Citicoline (CDP-Choline) - Life Extension Europe

Product details " Citicoline (CDP-Choline) "

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Witspower.

Health Benefits at a Glance:

First of all, what is CDP-choline? CDP-choline stands for cytidine-5&#;-diphosphate choline and is an essential nutrient involved in many physiological processes such as communication within and between our cells. 

Choline is also required for the structural integrity of cell membranes.

Despite the fact that our body can produce the substance in small quantities, a substantial portion of the population consumes inadequate amounts of choline, and dietary intake of the nutrient becomes increasingly important for brain health as we age. (1,2)

Why it Works:

Choline is a substance needed by our brains to produce acetylcholine, a major brain/motor neurotransmitter that facilitates communication between neurons &#; a basic part of healthy brain function. 

This neurotransmitter is essential to healthy cognition, attention, memory function and more. Unfortunately, our brain cells absorb less choline as we age. 

Citicoline (CDP-Choline) can provide a form of choline that readily passes through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) directly into the brain, where cells can easily use it to nourish cellular membranes and support neurotransmitter production.

The Science Behind the Oroduct:

CDP-choline can promote the synthesis of neurotransmitters, particularly acetylcholine, in the brain, which is believed to explain many of its beneficial effects. (3)

In the brain, choline serves as a precursor to acetylcholine, a major neurotransmitter that is important for signal transmission between nerves and implicated in cognitive processing.

CDP-choline is also a neuroprotectant and a promoter of neuroplasticity, with a track record of supporting healthy cognition, memory and overall function in numerous clinical trials. (3-5)

In addition to its clinically studied brain power benefits in older adults, low doses of citicoline have been shown to support a healthy mood. (6)

CDP-choline can also support phosphatidylcholine production, an important phospholipid for nerve growth, function, and cellular membrane repair. (3)

How to Use:

Please take according to the dosage and use guidelines under supplement facts, or as recommended by a healthcare practitioner.

Photo by Innerbody Research

No matter where you are in life &#; student, employee, caregiver, stay-at-home parent, or something else entirely &#; you&#;ve likely experienced (or are currently experiencing) a frustrating drop in motivation and productivity at some point due to stress or burnout.1 2 But, with 44% of employees worldwide experiencing &#;a lot of stress&#; in the workplace, you&#;re not alone in feeling this way.3

As stress and a resulting lack of motivation are so globally widespread, many companies have started developing products intended to help you reduce stress while boosting focus and energy. One such product is Magic Mind, dubbed by the company as &#;The World&#;s First Productivity Drink.&#; This once-daily matcha shot contains 55mg of caffeine and various vitamins, minerals, and other herbal ingredients, like turmeric and lion&#;s mane mushrooms. But does the science support the company&#;s claims?

In our review, we analyze Magic Mind's efficacy, safety, cost, taste, and more to help you determine if it&#;s right for you.

Our Findings

Editor's Rating

4.20

Magic Mind&#;s once-daily matcha-based &#;Productivity Shots&#; are relatively pricey drinks that include a nice blend of vitamins, minerals, and other herbal ingredients that generally have a fair bit of research supporting the company&#;s claims. Based on what we know about a few ingredient amounts, these potentially beneficial inclusions are dosed lower than the amounts shown to be effective in studies (though this isn&#;t very uncommon in the supplement space). Even with lower-than-ideal doses, our testers saw positive results from Magic Mind and experienced feelings of increased focus and motivation. However, everyone responds differently to supplements, so your mileage may vary.4

Pros

• Research behind ingredients is cited on the product page

• Company uses independent third parties for testing

• Available online and at physical Sprouts, Erewhon, and Central Market locations

• Single-serving bottles are convenient and easy to take on-the-go

• Subscription plans take $30-$51 off of your purchase

• Customer service is exceptional

Cons

• Non-subscription purchases can be expensive

• No ingredient amounts are listed

• Has an acquired taste that&#;s on the bitter side

• Some ingredients may interact with certain medications

Purchase options

You can buy Magic Mind on the company's website or from its store on Amazon, but the clear choice is to buy directly on the Magic Mind website. You're more protected with no-questions-asked refund opportunities via the Magic Mind website, as opposed to the policy on Amazon in this case, where a return is possible only if the item arrived damaged. And though one-time prices are the same, you'll save considerable money by subscribing via Magic Mind (the subscription option via Amazon isn't big enough to compare).

