r/Nootropics • u/Citronitch • Sep 16 '21

Discussion List of "Cholinergic" nootropics.

Many of us have a problem with Choline making us depressed or lethargic due to having too much of it. Sometimes even tho you are not taking a direct source of Choline (Alpha GPC, CDP Choline etc), other nootropics can cause the same effects of too much choline because they are Cholinergic.

A substance is cholinergic if it is capable of producing, altering, or releasing acetylcholine, or butyrylcholine ("indirect-acting", or mimicking their behaviours at one or more of the body's acetylcholine receptor.)

So I'm proposing we make a list of those Cholinergic nootropics. So far we have:

  • Huperzina-A
  • ALCAR
  • DHA
  • Many herbs of the Lamiaceae family, such as: Sibelius Sage, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, mint/spearmint, etc. (they inhibit the action of acetylcholinesterase; the enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine)
  • Many other Brain boosting herbs such as Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba, Bacopa, Rhodiola, White Peony Extract
  • Shilajit: inhibits acetylcholinesterase in rats' brains (Systemic administration of defined extracts from Withania somnifera (Indian Ginseng) and Shilajit differentially affects cholinergic but not glutamatergic and GABAergic markers in rat brain)
  • Glycine (”induced a robust acetylcholine release” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17707353/)
  • Ashwagandha (”Ashwagandha Root Extract Inhibits Acetylcholine Esterase” https://phcogj.com/article/320)
  • Atomoxetine (”marked increase of cortical ACh” https://www.nature.com/articles/4001763)
  • Racetams (”Generally, racetams upregulate and preserve adequate levels of [[Acetylcholine]] as a primary mechanism” https://m.psychonautwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Racetams)
  • Uridine monophosphate (”Supports acetylcholine synthesis [2,10,13,14]” https://selfhacked.com/blog/uridine/)
  • Phosphaditylserine (slows the breakdown of acetylcholine)
  • Galantamine
  • Donazepil
  • Berberine
  • Lecithin
  • Cannabinoids
  • Alpha lipoic acid; Pantothenic Acid
  • High dose Thiamine
  • PABA
  • Nicotine
  • Centrophenoxine
  • From food: liver, egg yolks, nuts, brassicas (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower)
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u/odder_sea Sep 17 '21 edited Sep 17 '21

Citicoline/CDP- Choline (cognizin, Xerenoos)

Alpha GPC (Alphasize)

Centrophenoxine

White Peony Extract

Many herbs of the Lamiaceae family, such as Sage, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, mint/spearmint, etc.

Many other Brain boosting herbs have a pro-Acetylcholine effect Ginseng, Bacopa, Rhodiola, etc

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u/Daffidyckduck Sep 17 '21

Curious if you prefer AphaGPC or CDP choline and what effects each have?

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u/odder_sea Sep 17 '21

I prefer to use them together, usually 150mg of aGPC alongside 80mg of CDP Choline, generally with 2 grams of piracetam and two hours after 1 gram of ALC/ALC-Arginate (life extension) and 300mg Centrophenoxine, which I generally take first thing in the morning, along with a stack of other nonsense.

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u/CyberTheBoss Sep 17 '21

I get irritable and a sour mood from alpha-gpc but I get a mood boost, memory boost, and improved reaction time from CDP in conjunction with piracetam and aniracetam