Exploring Nootropics for Peak Cognitive Performance

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In this episode of the Elemental Evan Podcast, host Evan explores the world of nootropics, focusing on their benefits, controversies, and personal experiences with specific substances such as lion's mane mushroom, methylene blue, and the particularly contentious nicotine. 

Additionally, he provides actionable advice for enhancing cognitive performance through lifestyle practices like exercise, meditation, breath work, and proper nutrition, emphasizing the importance of foundational health practices over relying solely on supplements. The episode also covers the potential side effects and considerations when using nootropics, particularly nicotine, advocating for a cautious and informed approach.

00:00 Welcome to the Elemental Evan Podcast!

00:21 Diving Into the World of Nootropics

00:38 Personal Updates and Podcast News

04:12 Exploring Lion's Mane: A Favorite Nootropic

08:28 Other Notable Nootropics and Their Effects

08:51 The Controversial Nootropic: Nicotine

17:11 Immediate Action Nootropics and Cognitive Boosters

21:18 Natural Ways to Enhance Cognitive Performance

22:22 Unlocking Cognitive Clarity: Exercise, Meditation, and More

24:52 The Power of Breath Work and Hydration for Brain Function

26:42 Fasting and Sleep: Essential Nootropics for Peak Performance

30:03 Exploring Nicotine as a Nootropic: Benefits and Cautions

39:17 Concluding Thoughts: Natural Nootropics and Brain Health

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is for educational purposes only, it is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. Evan Roberts is not a medical professional and this podcast is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. Statements and views expressed on this show are not medical advice, this podcast, including Evan Roberts and any guests on the show, disclaims responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained in this episode. If you think you have a medical problem please consult a medical professional.

Hey, what's going on, everyone.

2

Welcome to the elemental Ivan podcast.

3

This is your host, Evan Roberts.

4

And on this podcast, I break down.

5

Health topics from a simplified

and holistic approach.

6

That way you can have some actual steps

to take after every single episode

7

and start applying the information

from these episodes to your life.

8

On today's episode, we are going to be

talking about the topic of nootropics.

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And very specifically, there is one

nootropic that is quite controversial,

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but definitely seems to be.

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Pretty effective as a nootropic, but

definitely also has some controversy

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around it for a good reason.

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Now, before we jump into all of that,

I wanted to give a little background

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information on things that have been

going on with me personally, as well

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as with the elemental Eben podcast.

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So for myself personally, I

was just on a work trip out in

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Texas, which was really awesome.

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Got to end my trip in Austin,

the beautiful city of Austin.

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It's such a great place

and really good food.

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And honestly, just a great place to spend.

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And some time I got to reconnect

with Kayla Boyd who was on the show

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multiple times, a good friend of mine.

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And I got to see all of the stuff

that he's doing with his company

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keepers harvest, which is a local

honey company out in Austin, Texas.

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And they source all of their honey

specifically from mainly the Austin

26

area, but also the greater Texas area.

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And really just trying to provide that.

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Raw local honey with all those awesome

enzymes and that local pollen, that's

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going to definitely help out with some

of those seasonal allergy symptoms.

30

So if you haven't already checked

out keeper's harvest, please

31

go ahead and check them out on

Instagram, check out their website.

32

You can order, I believe they ship, uh,

across the U S and, uh, yeah, they're

33

just doing some really cool stuff.

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So was really excited to go see

them and check out everything

35

that's going on out there.

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And then in terms of the elemental

oven podcast, I definitely have

37

to apologize because I have.

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Had a difficult time, the last

couple of weeks on getting some

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of these episodes out on time.

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Uh, there has been all a lot

of stuff going on and so I've

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definitely been working on.

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Getting better at managing my time, which

is, uh, honestly a little bit challenging,

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but it's also been great to go through

this process and get better at managing

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my time and just, uh, you know, keep

equipping that tool belt with all these

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different kinds of tools, um, to make me

better at managing my time in the future.

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So.

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Super excited for, uh,

myself getting better at.

48

Managing my time.

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And then also I wanted to mention that

I have a few ideas in the pipeline.

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For this show in ways that I can

make it better and hopefully a more

51

enjoyable experience for all of you.

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So if there is anything that you would

like to see more of on this show,

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whether it's certain topics covered,

certain guests brought on, uh, maybe

54

more video content as well that you

could view on YouTube or other platforms.

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Please go ahead and let me know.

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I would love to have all of your feedback.

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It's very beneficial for me to check

out and, uh, you know, definitely

58

helps me moving forward with this show

and making it better for all of you.

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So feel free to reach out.

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Uh, best way would

definitely be on Instagram.

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That is where I'm most active.

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But with all of that aside,

let's jump into today's topic,

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which is all about nootropics.

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So if you're unfamiliar with

what a nootropic is, That's okay.

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Um, the internet pretty much

defines it as a brain supplement or

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smart drug or cognitive enhancer.

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So any three of those terms.

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Could literally be

interchanged with nootropic.

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They pretty much all mean the same thing.

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But essentially a nootropic or nootropics

are natural semi-synthetic or synthetic

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compounds, which are reported to, or

believed to improve cognitive functions,

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such as attention, memory, and mood.

