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You either have not read the article, or have no concept of pharmacology (or, possibly, both).

The quantity of 240mg per day is meaningless. What we are interested in is: 240mg *of what*? Try taking a daily dose of 240mg of Foxglove extract; or Ergot infected wheat. I think you'll find quite a profound effect!

This particular study used "Ginko Biloba Extract". All well and good - but what, precisely, was extracted (and what was, therefore, thrown away)? From the manufacturers website:

One ton (1,000 kg) of the dried leaves yields only 20 kg of EGb 761® Ref.

contains approximately 24% flavone glycosides (primarily quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin) and 6% terpene lactones (2.8-3.4% ginkgolides A, B and C, and 2.6-3.2% bilobalide). Ginkgolide B and bilobalide account for about 0.8% and 3% of the total extract, respectively. Ref.

Therefore, by my maths, this study used an extract equivalent to 12 gram of dried leaf per day; a pretty reasonable dose - certainly considering that the same company sells 40mg capsules of EGb 761®. More importantly, patients received a *standardised* extract; We're not talking about Holland & Barrett bargain cheapo tea-leaves here!

It's a rather interesting article. Rather less surprisingly, the manufacturer of the product used in the study has not updated their "latest News" section to include these results!

sounds kinda like this http://nootropics.com/genes/index.html to me.

How about here?

Cola? Yeah, I'd say you're old fashioned. I'd also say that's more of a "high-fructose corn syrup or bust", as the effects of the massive quantity of sugar will be more pronounced than the relatively meager amount of caffeine in most sodas.

For comparison, the average cup of coffee has 115-175 mgs of caffeine, vs 36-60 for a soda, making soda roughly 3 times as weak.
Source: http://nootropics.com/caffeine/faq.html

The jolt of sugar your body receives if you drink a soda on an empty stomach is also believed to lead to insulin resistance and eventually diabetes as well. It's important to remember that everything we do has health consequences, not just drug use. Just where do you draw the line as to what is a drug anyway?

"The only statistically significant result was in favour of placebo for adverse events, based on one trial, which appears likely to be a spurious result. "

However, other results were;

"Alzheimer's disease sufferers have been found to have a lack of the enzyme responsible for converting choline into acetylcholine within the brain. Lecithin is a major dietary source of choline, so extra consumption may reduce the progression of dementia."

"The Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group's Specialized Register was searched on 15 May 2002 using the terms lecithin and phosphaditylcholine."

Nootropics (aka "Smart Drugs") have received a lot of attention in recent years. While many skeptics remain, there are quite a few avid followers of the nootropic "fad". Two great resources for the beginner are Smart Drugs and Smart Drugs II, although a few issues have been pointed out by some people.

Nootropics (aka "Smart Drugs") have received a lot of attention in recent years. While many skeptics remain, there are quite a few avid followers of the nootropic "fad". Two great resources for the beginner are Smart Drugs and Smart Drugs II, although a few issues have been pointed out by some people.

In emergencies, European doctors inject hydergine directly into the carotid artery to protect the brain. Hydergine's mechanisms of actions include the reduction in the rate of lipofuscin deposition in brain cells, increased metabolism of brain cells by improving ATP synthesis and protection to the brain from free radical damage. [1]

Notes:
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2 *formerly known as Sandoz
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