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Somewhat unique among nootropics, CILTEP operates by increasing long-term potentiation (LTP) within the brain; LTP is a consistent strengthening of synapses within the brain. It’s thought that memory formation and synaptic strength are heavily connected, and by inducing long-term potentiation, the makers of CILTEP claim its ingredients can boost memory, focus, and cognition.

But how exactly do these ingredients work differently than other nootropic stacks, and (more importantly), does the theory translate into real-life effectiveness? Read below to see how our experience with CILTEP by Natural Stacks really went.

CILTEP by Natural Stacks Label & Ingredients

The Ingredients

• Artichoke Extract (cynara scolymus)(leaf)(5% total caffeoylquinic acids) – 900 mg
  • While artichoke extract has been tentatively linked to numerous health benefits, mostly in the realm of digestion and blood lipid content, Natural Stacks uses the compound as a natural source of PDE4 inhibitor Luteolin. (It’s worth noting that other PDE4 inhibitors tend to have significant lists of side effects, while artichoke extract is linked to far fewer.) These inhibitors increase the levels of cAMP in the brain, which has been linked to improved cognition, long-term memory, and wakefulness. More research is needed to really determine if these compounds as derived from artichoke leaves are as effective as the manufacturer claims in inhibiting PDE4. However, some critics have pointed out that orally ingested luteolin may be broken down into its components before it can actually be absorbed and used by the brain as a PDE4 inhibitor.
• Coleus Forskohlii (root) extract (standardized for 20% forskolin – 4 mg) – 20 mg
  • An herbal supplement with a long history of use in Aryuvedic medicine, forskhohlii is the natural compound most closely tied with increased cAMP levels within cells. This is the second mechanism through which CILTEP claims to induce long-term potentiation.
• Vitamin B6 – 5 mg
  • Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble essential vitamin, involved in the production of neurotransmitters. Studies show that when taken in conjunction with Magnesium, B6 improved school attention in children diagnosed with ADHD. Along with phenylalanine (below), vitamin B6 is included in this stack because increase cAMP levels also increase dopamine synthesis. B6 and phenylalanine give the body a greater supply of dopamine’s building blocks to help compensate for the compound’s increased synthesis.
• L-Phenylalanine – 500 mg
  • L-Phenylanine is an amino acid that promotes general brain function and reduces the effects of age-related memory decline. This is the highest concentration of the compound we’ve seen in a supplement to date. Some potential side effects of L-phenylalanine supplementation include headaches and jitters. Those with Parkinson’s and schizophrenia can develop other negative symptoms when taking phenylalanine.
• Acetyl-L-Carnitine – 750 mg
  • When combined with choline, acetyl-l-carnitine and choline form the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
• Other Ingredients: Vegetable capsule, cellulose, vegetable stearate, silica.

Usage Guidelines

• For optimal mental performance, take a serving of 2-3 capsules immediately upon waking on an empty stomach. Do not take more than 3 capsules per day.
• Do not consume nicotine or prescription stimulants with CILTEP. Do not use if pregnant, nursing, or under the age of 18. Consult with a healthcare professional before taking this or any nutritional supplement if you have or suspect a medical condition, are taking an medications, or other non-Natural Stacks dietary supplements.
• Phenylketonurics: Contains phenylalanine.

What Our Testers Say

“Recently, we’ve tried a good number of supplements that gave me a pronounced energy boost (often in addition to better focus and mental clarity). CILTEP didn’t give me an energy boost in the slightest, but it did stop my morning brain fog in its tracks. That’s something I’ve been struggling with lately, and CILTEP stopped that lethargic, heavy-headed sensation better than anything else I’ve tried thus far.”

“Natural Stacks mentions that CILTEP can boost motivation, but I didn’t feel any new sensation or drive when taking the supplement. If anything, it gave me a mild focus boost, but nothing major.”

“I’m not sure if I really felt much from CILTEP. We’ve tried a good number of other supplements with more pronounced effects. I’ll probably stick to those.”

