Neuro Peak
Pros
- Contains some proven nootropics
Cons
- Uses a ridiculously low dose of Phosphatidylserine
- Huperzine A must be cycled, making other ingredients less effective
- Uses DMAE, the lowest quality cholinergic
Zhou Nutrition Neuro Peak Review: What does this nootropic do?
Neuro Peak is a natural nootropic supplement from Zhou Nutrition. This brain supplement has lost a lot of popularity over the years, but at one point it was easily one of the most widely-used nootropic stacks on the market.
According to Zhou Nutrition, Neuro Peak is a complete nootropic, delivering multiple benefits including:
- Increased focus
- Better memory function
- More mental clarity
The “focus, memory and clarity” trio is a classic of early nootropics like Neuro Peak. This product was made before we understood the potential of neuroplasticity.
So, is Neuro Peak still a good brain supplement?
Does Neuro Peak really work?
Is it safe?
Read our full Neuro Peak review below to find out.
Neuro Peak Ingredients
What is in Neuro Peak? This should be the focus point of any good Neuro Peak review.
Here is the Neuro Peak ingredients list:
Here is the Neuro Peak ingredients list with doses in case that image isn’t clear:
- Vitamin B12 – 500mcg
- Bacopa monnieri (leaf extract) – 300mg
- Phosphatidylserine – 7mg
- Huperzine Serrata – 0.5mg
- Ginkgo biloba (24% glycosides) – 100mg
- Rhodiola rosea – 50mg
- DMAE – 50mg
Below is an in-depth look at each Neuro Peak ingredient. In each case we outline what the ingredient does – or doesn’t so – for brain performance. Please post your questions in the comments section at the end.
Vitamin B12 – 500mcg
Vitamin B12 does not have particularly powerful nootropic effects. However, it is used in many nootropic stacks, such as Neuro Peak, due to its effects on nerve cells. B12 is essential for the creating and maintenance of nerve cells, which includes your neurons. B12 also supports proper energy metabolism, meaning more mental energy.
Bacopa monnieri (leaf extract) – 300mg
Bacopa monnieri is one of the most effective nootropics in the world. Countless clinical trials have shown that Bacopa monnieri supplementation reliably improves memory function. The benefits of taking Bacopa monnieri are more pronounced in older people, and those struggling with mild cognitive impairment, but it does help young, otherwise healthy people too.
While the 300mg of Bacopa monnieri we get in Neuro Peak is a large dose, the fact that this is just regular leaf extract means it may offer fewer benefits than a smaller dose of a stronger extract (with more bioactives).
Phosphatidylserine – 7mg
Phosphatidylserine is a great nootropic for supporting long-term memory, focus and brain health. Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid found in great abundance in the brain, where it is used to make new brain cell membranes. If you don’t have sufficient levels of phosphatidylserine available for membrane creation, you can’t make new brain cells, and your cognitive function decline. Supplementing with phosphatidylserine has been found to improve focus, memory and learning over the long-term.
However, the 7mg we get in Neuro Peak is an absolutely pathetic dose for this nootropic. The best nootropics today use doses of phosphatidylserine ranging from 50-150mg per serving. Neuro Peak may as well contain no phosphatidylserine at all!
Huperzine Serrata – 0.5mg
Zhou Nutrition appear to be a little confused with this Neuro Peak ingredient. Huperzine Serrata is not a substance. Huperzia serrata is a source of Huperzine A; the manufacturer has confused the two here, which is not a good sign!
Huperzine A is a highly effective nootropic for sharpening focus and promoting concentration, information processing, and learning. It works by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which causes a build up of acetylcholine. As the brain’s main executive neurotransmitter, this means enhanced cognitive function across a range of measures. However, Huperzine A is not suitable for prolonged use; more on that in the Neuro Peak side effects section!
Ginkgo biloba (24% glycosides) – 100mg
Ginkgo biloba has been used as a brain supplement for centuries, but recently it has been embraced by the nootropics community as a true cognitive enhancer backed by hard science. Clinical trials have shown that Ginkgo biloba supplementation leads to significantly improved memory function, focus, and information processing.
The 100mg of Ginkgo biloba we get in Neuro Peak is well in line with the doses used to good effect in clinical studies.
Rhodiola rosea – 50mg
Rhodiola rosea is an anxiolytic. This means it suppresses anxiety and helps control stress levels. Rhodiola rosea is among the most effective natural anxiolytics; it works by improving the body’s physical stress resistance capacity, reducing the symptoms of anxiety that impair cognitive performance. Many great nootropics use doses of 50-100mg per day with excellent results.
