Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to nootropics.
Alpha Brain is a nootropic supplement manufactured by a company called Onnit. The supplement is made famous by Joe Rogan, who claims Alpha Brain significantly improves his mental state and references the product frequently on his podcast.
But does Alpha Brain contain research-backed ingredients for supporting cognitive functions like memory and mental speed? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our experience testing Alpha Brain for a month? And what did clinical trials on Alpha Brain find?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we review the two clinical trials on Alpha Brain to determine whether or not it's proven to work.
We'll also analyze the ingredients to give our take on the formulation efficacy and healthiness, share our Product Tester's honest experience trying Alpha Brain for a month, and discuss the risk of side effects.
Key takeaways:
- Clinical trial results were inconclusive
- Contains at least one ingredient we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Alpha Brain
Is Alpha Brain Proven to Work?
Alpha Brain has been studied in two clinical trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals, which is the gold standard of product research, and a sign of a high-quality supplement brand.
A 2015 clinical trial on Alpha Brain tested the effects of the supplement on cognition by giving trial participants a "battery" of neuropsychological tests before use of the supplement and after six weeks of use.
The study authors concluded that Alpha Brain use "significantly improved recent verbal memory" and executive functioning. In some tests, those taking Alpha Brain processed information around 20% faster than those taking placebo pills.
A 2018 clinical trial reported that Alpha Brain did not benefit performance on mentally-strenuous tasks in a trial population of U.S. army soldiers.
Given that one trial found Alpha Brain to be effective and another found it to be ineffective, we'll consider the supplement potentially effective for nootropic benefit until further research emerges.
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Alpha Brain are shown below:
L-theanine is claimed by Onnit to be “shown to promote attention and reaction time.”
The brand seems to be referencing this medical study on “Effects of l-theanine on attention and reaction time response,” which found that l-theanine had “no convincing [nootropic] effect” in healthy individuals.
L-tyrosine is another amino acid, which has been clinically shown in three studies (source 1, source 2, source 3) to support cognitive function.
However, the lowest dose in any of these three studies is around 50x higher than the average ingredient dose in Onnit Flow blend.
Oat straw extract was shown in a clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal to have no benefits to cognition.
Phosphatidylserine has been shown in several clinical trials (source 1, source 2) to improve short-term cognitive function.
The doses used in these trials were 300 milligrams (mg) and 400 mg, respectively, both of which are around twice the average ingredient dose in this blend.
Alpha GPC is an ingredient we recommend avoiding.
This compound is clinically shown to increase stroke risk in older adults.
Bacopa extract is included at a 100 mg dose, while we consider the minimum effective nootropic dose of this ingredient to be 300 mg daily, as we documented in our Noocube review article.
Toothed clubmoss extract providing 400 micrograms (mcg) of huperzine A appears to be an effective dose.
A 2011 medical review found huperzine A at this dose to confer cognitive benefits, as did a 2003 meta-study.
Cat’s claw extract may reduce the formation of brain plaque according to a medical review published in the Scientific Reports journal. This suggests that this is an effective preventative ingredient.
Vitamin B6, l-leucine and pterostilbene are the remaining active ingredients, and we can't find any research backing for them.
The good news is that the inactive ingredients in Alpha Brain, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:
Overall, we consider Alpha Brain somewhat likely to have a nootropic effect given the effective toothed clubmoss extract dose.
However, this is the only active ingredient we consider effectively-dosed, and we recommend avoiding Alpha GPC for health reasons, so we do not currently recommend Alpha Brain.
We Tested Alpha Brain
One of our product testers named Matt Donnelly tested Alpha Brain. Here's his experience:
I had no issues with packaging or product experience. The bottle opens easily, capsules are normally sized and have no taste.
I have tried different nootropics, and based on my experience, Alpha Brain is the one of the better options. I can’t say with certainty that it works exactly as described, but I did find myself slightly more focused on tasks during the day.
I tried taking both one capsule daily and two capsules daily, and noticed some level of nootropic benefits from both (didn't notice any difference), so it may be more cost-effective to simply take one capsule daily.
I didn't experience any side effects from daily use of Alpha Brain.
Overall, I'd rate this product 7/10.