“CILTEP gave me mental focus and clarity, not the most I’ve ever felt from a supplement, but certainly something. And it lasted throughout the workday and into the evening even when I took it first thing in the morning, which makes it one of the longer-lasting nootropics I’ve ever tried.”

My Personal CILTEP Experience

While we like to get a diverse set of opinions on nootropics by sharing them with the Brain Wiz testers, I also like to spend at least a week testing each nootropic. In the case of this CILTEP review, I spent two weeks reviewing it. Why? This little smart drug has gotten a lot of people talking.

Ever since hearing rave reviews from Tim Ferriss about how CILTEP rivals Modafinil in its brain boosting power, I knew it had potential. However, I didn’t realize how strong of a nootropic it truly is until the end of the 14 days…

Day One

As with all nootropics, I like to ease my way into them. I usually never take the whole recommended dose because of bad experiences from shady “brain pills” that were really just loaded with a proprietary blend of tons of caffeine.

I started the first day of my CILTEP experience with half a dose in the morning. As expected, I didn’t really feel much. In fact, it was a bit of a let down. As the afternoon rolled around, I started to wonder if I had done something wrong. I thought it could have been possible that my body didn’t absorb it correctly because I had a very early morning (but small) breakfast about 30 minutes prior to taking the half dose.

Nonetheless, I decided to continue the review the next day.

Day Two

This is when things started to get interesting. In the morning, I decided to skip breakfast and take a full dose of CILTEP upon waking with a full glass of water.

About 30 minutes later it started to kick in. To give the best analogy I can, it was as if someone dialed in my brain so that the noise and distractions were almost completely gone. With a lot of other nootropics, I usually find myself in a focused state but my focus can sometimes bounce around. That’s not to say I get distracted but I tend to go back and forth from project to project (as I usually like to work, even without nootropics). On CILTEP there was no bouncing around. I was fully engrossed in what I was doing, 100% of the time.

Day Five

Working in a field that is both creative and technical at the same time, I need to be able to switch my “left brain” to my “right brain” at a moments notice (e.g. from writing to coding). This can sometimes cause stagnation during the workday in the form of writers block or procrastination. However, near the end of week one while taking CILTEP I started to learn that it seemed to open the roads between my left and right brain a bit more. This allowed me to go from a creative project to a more technical one in seconds. I also felt much more creative while taking it. This isn’t to say that it made me more creative but I think it helped my brain form creative connections a lot easier. One idea would lead to another, which would help me form fully thought out plans at a much quicker pace.

Skipping Ahead: Day Eight

There are no free lunches. This is a popular phrase I often hear in the world of nootropics. It refers to the fact that you can’t benefit from a supplement without giving something back in return. In many nootropics this is usually in the form of a crash near the end of the day, feeling tired or mentally exhausted after the supplement wears off.

With CILTEP, the only negative effect I felt was waking up feeling fatigued. It would be as if my brain performed a hard workout the day before and was still recovering. I felt normal after breakfast, drinking a lot of water, and getting a run in.

The Final Week

Surprisingly I didn’t build up much of a tolerance over the two weeks of taking CILTEP. I only started to see minor negative effects after taking it for over a seven days in a row.

I would say that the positive effects of CILTEP vastly outweigh any negatives that I felt. Because of this, I am starting to keep this bottle on my office desk for those occasions when I really need it.

BrainWiz Tips

• Our testers felt the positive effects of CILTEP with a dosage of 2 pills; increasing consumption the 3 did not increase its perceived effects. There’s a good chance 2 will be plenty, though individual tolerances and reactions will vary.
• Our testers didn’t experience any excess fatigue when taking CILTEP, though its mechanism for long-term potentiation can increase the brain’s use of dopamine. Additional ingredients in the Natural Stacks formulation are designed to help offset this increased rate of synthesis, but there’s still a chance fatigue could occur with use.
• As always, it’s a good idea to consult with a healthcare provider when starting a new supplement regimen. Ingredients in CILTEP may exacerbate certain medical conditions or affect the potency of some prescription medications. Do not take if you have a condition that could be affected by phenylalanine consumption.
• CILTEP can increase the potency of stimulants (including caffeine), so use caution when stacking. The manufacturer, Natural Stacks, recommends using with Smart Caffeine (carefully) for an additional boost. We’ll try both together and report back on our experience.