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And in many cases also promote

cognitive health, which obviously

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makes sense because a healthy brain is

just simply going to function better.

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But for me personally, Uh,

there's a few specific nootropics

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that I really, really enjoy.

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And I'm going to cover those in this

show because, um, I just love sharing

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all the stuff that I find, uh, with all

of you listeners, because I just want

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to provide that benefit to everyone.

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And if I can find benefit in

it, hopefully you as well.

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You will as well, but first off, a few

examples of some nootropics that you

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would commonly see either in like a

nootropic supplement or even as just a

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single source ingredient, uh, promoted

for its nootropic, like qualities.

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The first one that I'm going to mention

here is also actually my favorite.

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One of, pretty much all of them.

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So that is lion's mane mushroom,

which is a functional mushroom.

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It grows on, I believe they're dead trees,

but they definitely grow on trees and

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they do look kind of like a lion's mane,

I guess, in a way they look kind of like

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a hairy structure in a way they're white.

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You can actually cook

them and eat them as well.

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They make a really great meat substitute.

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The way that they pull apart is very.

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Much like almost like a

shredded beef or shredded pork.

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So a lot of the times you can

make lions, mane tacos out of

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them, which is really cool.

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But the way I typically consume

my lion's mane mushrooms.

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He is in a tincture

form or a powdered form.

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And I say that this is one of my

favorites because lion's mane.

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Mushroom is probably one of the

first nootropics that I really

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had experience working with.

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And it's also the one that

has really shown the greatest.

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Benefit for me personally.

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Um, I know I'm going to get into my,

uh, my personal favorite nootropics

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a little bit later, but I'll just

go ahead and share this story.

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Uh, right now, anyways.

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So with lion's mane mushroom,

when I was in college.

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I decided to take lion's mane mushroom,

and for, I think it was about two

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months, um, Yeah, every single day.

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So I, I believe it was

both morning and night.

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I would take a scoop of this lion's

mane powder that I had purchased.

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It was a.

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I believe one that contained both

fruiting body and, the mycelium, which

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if you're unfamiliar, the mycelium is

the root structure of the lions or of the

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mushroom and the fruiting body would be.

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Pretty much the mushroom itself.

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Like what we typically would see growing

out of the ground or off of a tree.

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So mine had a combination

of the two of them.

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It was a powdered form.

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I just added it to a drink or a tea

or a smoothie, anything like that.

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And I took it religiously for two months.

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And what was interesting is I definitely

noticed while I was taking it, uh, that

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there was a benefit and I was definitely,

you know, having a better time with

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just kind of recalling information.

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I think that was one of the biggest

things I noticed was I was able to

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recall information much quicker.

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Uh, it didn't take me as long to remember

people's names or facts or, you know,

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different things I needed for my tests

that I was taking in college, which was

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really nice to have that, uh, upper hand.

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But it wasn't as noticeable as when I

quit taking the lion's mane mushrooms.

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So once I had finished all my lion's

mane mushroom, it was about a day or two.

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After that, all of a sudden I just

realized like, wow, I'm really

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having a much harder time, just

recalling information as quickly.

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Um, you know, brain fog, might've

been a little bit more common and

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it was just much more apparent

that the lion's mane mushroom was

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of benefit while I was taking it.

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Um, as opposed to when I wasn't taking it.

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And this is a common thing

that we see with lion's mane.

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If you look at some of the studies

with lion's mane, it does seem

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that while taking lion's mane, you

will reap a lot of benefit from it.

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But.

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The moment you stopped taking

the lion's mane mushroom.

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It does seem that the benefits of

lion's mane mushroom does decline.

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So that is kind of a bummer.

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Um, However, I still take lion's

mane as often as I can, because

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it is one of those mushrooms that

I know it does provide benefit.

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It does work for me personally.

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So I keep it in my daily pretty

much daily intake, I would say.

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Um, it is a little more expensive as

with many high quality supplements

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they can definitely get pretty pricey.

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So I do portion it out and I don't take

it as religiously as I did at that time.

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But for that reason, Lion's mane

is absolutely one of my favorite

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nootropics when I'm taking it.

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I definitely can notice a difference.

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It does take about a week or two

for me taking it religiously to

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really notice the benefits of it,

but it does seem to work for me.

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Now a few other ones and I'm not

going to go as in depth on these ones.

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I promise.

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Um, but a few other common

ones that you would see on the

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market would be things like.

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Gingko biloba caffeine, fish oil,

ashwagandha, methylene, blue Creotine

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Rhodiola, and even spirulina can make

its way into this category based off

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of its cognitive health properties.

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And then the one and most

controversial, uh, nootropic that

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I'm probably going to mention on

this show is going to be nicotine.

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And yes, I know it's a weird

thing for me to be including

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on a health and wellness show.

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Um, I'm not necessarily promoting nicotine

for its health properties, but rather

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just simply as a nootropic and trust me.

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When I first heard about nicotine as a

nootropic, I was very, very skeptical.

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So allow me to break it

down later in this show.

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Um, and I will explain.

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My experience with it.

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And also why it's even

considered a nootropic.

