Compounds & Therapies
ALCAR / L-Carnitine: A Practical Guide
B-Complex Vitamins
Essential water-soluble vitamins supporting energy metabolism, neurological function, and stress resilience
Bupropion-Naltrexone (Contrave)
Bupropion-naltrexone sustained-release (brand name Contrave) is an FDA-approved combination weight-loss drug, approved in September 2014. It pairs bupropion — a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor used as an antidepressant and…
Cerebrolysin
Cerebrolysin is a parenteral pharmaceutical preparation of low-molecular-weight peptides and free amino acids derived from enzymatically processed porcine brain tissue. Manufactured by EVER Pharma since the 1970s, it is approved in more than 40…
Dihexa
Angiotensin IV Analog With No Human Safety Data
Ketamine Therapy
Ketamine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist that has been on the U.S. market as an anesthetic since 1970. In the early 2000s, NIH-funded work demonstrated that sub-anesthetic doses (~0.5 mg/kg IV over 40 minutes) produce rapid and substantial…
L-Theanine
An amino acid supporting relaxed focus, mental clarity, and stress resilience without sedation
Low-Dose Lithium
Neuroprotective at 5-20mg daily; regulatory ambiguity between pharmaceutical lithium and supplements
Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
Macular Protection Stack (AREDS2)
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and its successor AREDS2 are among the most rigorously conducted nutritional intervention trials in modern medicine. Funded by the National Eye Institute and conducted over more than two decades, the trials…
Methylene Blue
Antioxidant with cognitive enhancement potential, serotonin syndrome risk critical
Microdosing Psychedelics
Microdosing is the practice of taking sub-perceptual doses of a classical psychedelic — most commonly psilocybin (roughly 0.1–0.5 g of dried Psilocybe cubensis, or about 1–3 mg of pure psilocybin) or LSD (approximately 5–20 mcg) — every few days,…
Modafinil
Wakefulness promotion with schedule IV controls
N-Acetyl Semax and N-Acetyl Selank
Semax (a synthetic analog of the N-terminal fragment of ACTH 4-10) and Selank (a synthetic analog of tuftsin) were developed by Russian scientific research institutes beginning in the 1980s-1990s. Both are registered medications in Russia for…
NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
Cellular antioxidant and glutathione precursor for robust defense
Noopept
Noopept (N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester) is a synthetic dipeptide developed in Russia in the mid-1990s at the Institute of Pharmacology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. It was developed as a more potent analogue of piracetam —…
Pharmaceutical-Grade GABA
γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. Oral GABA supplements have been marketed for decades for stress, anxiety, sleep, and general relaxation. The classical neuroscience…
Phosphatidylserine: A Practical Guide
Pinealon
Pinealon (Glu-Asp-Arg) is a synthetic tripeptide developed by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is part of the broader Khavinson 'short peptide' bioregulator program, which has…
Polygala Tenuifolia
Polygala tenuifolia (Chinese name: yuan zhi, 远志) is a perennial herb whose root has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over two thousand years. Classical TCM indications focused on insomnia, restlessness, palpitations, cognitive…
Racetams — The Legacy Nootropic Class
The racetam family is the original modern nootropic drug class. Piracetam was synthesized by Corneliu Giurgea in 1964 in Belgium; the term "nootropic" itself was coined by Giurgea to describe what he believed piracetam to be. The class shares a…
Selank
Russian-Approved Anxiolytic Peptide (Tuftsin Analog)
Semax
Russian-Approved Neuroprotective Peptide (ACTH Analog)
SSRIs — Long-Term Use and PSSD
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, paroxetine, fluvoxamine — and the closely related SNRIs (venlafaxine, duloxetine) are among the most-prescribed medication classes in modern…
VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide)
Endogenous Neuropeptide With Limited Clinical Evidence for CIRS
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine / TTFD / Benfotiamine)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B6 (P5P / Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate)
Procedures & Modalities
Breathwork & Breathing Techniques
Non-regulated practice; device-free; evidence for stress reduction and parasympathetic activation
Float Tank Therapy (Sensory Deprivation)
Unregulated wellness practice; no device approval; emerging evidence for relaxation and stress reduction
Massage Therapy & Manual Therapy
Licensed profession in many jurisdictions; no medical device; evidence for muscle tension and stress reduction
Neuromodulation Modality Guide
Neurofeedback
Protocols & Reference
Cognitive Performance & Brain Health Protocol: From Daily Focus to Long-Term Neuroprotection
Protocol Guide Series | April 2026 | FOR VANGUARD MEMBERS ONLY — Cognitive Performance & Brain Health Protocol: From Daily Focus to Long-Term Neuroprotection
Nootropic Stack Guide
Rational multi-compound cognitive enhancement strategy balancing risk-benefit and individual variation
Practices & Lifestyle
5-HTP: A Practical Guide
Acupuncture: A Practical Guide
AHCC — Active Hexose Correlated Compound
AHCC is a fermented shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mycelia extract produced exclusively by Amino Up Co., a Sapporo-based supplement manufacturer. It is sold under multiple consumer brand labels but is the same underlying ingredient in every product…
Alpha-GPC — Bioavailable Choline for Cognition and Performance
Anxiety and Mood — A Layered Optimization Protocol
Bacopa Monnieri: A Practical Guide
Bromantane
Bromantane (N-(2-adamantyl)-4-bromoaniline) is a Russian-developed compound classified as an 'actoprotector' — a class describing agents that increase physical and cognitive performance under stress without the side-effect profile of classical…
Choline: A Practical Guide
Cocoa Flavanols: A Practical Guide
Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng): A Practical Guide
Folate (Methylfolate / Folic Acid): A Practical Guide
Ginkgo Biloba: A Practical Guide
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): A Practical Guide
Holy Basil (Tulsi): A Practical Guide
L-Phenylalanine & DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA)
L-Tryptophan
L-Tyrosine
Lion's Mane Mushroom — NGF, Cognition, and Neuroprotection
Mid-Life Cognitive Optimization — A Sober Protocol
Mindfulness & Meditation: A Practical Guide
NSI-189
NSI-189 is a small-molecule compound developed by Neuralstem (now Seneca Biopharma) as a novel antidepressant working through neurogenic mechanisms — specifically, stimulation of hippocampal neurogenesis. It progressed through Phase 1 and Phase 2…
Panax Ginseng: A Practical Guide
Phenibut
Phenibut (β-phenyl-γ-aminobutyric acid) is a Russian-developed compound first synthesized in the 1960s as an anxiolytic and is registered as a pharmaceutical in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Latvia for conditions including anxiety, insomnia, and…
Phosphatidylcholine: A Practical Guide
Phosphatidylinositol: A Practical Guide
Rhodiola Rosea — Adaptogenic Stress and Cognitive Performance
Rosemary Extract: A Practical Guide
Saffron: A Practical Guide
Salidroside: Isolating the Bioactive of Rhodiola
Salidroside is the most-studied bioactive in rhodiola — and, as of 2024, finally available as a fermentation-derived isolated compound. One small Phase II RCT exists; everything else lives in the whole-extract literature. What the data actually say.
SAMe (S-Adenosylmethionine): A Practical Guide
The Racetam Family
The racetam class — defined by a 2-pyrrolidinone (2-oxopyrrolidinyl) core structure — was the first and remains the most consequential synthetic nootropic class. Piracetam was synthesized by Corneliu Giurgea at UCB Pharma in 1964 and coined the term…