One question we’ve been getting a lot, especially since  our Side Effects of Rhodiola article went live, is what is the best time to take Rhodiola.

As an adaptogen, Rhodiola can help reduce the effects of stress, and potentially protect against long-term stress. Its effects on stress have been observed as quickly as the first time Rhodiola is administered, and continued use may increase resistance to stress, with few adverse effects on other normal biological functions (though it may have a stimulating effect for some people; see below).

Just because Rhodiola helps you fight  the effects of stress doesn’t mean that it relaxes you. In fact, studies suggest that rhodiola can fight both physical and mental fatigue, and can act as a stimulant.

The easiest way to determine the best time to use Rhodiola is to take into consideration your sensitivity to stimulants, what other stimulants you may be taking in addition, and whether or not you have difficulty falling asleep at night.

What works best for me is 250 mg of Rhodiola in the morning, along with a cup of Bulletproot/fat-infused coffee. If I anticipate a high-stress day, I will follow it up with another 250 mg of Rhodiola with lunch. Note that Rhodiola doesn’t necessarily become more effective with a higher dose, and dosages above 600 mg haven’t been shown to be clinically effective (and may actually be less effective).

I have a high tolerance for stimulants, but I also have a hard time falling asleep at night. For me, taking Rhodiola after lunch is a big no-no, but feel free to experiment with what works best for you.

Some folks here at BrainWiz take up to 600 mg of Rhodiola at a time, and stack it with caffeine or other caffeine-containing supplements. I have stacked it with both Lumonol and Alpha BRAIN with great results.

Again, finding the best time for you may take some experimentation, but I suggest with starting with a dose in the morning for best results.

Have you been taking Rhodiola? Share your supplement routine in the comments below.

The post When Are the Best Times to Take Rhodiola Rosea? appeared first on Brain Wiz.

But coffee is a big and complex world, and it’s tough to figure out where to start among the many thousands of varieties, farms, roasters, and brands producing “boutique” or “speciality” brews. We haven’t tried all the world has to offer, but we’ve made our way through some of the more common single estate coffees, and we’ve compiled our favorites below. Everyone has their personal preferences, but these are five companies with coffees that have helped us get more done (and enjoy our morning fix) time and time again.

1. Caveman Coffee Company

It’s no secret we love Caveman Coffee, and one of their founders, Tait Fletcher, was among the first to turn us on to the intersections of fitness and biohacking. Caveman Coffee is just a couple years old, and they don’t have a ton of products available, but that’s largely because they’ve taken their time sourcing incredibly specific coffee varieties. In fact, they go beyond single origin and single estate, focusing on single family coffee varieties from Colombia, Brazil, and Ethiopia.

From their website:

Caveman Coffee is not only a Single Origin/Single Estate Coffee, it is a Single Family Coffee. Our beans are grown, washed, dried, and roasted by one family. That’s right, a father and son team run the growing and drying in Colombia and the other two sons handle the small batch roasting.

We’ve found Caveman Coffee to be incredibly consistent in flavor profile, and it goes well with MCT oil and other productivity enhancers.

2. Picacho Coffee Micro Lots

Produced seasonally in very limited quantities, Picacho’s micro lot coffees are actually split between single-estate and cooperative growers. But the highlights, at least in our opinion, are definitely the single estate varieties, including several from the farm of Colombian farmer German Valenzuela.

Are Picacho Coffee’s micro lots cheap? Rarely. Are they delicious, well-sourced, and complex in their flavor profiles? Absolutely. It’s the kind of coffee you’re going to want to savor and enjoy, whether you’re crushing work or looking for a smooth weekend wakeup.

3. Intelligentsia Coffee 

Intellgentsia is a pioneering company in well-sourced, single estate or single origin coffees. Their single origin coffees include information on location, farmers, and harvest dates. If you’re a coffee nerd or just want to learn more about what’s behind the brew in your cup, their website and packaging is full of enough information to keep you occupied. Their single origin coffees come from a variety of countries and climates, so you’ll be able to narrow down which you like best based on everything from growing season to elevation.