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Why you should trust us

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions involving staying healthy and living healthier lifestyles.

For our review of Magic Mind, we combed through 40+ studies on key ingredients like matcha, ashwagandha, Rhodiola, and all the others. We also got hands-on with the product; our testers purchased and tried Magic Mind for themselves over the course of a week to see if they could feel any of the purported benefits. Then, to learn more about the product, we spoke with customer service representatives on topics like ingredient safety and third-party testing.

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this review was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy.

How we evaluated Magic Mind

To evaluate Magic Mind, we considered the criteria we often keep in mind when evaluating similar supplemental products: helpfulness, safety, cost, and customer support. Then, because Magic Mind is a drink and not the usual capsule-based supplement, we also added a criterion for the all-important taste.

Helpfulness

Rating:

8.4 / 10

Magic Mind boasts quite a few ingredients with the potential to help people feel less stressed and more motivated, but from the little bit we could find out about the amounts in the proprietary blend, most of them seem a little underdosed. This doesn&#;t necessarily mean they can&#;t help you (our testers had positive experiences with Magic Mind), but it does mean they&#;re either less likely to help or the possible benefits will be less pronounced than what studies have found.

Some ingredients are available in proper amounts, though, such as ashwagandha and Rhodiola rosea. And other ingredients, like B vitamins and matcha (green tea), have long been known to have health benefits.

Additionally, it&#;s worth noting that underdosing and obscured ingredient amounts aren&#;t all that uncommon in supplements with multiple ingredients. Competitor Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN Focus Shot is a bit underdosed in ingredients like L-theanine and lion&#;s mane, and Moon Juice&#;s Brain Dust only provides the amount of its proprietary blend (3g) with no additional information. Thesis, on the other hand, stands out as one of the few competitors with a majority of ingredients that closely align with research.

Safety

Rating:

8.9 / 10

Since the FDA doesn&#;t regulate dietary supplements, it&#;s important to investigate what supplement companies do to ensure the safety of their customers.5 This often includes things like third-party testing, certifications, manufacturing products in facilities that adhere to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), and maintaining transparency about any test results.

Unfortunately, Magic Mind doesn&#;t provide any information about its manufacturing facilities (unlike competitors Moon Juice, Onnit, and Thesis, all of which note production in GMP-certified facilities), but it does conduct third-party lab testing on each individual ingredient and then again on each completed batch of the drink. Magic Mind tests for:

• Heavy metals
• Toxins
• Harmful bacteria
• Other food contaminants

The company is also transparent about its test results and will send a certificate of analysis (CoA) to anyone who emails customer service and requests a copy.

In terms of the ingredients themselves, none are available in doses high enough to cause medical issues on their own, but they may interact with certain prescription drugs (particularly blood thinners, antidepressants, and diabetes medications). So, it&#;s important to consult a medical professional before starting Magic Mind or any new supplement.

Additionally, Magic Mind is vegan- and paleo-friendly, and it&#;s free from gluten, nuts, and dairy. It does contain 3g of added sugar (agave), so those following a keto diet should bear this in mind.

Cost

Rating:

7.8 / 10

To put it plainly, Magic Mind can be expensive &#; especially if you stick to one-time purchases rather than subscribing. The chart below offers a quick breakdown of the costs.

One-time purchaseSubscription15 bottles$89.25 ($5.95 each)$59.25 ($3.95 each)30 bottles$148.50 ($4.95 each)$97.50 ($3.25 each)

As you can see, subscribing (even if you cancel it right after) is definitely the more cost-effective route. Standard shipping is also free for U.S. customers who subscribe, but you&#;ll need to pay with one-time purchases of a 15-pack; the 30-pack qualifies for free shipping.

To provide some additional pricing context, let&#;s take a quick look at some competitors:

• Moon Juice offers a 14-serving nootropic powder called &#;Brain Dust&#; for $38 or $34.20 with a 10% off subscription.
• Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN Focus Shot comes in packs of six or 24, with one-time purchase costs of $23.99 and $76.77, respectively. Subscribing takes 15% off and lowers those prices to $20.39 and $65.25.
• A month&#;s worth of nootropics capsules from Thesis costs $119 as a one-time purchase or $79 when you subscribe (and you can take an additional 10% off your first Thesis order using code INNERBODY).

