Nootropics depot magnesium glycinate is almost twice the price compared to unbuffered Albion magnesium from now or doctor's best. What's the difference then? Is one better than the other and is it worth paying the premium for nootropics depot since Albion is also very highly regarded and now/doctor's best usually don't fail the label claim for basic supplements like magnesium.
What would you guys choose.
hi all, am mostly and strictly referring to the nootropicdepot's saffron extract.
saffron extract is a modulator and its effects are entirely dependent on the chemical environment it finds when it crosses the blood brain barrier. this disclaimer should be obvious that it applies to most of the supplements btw as it's never acting specifically only one way, hence why a herb can make one feel like it's working great whereas for others seems like a scam or making them anxious or that 'tolerance' appeared and so on.
so now i can begin.
the standardized active compounds like crocin and safranal works primarily through four pathways, the first and most important thing about it is the triple Reuptake Inhibitor (DRI, SRI, NRI) basically it prevent your brain from vacuuming up dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine once they are released, so in other words it leaves them hanging around in the synapse longer to keep firing.
Now, as this applies with other sups and including saffron, first of all you need to have a substrate for your dopamine or serotonin from either nutrition or other supplements (think of tyrosine or dlpa for dopamine substrate or tryptophan for serotonin, and tryptophan to work needs the insulin carb trick anyway but that's another story).
once there is a substrate, and considering our dopamine receptors are not currently heavily downregulated due to xyz, we need to release this dopamine. there are good and bad habits to do so, this is up to you anyway as it would be pointless to lecture people on how to release their dopamine if they aren't mindful about that to begin with. now once dopamine is released, now saffron can do its job and make that dopamine hang around for longer, rather than sooner shorter duration.
The other 3 things i discovered on saffrom is that as a sigma1 receptor agonist because it activates this then it acts as an upstread master modulator to enhance release of dopamine by itself and boost neuroplasticity, no need to buy stammets shrooms lol. On top of that, saffron seems to be an nmda antagonist and gaba a modulator, so it takes the edge of glutamate spikes with a gnetle nudge towards gaba, and besides that it is also a pretty decent BDNF booster which helps to repair and build new neuronal pathways and this helps with mood resilience and new habits too btw.
Now, that i FINALLY presented some of these things, i am moving on into the chameleon aspect you see in the title.
The real thread begins below.
Because saffron is primarily a reuptake inhibitor itjust amplifies what is already playing out in your synapse, this is very important to remember if you want to enjoy the money you spent on this supplement. This is why your diet and stack completely rewrite its behavior.
for this i can explain 3 different scenarios in people's lives involving nutrition
First scenario, lets say you have high glycogen your muscle are full from carbs for example, you also took tyrosine or dlpa and you are also a nicotine user. what happens here is the tyrosine from food or supplement floods the system with raw dopamine as substrate, nicotine forces its release (among acetylcholine etc) and then saffron blocks the reuptake of this massivae tidal wave. then, you get the tunnel focus, a blissful productivity and good optimism. but of course you need to take a day or two off in a week from a dopaminergic day to allow receptors to not downregulate so you don't feel just focused and cold.
then we move to the second scenario, let's say you want to do the tryptophan trick for a blissful serotonin day, it won't do much the day you take tryptophan powder say 200-500mg and you also must remember the trick to take it aside without other aminoacid foods and pair it cleanly with a fruit or honey something to spike insulin so it pushes large aminoacids circulating currently in your bloodstream into the muscle while clearing the way for the lil tryptophan to go without competition to pass through blood brain barrier and become substrate. so then it has plenty of time to go from tryptohan to 5htp to serotonin to n acetyl sero' and finally to melatonin and if you also stay in dark 1 hour before sleep the day you take tryptophan, you will wake up next day having the best deep sleep of your life. but dont abuse this.