4. Union Hand Roasted Coffee

With varieties from Costa Rica to Indonesia, Brazil to Rwanda, Union Hand Roasted Coffee produces some excellent coffees with easy-to-follow pedigrees. Are you someone who cares, highly, about what you’re putting into your body? Learn how each batch is grown, harvested, and roasted, along with who’s doing each step of the process along the way. Union takes a lot of the worry out of coffee so you can concentrate on enjoying your brew, and using it to get more done.

5. Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof gets their “Upgraded” coffee from single estates in Guatemala (though to be fair, some may argue their final roasts aren’t technically “single estate” but more “single origin,” coming from the same region but not necessarily the same farm). Their company popularized the combo of high-quality coffee, butter, and medium-chain triglyceride oil, it’s called “Bulletproof Coffee” for a reason!

And Bulletproof isn’t a newbie in the world of nootropics and productivity enhancement; in fact, it’s largely the foundation of their company, and they’ve made their coffee to reflect the high-performance edge their customers look for. We can’t say for sure if Bulletproof’s Central American-sourced beans make you leaps and bounds more productive than the standard roast off a supermarket shelf, but they sure do pair well with fats, like the company’s own Brain Octane oil, that may enhance mental clarity and focus. When it comes to mentioning high-performance, well-sourced coffees, Bulletproof’s is one we would feel bad leaving off our list.

The post The Best Single Estate Coffee Brands appeared first on Brain Wiz.

So while most coffee can give a boost, the type of coffee can make a huge difference in the flavor, effectiveness, and experience of drinking coffee. And since coffee is a plant — one of the world’s most important crops! — where the beans come from dictates the quality and properties of your particular brew.

Want to get more out of your cup, whether it’s just for taste or a necessary caffeine jolt? It’s worth trying a single estate coffee, and with the rise of specialty and transparently sourced coffee varieties, they’re becoming easier (and cheaper) than ever to find.

Read below to see exactly how single estate coffee can make all the difference — and give you a productive (and ethical) edge in the process.

1. It tastes much better.

Most blend coffees are made by taking beans from all over the place — different countries, climates, etc. — mixing them together, then roasting until they generally taste uniform. The subtle variations in flavor, intensity, and even caffeine level are lost in this process, which can leave coffee burnt in order to get a more uniform taste. That’ll have you forcing down one cup after the other instead of enjoying and looking forward to a serving of a single estate coffee.

In single estate coffee, the beans aren’t just from the same region — they’re from the same farm, where a single flavor can shine through. That makes for a better tasting cup with actual flavor instead of a rough approximation of what coffee “should” taste like.

2. It’s more effective.

Did you know darker roasts actually have less caffeine than lighter roasts? Blend coffees are often very dark roasts that zap much of the caffeine and nutrient content from the coffee, leaving behind a heavy, cling-to-your-tongue flavor with no subtlety and less caffeine. Single origin (and ideally single estate) beans don’t need that super dark roast to mask poor flavor, as they’re already delicious, so they may end up containing more of that sweet, sweet caffeine.

3. It’s cleaner/organic.

Single estate coffees are easier to find in organic, pesticide-free varieties because they usually come from smaller, family-owned farms, not the mega plantations that the biggest brands use. Coffee is one of the most chemically treated crops in the world, and it’s worth your time to search for a cleaner product. Single estate is a big step in that direction.

4. It’s more ethical.

Know more about where your coffee comes from? Good, you’re taking a step in the right direction toward drinking more ethically sourced, fair trade coffee. The rise of single estate coffee’s popularity is making it easier for smaller family farms and growers to survive on the market.

5. It gives you control.

In our interview with biohacker and former UFC fighter Tait Fletcher, we talked a lot about how important it can be to “pirate” your own life. What does that mean, exactly? It means taking back control of your consumption and making your own choices for what you eat, drink, and buy. Your habits make an impact on your health, wellness, and productivity every day and for years to come.