Taste

Rating:

8.5 / 10

Even though Magic Mind has a bit of an acquired &#;healthy&#; taste, it&#;s no less tasty than greens powders, for instance. If you&#;ve tasted and tolerated those, then you&#;ll likely be just fine with this product. It has a strong matcha flavor with a bit of vanilla, fruit, and herbs. Our testers found that it took around three or four tries until it was palatable. Since taste is so subjective, though, you may love it instantly, or you could never warm up to it.

Through trial and error, our testers found that drinking Magic Mind cold or adding it to orange juice helped mellow any bitterness.

In our opinion, it&#;s likely not something you&#;d want to consume for pleasure &#; most supplement products aren&#;t &#; but the small 2fl oz bottles also make it much easier to drink quickly, similar to Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN Focus Shots. And if you&#;d rather skip tasting your supplements entirely, then capsules, like those from Thesis, could be a good alternative.

Customer service

Rating:

9.5 / 10

The Magic Mind customer service experience really stands out. The company&#;s representatives respond quickly, answer inquiries in a friendly manner, and are more than happy to help you learn about ingredient amounts for potential drug interactions.

As noted in the safety criterion, they&#;re also willing to help you find additional safety information, like the certificate of analysis for whichever ingredients you ask for.

And a few days after interacting with a representative, our testers received a follow-up from the Customer Team Lead requesting feedback on improving the &#;customer journey,&#; along with another containing a 15% off coupon code. Even though these additional emails are more than likely attempts to get you to purchase the product, our testers' customer service interactions overall made them feel like valued customers.

In our experience, Magic Mind strikes a good balance with its emails; the company refrains from bombarding you with spam messages and mainly just lets you know about sales or checks in to see how the drink is working for you (and requests feedback).

And if Magic Mind doesn&#;t work for you, there&#;s no need to return the product; the company will refund your first order &#;no questions asked.&#; Competitors Thesis and Moon Juice have policies where the companies will accept returns within 30 days of delivery; the former, however, will only refund one month&#;s supply. And Onnit&#;s 90-day return policy only includes returns on the 24-pack of Focus Shot.

What is Magic Mind?

Founded in and based in Los Angeles, Magic Mind is the company behind what it calls &#;The World&#;s First Mental Performance Shot,&#; which bears the same name.

The Magic Mind drink is a matcha-based, lightly-sweetened blend of nootropics, adaptogens, and other herbal ingredients intended to help boost your focus and productivity without the perceived drawbacks and dangers of coffee and energy drinks. Its star ingredients, matcha aside, include components like ashwagandha, bacopa monnieri, turmeric, Rhodiola rosea, and mushrooms (lion&#;s mane and cordyceps).

Each bottle of Magic Mind contains 2fl oz of the ready-to-drink formula, and it&#;s intended to be taken only once per day. This is in contrast to many other supplements on the market that require taking multiple pills (like Thesis) or measuring out and mixing a drink yourself (such as with Moon Juice&#;s Brain Dust).

Environmental initiatives

If the thought of Magic Mind coming in a bunch of single-use plastic bottles is off-putting to you, the company has a &#;carbon-capture partnership&#; with climate-tech company Pachama to offset supply chain emissions. And Magic Mind also utilizes the post-purchase platform Corso to handle things like tracking, returns, shipping protection, and sustainability. These initiatives, Magic Mind claims, make it a &#;carbon-negative company.&#;

Magic Mind brand reputation

Unfortunately, Magic Mind has neither a Better Business Bureau (BBB) page nor a helpful Trustpilot one. The Trustpilot page does, technically, exist, but it&#;s not claimed by the company, and it has zero reviews at the time of this writing.

On Amazon, Magic Mind has 4.2 out of 5 stars from 365 total reviews, with the overall complaint being about the product&#;s high price. (Some customers noted that the subscription option on Amazon doesn&#;t save you nearly as much as subscribing directly from Magic Mind.)

Reviews on the Magic Mind website are 74% 5-star out of 1,888 total ratings. However, reviews on a product&#;s website (or official Amazon store) have the potential for bias, which is why we&#;d prefer to see active BBB and Trustpilot profiles.

