Hack Your Hormones
Switch Your Brain to Swoosh
At WillPowders, we’ve reviewed the best Mother Nature and science have to offer to form our steady, reliable and hardworking gang of ingredients for our nootropic stack, so you can be certain your brain’s in good hands. Strap your scuba gear on, we’re deep diving those ingredients …
At WillPowders, we don’t shy away from the realities of modern life. Many of us fantasise about downshifting our stress, going to live in an isolated place and living the good life off grid, but, while those plans are a-planning, the reality of the amount of things we need to do in the meantime is as real as the nose on our face. That’s where a nootropic product can help. Nootropics can help us respond and re-set the course on some of the ways our brains and bodies might react to being overwrought and overwhelmed while under energised. And, we are talking about nature, not the so-called ‘smart pills’ hijacked from Big Pharma and put to other use by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs in the past, because, if you don’t already know us by now - we do love a good herbal!
Nootropics’ properties are lauded as:
- Improving short term memory and recall
- Boosting mental energy by supplying quick, clean and efficient energy to the brain, preventing those all too familiar slumps in which our mental functioning goes AWOL and we find ourselves somehow reaching for a sugar snack attack;
- Sharpening attention, concentration and focus to help us get the job done
- Increase learning by supporting processes such as making, and recalling from, memory;
- Enhancing our mood and feelings of good mental health by bringing about feelings of relaxation, calm and motivation;
- Improving physical performance, whether it be a mid-afternoon walk or something more competitive, by amplifying your ability to stay focussed
- Resilience to stress through stress reduction so that work and sport benefit from the space to just get on with the job.
We know your brain is precious and the most complex organ in the universe
Of course, when it comes to looking after and unleashing the potential of the amazing brains our customers have, it’s important to have a closer look at our carefully chosen products, our blends of ingredients and the possibilities you can create to match the occasion in mixing and matching these tools according to need. That’s why here we take a closer WillPowders eagle-eyed look at some of the science behind our nootropic supplements and stacked nootropic tools, where we’ve pre-done the blending for you.
When they say it’s not brain science, they’re wrong - in this case, it is!
Respect the brain! At WillPowders we endeavour to give you the ability to give your brain what it wants, such as fast energy when it’s under stress, which is where our MCT Oil will charge to your rescue. To read more about how that happens, try here and here (remember, time spent on education on how to support your brain is never a waste!). Plus, we’ll offer it the right supplementation to keep it contentedly purring. Whether you are going WillPowders DIY with nootropic supplement self-stacking, a popular choice amongst you lot who brew up a WillPowders Coffee for superfast brain energy, blended with a couple of Calm, if you’re feeling a little caffeine sensitive, to eradicate the jitters, or you fancy the pick me up, focus me in, pre-packed and stacked award-winning Brain Powder, you’ll be quite rightly curious to know what blends of ingredients you’ve got in there and WTF they’re doing once they’re in your noggin.
DIY or WillPowders curated, you gotta know about caffeine and L-Theanine
Ah, humankind’s ancient friends, the coffee bean and the tea leaf - the beautifully fashioned choices of caffeine! Most of us have been seduced for much of our lives by this as-old-as-time nootropic. And, there’s been the occasional time when we’ve indulged in some role play with caffeine while it wore its best come hither dark chocolate costume …
Comfortably familiar in the world of nootropics, where things can sometimes feel a little alien, we chose to craft this homeboy upper into our Brain Powder blend because of the fascinating and cognitively supportive chain of effects it ignites in your brain. There’s seemingly a prize every time with this ingredient for your ability to apply yourself to the task or day in hand, because, even at lower doses, caffeine is said to have a positive effect on cognitive performance, memory, and brain function. In a Brain Powder serving, you have the equivalent of the caffeine from around two 8oz cups of brewed coffee in one sachet: izzy, whizzy, let’s get busy!