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Now, some other common like

nootropics in terms of a formulated

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kind of pill that would contain

multiple different ingredients in

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it, or nootropic based ingredients.

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Would be things like alpha brain

bionic, which is probably one of the

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most popular nootropics out there.

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Um, most people who are familiar

with nootropics definitely

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know about alpha brain.

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Um, I have tried alpha brain.

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I like it.

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Uh, it's not something I've taken

super for a super long period

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of time consistently, but the

times that I have taken it does

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definitely seem like it provides a.

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A slight edge on.

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Kind of kicking the brain

on and getting it into gear.

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I'm sure if you took it for a longer

period of time, of course you would

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really start to notice those benefits.

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Um, but alpha brain is definitely

one of the more popular ones.

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I would say the next pop most popular one

would probably be the quality of mind.

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Um, Quality of mind has been around

for quite a while, has a pretty

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extensive ingredient list on it as well.

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And I have also taken that one.

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I feel personally.

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And this is just my opinion, but I feel

like quality of mind might be a little

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bit more effective than alpha brain.

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Um, that's going to also

really depend on the person.

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So that's just for me personally,

that I feel quality of mind is

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a little bit more effective.

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Um, but out of the ones that I

have taken quality of mind does

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seem to be the better of the two.

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And there's also a newer brand on the

market that I've been hearing a lot about.

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And it looks very interesting,

but I just haven't had the time

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to do enough research on it.

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Uh, but it's called thesis and

essentially you fill out a form or

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online, which is like, You're just

saying what you're kind of looking for.

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What are the issues that you deal with?

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Like, do you deal with a lot of brain

fog or anxiety or, you know, Blah,

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blah, blah, like fill in the blank and

then they go ahead and personalize a

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specific like nootropics for you based

on what it is that you entered, which

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I think is a very interesting concept.

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And I definitely want

to look more into it.

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But, uh, like I said, I

just haven't had the time.

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So if you have the time,

go ahead and check it out.

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It's thesis.

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Like you're writing a thesis for a paper.

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And on top of that, if you ever

see a mushroom brand, like any kind

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of a functional mushroom brand.

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You know anything from like four

Sigmatic to, you know, fill in the blank.

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Uh, they'll also likely have some kind of

a nootropic and every single time they're

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going to have lion's mane in it, for sure.

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100%.

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Lion's mane is definitely one of those

ingredients that makes its way onto a

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lot of these, uh, nootropic supplements.

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Now for me personally, as I

had already explained, in terms

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of my favorite nootropic, you

already know it's lion's mane.

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Um, I really enjoy lion's mane.

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I believe.

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That it really does help.

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Um, most people who take it and for

myself personally, I know it helps.

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So I'm a huge fan of lion's mane.

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That's one of my absolute

go tos when it comes to.

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Really trying to improve the function

and health of my brain because

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lions mean also provides massive

benefit for the health of your brain.

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Uh, but it also is really

good as a nootropic.

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Now on top of that, we also have

other ones like methylene blue

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methylene blue is also one of

my favorite nootropics to take.

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Um, there is a company called Scriptions

and I really enjoy their products.

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They have some really, honestly, in my

opinion, some of the highest quality

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products in terms of nootropics and,

uh, they don't just do only nootropics.

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They also do other things like.

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I don't know.

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Things that help you with sleep

and immunity and all these

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different kinds of things.

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But, uh, what I really like about

them is they're very trustworthy.

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Um, all of their ingredients are.

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I have a very high quality.

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They have a certain ingredients that are

actually USP certified, which if you're

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unfamiliar USP certification is just

like a gold standard in terms of, um,

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you know, quality because it's, you know,

a very stringent third-party testing.

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So.

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I really like what they're about.

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And they're methylene blue is a

very high quality methylene blue.

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Now, if you're unfamiliar with

what the heck methylene blue

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is, it was actually a textile.

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dye . At one point, which once

again, sounds like something

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that probably isn't meant to be.

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Good for you.

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But, uh, it turns out that methylene

blue is actually quite good for you.

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And very specifically, it's

quite good for your mitochondria.

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So the mitochondria taking it back

to biology here, uh, mitochondria are

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the powerhouse of the cell, right?

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They are the things that create energy.

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And so our brain, which has a very,

very high amount of mitochondria,

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because it is an area of the

body that uses a ton of energy.

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Is going to receive a lot of benefit from

methylene blue because methylene blue is

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helping out your mitochondrial health.

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So it's going to intern also

help out the brain and help

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it function at a better level.

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Um, provide hopefully

more energy for the brain.

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So that is one product that I really

enjoy taking as well as methylene blue.

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And typically that one is going

to be, uh, combined with our.

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Uh, controversial nicotine

here, but, uh, you can also

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take methylene blue on its own.

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But I'll get into the

nicotine in a little bit here.

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And then the last two

that are my favorite.

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Uh, nootropics on, I guess you could

say like the more food-based side.

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Would be spirulina and fish oil.

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So fish oil has, you know, we're talking

to omega-3 DHA oil here and EPA oil.

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Um, I don't care where you're getting the,

uh, DHA and EPA oil in terms of whether

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it's from fish or from micro-algae.