Who is Magic Mind for?

Magic Mind can be for any adult (not pregnant or breastfeeding) who wants to try a supplemental concoction of ingredients in the hopes of boosting their motivation or productivity while reducing stress.

As a once-daily shot of a matcha-based drink, it could be an ideal solution for those interested in the 26 ingredients Magic Mind offers, but who don&#;t want to (or can&#;t) take a bunch of pills.

And for those with dietary restrictions or allergies, Magic Mind is paleo- and vegan-friendly, and it&#;s free from gluten, nuts, and dairy. If its 3g of added sugar is planned around, it could also be suitable for keto diets.

However, despite its name, Magic Mind is not actually magic, and it may not be suitable for everyone or fit their unique needs. Here are some potential reasons to reconsider Magic Mind or look elsewhere for your concerns:

• If your lack of focus or motivation is intense or more like severe brain fog, it may be worth speaking with a doctor to rule out any medical conditions.
• For those on certain medications, particularly blood thinners or those for diabetes, ingredients like ashwagandha and Rhodiola rosea (among others) can interact and alter how they work.
• If you&#;re sensitive to certain bitter tastes or you simply would rather avoid tasting your supplements in general, then a similar product in pill form, like Thesis, could be ideal.
• Anyone who can&#;t tolerate caffeine may do better with an alternative, such as the caffeine-free options from Thesis or Moon Juice&#;s Brain Dust.
• If you&#;re concerned about the 3g of added sugar, Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN Focus Shots are only sweetened with stevia extract.

Additionally, even if you&#;re perfectly healthy and taking no medications, we always recommend speaking with your doctor before starting a new supplement.

Magic Mind ingredients

Photo by Innerbody Research

Each 2fl oz bottle of Magic Mind provides you with the following calories and Daily Value (DV) of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs), vitamins, and minerals:6

• Calories: 21
• Total fat: 1g (1% DV)
• Sodium: 20mg (1% DV)
• Total carb: 3g (from 3g added sugars, 6% DV)
• Vitamin D: 25mcg (100% DV)
• Vitamin C: 100mg (111% DV)
• Potassium: 183mg (14% DV)

Protein, cholesterol, calcium, iron, and potassium are also listed under the Nutrition Facts, but they all have either 0mg or 0% DV. Magic Mind isn&#;t intended to be a meal replacement, like Soylent or Huel, so the lack of macronutrients is to be expected. The full Daily Value of vitamins D and C is appreciated, though, especially since around one billion people worldwide are deficient in vitamin D.7

Similar to Moon Juice&#;s Brain Dust, many of the ingredients in Magic Mind (but not all) are organic. Thesis, in comparison, doesn&#;t include any organic ingredients. The full list of Magic Mind ingredients is as follows, and items marked with an asterisk (*) are organic:

• Matcha green tea*

• Agave*

  The company is the world’s best Citicoline Sodium For Memory Improvement supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

  See also:
  Top 10 health benefits of blueberries

• Passionfruit

• Natural vanilla

• Red beet

• Potassium sorbate

• Olive oil*

• Ashwagandha*

• Rhodiola rosea

• Bacopa monnieri

• Citicoline sodium

• Chlorophyllin

• Turmeric

• Lion&#;s Mane*

• Phosphatidylserine

• Cordyceps*

• L-Theanine

• Natural caffeine*

• Vitamin C

• Sea salt

• Vitamin B3

• Saffron

• Piperine

• Vitamin B2

• Vitamin D3*

• Vitamin B12

The first six Magic Mind ingredients &#; matcha, agave, passionfruit, vanilla, red beet, and potassium sorbate &#; are listed on their own (and, besides matcha, are mainly for flavor), while the remaining 20 are all part of the Magic Mind Nulixir Patented Blend. Neither the standalone nor blend ingredients have any amounts listed, which, while disappointing, isn&#;t all too uncommon with supplement products. The ingredients in Brain Dust, for example, are entirely housed in 3g of a proprietary blend.

However, what does stand out about Magic Mind is its customer service team&#;s willingness to help you learn a few of the ingredient amounts if you have a medical concern or take prescription medication. When one of our testers reached out to inquire about ingredient doses, their customer service representative said that &#;for proprietary reasons,&#; they couldn&#;t share too much information, but they were &#;happy to share a couple of them&#; due to our tester&#;s medication interaction concerns.