DMAE – 50mg
DMAE is not a great nootropic. As a cholinergic, DMAE increases acetylcholine levels in the brain, which in turn increases executive cognitive function, including focus, working memory, and information processing speeds. However, DMAE is far from the most effective cholinergic, and it is known to cause side effects. It is a cheap and nasty cholinergic. Better nootropics than Zhou Neuro Peak tend to use things like Citicoline or Alpha-GPC.
Zhou Neuro Peak Formula Analysis: Is this a good nootropic?
Overall, Zhou Neuro Peak does not look like a very good nootropic. Compared to the best nootropics on sale today, Neuro Peak appears weak, dated, and potentially dangerous.
The main problem with Neuro Peak is the quality of the ingredients used. For example, rather than using a high quality cholingeric like Citicoline or Alpha-GPC, Neuro Peak uses DMAE. This substance is extremely unreliable, with some users experiencing no benefits whatsoever, and others experiencing irregular, sometimes counter-productive effects.
Doses are also an issue here. Neuro Peak contains just 7mg of phosphatidylserine. As explained above in the Neuro Peak ingredients section, this is an absurdly low dose for this ingredient. Studies showing good results from phosphatidylserine use tend to use 50-150mg of phosphatidylserine per day. Neuro Peak may as well contain 0mg of phosphatidylserine.
There is also a lot missing from Zhou Neuro Peak; ingredients we typically see in high quality, modern nootropic supplements. For instance, there’s no potent antioxidant in Neuro Peak, nor is there anything for promoting neuron growth and development (since there’s basically no phosphatidylserine).
If you want to enhance cognitive function in a broad, lasting way, then you need to use a more comprehensive, higher-spec nootropic than Neuro Peak. This might have been a great brain supplement when it first came onto the market, but Zhou Neuro Peak looks old and dated today!
Zhou Neuro Peak Side Effects: Is it safe?
Is Zhou Neuro Peak safe?
Will it cause side effects?
On the whole, Neuro Peak does not look like a dangerous nootropic. It contains mostly natural ingredients (with the exception of DMAE). Like most natural nootropics, Neuro Peak has a better side effect risk profile than the synthetic nootropics such as Modafinil, Noopept, and especially compared to other study drugs people use like Adderall.
But Zhou Neuro Peak is not completely free of side effect risks. There are multiple ingredients in Neuro Peak known to cause side effects.
The first potential cause of Neuro Peak side effects is Huperzine A. Because it prevents the brain from getting rid of excess acetylcholine, Huperzine A eventually causes problems due to your neurons becoming “clogged up” with acetylcholine. It is essential that you take breaks every couple of weeks when using Huperzine A.
The other Neuro Peak side effect risk is DMAE. This is a synthetic cholinergic. Of all the cholinergics, DMAE is our least favorite. It is not only highly unreliable, producing different effects in different users, but it is also known to cause side effects when used daily.
Both Huperzine A and DMAE are associated with similar side effects. These side effects include:
- Headaches
- Muscle cramps
- Confusion
- Loss of focus
- Lethargy
- Low mood
- Memory impairment
Although you can avoid side effects while using Huperzine A if you cycle it regularly, there is no real way to eliminate side effect risks from DMAE. We don’t know why Zhou Neuro Peak uses DMAE when Citicoline and Alpha-GPC (and even choline bitartrate) are available and deliver more benefits with fewer side effect risks.
Neuro Peak Review Conclusion: Does it really work?
Zhou Neuro Peak might have been a great brain supplement when it was first created, but today it comes nowhere near to offering the kind of benefits, value for money or safety of the best nootropics on the market. This is clear if you read our full Neuro Peak review above.
Compared to the likes of Mind Lab Pro, or even Neuriva, Neuro Peak doesn’t look like a very good nootropic at all.
One of the main problems is the use of Huperzine A, which means you need to constantly cycle on and off Neuro Peak to avoid side effects. This makes other ingredients – Bacopa monnieri and Phosphatidylserine – much less effective.
Zhou Nutrition have also chosen the worst possible cholinergic for Neuro Peak; DMAE is unreliable and causes side effects.
There’s a lot missing from Neuro Peak too. There may as well be no phosphatidylserine in Neuro Peak since the minimum dose used in studies is 100mg but we only get 7mg per serving. There’s no component for promoting neurogenesis, and there’s no potent antioxidant.
If you’re looking for a high quality nootropic to enhance your cognitive performance across a broad range of measures – focus, learning, memory and mental energy – then there are better nootropics out there than Neuro Peak!
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