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Um, I think they're both

going to be beneficial.

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Uh, micro-algae.

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, a lot of times that's a better

option for people who are

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vegan or even maybe vegetarian.

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But if you are open to taking.

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Cod liver oil or whatever it might be.

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Um, feel free to take those as well.

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Uh, krill oil is another one.

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, these are, these are all

fine forms of fish oil.

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You just really want to make sure

that these are, very repeatable

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companies that are testing.

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Third party testing for any kind of

contaminants that might be in the fish.

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Especially in the fish.

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Uh, typically with micro-algae it seems

like it's just a little bit of a cleaner

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process in terms of, , microplastics

or heavy metals, things like that.

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And then with spirulina, I mean,

spirulina is spirulina and chlorella are.

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You already know.

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I mean, if you listen to this

show, it's two of my favorite

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supplements probably in the world.

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I mean, I don't tip, I don't

like to call them supplements

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because they are just algae, but

spirulina and chlorella are awesome.

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They have 40 vitamins

and minerals in them.

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Um, they're great for your brain health.

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They're great for a load of other things.

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Have.

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Uh, FICO sign-in in your spirulina,

which I think is even being studied for,

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uh, studied for like fighting cancer.

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Um, You have all nine essential aminos

in your, uh, spirulina, you have super

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high levels of chlorophyll in chlorella.

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They're some of my favorite

supplements to take.

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I take them every single morning.

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Um, personally, I get

that from energy bits.

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That is my personal go-to and

my favorite in terms of getting

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a spirulina or chlorella.

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And if you want to go and check them

out, please go see the description.

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I do have them linked to there

with a 20% discount code.

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They are.

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Uh, a sponsor of the show and they're

just one of my favorite companies.

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Um, I really, really loved

this stuff they put out.

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So anyways, spirulina chlorella

absolutely make the list.

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Um, they just kind of promote

that overall wellbeing and health,

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especially when it comes to the brain.

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And then in terms of like immediate

action nootropics, so things that are

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a little bit more fast acting and not

this kind of long game, long-term kind

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of nootropics, such as lions, mane and

fish oil, fish, oil, and spirulina.

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Uh, we look at things like

caffeine, for example.

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So, yes, caffeine is a nootropic.

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Uh, people have been consuming coffee

for a super long time with good reason.

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Uh, for me personally,

I don't feel a massive.

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Like cognitive boost from caffeine.

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I actually just really

enjoy the flavor of coffee.

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That's something that I really enjoy.

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So, uh, I'm not actually typically

drinking coffee for the caffeine, rather.

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I'm just drinking it for the flavor.

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I really, really enjoy the flavor

and the process of making coffee.

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Um, so personally, I can actually

drink, uh, you know, what is it?

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Wow, losing the word here.

340

A decaffeinated coffee.

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I can drink decaf coffee.

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And as long as it's a high quality coffee.

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And it tastes good.

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Like, I really don't care if

it has the caffeine or not.

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Um, it does not really play a role for me.

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But for many people, caffeine can

be a stimulant and a nootropic

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in many ways can help people.

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Uh, focus and dial in.

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And then the other immediate

action nootropic that we're

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going to talk about on the show.

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And this is the one that's

going to get a lot of, uh,

352

Maybe a lot of heat, I guess, is nicotine.

353

Um, nicotine.

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We are going to get a little more into,

but I just wanted to mention that.

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Yes, nicotine is one of those things that.

356

Has a really bad stigma around

it, obviously being, you know,

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kind of associated with smoking,

uh, smoking tobacco, right?

358

Um, obviously smoking tobacco

is not good for our lung health.

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It's not good for our health in general.

360

Um, so it's something that we

typically stay away from and nicotine

361

kind of falls under that category.

362

But it does seem that nicotine does

provide some benefit in terms of

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actually kicking your brain on.

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And trust me, I was very against,

uh, nicotine for a long period

365

of time, even as a nootropic.

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Um, I, yeah, I just kind of box it in with

tobacco and smoking and it's bad for you.

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You don't need it.

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But it does seem that nicotine,

especially not, well, not just

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for myself, for many people.

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Is a very, very effective

nootropic, uh, nicotine.

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When you take it is.

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One of the most fastest acting

nootropics out there, in my opinion.

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Um, I actually did consume

some nicotine for this show.

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Um, I specifically took it because

I was recording this episode.

375

Um, but typically I only consume nicotine.

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In very small amounts and very.

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I wouldn't say rare, but

definitely not often.

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Like I probably consume nicotine.

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Two times a month.

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And that's like, there might be

some times where I don't even use

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any nicotine for the entire month.

382

So I'm bringing, I'm being pretty

liberal there with my usage.

383

I don't think I've ever used nicotine

more than like three times in a month.

384

So I'm very selective in the times that

I do use it, because I do believe that

385

there could be some side effects and

are some side effects that, you know,

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Maybe aren't that favorable and there is

a bit of a trade off, but when you need

387

to get in the zone, I must say nicotine

is very, very effective in doing that.

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So.

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I mean, I've had times where I've

had really, really bad brain fog.