With this opportunity to ask, our tester learned the amounts of four Magic Mind Nulixir Blend ingredients:

• Ashwagandha: 250mg
• Rhodiola rosea: 150mg
• Citicoline: 125mg
• Bacopa monnieri: 125mg

Besides the olive oil, these are the four most prominent ingredients in the proprietary blend. (Ingredient labels are organized based on quantity, something manufacturers are required to do.)8 Even though it&#;s only four out of 26 total ingredients, any additional information like this can help us determine how likely Magic Mind is to work.

Is Magic Mind safe?

For most adults who aren&#;t pregnant or nursing, yes, Magic Mind should be generally safe. However, as with any supplement (drink, pill, gummy, or otherwise), we always recommend speaking with your doctor first before adding it to your daily regimen.

Some ingredients in Magic Mind may interact with certain medications. Because there are so many ways herbal ingredients can alter the effectiveness of prescription drugs, consulting a professional is ideal. But, below, we&#;ll list out a few notable interactions and warnings.

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha should be avoided by those who are pregnant or nursing. It may also interact with medications for diabetes and high blood pressure, immunosuppressants, anticonvulsants, sedatives, and prescription thyroid hormones.9

Bacopa monnieri

This botanical ingredient is often well-tolerated, but due to its cholinergic properties, it may interact with both cholinergic (potential toxicity) and anticholinergic (may decrease the effectiveness) medications.10

Rhodiola rosea

Rhodiola use in those taking antidepressants may lead to an increased heart rate or even tachyarrhythmia in some cases.11 It also may lower blood sugar levels, which could cause hypoglycemia in those on diabetes treatments. Additionally, Rhodiola may potentially reduce blood pressure, increase levels of anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory drugs, and possibly counteract some immunosuppressants.12

Turmeric

Turmeric (and its main active component, curcumin) might interact with anticoagulants, diabetes medications, certain chemotherapies (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, docetaxel, and everolimus), hormone replacement therapies (HRT), statins, antacids, and other drugs.13 14

It&#;s important to keep in mind that these are all potential interactions, not guaranteed &#; everyone responds differently to various supplements.4 As we noted earlier, Magic Mind is likely safe for most adults who aren&#;t pregnant or breastfeeding.

Interactions aside, since the FDA doesn&#;t regulate supplements, it&#;s important to check what steps companies take to ensure consumer safety.5 In Magic Mind&#;s case, the company subjects each batch of its formula to third-party lab testing for heavy metals, toxins, harmful bacteria, and other contaminants. (Thesis and Moon Juice also use independent third parties for testing.) And you can reach out to Magic Mind&#;s customer service via to get a copy of the latest certificate of analysis for the ingredients of your choice.

Magic Mind is also paleo- and vegan-friendly, and the formula is free from:

• Gluten
• Nuts
• Dairy

Each bottle of the drink does, however, contain three grams of added sugar from agave, which the company notes should be taken into consideration by those adhering to a keto diet.

Additionally, each bottle of Magic Mind has 55mg of caffeine. This is well below the recommended daily limit of 400mg, but some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, and even small amounts can impact their sleep or make them feel jittery.15

How does Magic Mind work?

Photo by Innerbody Research

On the card included in each Magic Mind order, the company lays out what a few of its ingredients are meant to accomplish. In this section, we&#;ll compare these claims to what researchers have to say.

For focus

The ingredients Magic Mind utilizes for focus include phosphatidylserine, lion&#;s mane, bacopa monnieri, and citicoline. From our testers&#; experience with customer service, we know that there&#;s 125mg of bacopa and 125mg of citicoline. This information can help us compare the effective doses used in research to what&#;s in Magic Mind.

