Are Nootropics Ethical? (The Morality of Smart Drugs)

• Bacopa monnieri: This herbal nootropic is known for speeding up information processing in your brain, reducing reaction times, and improving memory [1].
• Caffeine: Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors in your brain, making you feel less tired and more mentally alert [2].
• L-Theanine: This is a naturally-occurring amino acid that can enhance creativity [3].
• Creatine: This is an organic compound naturally found in muscle cells. It may improve short-term memory and reasoning skills [4].
• Ashwagandha: This natural testosterone booster can improve learning and memory, reduce anxiety, and boost motivation [5].
• Ginkgo biloba: Ginkgo biloba extract has several cognitive benefits, which may be due to its ability to increase blood flow to the brain [6].
• Saffron: This spice is used as an antidepressant, sedative, and anxiolytic (medication to treat anxiety) [7].
• Lemon balm: This ancient herb is known for its anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects [8].
• Maritime pine bark: This nootropic encourages blood flow to your brain and relaxes your blood vessels [9].
• Lion's mane mushroom: This mushroom is known to treat sleep disorders, enhance memory, and improve overall mental function [10].
• Panax ginseng: This herbal nootropic has strong anti-inflammatory effects, which can protect your brain from oxidative stress, thereby enhancing its functioning [11].
• Rhodiola rosea: This herb is known to reduce mental fatigue and increase feelings of wellness under stressful situations [12].
• Gotu kola: Nicknamed the "student herb," this nootropic can enhance memory, learning, and cognition [13].

Note that organic nootropics are natural, and therefore they don’t alter your cognitive levels to a very high degree, especially when compared to smart drugs.

• Methylphenidate (Ritalin): Methylphenidate improves information-processing speed, attention span, and short-term memory [14]. It’s often abused by people between the ages of 18–25 [15].
• Amphetamines (Adderall): This is one of the most commonly-prescribed smart drugs for people with ADHD and narcolepsy, and it helps healthy adults improve attention and focus [16].
• Modafinil (Provigil): Healthy individuals take modafinil to improve attention and working memory, especially when they’re fatigued [17].
• Piracetam: This smart drug is similar to Noopept in structure and has been shown to improve memory in people who suffer from age-related mental decline [18].
• Noopept: Animal studies on this synthetic nootropic found that it speeds up how the brain processes and retrieves memories [19].

With enhancers, there are higher instances of abuse and addiction than in natural nootropics. Healthy adults who take them usually do so without a doctor’s prescription, making it a dangerous habit.

People take synthetic nootropics to improve their baseline cognitive functions or remedy cognitive impairment.

College students especially take cognitive enhancers to clear brain fog, enhance their focus on studies, and improve their overall academic performance.

Here are some of the benefits of taking cognitive performance-enhancing drugs:

• Helps control symptoms of disorders like ADHD, sleep narcolepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Improves memory, attention, and focus.
• Reduces stress and mental fatigue.
• Allows users to enhance their cognitive ability despite fatigue.
• Speeds up information-processing abilities.

These benefits apply to both healthy people and those who take these drugs to treat disorders. But always keep in mind that since they are synthetic drugs, they come with some potentially severe side effects.

“[Prescription nootropics] work by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline in the part of the brain responsible for focus and memory, which improves your concentration.”

- Dr. Neeraj Gandotra, MD, Instructor of Psychiatry

People who are prescribed these drugs weigh the benefits against the risks, but for healthy individuals who do not actually need these for medical reasons, potential side effects are just not worth it.

Both natural and prescription nootropics can cause side effects when consumed irresponsibly.

While side effects from natural nootropics are extremely rare, overdosing on them or using them irresponsibly could lead to side effects.

While there aren’t any studies that show the side effects of natural nootropics, here are ones that I’ve noticed from personal experience:

• Brain fog
• Headaches
• Digestive issues
• Insomnia

Side effects from prescription nootropics are quite common and are mostly a result of misuse or overuse (usually from addiction) [20].

Common side effects include:

• Insomnia
• Blurry vision
• High blood pressure
• Fast heart rate
• Circulation problems
• Addiction

Taking prescription smart drugs to enhance your cognitive abilities for work or school has certain ethical considerations.

Firstly, it gives people an unfair cognitive advantage (much like steroids give users a physical advantage). Secondly, there’s the possibility of falling into addiction.

Let’s look at both of them in more detail.

Unfair Advantage

When healthy people take drugs to enhance their cognition in the context of a competitive environment, it’s unfair to those involved.

If there are no official rules forbidding the use of certain nootropic substances in some competitions or exam rooms, then it’s not technically unfair, and the only factor is your personal ethics.

I personally have no problem with using natural nootropics, which are not strictly forbidden, to get the most out of my cognitive abilities and get ahead in life, but in the end, it's a matter of each person’s individual attitude.

Possible Addiction

Because of their potent effects, it’s easier to become dependent on synthetic cognitive enhancers.

Dependence and overuse can often lead to tolerance which makes users overdose on the drug, leading to a host of negative side effects.

Since smart drugs for cognitive enhancement are more commonly associated with side effects and addiction in healthy people, it’s better to stay safe and consume nootropics from natural sources.

Based on our research, here are some safe cognitive enhancer options you should consider first before prescription medication:

Nootropic foods: Here’s a list of nootropic foods linked to brain power [21]. You can incorporate them into your diet:

• Green, leafy vegetables: Kale, spinach, collard greens, and broccoli are dense in brain-healthy nutrients like folate, beta carotene, lutein, and vitamin K. They may also help slow down cognitive decline.
• Berries: These contain flavonoids that help improve memory.
• Walnuts: Walnuts can improve memory and lower blood pressure (which is good for the heart and brain).
• Tea and coffee: The caffeine in these drinks can help with short-term concentration and solidify the memory.
• Fatty fish: This is a dense source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to fighting age-related brain decline like Alzheimer's disease.

Herbal nootropics: Herbal nootropics or nootropic plants are the herbs, leaves, stems, and seeds of cognitive-enhancing plants. They’re mostly safe and only dangerous when heavily overdosed.

Exercise: Research shows that exercising for 30 minutes or more every day for 3–5 days a week may improve symptoms of depression and anxiety [22]. Regular exercise can also reduce your risk of succumbing to cognitive decline and increase performance in working memory and cognitive flexibility [23] [24].

Natural nootropic supplements: They contain a clinically relevant dose of the best nootropics so you can naturally boost your cognitive abilities.

Dr. Victoria Chan, an integrative mental health doctor, says that a smart drug can either be a wonderfully helpful tool to improve the quality of life or it could pose a great danger to one's health.

This is why it's essential to consult a doctor who is well-versed in how the many body systems interact, someone who will take the time to investigate all areas of your health, and someone who will take the time to explain all the benefits and dangers of each of your treatment choices.