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Like can't even piece a sentence together.

391

Um, so like brain dead and by

just consuming even a very small

392

amount of nicotine, um, you can

within like 10 minutes, be sharp

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as attack and just ready to go.

394

So nicotine definitely as a nootropic

does appear to be effective.

395

Now we're going to go a little

bit more into that and, um, talk

396

about why it's effective and also

maybe why nicotine could be bad.

397

And the downsides of it.

398

Um, but very quickly, I wanted to talk

about a few things that you can do

399

to improve your cognitive performance

without having to really take anything.

400

Um, you have access to all of

these things right here right now.

401

And let's say you had to, I don't know,

write a paper or get ready for a, a

402

big meeting or something like that.

403

And you had no access to any

of these nootropics whatsoever.

404

Um, no coffee, no nicotine.

405

I know any of these lion's

mane or anything like that.

406

You just literally, you had brain fog and

you had to get ready for whatever it was

407

that you were about to start working on.

408

Well, in that case, there are

multiple things that you can do.

409

And one of the first and best ones in my

opinion is probably going to be exercise.

410

So exercise in general just increases our.

411

Our cognitive performance.

412

And this could also simply be

by, you know, getting the heart

413

rate up and increasing the blood

flow, which is in turn, going to

414

increase blood flow to the brain.

415

And, uh, overall, it's just going to

help us get into a better cognitive state.

416

Um, there's been many times

where, you know, I have had

417

some brain fog or I'm just.

418

You know, I'm really dragging on

whatever it is that I'm working on.

419

And even just getting outside

for a brisk walk has been super

420

beneficial in getting my brain.

421

Uh, to work properly and to focus

better and overall just have

422

better cognitive performance.

423

Of course, you could also go

for a couple of quick sprints.

424

You could do some push-ups and

sit-ups and squats, and just really

425

try to knock out some really.

426

Uh, fast paced workouts, get

that heart rate up and, uh,

427

ultimately get that blood pumping.

428

These are going to be very beneficial for

trying to prepare yourself and get rid

429

of that brain fog and turn your brain on.

430

So if you are dealing with some brain

fog, one of my first things would be to

431

do is to, uh, get a little exercise in.

432

. The second thing would be

getting some meditation in.

433

So meditation, depending on kind of

what you're looking for in terms of your

434

cognitive performance, um, meditation may

or may not fit what you're looking for.

435

Meditation for me personally,

seems to really help me.

436

Get rid of the clutter in my brain.

437

So if I'm jumping topics, I can't

focus very well on one thing.

438

I've got a lot going on.

439

You know, I have a lot of schedules

going on and I'm just thinking of

440

a lot of different things at once.

441

It definitely seems like

taking a quick five.

442

Maybe 10 minutes, if you,

if you have the time for it.

443

To just sit down.

444

And meditate and the

meditation can be so simple.

445

It can literally be just you sitting

down and processing your thoughts.

446

It could be allowing your thoughts to

arise and then let them go and just

447

kind of really gaining control of the

mind and not allowing these thoughts to.

448

Really run your brain.

449

So if you're meditating and all of

a sudden a thought comes up and you

450

just start playing that thought out

and you all of a sudden find out that

451

you're just in this thought completely,

you're completely consumed by it.

452

Take a moment, take a breath, realize

it, let that thought flow away.

453

And then just get back

into your meditation.

454

And that is a win every single time you

do that, you're taking power back into

455

your own hands, and you are showing

your brain essentially, who is boss.

456

So meditation really helps when

I need to focus in on something.

457

And I'm just having a really hard

time with my focus and keeping

458

it dialed in on one thing.

459

The other, uh, thing that I

would use in terms of trying to.

460

Default the brain and get the brain

working well would be breath work.

461

So once again, with breath work.

462

You can kind of take this

in a, in two different ways.

463

You could take breath, work

in the kind of meditative.

464

Uh, direction where you would be trying

to clear your thoughts, calm your mind.

465

You know, be able to dial in

and focus in on one thing.

466

Uh, or you could also do a breath

work that is very activating.

467

It'd be a fast paced breath and it's

going to, uh, kind of wake you up.

468

So if you're kind of having that, like.

469

2:00 PM slump.

470

Your brain is just like gone.

471

It's on vacation mode and you know,

you're just having all this brain fog,

472

doing some exercise paired with some fast

paced breath work, like breath of fire.

473

Um, which is essentially just

breathing in and out through

474

your nose very, very quickly.

475

Like.

476

Just very quick breathing.

477

Um, you also move your belly with

it as well, which, um, it's kind of

478

hard to explain, but on the inhale,

your belly expands on the exhale,

479

your belly contracts, and then you

would just do that very quickly.

480

Um, you can do.

481

Three rounds of 50 or

whatever works for you.

482

And that's going to be very activating.

483

It's going to turn the body on.

484

It's going to turn the brain on and

really get you into, um, Well, rather,

485

it's going to wake you back up.

486

It's going to get you into the

mood and mode of doing some work.

487

So breath work can also

be really effective.

488

Another thing is also, uh, trying to

make sure you're drinking enough water.