I don't plan to purchase it in the immediate future, but if I get back in the market for nootropics, I'd go with Alpha Brain before any other brands.
Alpha Brain Black Label Review
The active ingredients in Alpha Brain Black Label are shown below:
Velvet bean extract is unique to to this formulation, but we can't find any studies showing it to improve brain function (nor does Onnit cite any on their product page).
Toothed clubmoss extract is only included at half the dose as in Alpha Brain, and we consider the dose in Black Label unlikely to be effective.
Lion's mane was shown in a clinical trial published in the Biomedical Research journal to improve cognitive function and reduce mental deterioration caused by dementia at a dose of 800 mg, however the dose in this supplement is only 500 mg.
An animal study found that this mushroom increased the rate of neurons formed in the brain, and improved memory.
Citicoline is another effective nootropic ingredient, but as we noted in our review of 5 Hour Energy, the minimum effective dose, at least according to the few clinical trials we could find on this ingredient, is 500 mg.
The dose in Alpha Brain Black Label is 250 mg.
Caffeine is included at a dose of 25 mg.
We cannot locate any clinical studies suggesting such a low dose of caffeine has nootropic effects.
The lowest nootropic caffeine dose that we could identify in a clinical trial is 40 mg, and this dose was found to improve cognitive performance and increase alertness.
The inactive ingredients in Alpha Brain Black Label are shown below:
Sucrose is a strange choice for a nootropic supplement.
While there’s almost certainly a small amount of sucrose in Alpha Brain, excessive sugar intake was shown to be associated with worsening cognitive function in a 2019 medical review.
Given that many US consumers already consume excess sugar from their diet, we generally recommend avoiding supplement capsules containing added, refined sugar.
Overall, we do not currently recommend Alpha Brain Black Label.
We're unable to identify any active ingredients we consider effectively-dosed for nootropic effect, and this formulation contains one inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy.
Joe Rogan Discusses Alpha Brain
Many consumers initially became interested in Alpha Brain because of Joe Rogan. The popular podcast host and media personality is a part-owner of the business and an avid Alpha Brain user.
He discusses the effects of the supplement in a popular YouTube clip on Onnit's channel:
Does Alpha Brain Cause Side Effects?
While any consumer can experience side effects from any medication or supplement due to individual biochemistry, we don’t believe Alpha Brain is likely to cause any significant side effects based on its ingredients and their respective dosages.
Even though we don’t currently recommend Alpha Brain, we don’t consider any of the ingredients unsafe or likely to cause side effects, and the clinical trials on the supplement didn't report any serious side effects.
There is no mention of side effects on the Alpha Brain or Alpha Brain Black Label pages of Onnit's website at the time of updating this article.
Our Clean Nootropic Picks
Illuminate Labs Ginkgo Biloba Extract is our top herbal nootropic pick.
A medical review published in the Psychopharmacology journal found that ginkgo biloba supplementation improved attention and cognitive performance in healthy, young adults.
Mind Lab Pro by Performance Lab is our top multi-ingredient nootropic pick.
This is the first Illuminate Labs Certified supplement, and has been shown to be effective for short-term cognitive improvements in two clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals.
Both of the products mentioned in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Where to Get the Best Price
Alpha Brain is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown at the time of updating this article for both the original and the Black Label versions:
Alpha Brain (90-count)
Brand website: $79.95 (plus shipping, link)
Vitamin Shoppe: $79.99 (free shipping, link)
Amazon: $68.97 (free shipping – link to official Amazon listing)
Alpha Brain Black Label
Brand website: $124.95 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $124.95 (free shipping – link to official Amazon listing)
Both Alpha Brain supplements are currently cheaper on Amazon than on the brand's website when factoring in shipping costs.
However, the brand website linked above offers a free trial, so it may be worth exploring for consumers who aren't sure about their purchase.
Alpha Brain Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Alpha Brain in our opinion:
Pros:
- Some effective ingredients
- Original formulation shown to improve cognition in a clinical trial
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- Mostly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Many ingredients may be underdosed
- Expensive
- We can't identify any effectively-dosed ingredients in Black Label
- Black Label contains sucrose
- Brand website charges for shipping even on $100+ orders
