphaBrain did not deliver this effect to me, while on AlphaBrain, I felt 10%-20% mentally sharper than I do normally. We should note that I’m a young man who is pretty healthy and active. 6 days out of the week I eat a very brain and heart-healthy diet so I like to think that my brain is already operating at a very efficient level but I would still hope for more of a noticeable increase in brainpower.

I noticed that sometimes AlphaBRAIN seems to make me, umm, gassy. This seems to happen frequently if I take it in the morning while drinking coffee. Not a big problem, though, since I’m trying to decrease my coffee intake anyway. Hopefully, we’ll get some feedback from some other reviewers on this.

During the time I was on AlphaBrain, I was very productive in my business and made excellent progress towards two large New Year’s resolutions of mine. I cannot say that this was a direct result of taking AlphaBrain, but it is interesting to note that a highly productive time of my life coincided with my taking AlphaBrain.

Under suggested use, it recommends taking 1-2 capsules. I tried upping the dosage several times, and it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

One thing to note is that the pill container is rather small, but it does contain 30 capsules. When I got it, I thought it looked small, so I poured out the capsules and counted them to make sure they were all there.

While I didn’t experience any ‘Limitless pill’ NZT-like effects from AlphaBrain, I’m confident that it does have a positive mental effect on your brain. Overall, I did feel slightly sharper while on it than off it. If AlphaBrain were the only Nootropic supplement on the market, I would continue to order it every month. Since it’s not, I’m going to try some of the other Nootropic supplements out there and see what kind of comparative results I get. I will be ordering Onnit’s other product, New Mood, as well.

The marketers of the product Alpha Brain frequently mention that it promotes peak alpha (or flowstate), but the clinical trial behind this claim demonstrated it only after 45 days of dosing, and the uptick was rather small; an increase of just 6% from baseline. These Nootropic stacks, while certainly not useless, are pretty far from being a Limitless pill for flow.

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Having used C60 before, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from this stuff, so, being a vain biohacker, I elected to instead use it cosmetically. I’d heard around the Longecity forums that C60 has a beautifying effect on our skin, that it heals old scars and eliminates aging wrinkles. Starting in August, I rubbed a few drops into my face daily. I did this twice daily for a few months. It’s hard to say if this made much of a difference; I’m already a quite healthy, young-looking 34-year-old. I did this with my wife who is the same age and also fetchingly girlish, we both noticed an undesirable effect, surprisingly, using the coconut oil on our lips dried out our lips - both of us noticed that our lips were unpleasantly dry and chapped. Our lips went back to normal when we stopped applying the coconut oil to our lips. I believe this is when, due to the coconut oil and not the C60, because come to think about it, when I used coconut oil as a lip balm in the past, I had to apply it often as my lips would get dried out. Using a different organic lip balm, I don’t have such dry lips as frequently.

Over the past few months, I’ve mysteriously developed some skin eczema, and I have three persistent skin rashes on the back of my neck and the insides of my biceps just above my inner elbows. For several weeks, I applied the Coconut Oil C60 to these rashes, which was soothing and alleviated the itchiness, but the skin rashes persisted and perhaps got a little worse. Researching the skin eczema issue further, I was surprised to learn that (contrary to what you’ll read on a bunch of blogs online) coconut oil is often bad for skin - it may exacerbate eczema, olive oil is actually better, according to podcaster Jennifer Fugo of The Healthy Skin Show. Apparently, the issue with coconut oil is that it’s such an effective antimicrobial that it kills off the natural skin microbiome, causing skin inflammation. In the future, I’d like to try the olive oil C60 solution on my skin and see if it produces better results.

The bottle sat in my Biohacker cabinet for a few months, and then I decided to use it orally, but I think that the coconut oil has gone bad. It now has an unpleasant taste. I first got it back in August of 2019, so apparently, this product goes bad in just about 6 months. Don’t leave it sitting around! Also, the pipette top broke, so I’m just going to throw it away. Which is a little disappointing because I did some research on C60 as an immune hack, to quote from my article Empower Super Immunity with C60 the Super Antioxidant:

There are three ways that C60 helps the immune system...Stimulates stem cell growth - Our immune system needs a constant supply of virile, young cells. You can imagine just how well an army comprised of elderly soldiers with achy knees would fight in a war, the army needs fresh recruits and that’s just what the stem cells become. Via its mitochondrial mechanism, C60 empowers and increases the pool of available stem cells.Reduces oxidative radicals, these “free radicals” cause the rusting of your cells, in the same way that metal left outside rusts or old bread goes bad. The oxidation causes immune inflammation, rendering the immune system less effective. Viruses also cause your cells to explode, spreading even more troublemaking free radicals throughout your body.Regulates down inflammatory cytokines - Cytokines are the fire alarms of the immune system. You’re probably aware that the stress response can be your friend, sometimes we need a jolt of cortisol and adrenalin, but chronic stress causes all sorts of problems. The immune system is similar, immune inflammation can result in a cytokine storm, a phrase that we now all know and fear thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. A cytokine storm causes the body to turn on itself, sometimes fatally. C60 has the capacity to quiet the cytokine storm.