489

So I know that sounds really, really

simple, but dehydration can slow

490

down circulation and affect, uh,

the flow of oxygen to your brain.

491

So by simply just staying hydrated.

492

You can also help to make sure that

your brain is functioning at, um,

493

you know, hopefully it's top level.

494

And then another thing, and this is

something now we're getting into,

495

like, you kind of have to plan for

these types of nootropic exercises.

496

Um, but one of the big

ones I use is fasting.

497

So for me personally,

I like to stay fasted.

498

If I know I have a really very, very

important meeting coming up or just

499

anything that is very important.

500

Uh, maybe it is writing a paper or put,

you know, putting together a slide show,

501

whatever it might be a presentation.

502

Then I like to be fasted when I'm

working on these very intense.

503

Uh, projects that really

require a lot of my attention.

504

And the reason I like to do that is

just because when I'm fascinated,

505

my mind is so much more clear.

506

Now, if you've never fasted before,

probably not going to be the best thing

507

for you to do, you're probably going to.

508

You know, get a little bit hungry

and . You're not going to be

509

functioning at your best form.

510

Um, if you are not

accustomed to fasting, so.

511

If you've never fasted before, this

is probably not the practice for

512

you, but if you are used to fasting,

you're metabolically flexible.

513

You're able to do a fast, it's

not gonna, you know, Totally hack

514

your brain and make you want to go

find some food or kill somebody.

515

Um, then by all means, go

ahead and try out this fasting.

516

Um, I usually do at least an eight

hour to maybe 12 or even 16 hour fast.

517

Um, when I'm doing these big

projects, And that definitely seems

518

to help to really just keep my mind.

519

Um, very clear and working at the, uh, you

know, it's top performance, essentially.

520

Now, the last thing is

going to be good sleep.

521

So once again, this is not going to

be an immediate thing for you, but you

522

can really work on getting good sleep.

523

Good sleep is.

524

By far, one of the best things

you can do for your brain health.

525

Um, I, it's such a simple

thing to do really.

526

Although many people tend

to get very poor sleep.

527

But, you know, if you get a night

of four hours of sleep and then you

528

get a night of eight hours of sleep,

the difference is so, so noticeable.

529

The four hour night of sleep,

you're going to wake up.

530

You're probably going to be grumpy.

531

You're going to be out of it.

532

You're going to have brain fog.

533

Your mind is not going to

be working at its top level.

534

It's going to be hard to

really just focus on anything.

535

And you're just pretty much going

to be going through the motions

536

on a day of four hours of sleep.

537

Especially if you pair that four hours of

sleep with another night, four hours of

538

sleep and then another night of four hours

of sleep and then stacking those days.

539

Um, it's just going to

get worse and worse.

540

Whereas if you get a full night's

rest, whether that is, you know, six,

541

seven or eight hours of, of rest for

you, um, because it does depend on

542

the person, it is person specific.

543

But if you get a full night's rest,

You know, when you slept good.

544

I mean, I used to have an aura

ring and I would check it all the

545

time to see how my sleep went.

546

But honestly, there were nights

where I slept so well and I didn't

547

even need to check the aura ring.

548

I just knew I had slept really well.

549

Like your brain feels

good, your body feels good.

550

And I could check on my aura ringing

and sure enough check and see that.

551

Yep.

552

I did.

553

I got a really, really good sleep.

554

Got perfect levels of all of the

different types of sleep like REM sleep

555

and deep sleep and all that good stuff.

556

So anyways, sleep is a huge hack for

getting that cognitive performance in.

557

Now coming back here to the nicotine,

because I wanted to not leave

558

you guys hanging on the nicotine.

559

Uh, topic.

560

Um, but very quickly I did also,

sorry, I wanted to mention.

561

Those exercises I just gave you

are all a hundred percent free.

562

And honestly, before you go into using

any nootropic, I would highly recommend

563

that you focus on those things first

and include in there a good diet.

564

Um, you have the recipe for, you know, a

natural nootropic and helping your brain

565

to just work at a really high level.

566

Every single day, if you're

hitting all of those.

567

All of those different exercises, like

getting some body movement in meditation,

568

breath work, staying hydrated, fasting.

569

Um, good sleep.

570

And having a good diet.

571

Those are going to be the major pillars

for honestly, a lot of aspects of your

572

health, but definitely they're also going

to help out with your brain performance.

573

So anyways.

574

Let us get back to nicotine.

575

So I wanted to make this very well

known that I am not a specialist

576

on nicotine by any means at all.

577

Okay.

578

I actually, um, nicotine tends to

have a very strong effect on me, so.

579

I grew growing up.

580

Like I never really

smoked any tobacco at all.

581

Um, I did smoke hookah at one

point in like high school, because

582

here in the U S you can actually

smoke before you can drink.

583

So, uh, 18 is the smoking age and yes.

584

Uh, my friends, we would

go and smoke hookah.

585

So any nicotine that I was receiving

was typically through hookah.

586

However, when it came to cigarettes,

like I've probably smoked as many

587

cigarettes as I can count on my left hand.

588

You know,

589

and on that note, Uh, nicotine does

have a very strong effect on me.

590

So.