Taking control of what you’re consuming, and making the effort to know where your coffee is coming from, sets a positive tone that puts you in the driver’s seat. You get to make the choices and take agency in what you’re putting into your body, regardless of what the coffee mega-chains push you toward. And you might discover your new favorite brew in the process.

The post 5 Ways Single Estate Coffee Gives You A Better Buzz appeared first on Brain Wiz.

One of my favorite breakfast (and breakfast for dinner) foods is quiche. Quiche is one of those dishes that looks fancy, but is actually pretty easy to make. Because it can be served, cold, room-temperature or warm, this is one of those make-ahead recipes that can provide you with a choline-loaded breakfast for the week.

Choline Rich Quiche Breakfast

The beauty of quiche is that it is a perfect vehicle to showcase whatever filling you choose. I like to keep mine pretty simple, uncured pastured ham and goat cheese, but as long as you maintain the ratios, you can add to the custard any protein or veggies you like.

Here is a simple, customizable recipe for crustless quiche I hope you will reach for time and time again.

Choline Quiche Preparation

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups of fillings, like ham, cooked bacon, leeks, caramelized onions, spinach, or mushrooms.
• 3 – 6 oz of grated or crumbled cheese, like pastured sharp cheddar, Gruyere, goat or swiss
• 3 large pastured eggs
• 1 cup of pastured heavy cream
• ½ cup pastured milk
• Sea salt
• Pinch of nutmeg, thyme or any other spice to taste

Start Cooking

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
2. If any of the ingredients require cooking, make sure they are cooked through, cooled and dried. Extra moisture may affect the consistency of the quiche.
3. Whisk the eggs, milk and cream together until well incorporated. Season with salt and spices. Gently add your filling to the custard.
4. Butter a 9-inch cake or pie pan.  Pour filling into pan.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the edges have browned, but the center is still jiggly.
6. Remove from oven, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

My Favorite Filling:

• 7 oz Applegate Organic Black Forest Ham
• 4 oz Vermont Creamery Goat Cheese
• 2 oz Organic Valley Parmesan
• 1 tbs fresh thyme
• 1 pinch nutmeg

Choline Quiche Pan

As long as you keep the ratio of 3 eggs to every 1.5 cups of cream and milk, you will have a silky smooth quiche, ready to showcase the chosen fillings.

What is your favorite quiche filling? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Try This Breakfast to Get More Choline In Your Diet Today appeared first on Brain Wiz.

1. Move It

The relationship is simple: Physical activity enhances brain activity. Some studies have even gone as far as classifying exercise as brain food. Whether you decide to adhere to an exercise regimen, or take 4 minutes out of your day to do tabata burpees, exercising is an easy and efficient way to fight brain fog.

2. Stop Bingeing on Sugar and Carbs

Want a perfect recipe for brain fog? Combine skipping meals with bingeing on sugar, and you’ve got it. If you find yourself struggling with brain fog, and this eating pattern sounds familiar to you, it is time to make a shift. The combination of skipped meals and a sugar binge can spike your blood sugar, and signal your body to release stress, and pro-inflammatory hormones, both known culprits of causing brain fog.

3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep deprivation and poor quality sleep, are some of the more common causes of brain fog. If sleep keeps evading you, or if you wake up feeling unrested, consider a sleep supplement. Two of my favorite nootropic companies, Nootrobox and Lumonol, also manufacture some really potent, but not disruptive, sleep supplements.

4. Take a Nootropic

This one is pretty obvious. If you’ve been fighting brain fog for a while, take a look at our research, and find a nootropic to help you fight it. If you don’t know where to start, take a look at our Beginner’s Guide to Nootropics to learn more about what may work for you.

5. Mind the Stress

While this may not be a one-step tip, managing stress can have a huge impact on your brain fog. Of course there is a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem here, are you stressed because you have brain fog and can’t accomplish as much as you would like to; or is the stress fueling your brain fog?