I’d love to continue using C60, it’s a powerful anti-aging molecule, but not with this product. Usually, I’m pretty impressed with Indigo Herbs’ products, but I don’t think I’d recommend this C60 in coconut oil. The landmark study that really put C60 on the anti-aging map used pure olive oil, not coconut oil; that’s the way I’ll use it.

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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.

Q

started to listening [my ADHD video]... after some time my thoughts gone there and there... your video is way too long ;-D

A

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Q

I’m a subscriber to your Youtube channel. It’s great stuff, I appreciate your videos. I was wondering if, in your experiments with all the nootropics you’ve tried, you came across one that gives you a noticeable creativity boost? In particular, I’m looking for something to aid my creative writing and ability to get into a flowstate. I take phenylpiracetam with my daily stack of micronutrients and stuff like: Vinpocetine, Rhodiola R., Ginko B., and l-theanine. The phenylpiracetam is great for general cognition and logical tasks, but it does almost nothing for creative pursuits, in fact, sometimes I feel like it hinders my creative flow. I’m considering ordering some tianeptine. Any thoughts? Thanks!

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Check out my recent presentation: 7 Creativity Biohacks - From Frequencies and Flowstate to Tantra 🇧🇬 Speaking at “School of Life”

Q

I feel great on Tianeptine, but it dries me out (mouth, tears, possibly other areas?) and gives me flank pain (kidney?). If I could overcome the drying effect, It might be my all time favorite substance. The dry-out effect is more than an annoyance. Any ideas on how to overcome this side effect?Do you think “Tianeptine sulfate” would cause the same dry mouth side effect? Is the dry mouth side effect hormonal?

A

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Hey man would you say there is a big difference between noopept and piracetam? Which one gives your body more energy would you say? Thanks in advanceI’m also aware noopept is more potent but I’m just wondering your views on the effects?

Also just moved to Baja, Mexico from Seattle. Tips for upping my Spanish game?

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Day 1

I was excited to pick up my package and try C60 for the first time. The product presents nicely and looks relatively unsuspicious compared with a lot of Nootropics I’ve tried. The olive oil comes in a black glass bottle, which is the proper way to package this sort of thing. I’m always suspicious of “health” products that come in BPA-laden plastic bottles.

I poured out a tablespoon of the stuff; it tastes like olive oil. There was no detectable taste or aftertaste, which was different than other high-quality olive oils I’ve tried previously. The first dosing produced no notable Nootropic effect.

Good news: This stuff may alleviate the hangover after a night of feasting and boozing

Here in Bulgaria, we celebrate holidays with a lot of fine food and drink. On forgiveness day (March 10th), my wife’s family served me seemingly endless tasty morsels and at least three different types of booze. I went to bed feeling a bit bloated and drunk, usually a recipe for waking up with a hangover! But I did a tablespoon of C60 before bed, drank a lot of water, and awoke feeling quite normal. It would make sense that a super antioxidant would detoxify me after boozing too much.

Around the internet, I had heard that most people take a tablespoon of C60 in olive oil. So my wife and I would just have a tablespoon after dinner daily. But this product is a higher concentration of C60; it’s .8 milligrams per milliliter, and a tablespoon is nearly 15 milliliters, so we were doing like 12 milligrams of C60 daily, which is on the high end of the dosage range. At this rate, one of these bottles lasts about a week. In the future, I would take it at a lower dose than 12 milligrams daily, as an already very healthy young man, I probably don’t need nearly that much.

I noticed the weeks I was using the stuff, a small uptick in my general mood and motivation

I also noticed that I seemed to wake up a bit earlier with more vigor to take on the day. But I wouldn’t consider it a classic Nootropic that energizes me and enhances cognition.

After I finished two bottles, I began using C60 and CBD/Hemp Extract selectively. I didn’t take it daily; I used it as a post-workout recovery sleep hack. I took it in lower doses of about half a teaspoon as opposed to a whole tablespoon.

I interviewed my jolly old father-in-law about his experience taking C60

He was initially skeptical of C60 but was surprised to experience noticeable positive effects within a week on his energy levels and digestive function.

If I could, C60 is one anti-aging agent that I would use daily forever; it has no downside and significant upside promise as a long-term longevity hack.

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