591

When consuming nicotine, I

have to be very mindful in how

592

much nicotine I am consuming.

593

Like for example, with the blue

canteen, from transcriptions that

594

I mentioned earlier, I take the

smallest amount that I possibly can.

595

And on top of that, I typically

have to drink water with it as well.

596

Otherwise I will start to get a little bit

of, um, uh, lightheadedness and, um, you

597

know, kind of that like raise blood PR.

598

Or like, like a little bit

of sweating, like yeah.

599

Nicotine essentially is

very, very powerful for me.

600

And so I have to be very careful with it.

601

Therefore, I take very small amounts

of it and I only take it very rarely

602

now in terms of why nicotine is

considered a nootropic and what

603

are kind of the benefits of it.

604

Um, once again, I am not

a specialist on this.

605

I do have the website in which

I am sourcing all of this

606

information from, and I am going

to link that in the description.

607

So please do your own research on

this as well, because truly I am

608

just someone who is enjoying, uh,

trying out these different nootropics

609

and seeing how they work for.

610

Myself.

611

But from what I was reading online,

it seems like nicotine does have some

612

memory enhancing, um, properties to it.

613

So it does seem like it is able to improve

the short-term and long-term memory.

614

Uh, it does seem to boost

the release of acetylcholine,

615

dopamine, serotonin and glutamate.

616

These are trans, uh,

neuro-transmitters that play a role

617

in alertness, attention cognition.

618

Memory and mood and

then brain optimization.

619

It enhances whole brain communication,

uh, efficiency, ultimately boosting

620

overall cognitive function.

621

So.

622

It does seem that nicotine does

have a benefit for the brain

623

in terms of its functioning.

624

And if you've ever consumed nicotine,

you probably have noticed this as well.

625

Um, it, it really does kick the brain on

now in terms of downsides of nicotine.

626

Uh, the most common and obvious ones.

627

Are definitely the addictiveness.

628

So nicotine can be addictive.

629

And for that reason, um, you

know, if you are, for example,

630

someone who used to smoke.

631

Maybe nicotine, isn't the best

idea for you to use, and maybe

632

it's not the best nootropic.

633

There are other things that you

can use in tri that are, you

634

know, very beneficial as well.

635

So if that's the case, nicotine

might not be the one for you.

636

If you tend to have an addictive

personality or you can't help,

637

but consume nicotine on a daily.

638

Um, you know, on the daily, then also

once again, nicotine might not be for you.

639

We don't want to create that addiction.

640

We want it to be something where only in

the moments where we would really need it.

641

Like you have a ton of brain fog and

you have a lot of work to get done or a

642

project to work on or a meeting to get to.

643

Then you would consume the nicotine.

644

Also the side effects that it may

have are increased heart rate, high

645

blood pressure, gastrointestinal

issues, possibly, and potentially.

646

Uh, promote tumor tumor growth.

647

Ooh, sorry.

648

Um, so there are definitely

some side effects.

649

There are some downsides to it.

650

Oz as well.

651

Uh, there is some dose dependency.

652

So the upregulation of

nicotine or, sorry, Nicco.

653

Tineke.

654

Cynic acetylcholine

receptors is dose dependent.

655

Um, too much nicotine can lead

to receptor desensitization.

656

And also once again, smoking tobacco.

657

So if you're consuming nicotine through

all the process of burning, uh, tobacco.

658

Of course that is not

going to be good for us.

659

That is, it's literally a carcinogen.

660

It's not going to do any

benefits for your lungs.

661

It's overall going to be worse for you.

662

So that is not the way in which we

would want to consume the nicotine.

663

If you're going to consume

the nicotine at all.

664

Um, for me personally, Once again,

I really, really like the blue

665

canteen from TRO scriptions.

666

It has both methylene blue in it.

667

It also has a little bit of caffeine,

has a little bit of nicotine in there,

668

and it's also, I'm going to have a

little bit of CBD in there, which is

669

going to help all of these things are

going to help out with the brain and

670

really work as a awesome nootropic.

671

However with that said.

672

And this is where I talk about the dosing.

673

With these blue canteens, they

come in these little squares called

674

I think troche's T R O C H E

675

and in these approaches, they are,

there's four of them in a package.

676

And they are cut up into

four smaller squares.

677

So essentially what I do is I will take.

678

A quarter of the trash.

679

Which is a quarter of a milligram.

680

Of the nicotine, which there is only

one milligram of nicotine per trope.

681

So I'm taking a quarter of that each.

682

Each time that I am consuming

the blue candidate team.

683

So I'm taking a quarter of a milligram.

684

Of nicotine.

685

Every time I consume the blue Kennedy,

which is a very, very small amount.

686

Now, like I said, nicotine does

have a strong effect on me, so I

687

do have to lower my dosage, but

nonetheless, it is a very small dose.

688

And just to kind of put it into, um,

you know, A more understood perspective.

689

About 1.2 to 1.8 milligrams, enter,

have a nicotine enter the body.

690

Uh, for each cigarette smoked.

691

So.

692

you have about the amount

of, uh, of a cigarette?

693

Probably actually less than a

cigarette, uh, per troph and then

694

I'm consuming a quarter of the trash.