Phosphatidylserine

Phosphatidylserine is a naturally occurring phospholipid found in your brain that protects its nerve cells (by making up most of the myelin sheath) and promotes proper communication between those cells.16 It also supports human cognitive functions, such as memory, learning, problem-solving, focus, and more.17

Research on how phosphatidylserine supplementation specifically affects attention and focus is slim, but a study on school-age children with ADHD found 200mg &#;resulted in significant improvements&#; in inattention and impulsivity symptoms.18

Lion&#;s mane

Lion&#;s mane (Hericium erinaceus) mushrooms have been studied for a wide range of potential health applications, one of which is cognition. A study on older adults with mild cognitive impairment found that supplementation with lion&#;s mane (in daily doses of 3g) led to significantly increased cognitive function scale scores versus the placebo group.19 And a separate study evaluating lion&#;s mane (2g) for the treatment of depression and anxiety in humans found it improved concentration scores.20

Bacopa monnieri (125mg)

More research is needed on the cognitive impacts of bacopa monnieri, but some studies suggest that it may lead to higher task accuracy but a slower reaction time (at 160mg).21 And other studies suggest that bacopa can improve attention, processing, and working memory (at 300-600mg).22

Citicoline (125mg)

Studies specifically on citicoline&#;s effects on attention and focus show promising results. A study on 60 healthy adults found that 250mg of citicoline combined with caffeine led to significant improvements in attention and working memory.23 And a different study on 75 healthy adolescent males taking 250-500mg of citicoline exhibited improved attention and psychomotor speed versus the placebo group.24

Overall, these ingredients for focus (and the amounts we know about) are quite a bit less than those used in successful studies. However, the combination of the ingredients may allow them to work off of each other (like citicoline and caffeine, as mentioned above). While we&#;d prefer to see dosages closer to those used in studies, many supplements with a large number of potentially beneficial ingredients, like Magic Mind, tend to have them at lower-than-ideal amounts; Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN Focus Shot suffers from the same thing.

For energy

Magic Mind&#;s energy-promoting ingredients include matcha, cordyceps, Rhodiola rosea, and vitamins B2, B3, and B12. The only ingredient dose we know in this lineup is 150mg of Rhodiola rosea.

Matcha

Caffeine alters the release of neurotransmitters, lessening fatigue and promoting alertness.25

In a study on healthy male participants, those who consumed a beverage containing 1.5g of matcha experienced less stress and fatigue during physical training versus the placebo group.26

Cordyceps

Studies on cordyceps for energy note that the mushroom is &#;a powerhouse of energy,&#;27 likely due to the fact that it appears to enhance cellular energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).28 ATP molecules are where the mitochondria store the chemical energy used to power your body&#;s cells.29

Rhodiola rosea (150mg)

In two separate but similar studies, groups of people experiencing stress-induced fatigue were given low-dose treatments of Rhodiola rosea extract (50mg).30 In the study on healthy physicians working the night shift, Rhodiola treatment led to a &#;statistically significant improvement.&#;31 In the other study on students feeling stressed over exams, participants were also treated with low-dose Rhodiola rosea extract. Researchers noted the most significant improvements were in physical fitness, mental fatigue, and neuromotor testing.32

With Magic Mind having three times the amount used in those studies, it may very well contain an effective dosage for reducing fatigue caused by stress.

B vitamins

Vitamins and minerals play a major role in cellular energy production, such as by taking the energy from food and turning it into a form your body can use. Researchers mention that the &#;mandatory&#; vitamins and minerals for this process include vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and all of the B vitamins.33

Overall, it feels like Magic Mind&#;s energy ingredients have more solid ground to stand on, research-wise, than those for focus. Matcha and B vitamins, in particular, have fairly extensive knowledge behind their energy-promoting properties, but cordyceps and Rhodiola are certainly promising.

If you&#;re sensitive to caffeine, then Thesis&#; Energy formula (the caffeine-free version) could be an ideal alternative. For more information on this supplement and other alternatives, check out our guide to the best vitamins for energy.

For less stress

Magic Mind&#;s ingredients for potentially reducing stress include ashwagandha (in the amount of 250mg per bottle), L-theanine, and turmeric.