Now in this second scenario, with a high tryptophan and high serotonin baseline, saffron will block the reuptake of the already dominant serotonin pool, leaving less room for dopaminergic drive, but the result now from taking Saffron extract is a deep relaxation with contentment and an intense morning sweet sticky feeling where you still wanna lay in bed feeling good after waking up and maybe sleep a bit more.
And finally.. the 3rd scenario where we are glycogen depleted on zero carbs (but also not keto adapted since months because here the story changes further), and you are low on glycogen and no stimulants whatsoever.. here we have a relatively empty synapse, very little dopamine or serotonin being synthesized or released due to BCAA competition and low cellular energy. soo... Saffron blocks the reuptake of... almost nothing. hence you see reviews of people 'n0t workin sir this is skam' bla bla.
Saffron is essentially a mirror of your current metabolic and nutritional state. If you feed your body with what it needs or what you want then saffron will mirror back peak performance. If you are fasting or underfed etc or in a highly serotonergic environment, it will lean into a quiet or flat or maybe deeply restorative state. and from my observation saffron also has acetylcholinesterase activity so if you do use nicotine it may work great or may be too much, if you take alpha gpc and what not it may tip you over into a dominant acetylcholinergic brain so to speak, and that could inhibit dopamine over time so be mindful of all these aspects and know that it isn't a honey moon effect that is passing when you dont feel it the same. So saffron + nicotine or saffron + acetylcholine supplements can be a very rewarding and amazing game but if you play this combo wrong, the symptoms of this are typically a sudden depressive crash or irritability or jaw clenching, tight muscles etc... so careful. generally a smoker will do just fine but don't start smoking because of this, alternatively you can microdose patches.
final personal pro tip also, if you eat chicken livers once a week or so, it will make saffron behave as the most impressive supplement ever, as it is the ultimate nutrient dense powerhouse for monoamine synthesis as it floods the body with highly bioavailable b6, active folate, and B12. and b6 or p5p is the absolute bottleneck cofactor for the aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase enzyme the exact enzyme that converts L-DOPA into Dopamine, and 5-HTP into Serotonin. basically it provides the chemical sparks needed to turn your substrates into usable neurotransmitters. if you cannot eat animal products i am sure you can find a way to match the chicken liver somehow, but that's up to your own time and research.
today i took saffron.
Is it coming back? I don't know if I must wait or go look elsewhere right away before my bottle is empty.
It's a little annoying to always be in the dark when a product isn't available, as sometimes it's not even coming back.
I hate to be that guy asking again 😅, but sulforaphane is probably my most anticipated ND release.
About a month ago, you mentioned the formulation was finished and that the label company was the remaining holdup. Has that situation been resolved, or are there any new bottlenecks?
Really looking forward to trying this one whenever it’s ready.
I used to order Tongkat Ali from ND to Sweden before without any issues. However, when I tried to place an order this time, the website says that this product can’t be shipped to Sweden.
Could anyone explain why this has changed? It seems that this restriction only applies to Sweden and not to other EU countries, which is quite strange
what’s the difference between natural supplements and drugs . we take all kinds of different mushrooms here but psilocybin is a drug .. I don’t get it . where my supplement guys at .
crazy enough I started taking supplements because after taking psilocybin it revealed the obvious to me but that my body can react in positive ways/manners by introducing/digesting certain things . guess you could even say that about diet too though
I see so many adaptogens that work for Cortisol. But now my cortisol is fine.
And a lot of supps that work great on GABA/Glutamate.
But what you just have high adrenaline or Norepinephrine? Does anything just calm down and lower them or stabilize/modulate them?
let me see some of the reviews on this please . big fan of rosea Rhodiola , may favorite one i think being NDs 1% rosavin and 3% salidrosol. doesn’t seem they haven’t anymore , then i bumped into this product which is basically salidrosol itself . the stimulating compound in rosea . sounds to good to be true , who here has had it and what do you think
The Black ginger/C3G combo is fantastic for exercise, specifically for running and/or sports like basketball or soccer that require a lot of running and stamina.
