Huperzine A (Huperzia Serrata)

This alkaloid is a natural botanical nootropic that occurs in the firmoss huperzia serrata plant of Asia, which has been used for centuries in China as a memory enhancer. But, importantly, with this Nootropic ingredient, less is really more.

As a Nootropic, Huperzine extract chemically empowers our memory by acting as an Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Huperzine — The Profiteer’s Nootropic Ingredient

There are two very popular Nootropic ingredients that make me raise a skeptical eyebrow when I see them in a product. DMAE and Huperzine. DMAE is an awful pseudo-Nootropic with some concerning (and often undiscussed) side effects.  Huperzine is an effective energizing Nootropic but less is really more. You really wouldn't want to dose more than 100 micrograms daily of Huperzine-A and ideally less, like 50 micrograms daily.

What many users of popular Nootropic stacks don't know is that large doses of it may be toxic. You want to be taking minuscule amounts of the stuff. At doses over 50 micrograms you run into side effects like insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, slowed heart rate, restlessness, sweating, loss of appetite, contraction of muscle fibers, constipation, and twitching. 

Interestingly, it's mentioned in the Handbook of Toxicology of Chemical Warfare Agents, it's been researched as a counter-measure to chemical warfare:

...anti-ChEs, such as huperzine A, have been used for thousands of years in the treatment of aging-induced memory impairment... Importantly, anti-ChE therapy can also cause a variety of side effects, including gastrointestinal problems, salivation, sweating, and cardiac and hypotension effects.

Huperzine stays in your system for at least 24 hours. When you consume 400 mcg of huperzine (which is a common dosage in many stacks) the next day after you think that the Nootropic's effects have worn off there’s actually still 200 mcg in your system. The Huperzine in your system accumulates when you then take another 400 mcg, or maybe more if you mega-dose a Nootropic stack containing it. The extremely popular podcaster Joe Rogan often talks about taking 6–8 capsules of Alpha BRAIN which is WAY too much Huperzine. Huperzine really doesn’t belong in your daily stack.

The final really important thing to understand about Huperzine is that it is cheap — really cheap at .0006 cents per dose or 2 cents for a month's supply! If you want to make a killing, get into the Huperzine business!

Mechanism of Action

The primary nootropic benefit is as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, acetylcholine is one of the three essential neurotransmitters we need to be Limitless (the others are serotonin and dopamine). Acetylcholinesterase actually stops acetylcholine from doing its job as effectively as possible in our minds. Huperzine A blocks and destroys Acetylcholinesterase, so this nootropic is a case of the enemy of our enemy being our friend. It is also an NMDA receptor antagonist, this means that it protects the brain from glutamate damage, in lab rat tests this increases nerve growth. Huperzine has hundreds of years of history of helping improve memory along with recent scientific tests showing that it improves the rate at which your brain creates cells.

Vs Alzheimer's

Clinical trials were done for the Journal of Neural Transmission and at the Xiaoshan Mental Hospital in Zhejiang, China that showed it as effective in helping those suffering from Alzheimer's disease and as a memory enhancer for students. It has also been demonstrated to help with those suffering from senile and multi-infarct dementia.

It occurs naturally in nature in a Chinese moss, from there it goes through a pretty extensive laboratory purification process to become Huperzine A, for that reason many consider it to be a drug, even though it can be purchased as an over the counter nootropic.

Huperzine A is also beneficial and has been used historically to treat blood disorders, inflammation, swelling and fever along with treating a muscle disease called myasthenia gravis. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter our minds use to communicate with our muscles so since Huperzine A increases Acetylcholine levels it strengthens the brain-body connection.
Cycle Off: It's recommended that for every month you supplement Huperzine you cycle take a week off to avoid some mild side effects.

Sources

Out of the +100 Nootropics I've tried, there was just one Huperzine-containing product that blew my socks off, the Tao Ultra Nootropic

If I was going to take Huperzine on its own I would reach for Pure Nootropics' capsuled Huperzine-A, they are one of the few companies that publish lab verification of the purity of their products.

Downloadable Huperzine?

You may be interested in taking it as an infoceutical - a non-pharmacological, side-effect-free version of the supplement that takes advantage of the phenomenon of water memory - which is imprinted on water via quantum collocation and electromagnetism using this device...

IC Pad by Infopathy

 

4.3

Category: Mind Hardware

Infocueticals typically have 1/3 or half the effect of the actual medicine being imprinted. If you're skeptical of Infopathy that's understandable, it's a game-changing application of a little-known scientific phenomenon. But I'd urge you to evaluate the scientific evidence (presented in my biohacker review) that downloadable medicine is no longer science fiction...

Dosage and Usage

For healthy adults who want to improve their memory 200MCG (Broken up into two doses). Those treating for dementia or Alzheimer's 100-400 mcg (Broken up into two doses). These are the recommended doses of Huperzine A, the chemical elements of Huperzia Serrata (the moss) that is actually able to cross the blood-brain barrier. When buying nootropic ‘stacks’ it’s important to check and see what the proportion of Huperzine A to Huperzia Serrata is.

Side Effects:

Generally, a very well-tolerated drug by our bodies, however possible cholinergic side effects could include chest pain, upset stomach, skin hives, rash, itchy or swollen skin, diarrhea, insomnia, vomiting, and hyperactivity. If you experience these simply discontinue use of the huperzine for between a few days to a week, then start using it again consistently until you experience side effects. Based upon this process you will determine what cycle lengths are right for your physiology, this is normal.

Conflicts: Could have some moderate interactions with those already taking Anticholinergic drugs or medication for Alzheimer's or glaucoma.