Ashwagandha (250mg)

While many successful studies examining this adaptogen for stress relief use 300mg,34 some older studies found similarly positive anxiolytic results from 250mg of ashwagandha.35

L-Theanine

Also known as the &#;green tea amino acid,&#; L-theanine boasts a lot of potential for reducing stress and anxiety. In one study, researchers found 200-400mg per day of L-theanine reduced stress and anxiety in those exposed to stressful conditions.36

And two other studies found that, in those experiencing stress, L-theanine may boost cognitive function, verbal fluency, executive function, and attention.37 38 One of these studies notes that 400mg was the optimal dose out of the 100-400mg tried.38

Turmeric

Research on turmeric (or, more specifically, its derivative curcumin) for stress is fairly slim. Even though the current research sounds promising,39 it&#;s almost all conducted on animals.40 One of the few human studies on the topic found that 1g per day of curcumin reduced anxiety symptoms in subjects with obesity.41

If we&#;re discussing physical stress, like oxidative stress, then curcumin shows quite a bit more potential as an antioxidant or anti-inflammatory ingredient.41

It&#;s pleasantly surprising that Magic Mind&#;s ashwagandha dose lines up with research, and its use of L-theanine is promising, too. The addition of turmeric for stress is a bit confusing unless, as we noted, it&#;s meant more for oxidative stress than emotional stress. Magic Mind is the only product mentioned in this review to include turmeric, and this lack of strong evidence supporting it specifically for emotional stress, focus, or motivation may be why.

Our experience drinking Magic Mind

Photo by Innerbody Research

Whether it was the drink itself or the power of suggestion, our testers did feel more focused and motivated when they drank Magic Mind over the course of a few days. While all of our testers found it to be at least somewhat beneficial, one with ADHD found that it worked particularly well when paired with their prescription medication. They reported that it allowed them to better move their focus from one task to the next instead of accidentally hyperfocusing (something not always helped by medication).42

Our testers' reviews of Magic Mind&#;s taste, however, weren&#;t exactly stellar. They all felt it was an acquired taste that left a slight bitterness behind. The inclusion of piperine also caused a slight burning sensation in the back of the mouth.

To make the taste a bit more palatable, our testers tried drinking Magic Mind in a variety of ways. Ultimately, though, the best outcomes were either drinking it cold (if you have nothing to mix it with) or combining it with some orange juice (as pictured above).

It&#;s worth mentioning that Magic Mind is not shipped cold, nor does it require refrigeration &#; it just tastes better when it&#;s cold.

Magic Mind pricing, subscription deals, and refunds

Magic Mind is available as a one-time purchase or a subscription. If you plan on trying it, we recommend the subscription &#; even if you cancel it right after your purchase ships. With a subscription, you stand to save quite a bit of money. The chart below breaks it all down.

One-time purchaseSubscription15 bottles$89.25 ($5.95 each)$59.25 ($3.95 each)30 bottles$148.50 ($4.95 each)$97.50 ($3.25 each)

Subscribing to the 15-pack saves you $30, and subscribing to the 30-pack saves you $51. So, with how easy it is to cancel a subscription in your customer dashboard (it only takes one click of the &#;cancel&#; button, and there are no penalties), even if you only want to try Magic Mind once, it&#;s worth it to subscribe. The same can be said for Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN Focus Shots and other competitors, like Thesis.

Magic Mind also has an Amazon store, but the costs are all equivalent to the one-time purchase prices &#; and the subscription doesn&#;t save you nearly as much (only 5%) as it would if you purchase direct and subscribe.

If you&#;re not feeling the magic from Magic Mind, the company will refund your first purchase &#;no questions asked,&#; and no returns required. This is similar to our experience with Thesis; the company let our testers keep their purchase but refunded their money. Onnit also has a similar policy with its Keep It guarantee, where you&#;ll get to keep your first purchase and still get your money back. The only odd one out is Moon Juice, which will accept returns within 30 days of delivery and then issue your refund.

Insider Tip: If you purchase Magic Mind on Amazon, you can only request a refund or replacement if the item arrives damaged.

Alternatives to Magic Mind

Even though Magic Mind calls itself &#;The World&#;s First Productivity Drink,&#; that doesn&#;t mean there aren&#;t other products out there that could provide you with similar potential benefits. Below, we&#;ve listed a few different alternatives to Magic Mind; some are drinks or powders, while others are more traditional supplements.

Onnit Alpha BRAIN Focus Shot

Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN initially began as a pill-based supplement, but the company has since begun offering it as a once-daily shot similar to Magic Mind. However, the ingredients differ between the pill and the shot. For example, the pills include phosphatidylserine (same as Magic Mind), while the drink leaves it out. But the drink includes ashwagandha, and the pills don&#;t.