Supplement Summary

The science behind CILTEP is based on complex chemical interactions and ingredients that still have a long way to go as far as research-backed effectiveness; it’s possible CILTEP’s long-term potentiation mechanism isn’t actually occurring at a significant level. That’s not to say it doesn’t have any nootropic effect, but our testers were very much divided on whether or not worked for them. Of all the nootropics stacks we’ve tried to date, CILTEP varied the most from individual to individual.

Chad was enthusiastic that CILTEP reduced his morning brain fog, but other users online have occasionally reported fatigue when taking the recommended dosage. In our eyes, CILTEP remains a somewhat controversial stack and is probably not suited well to beginners in the world of nootropics but could be a game changer for those who want the power of a Modafinil-type nootropic without getting a prescription.

The post CILTEP Review — This Natural Stacks Product Works appeared first on Brain Wiz.

Today, we’re reviewing Choline Force, a blend of powerful brain and energy-promoting compounds. Many people are deficient in the compounds vital to healthy brain function and do not get enough of them from their regular diets; in addition to a blend of nootropic compounds, Choline Force provides an extra dosage of several compounds necessary for neurotransmitter function. This is especially relevant for vegetarians or vegans, as many common sources of choline and other brain-boosting compounds are eggs, meat, and dairy.

Choline Force Label & Ingredients

The Ingredients

Choline Force comes in capsules, with 120 capsules per bottle. There are 30 four-capsule servings per container.

Active Ingredients:

One thing we like about Upgraded Self products is that they normally list the amounts of ingredients in each supplement, while many other nootropic companies don’t reveal the dosages in their proprietary blends. With Choline Force that’s especially important, as this supplement works in part by fixing deficiencies in compounds vital to brain function.

• Choline  (as choline bitartrate) – 500mg
  • Choline-Bitartrate, a vitamin-like chemical, helps the body produce acetylcholine, one of the main neurotransmitters involved in learning along with other cognitive processes. It’s a fairly common ingredient in nootropic supplements and stacks, and Choline Force provides a pretty high dosage compared to other supplements we’ve tried. Many Americans are choline deficient, and the dosage in Choline Force is a bit more than 100% of the recommended daily value for the average adult.
• Huperzine-A (Lycopodium serrata whole plant extract) – 52 mcg
  • Huperzine A is a compound derived from Chinese club moss that has been used to improve cognitive performance in patients with declining mental health.
• Vinpocetine – 20mg
  • Vinpocetine is a chemical derived from the periwinkle plant, known to increase cerebral blood flow. Doctors in Hungary have been prescribing this compound to treat cerebrovascular disorders for decades.
• DMAE (dimethylamineoethanol bitartrate) – 252mg
  • DMAE Bitrate or Deanol,  is a chemical used to treat ADHD, improve memory, and boost cognitive function. Deanol is essential to the production and of choline, one of the building blocks of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It’s a chemical precursor to choline and boosts alertness.
• Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) – 100mcg
  • Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble essential vitamin directly related to brain health, including memory and actual brain mass. A number of studies have noted positive associations between vitamin B12 intake and performance on memory tests.
• Pantothenic Acid (calcium pantothenate) – 124mg
  • Also known as vitamin B5, this is a water-soluble essential vitamin needed for healthy nervous system function.
• Pyroglutamic Acid – 252mg
  • Pyroglutamic Acid is an amino acid and a known cognition-enhancing agent that works in conjunction with acetylcholine, GABA, and glycine. We’re happy to see this in a choline-based supplement, as it can enhance its effects. Compared to other supplements with choline, this ingredient gives Choline Force a big advantage, and a few of our testers noticed the difference.
• L-Phenylalanine – 252 mg
  • L-Phenylanine is an amino acid that promotes general brain function and reduces the effects of age-related memory decline. Some potential side effects of L-phenylalanine supplementation include headaches and jitters. Those with Parkinson’s and schizophrenia can develop other negative symptoms when taking phenylalanine.
• Ginkgo leaf extract (24% ginkgoflavonglycosides) – 60 mg
  • Ginkgo has been used for thousands of years to promote memory in Chinese medicine. More recently, clinical studies and research reviews have pointed to its efficacy in fighting dementia and neural decline.
• Other Ingredients: Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (vegetarian capsule), microcrystalline cellulose, and magnesium stearate.