Rather than trying to answer the questions, take some steps toward managing the stress. Whether it is meditating, practicing some relaxation techniques, or making better use of your time, or taking advantage of some brain hacks, make an effort to keep the stress to a minimum.

What do you do to combat brain fog? I’m always looking for ways to feel and think better, so leave your comments below!

The post 5 One-Step Tips to Beat Brain Fog appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Read our full review of EBOOST’s Energy Powder here.

We sat down with EBOOST founder Josh Taekman to talk a little about the logic behind their formulations, why nootropic ingredients and brain enhancers are important to their line, and what’s next in store for the NYC-based company.

1. When did you start EBOOST, and what was your motivation in starting the company?

EBOOST was founded by accident to be honest. I had a marketing and branding agency and was going to create a line of G Unit Vitamins / Supplements with 50 Cent back in 2008 with a top manufacturer, and 50 Cent didn’t show up to the final meeting which killed the deal. I was commiserating with one of my best friends John McDonald and he said there is such a void in the market for a healthy & natural Energy & Vitamin Booster. Our mission was to create something we would take everyday to enhance our performance and vitality at work at play and in the gym. That was the spark that made us go down the path of creating and developing EBOOST.

Josh Taekman EBOOST Founder

2. EBOOST powders contain some ingredients we see a lot in nootropics we try (5-HTP, Vinpocetine, others). Tell us about why you chose to include those in your powders.

We wanted to create a product that was of the highest quality and highest efficacy and also natural & non GMO. We also knew we needed to create a product that made you feel great and do more and had to be much more than just an Energy + Vitamins product. Adding [a focus and alert blend from] 5-HTP and Vinpocetine and Huperzine was the perfect compliment to energy.

3. What was your first experience with brain-boosting supplements (aka nootropics), and how did that influence EBOOST products?

I used to take 5 HTP and huperzine for focus & alertness when I was in school and always loved the benefits I got from it. When we were developing EBOOST we felt that had to be an integral part of the experience you felt when you got boosted.

4. How long does it take to develop a new product for your company?

It really depends. We can develop a product and have it packaged and ready to ship within four months if we are focused and making quick decisions during the formulation and sample process. It took us close to a year to develop POW Pre Workout because we really wanted to deliver a product that was unique and different than what was out there and it had to taste great, be natural, non GMO and really enhance performance. We are perfectionists and won’t release a product until we have something that we would take every single day and could be proud of.

5. Are there new EBOOST products in development that haven’t been released yet?

We are doing a deep dive on protein and working with an amazing product development team to come out with something very special from the ingredients, functionalities, and packaging [around it].

Get more from Josh Taekman and the EBOOST team on Instagram.

The post Nootropics for the Masses: An Interview with Josh Taekman of EBOOST appeared first on Brain Wiz.

We sat down with Geoffrey, Nootrobox’s CEO, to talk about the supplement industry, quantifying brain enhancement, and what’s next for the California company.

What was your first exposure to nootropics?

One way I look at the space is the home brew tinkerers and computing clubs of the 70s and a bunch of hobbyist hackers tinkering with hardware. Two or three years ago, I started seeing an analog of that with human hardware, the quantified self movement adjusting inputs and outputs of the human body, essentially treating it as hardware. From that point, it was a super interesting trend.

The reason we started building Nootrobox was because if you look at a lot of the existing vendors, people were either playing with grey market stuff, bulk powders imported from abroad, things that weren’t well studied with randomized control trials in humans. That’s an important distinction to make, randomized control trials with young, healthy, adult volunteers. It’s easy to see effects in therapeutic cases like Alzheimer’s or dementia, it’s another standard to see effects in healthy human adults. That transparency and that rigorous approach toward science was something I saw lacking in the space. As a computer engineer, my background was to be skeptical.

And after looking into that, I saw strong bodies of evidence toward certain nootropics. And sometimes you don’t know exactly what’s in proprietary blends. That’s something [BrainWiz] has identified as well, and a stance we’ve taken, you should actually know you’re getting the right potency of active ingredients.