Taking this combo about an hour prior to exercise gives me a great boost in stamina and makes you feel amazing after a good workout. I believe everyone who exercises regularly, especially if you are a runner, would benefit greatly from this combo.
An extra benefit is for digestion/gut. I don’t feel as sluggish or uncomfortable after eating a meal.
Warning: take earlier in the day as it can cause insomnia if taken too late in the day.
This is the stack i came up with. Just curious about my stack stack specifically. I don’t have ADHD, but sure as hell feel like it and i struggle with low mood/energy/libido and some drained social battery but lunch time.
Stats:
25M
Total T: 856ng/DL
Free T: 88.1 pg/ml
SHBG: 50(double since last year, not sure why)
LH: 3.1 IU/L
FSH: 6.3 IU/L
Estradiol: 37 pg/mL
Thalassemia Minor
**T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia abbreviated (**T-LGL leukemia). Basically means i have to avoid very immune modulating supplements(hence the absense of Tongka ali despite wanting to raise my free T)
Looked around came up with this stack. So far, i have l ly used the NMN, saffron and cistance and looking into upgrading my stack to the following:
Daily(Fasted):
ND Full Spectrum Cistance: 700mg
Taurine: 2g
Oral BPC/KPV(As Need when dealing with gut issues)
Weekday Pre AM Workout(Fasted)
NMN Sublingual: 250mg
Nr Capsule: 300mg
1/2 Scoop Pre Workout Powder + 1 Cup Coffee
WeekEnd Pre AM Workout(Fasted)
Black Coffee OR Energy Drink
Alpha GPC: 150 to 300mg(i dont want to use Choline Or carnatine daily because of TMAO so i just use it on weekends)
IntraWorkout Daily
Creatine Monohydrate: 2g(any more than that i get gut issues oddly)
Eletrolyte: 1 scoop
Optional: 1/2 scoop EAA(honestly, not needed and wont buy again, just finishing it for flavor because i use a bug jug of water
WeekDay Post AM Workout/Pre Work(With Breakfast)
ND Sabroxy Cycled With Semax: 2 Weeks Each
ND Saffron: 30mg
Optional Black Coffee + L Theanine
WeekEnd Post AM Workout/Pre Work(With Breakfast)
ND Saffron: 60mg
Optional Black Coffee + L Theanine
WeekDay Lunch Time
Second dose of Cistanche or Sabroxy(Not Sure yet)
Ubiquinol: 100mg
TMG: 500mg or 1g(Not Sure yet)
Zinc: 15mg
Copper: 1mg
Boron: 7mg
Methylated Multi Vitamin
Vitamin D3/K2: 5000iu + 100mg
PHGG AND/OR Psillium Husk: 5 to 7g(Worried it might affect supplement absorbtion)
WeekEnd Lunch Time
Second Dose Alpha GPC
Uniquinol: 100mg
Zinc: 15mg
Copper: 1mg
No Boron
Vitamin C: 1g
Vitamin D3/K2: 5000iu + 100mg
Dinner(Weekday & WeekEnd)
KPV Peptide SubQ: 300mcg
Astaxanthin: 8 to 12mg
High Quality Refrigirated Fish Oil: 1.5g
Leutine + Zeaxanthin: 25mg + 5mg
L reuteri(for oxytocin, 5 days a week only)
Phosphatidylserine: 100 to 200mg
NAC: 600mg
Pre Bed(Weekday & WeekEnd)
Mag Glycinate: 300mg
Taurine: 2g
Glycine: 6g
Apigenin: 50mg
I am open to any suggestions
I’m reading great things about L-theanine for anxiety. Could you please recommend me a brand? Did you start with 100 mg or 200 mg?
Thank you ND for providing us end users with high quality supplements. It means a lot.