Usage Guidelines

• Take 4 capsules up to two times per day with food or as directed by your healthcare professional. Choline Force promotes healthy levels of key neurotransmitters in the brain, boosting clear thinking and sharp memory. Choline Force also contains vinpocetine and ginkgo to support health cerebral blood flow, and B-vitamins to support cognitive energy.
• People have varying amounts of acetylcholine in their brains, thus requiring varying doses. Having too little acetylcholine can decrease brain function, while too much of it (being “choline dominant”) can cause excessive jaw or muscle tension. If you experience these symptoms, reduce your dose of Bulletproof® Choline Force.
• If you are taking other substances that increase your body’s demand for acetylcholine, you will especially benefit from this supplement. We had several BrainWiz testers take between 4 and 8 capsules per day.

What Our Testers Say

“Choline Force gave me a light ”˜wave’ of energy. That’s how I’d describe it, a wave. It was really mild, but decidedly noticeable. I appreciate that it is a different energy than that of caffeine, which often gives me jitters even in low dosage. There wasn’t a crash, but there were diminished results the more days in a row I took it.”

“I didn’t really feel much on this supplement. It could have something to do with the fact that I eat about four eggs every day, which are loaded with choline, does not make me the best candidate for this supplement.”

“I’ve been taking four capsules in the mornings with my coffee. I did feel slightly more focused, but the feeling is gone by midday, when I take four more capsules to help me get through the afternoon slump.”

“These definitely help me keep my concentration and focus on the task at hand. The effects were more pronounced in the first couple of days, and then the effects diminished. I tried cycling off for a couple of days, and was able to achieve the same focus effect when I started taking it again.”

BrainWiz Tips

• Choline Force contains no caffeine, so it pairs well when you’re already taking in caffeine, like with your morning coffee. The light “wave” of energy our testers felt was also most desirable in the morning.
• Our testers experienced no negative side effects from this supplement. But as with any supplement or nutritional regimen, you should talk to your doctor or medical professional before use. If you do have excess choline, it can cause jaw or muscle tension, which is why the manufacturer suggests a range of potential sizes. This product also contains phenylalanine, which can cause side effects in some people with preexisting conditions.
• Take just before eating to take advantage of an active digestive system and promote absorption.
• Our testers felt diminishing effects after roughly a week of taking Choline Force. After a few days off from the supplement, taking one or more servings (4 pills each) of Choline Force once again produced a desired cognitive boost. We recommend pairing it with caffeine or guarana, and to use it in a “1 week on, 3 days off” pattern in order to keep feeling the effects of the supplement.

Supplement Summary

Choline Force is a great caffeine-free nootropic stack, especially for those suffering from a choline deficiency. In addition to a cognitive boost and improved focus, some users feel increased physical energy. Though its perceived effects seem to diminish over time, taking a break from the supplement for a few days seems to be enough time for its effectiveness to return.

Like other Bulletproof/Upgraded Self products, Choline Force is a very clean, transparent supplement with ingredient dosages clearly listed. Our testers had a generally positive experience with no side-effects. They knew exactly what they were taking, in what dosages, and to what effect. This is definitely NOT a mystery pill.

The post Insurance For Your Brain? Reviewing Choline Force By Bulletproof appeared first on Brain Wiz.