So out of that, we saw an opportunity to do it right and to lead in terms of running our own trials and also building software around it.

You’ve teased in some announcements about Nootrobox software to track performance. Tell us more about that, when will we hear more?

We have an alpha group of people, and hopefully we can unlock some invite codes to your readership soon on this. If you’re not measuring quantitatively, you can’t tell how much of an effect you’re feeling. There’s a broad notion of mood tracking and cognitive states. You can think of it as an analogy to MyFitnessPal, which is used in diet and exercise. Why doesn’t that exist for mental states and mental health? There should be a MyFitnessPal for cognition.

What’s your personal daily stack?

I take RISE daily, and I’ll either switch between SPRINT or GO CUBES as well. GO CUBES are our new chewable coffee product, they’re just coming off the production line and we’re launching them soon. It’s an interesting effect, because you get some sublingual absorption of the actives as soon as you chew them.

So you’re getting an impact on them twice, when you chew and when you digest?

Yep, it’s a different feel than a straight capsule or softgel.

What gaps still exist in the market, and how are you going to address those?

People are getting more and more sophisticated. The supplement industry has been more marketing driven, and that’s one approach to market. Our approach is very much actually producing and running randomized clinical trials and publishing papers. That’s going to be the best way to market moving forward.

We’re running a clinical trial with Maastricht University, and we’re piloting and working on a second clinical trial with an Australian lab. So we’re excited to actually show clinical effects.

In terms of products, we’re very excited about something we’re R&Ding around omega-3 oils and DHA especially. If you think about omega-3 oils, just EPA which is typically associated with heart health, and DHA is more associated with cognitive function and health. So we’re prototyping an omega-3 based product. In terms of other form factors, we’re doing some R&D around sublingual spray products, because it’s a different feel effect than oral digestion, taking something in a capsule. Digestive acid basically makes inert a bunch of potentially interesting compounds. So that’s why we’re playing with sublingual products.

You got a lot of press for raising a large round of funding from big name investors, including Andreessen Horowitz. What’s the main focus of that round?

Research and development, that’s where some of the proceeds are going to running proper clinical trials and product development. Again, the difference is quantifying it. Andreessen Horowitz is a tech venture capital firm, they invest in technology companies. And technology is in our pipeline.

Learn More About Nootrobox

Interested in Nootrobox’s nootropics? Read our reviews of their RISE and SPRINT supplements. And see how we felt after trying Geoffrey’s daily stack of RISE and SPRINT.

The post What’s the Future of Nootropics? A Conversation with Geoffrey Woo of Nootrobox appeared first on Brain Wiz.

That means that no matter why I’m traveling, work or vacation, I am always prepared to get some work done. Here are my top five tips for getting work done while traveling, sometimes more than at my home desk.

1. Get comfortable working in uncomfortable places.

If you need a precise combination of environmental factors to get your work done, working while traveling may be harder, but not impossible. And if you tend to need a specific environment to get work done, like sitting in a specific chair or having the temperature just right, try weaning yourself off of things slowly as you approach your travel date. If you still have trouble concentrating in a foreign environment, give this hack a try and learn to own your productivity anywhere, anytime.

2. Fight the jet lag.

Whether it’s a two or twelve-hour time difference, jet lag may creep up on you at the most inopportune time. To avoid the slump, craft a good sleeping environment in your new destination. For some people, that means napping as soon as you’re at a hotel. Make sure you’re getting enough magnesium, which is both a brain booster and sleep enhancer that can help you relax on the road. If I’m taking a redeye, I normally take 1 capsule of Nootrobox‘s YAWN before the flight so I can actually get some rest while in the air.

3. Designate time blocks to get work done.

This is a biggie. Even if you are traveling solo, it is important to set up specific time blocks to get work done. Traveling usually comes with its own unique sets of distractions, and unless you are consistent about setting aside enough time to get your work done, you’ll be playing catchup once back home.