The chain of cause and effect of caffeine is thought to be:
- Caffeine passes the blood brain barrier within 30-60 minutes of consumption (though times as little as 15 minutes have been reported), so, enough time to swig and get to that meeting or the gym [*];
- It starts to help with feelings of wakefulness because it blocks adenosine receptors so that they can’t induce feelings of sleepiness, which they do by reducing nerve cell excitability - they’re the Debbie Downer of the party - whereas, to perform, we want nerve cell excitability;
- This adenosine blocking behaviour of caffeine also raises our dopamine so we are going to feel good [*] (you know that feeling when you’re engaging in doing something you love that makes you feel that little bit more alive, it does that) and this action also releases noradrenaline and glutamate [*];
- Noradrenaline helps you feel more alert - yay, so far, so good;
- Glutamate, as part of the brain’s range of excitatory neurotransmitters, helps with shaping learning and memory;
- Glutamate also helps with fast signalling and information processing [*] so there’s the possibility that your brain will soak up more information if it is more awash with glutamate.
So, whether you are blasting off or maintaining a fast with a WillPowders coffee or brewing a WillPowders tea, or you’re letting Brain Powders take care of the whole nootropics shebang of a job for you, very soon, caffeine will be project managing your neurotransmitters for ‘optimum you’ performance.
Let’s turn our attention to Theanine in your mix. This little plant based wonder is classified as an adaptogen, so it will help your body re-adjust itself. In this way, you can take Theanine, in the WillPowders form of Calm on its own, without venturing into any other of our nootropics products. Feeling that pit of your stomach feeling in, well, the pit of your stomach, of course? You can take Calm for that! Alternatively, if you want caffeine to lend a hand in managing your neurotransmitters but you’re not up for the bone shaker ride that caffeine can bring about if you’re caffeine sensitive, then you’ll be wanting to add some Theanine to your life.
Much beloved of green tea drinkers for its mood levelling, smooth sailing effects, this is the stuff that calms the choppy waters that caffeine creates for some of us. Let’s snorkel in closer…
- If caffeine normally gives you a case of the Mad Eye Moodies, then Theanine means you’ll likely bypass this unpleasant whirring brain feeling;
- Comparable structurally with the brain’s naturally occurring glutamate, Theanine may complement and mimic the work of glutamate, setting off that section of the chain of events that keeps the nerves communicating with one another for memory and learning;
- In Brain Powder, we’ve partnered Theanine and caffeine because ‘combined [Theanine and caffeine] were found to particularly improve performance in attention-switching tasks’ [*] so, if you need to be able to do a range of tasks, seemingly at once, when the boss, the personal trainer or life demands, these two will be your allies.
So, this is where YOUR WillPowders Way becomes important, because, if you are caffeine sensitive, we’ve mitigated the jitters with an ingredient that also helps to amplify what glutamate does for your brain.
Or, you can do this for yourself if you want to team your caffeine in coffee with Calm. Or you can plain and simple enjoy the benefits of Calm to calm your nerves, using its adaptogen properties solo. Of course, we totally get that you might want to opt for experimentation with a caffeine hit alone in a WillPowders coffee. But, circle around while we take you through why we offer other ingredients in Brain Powder that have the potential to support your brain. Either way, we have the tools for you. You do you, Lovely.
Taurine - no bull!
It may surprise you to learn that we didn’t introduce taurine into Brain Powder because it gives you the ability to sprout wings and fly. No, siree! But we did offer it a place in the line up because of its potential to protect the brain. Taurine has been described as, “the elixir of life within us,” by the Columbia University geneticist, Dr. Vijay Yadav in his work, Taurine Deficiency As a Driver of Aging?. Dr. Yadav talks you through his findings himself which you can watch here that taurine has not only increased the lifespans of animals in his testing but also increased the wellness of those animal subjects within that span of time.
- As a whole:
Taurine is a naturally occurring amino sulfonic acid, making up approximately 0.1% of your body weight. It plays an intriguing role in supporting cell energy and protein synthesis, earning its title as a "very essential" amino acid. - Found in abundance in the brain, taurine is believed to act as a neurotransmitter, though scientists are still piecing together the exact receptor mechanism. While research continues, we can confidently embrace the benefits of this ancient and safe compound, especially in the carefully measured servings provided by WillPowders.