Lions Mane 8:1 Dual extract currently trialling this one and its nuts. Never thought what my mind is capable of . Cognition boost is very noticeable and words just flow the dots get connected. Next level shit bro. For me this works better than Erinamax.
Long story short, used to smoke weed in my younger days, don't use any cannabis products any more, but there are times that I miss the ease-of-access it provided in ths creative department, creating clearer thoughts, and the "Let's go get it" element it created. I'd smoke and meal prep, clean, journal thoughts that came to mind whilst I was under the influence.
There were too many downsides for me which is why I eventually phased it out of my life, but if there are any nootropics that could imitate effects such as what I described above, I would be willing to give it a try.
For further context, I've had the instant kanna tablets and they're pretty good but that's more for social lubrication in my experience than it is for cognitive or creative effects. I've had nobiletin which was interesting and gave me a similar focus to when I take a large dose of creatine, subtle but definitely an impact. Neither of these do what I am looking for as described earlier, however
Wanted to share because I feel like there is a lot of mystery behind this product. I mainly tried the ND White Jelly Mushroom pills because they supposedly can aid in circulation. I thought the skincare benefits would be a nice bonus if it worked. I’ve been taking one pill every night before bed for two weeks now. Can’t tell if it’s done anything for my circulation but I’m blown away by my skin. (31 F) always had super dry skin, even as a teenager. My skin is now absolutely glowing 24/7. Any time I look in the mirror it looks like I just put moisturizer or face oil on. Normally my face soaks up moisturizer and looks dry again after an hour or two.
I’ve also seen a noticeable increase in acne. But that trade off is completely worth it for me and I imagine my skin may adjust over time. But that may be something to keep in mind for anyone who’s starting point is oily.
Now I’ve been searching online trying to figure out why this is not more talked about in the beauty industry.
I’m looking to add WJM topically. I’m trying to decide between buying a moisturizer from other brands or making something with ND’s WJM powder. Any thoughts on that appreciated but I mostly just wanted to share my anecdote.
Absolutely bizarrely I cannot find ANY brand selling the adequate intake dose of biotin, like around 30-50mcg of it.
The lowest dose I found was 300mcg from solgar, a brand I don't trust, and 600mcg from life extension.
The adequate intake for biotin is only 30mcg according to US national academies, and 40mcg according to the German, Austrian and Swiss nutrition societies. Oral bioavailability is 100%.
Despite this, almost all brands are selling doses in the range of thousands of micrograms. Not only does this raise the risk of side effects needlessly, it also messes with bloodwork too causing false results for a lot of us biohackers.
So it would be great if ND makes a low dose biotin around 40mcg as a maintenance dose. Biotin deficiency is rare, and the gut microbiome can in many cases produce a substantial amount too, but a few people do still find benefit to it and it can be especially useful in people with restriction diets/diets low in biotin/vegans or people lacking the gut bacteria which produces biotin.
Also as a sidenote there does seem to be VERY few dietary sources of biotin besides eggs (and even then you need a few a day to actually cover adequate intake), so it does seem to mostly come down to your gut microbiome, something that is hard to test. So a maintenance dose of biotin can be a good insurance.
I know I'm a little late to this, but I've been considering taking turmeric supplements mainly for inflammation and recovery. Ive seen some from Thorne and the Jellybee which seem like an easy way to try it. Anyone still taking them these days?
Hey ND, I’m currently trying to determine which panax ginseng has the highest concentration of Rg3 for its hERG effects and potential to reduce QT prolongation.
I know at one point the optimized panax had a list of all the different ginsenosides. Can’t seem to find it anymore.
I’d be nice to have a master list of which product has the highest concentration of each.
Also if anyone has any other recommendations for counteracting hERG inhibitors lmk. Not asking for medical recommendations just mechanistically plausible solutions like compounds good at reducing sympathetic tone ect…
Thanks
I have no idea why, but eurycomax always makes me laugh more and harder when I have it in my stack, maybe the increased test levels helping with overall mood