Overall, though, Focus Shot is most similar to Magic Mind, and it includes matching ingredients like:

• Ashwagandha
• Citicoline
• Lion&#;s mane
• L-Theanine
• Natural caffeine from green tea
• Vitamins B6 and B12

Price-wise, the Focus Shots are quite a bit less expensive than Magic Mind, but you are getting fewer ingredients (with several similarly underdosed). Available in two flavors and in packs of six or 24, pricing is as follows:

One-time purchaseSubscription6 bottles$23.99$20.3924 bottles$76.77$65.25

Moon Juice Brain Dust

Brain Dust from the company Moon Juice is an adaptogen powder you mix into your drink that&#;s meant to help your focus, mental stamina, alertness, and concentration. Brain Dust&#;s ingredients are solely housed in a proprietary blend (as with Magic Mind), but you are given the blend&#;s total amount, 3g.

Several ingredients are similar to those in Magic Mind &#; lion&#;s mane, Rhiodioa, and ashwagandha &#; but others are unique, such as the following:

• Maca root
• Astragalus
• Ginkgo leaf

Unlike Magic Mind and Onnit&#;s Alpha BRAIN Focus Shots, there are no vitamins or minerals in Brain Dust. And it&#;s also quite a bit less expensive. Each container of Brain Dust has 14 servings, and you can either purchase it once or on a subscription.

• A one-time purchase is $38
• Subscribing takes 10% off and costs $34.20

Thesis

One thing Magic Mind definitely has going for it is convenience; it packs a bunch of potentially beneficial herbal ingredients into one 2oz daily matcha shot.

Taking multiple pills isn&#;t the most convenient option, but it can help you to better tailor your daily regimen exactly how you want &#; you often have more freedom over which ingredients you take, and it can sometimes be more cost-effective.

In the case of Thesis, you have the option to build a monthly box made up of six different weekly blends:

• Clarity
• Creativity
• Logic
• Energy
• Motivation
• Confidence

When compared to Magic Mind, the Clarity, Energy, and Logic blends sound most similar. Looking at their ingredients, you can spot similar names like lion&#;s mane, l-theanine, citicoline, and bacopa monnieri. However, there are also a lot of unique ingredients in each specific blend, such as the Energy blend having mango leaf and theacrine.

And, unlike Magic Mind, Thesis gives you the ability to choose whether or not you want caffeine in your supplement.

As with the other products mentioned in this review, Thesis can be purchased once or as a subscription. Each delivery provides you with a month&#;s worth, and you can take 10% off your first month with code INNERBODY.

Normal priceWith code INNERBODYOne-time purchase$119$107.10Subscription$79$71.10

Magic Mind FAQ

Magic Mind is free from gluten, nuts, and dairy.

Yes, Magic Mind is vegan- and paleo-friendly.

Magic Mind contains only 55mg of caffeine, while a brewed 8oz cup of black coffee contains about 96mg, and the same amount of brewed black tea has around 47mg.43 Up to 400mg per day appears to be safe for most healthy adults, so having Magic Mind with your daily coffee (151mg total) or tea (102mg total) should be okay.15

It&#;s worth keeping in mind that coffee and tea drinks purchased from shops or chains can have way more caffeine content than what you brew at home. For example, a grande (16oz) Pike Place Roast from Starbucks contains 310mg of caffeine, and a venti (20oz) takes you over the daily recommended safe limit with a whopping 410mg.44 In these cases, it might be best not to drink Magic Mind on the same day.

Whether or not you prefer to drink Magic Mind on an empty stomach is up to you, but researchers note that some people find that matcha (and other green teas) can cause nausea without food.45

If you&#;ve had a greens powder drink before, then Magic Mind is similar to that but less &#;grassy.&#; It has a &#;healthy&#; flavor with a strong matcha taste and hints of fruit and vanilla. And there can be a slightly bitter aftertaste, particularly when at room temperature. Overall, our testers found it tasted better with recurring use, but drinking it cold or mixing it in juice helped quite a bit.

Magic Mind only requires refrigeration once opened. Our testers did find that the drink tasted better when cold, however.

Our testers experienced this and came to the conclusion that the &#;spicy&#; sensation is likely due to the inclusion of piperine (a component of black pepper similar to capsaicin).46 If the burning doesn&#;t subside after several minutes, or it gets worse, then it may be a sensitivity or allergy to one of the ingredients.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Citicoline Sodium And Brain Health.