- Taurine has been linked to promoting healthy long-term memory storage, making it a valuable addition to a brain-boosting routine. Despite some skepticism surrounding its use—largely tied to its combination with alcohol in sugary energy drinks—taurine on its own is a far cry from those neon-hued cocktails. If you’ve outgrown those "wings," Brain Powder is the answer. It’s a smarter way to keep your brain sharp while tackling those last-minute tasks.
- Research suggests that taurine has neuroprotective properties when consumed in the right doses and circumstances. Think of taurine as the yin to glutamate’s yang: while glutamate excites the brain’s neural circuits, taurine steps in to maintain balance and protect against overexcitement. This interplay ensures your brain’s protective mechanisms stay robust, supporting optimal cognitive function.
So, while scientists work to uncover the finer details, taurine has already secured its place as a safe, beneficial, and brain-friendly compound—ready to fuel your mental performance and keep your brain balanced.
Choline and the B Vits
Nicotinamide (vitamin B3’s stage name) can protect brain cells and also promotes their growth and development. It also promotes the survival of the neurons, especially after injury or oxygen stress (*).
Low levels of folic acid (yup - we knew him when he was B9, too) is an essential nutrient, critical for the synthesis of DNA and RNA and for cell division. What does this mean, we here you cry?
Low levels of folic acid can stop these incredible biological processes in their tracks and one such side effect can be linked to depression. Our aim? To keep you nicely pepped up by adding this contender to our Brain Powder, which may just support your mood from flatlining.
Alongside this, their sidekick B12 supports nerve function which is intricately linked to mood, as the nervous system, particularly the brain, plays a central role in regulating emotions, mood stability, and mental well-being. B12 also romances serotonin so no wonder its depletion could be linked to depression.
A compromised nervous system can significantly affect memory. The nervous system, particularly the brain and spinal cord, is responsible for processing, storing, and retrieving information. When its function is impaired, it can disrupt these processes, leading to memory issues. Enter B12! We wanted to see you right by including all their jam in our mix.
Overlapping the work of the B Vits, is choline which is needed to produce acetylcholine in the brain, an important neurotransmitter for memory and mood.
One community study found that those with higher choline intakes had better verbal memory and visual memory and ‘higher concurrent choline intake was related to better cognitive performance [*]. That’s good enough for us!
Phenylalanine - WTF is that?
Ok, so Phenylalanine does sound like a babbling baby, but it’s actually a fully grown amino acid that may support mental health, particularly low mood and depression (*). The body uses phenylalanine to produce the neurotransmitter noradrenaline, which has antidepressant properties. This is another one of those neurotransmitters, like glutamine, that helps signals travel between the brain and the body’s nerve cells. Alongside this, we like it because it helps to:
- maintain an awake or alert state;
- improve memory [*].
One last thing before we’re done - just don’t tell the kids or the boss
Ultimately, we can’t promise you a scene from Limitless with our nootropics, but we can support you while you put your pants on over your trousers in the phone box and stretch into your achieving diva mode. And, if you know WillPowders at all, you know that we love to look after the whole of you, so, before we leave this nootropic probe, so to speak, we’ll let you know that we don’t mind at all if you never let on to the boss or the kids how you managed to make all the magic happen. But, do tell your best friends - they deserve to know!
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Disclaimer
Our blogs are written with love in the hope that they go some way in helping you feel like the rockstar you are, and whilst we do our due diligence, research like maniacs and fact check our stuff, we know everyone’s journey is different. They are intended to educate and empower you, not usurp medical advice. We would never advise you to stop, adjust, or modify any prescription medication without the direct supervision of your healthcare practitioner, but don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about your new found knowledge, brought to you by the marvels of nature because they don't know everything! Blogs are always informed by Davinia but often written by a member of the team. Not all blogs reflect Davinia's experiences and sometimes provide alternative perspectives