695

Um, and even if you consume half of

it, like it's still much less than

696

consuming even just one cigarette.

697

And of course I'm only consuming

one a day and, um, that's only.

698

Two times maximum a month for me.

699

So it isn't a very small amount.

700

And I do that because I know that

there can be some downsides to

701

it, and I want to avoid those as

best I can and really only use.

702

Uh, the nicotine in blue canteen.

703

When I truly, truly need it to kick my

brain on because it is just really, really

704

lacking in the cognitive performance area.

705

So it is truly just a tool that I

use when I really need it in terms

706

of overall brain health and, um,

the constant use of nootropics.

707

You know, I'm going to refer back to

those earlier, things that I was talking

708

about, things like exercise, good sleep.

709

Meditation breath work.

710

And then of course, if I'm going to

take anything, that's good for my brain,

711

it's going to be things like lion's

mane, spirulina, fish oil, sometimes

712

maybe it will be some ashwagandha.

713

Like there's a tons of different

things that I will consume on a

714

regular basis that are going to

promote my brain health that are

715

going to either not have any downsides

at all, or very minimal downsides.

716

So nicotine is truly just a tool that

I will use to really kick the brain on.

717

And personally, I think.

718

That's probably how it should be used.

719

I don't think we should be

overdoing it with the nicotine.

720

And what I like about these

blue canteens is also.

721

That it turns your mouth blue,

um, because of the methylene blue.

722

So realistically, if you're going to

consume this, , you don't want to walk

723

around with a blue mouth all the time,

so you do have to be a little bit more

724

specific in the times that you take it.

725

Um, which I think also helps in

controlling how much of it I'm consuming.

726

So I don't want to

always have a blue mouth.

727

So.

728

Anyways, that's going to kind of

wrap it up for today's episode.

729

Um, I hope you received some benefit

from this and if there's any major

730

takeaways, I hope it's to understand

that there are a ton of practices that

731

you can do to make sure your brain is

performing at a really, really high

732

level that require no money at all.

733

They simply require some time and effort

and you can start doing them right now.

734

Today you could drop down, do some

meditation, do some breath work.

735

You could do some exercise.

736

Exercise, you could stay hydrated.

737

You can get some good sleep, right?

738

Like there's all these different

things that we can start doing right

739

now that are zero cost and are really

going to help your brain massively,

740

probably more than anything else.

741

And then on top of that, we want

to make sure that we are having a

742

good diet, you know, consuming these

different nootropic ingredients that

743

are beneficial for our brain and our

brain health, such as lion's mane.

744

Lion's mane is really great for

brain health as is our fish oil.

745

They'll make a three DHA and EPA oil

and things like spirulina and chlorella.

746

These are also going to be really

beneficial, uh, for our brain

747

health and overall brain health.

748

So.

749

I really want to highlight that if you're

going to do anything, I would really

750

highly recommend that you start there and

work with those because they're probably

751

going to have the most benefit overall.

752

Now if you really need it in a pinch.

753

Sure.

754

Feel free to try out nicotine.

755

If it's something that calls to you.

756

Um, it's something that I really

contemplated for a long time before

757

taking, and even to this day, it's

something that I'm very careful with.

758

It's not something I consume very often

and it lasts me a really long time

759

for that reason, which is awesome.

760

Um, it kind of stretches the dollar

there and honestly, when I need

761

it, it works really, really well.

762

So anyways, I will try to link TRO

scriptions as well in the show notes.

763

I am not affiliated with them.

764

I just think they're a

really great company.

765

Um, they have really high quality

products and, um, yeah, I personally

766

feel very comfortable using them.

767

And promoting them.

768

So, um, yeah, feel free to check them out.

769

Like I said, once again, zero monetary

ties to them or anything like that.

770

Um, just a really great

company, so, all right.

771

That is going to do it for today.

772

I hope you all enjoy today's episode.

773

And once again, please reach out to me.

774

If you want to hear or see

or experience anything.

775

anything.

776

more from, uh, from

this show in the future.

777

I would love to hear your feedback.

778

So please go ahead and reach out to

me at elemental Evan on Instagram.

779

Um, you can find us on YouTube as well.

780

I'll be working on putting more of

these episodes in the show format or

781

the video format as well up on YouTube.

782

So you can see it there.

783

And if you haven't already, please go

ahead and subscribe to whatever platform

784

you're listening, uh, or sorry, subscribe

to this podcast on whatever platform

785

it is that you're listening to this on

and leave a nice little review there.

786

for us, if you would be so kind.

787

Um, it goes a far way to help

people find this podcast.

788

And also please share this

episode with someone who could

789

benefit from hearing it as well.

790

Someone who needs to kick that brain on.

791

Um, who doesn't want a

better performing brain?

792

Um, probably everyone wants one.

793

So anyways.

794

All right.

795

I hope you all have a

beautiful rest of your day.

796

Um, please.

797

You already know the motto of the show.

798

Do everything with good intentions

and connect to your elements.

799

Much love to all of you.

800

Thank you for tuning in.

801

Have a beautiful rest of your day.

802

Peace.