4. Invest in a mobile hotspot and in-flight wifi.

Whether it’s unlimited data on your phone or a portable wifi hotspot, make sure that you have what you need to stay connected. (It’s not elegant or super sleek looking, but the most reliable hotspot I’ve used is Verizon’s popular device.) I am a big fan of getting work done while traveling, so unless I’m on a redeye flight, I purchase in-flight wifi access, and keep an eye out, because sometimes you can get a discount by snapping it up with your ticket. Before leaving on the trip, double check your VPN or remote log-in before heading out, and make sure you give your IT department a heads up on your travel if you work for a larger company. That way, if you run into technical difficulties, they will already know where you are and how to help.

5. Arm your brain.

I take nootropics at home and at work, and I DEFINITELY take them on the road to help keep my productivity consistent. I’ve written about my favorite travel stack before (check out the full article and stack here), and some of the other BrainWiz reviewers have their own preferences. My stack is focused on keeping me productive and sharp even if there’s no good coffee in sight, something I’ve run into numerous times while staying in hotels for work and pleasure.

6. Make sure work is accessible offline.

Before leaving on your trip, make sure as many of the materials you need to get your work done are available offline. No matter how well-prepared you are with HotSpots or Tethering, it is likely you will encounter at least one instance of no connectivity during your trip. Don’t let that be an excuse for not getting work done by making sure documents, emails, or reports are all available offline.

So if you can’t avoid working on your vacation, or you need to prep for an offsite meeting while en-route to it, take a shot at these tips to ensure productivity. And if you have any other productivity hacks you use while traveling, please send them our way. I’m always looking for ways to optimize my time away from the office.

The post How Entreprenuers Stay Productive While Traveling appeared first on Brain Wiz.

We’re fans of supplements to improve memory recall and learning, but there are many other tips I’ve given to friends to boost their study habits. One of my favorite memory hacks, one I’ve been using since high-school, is listening to music while I study. But not just any music. The Mozart Effect is a term used to describe the positive effect music (specifically Mozart’s) and other classical composers’ can have on learning, reducing stress, and improving sleep patterns.

Listening to music while studying  improves your ability to learn and recall information by improving your mood. Studies show these positive emotions by impact academic performance by changing brain wave states, helping focus concentration, and improving memory. 

While most studies suggest classical music is the best choice for studying, there is some recent evidence suggesting that other types of music, like the score to a favorite movie, can improve mood learning ability to a similar degree.

A simple web search for “study music” will turn up hundreds of results. Start with the tried and true classical route, but feel free to experiment with meditation music, movie scores, ambient music, or even nature sounds. Let us know what works best for you in the comments.

The post Can the Mozart Effect Supercharge Your Learning Through Music? appeared first on Brain Wiz.

How To Do It

The premise is simple. Start by making your To-Do List, and start crossing things off the list using the (10+2)*5 rule.

Wait, what? Allow us to explain

Start with 10 minutes of solid work. Once those 10 minutes are up, take 2 minutes to procrastinate. Visit your favorite site, get some coffee, eat a snack; whatever you do, there is no work allowed. Once those 2 minutes are up, go back to 10 minutes of work. Repeat the cycle for a total of 5 times, and you have exactly an hour of productivity with spaces in between to give your brain a rest.

The Rules

You can get a full description of the rules for this system here, but the most important thing to remember is this: don’t skip any breaks. By taking the time to procrastinate, you force your brain out of inertia and into wanting to get things done.

The End Result

After you’ve put the (10+2)*5 rule to use long enough for your brain to recognize the pattern, you’ll start anticipating both the breaks and the work cycles. And you may (and can) eventually find yourself skipping the break, forging on through your to-do list with increased productivity.

The three numbers can be changed to whatever you like with a bit of experimentation, especially if you want to structure your whole working day around them. The important thing is to maintain the consistency of the break-to-work ratio long enough for your brain to be permanently tricked into wanting to do work.

The post How to Get MORE Done By Procrastinating with the (10+2)*5 Rule appeared first on Brain Wiz.