INTRO TO Nootropics, & origins.

Haven’t heard of the term nootropics before? Fair enough!

The industry is still young, and certainly far from mainstream. While interest has really kicked off in the tech-hubs of America (those Silicon Valley types), its no surprise our slower paced down-under countries, New Zealand and Australia are lagging.

Let’s set the scene with the commonly accepted definition of the term, courtesy of the Miriam Webster dictionary.
They define a nootropic as:

 “a substance that enhances cognition and memory and facilitates learning”

Unfortunately, as often is in the academic world, the Miriam Webster definition is both too limited, and too specific for the practical use in the real world. So for the practical world use case, what does the word "nootropic" mean in the context of consumer products?

Most companies in the nootropics, supplements, biohacking, and personal optimisation industry use the term nootropics to broadly define a supplement that can help the brain in any way. 
Because language is only effective with shared understanding, we say the populist definition is most relevant in the context of buying supplements… like those at Nice Supplement Co!

Under the populist definition, both of our products (L-Theanine+, Lions Mane+) would be classed as nootropics.

What about Smart Drugs?

Nootropics are also often referred to as “smart drugs”.
This is usually in the context of synthesised or prescription substances (such as modafinil and Adderall), but due to the generalist meaning of the term, smart drugs can also apply to any nootropics or plant derived substances too.

A drug is a chemical structure which produces a biological effect in a living organism. A "Smart" drug is a drug which provides a cognitive enhancing effect.

Nootropics vs. Smart Drugs can be a bit of a point of debate in the community, however because both terms are so widely encompassing, splitting hairs at this point seems rather unproductive.

Worth noting though, in the case of the media, the term smart drugs seems primarily referred to when a media outlet is trying to seem "edgy" or damage their reader's impression with the negative associations that come with the word drug. Since the "War on drugs" era this is quite understandable, though certainly misled.

The Origins of Nootropics

In 1964 the Romanian chemist and psychologist Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea synthesised the compound Piracetam, which was shown to boost numerous brain performance factors through its action in enhancing cerebral circulation.

In an effort to classify Piracetam and similar substances, Giurgea created the term “Nootropic” from the ancient greek words “Noos” for mind, and “Tropein” for towards (1972).

The criteria to meet this classification was originally defined as:

1.       Enhances memory and the ability to learn

2.       Assists brain function under disruptive conditions

3.       Protects the brain from chemical and physical toxins

4.       Increases natural cognitive processes

5.       Must be non-toxic to humans, nor stimulate or depress the brain

This criterion gives sets a very narrow standard, and so it’s no surprise that most treat it more like the ideal situation, than the minimum requirement. 

Also worth consideration is that this criteria was specifically designed for the description of Piracetam, and was not necessarily intended all encompassing measure it is used now. There’s still many purists that treat this as the end all be all definition to disregard certain stimulants (eg. Coffee) or claim an elitist position for those that meet this technical criterion for nootropic. Generally these lines of conversation blur more into personal beliefs than outright principles of pharmacology.
Our thoughts?  Its good to consider these merits when weighing up the value of a supplement, but because the term nootropic is already so widely used, practically there’s no real achievement in trying to enforce the classical definition. 

Further Reading

If you want to educate yourself well and truly on the original definition and considerations, we strongly recommend doing more research past this article.

 An excellent next step would be to read "A Weird Concept with Unusual Fate: Nootropic Drug"  by Doru Georg Margineanu. This paper presents a well educated and carefully researched discussion of the topic.
If you're really interested, we also encourage looking into Doru Georg Margineanu's many other neuroscience and pharmacology related publications.

— — —

This article was first published 05.07.2018 for VitaKea.co.nz

FOUND THIS HELPFUL?

This content is for educational purposes only and does not intend to cure or diagnose disease, nor make any health claims. There is no intent to slander in any way, but rather produce an informed and accurate third party perspective on the product. Always consult your accredited medical professional before introducing a new supplement. This content is not to be copied or repurposed in any form without express permission from the author.