Synaptik Library
55 compounds from the groups nootropics, supplements, natural compounds, peptides, medicines, drugs and unapproved compounds. Each profile describes mechanism, uptake and the state of the evidence, and checks the claims a compound is marketed with. Dosages and sources of supply are not listed here.
Main claims checked
The evidence level says how well something has been studied. The result says what the studies found and for whom: healthy people, people with a deficiency or patients. “Not studied” means there is no human study on this claim yet, not that the compound does not work.
55 compounds
All compounds
Alpha-GPC
Alpha-GPC is a natural building block of cell membranes that is cleaved to choline in the gut and is thereby supposed to support the formation of the …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleMixed resultsEugeroicRx referenceArmodafinil
Armodafinil is the R-enantiomer of the wakefulness-promoting agent modafinil. It is approved in the US as a prescription-only drug but not centrally in the EU; its …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleOnly under strainAdaptogenAshwagandha
Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic medicinal plant whose root extract activates GABA receptors in the laboratory and lowers the stress hormone cortisol in studies. …
Claim: Less stress, lower cortisolSmall benefitPlant extractBacopa monnieri
Bacopa monnieri (brahmi) is an Ayurvedic medicinal plant whose extracts protect the cholinergic system and act as antioxidants in animal experiments. Several small …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleSmall benefitPlant extractBerberine
Berberine is a yellow plant alkaloid that activates the energy-sensing kinase AMPK in cells and rodents, presumably by inhibiting the respiratory chain. In …
Claim: Works like Ozempic: marked weight lossSmall benefit · mixed: adults in RCTs (composition not examined in detail)Amino acid/precursorBeta-alanine
Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting precursor of carnosine, which buffers hydrogen ions in muscle; supplementation over weeks markedly raises the carnosine content of …
Claim: More performance in intense efforts of 1 to 4 minutesSmall benefitPeptideBPC-157
BPC-157 is a synthetic peptide of 15 amino acids, developed at the University of Zagreb and also mainly studied there. In animal experiments and cell culture, it …
Claim: Tendon and muscle injuries heal fasterNot studied · Patients: tendon, ligament and muscle injuriesStimulantCaffeine
Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world and blocks adenosine receptors, which mediate tiredness. In placebo-controlled studies, it improves …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleProven benefitCannabinoidCBD (cannabidiol)
CBD is the most important non-intoxicating cannabinoid. It hardly activates the cannabinoid receptors, dampens CB1 in the laboratory as a negative allosteric …
Claim: Helps against anxiety and stressMixed results · mixed: healthy (one study) and patients with anxiety disorders (two studies)CholinergicCiticoline
Citicoline (CDP-choline) is an endogenous intermediate in the synthesis of the membrane building block phosphatidylcholine. When taken orally, choline and uridine …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleMixed resultsMetabolism/mitochondriaCoenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 transfers electrons in the respiratory chain and, in its reduced form (ubiquinol), acts as a fat-soluble antioxidant; statins inhibit its endogenous …
Claim: More energy and less fatigueSmall benefit · mixed: healthy people and patientsMetabolism/mitochondriaCreatine monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate is the form used in almost all creatine studies: as phosphocreatine, creatine stores high-energy phosphate and thereby buffers ATP in muscle …
Claim: More strength and muscle mass with trainingSmall benefit · mixed: adults doing resistance training, mostly healthy people, also patient groupsPlant extractCurcumin
Curcumin is the main yellow pigment of the turmeric root. When taken by mouth, it appears in the blood almost exclusively as a glucuronide or sulfate, and free …
Claim: Relieves joint pain and inflammationSmall benefit · Patients: knee osteoarthritisPeptideEpitalon
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), developed and researched almost exclusively by the group around Vladimir Khavinson in St. Petersburg. In …
Claim: Lengthens telomeres and thereby lifespanNot studiedPeptideGHK-Cu
GHK is an endogenous tripeptide from blood plasma that binds copper; as GHK-Cu it is found in many skin care products and is now also marketed as an injection. In …
Claim: Skin rejuvenation: fewer wrinkles, firmer skinMixed resultsPlant extractGinkgo biloba
Ginkgo leaf extract contains flavonoids and terpene lactones; in animal experiments, it influences cerebral blood flow, neurotransmitters, and oxidative stress, and …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleNo benefitAmino acid/precursorGlycine
Glycine is an endogenous amino acid that acts inhibitory in the spinal cord via glycine receptors and excitatory at the NMDA receptor as a co-agonist. In rats, it …
Claim: Better sleepSingle unconfirmed finding · healthy (sleep complaints or shortened sleep)Mushroom extractHericium erinaceus (fruiting body)
The fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus (lion’s mane) is an edible mushroom whose extracts stimulate the formation of nerve growth factor (NGF) in cell culture and …
Claim: Improves memory and concentration because it stimulates NGFSingle unconfirmed findingAmino acid/precursorL-Citrulline
L-citrulline is an amino acid that is formed in the gut and converted to arginine in the kidney; swallowed, it raises plasma arginine more than arginine itself …
Claim: More pump and blood flow during trainingNo benefitAmino acid/precursorL-Theanine
L-Theanine is an amino acid from tea leaves that is absorbed rapidly and crosses the blood-brain barrier in rats. Two meta-analyses of small RCTs in healthy people …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleMixed resultsAmino acid/precursorL-Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is a dietary amino acid and the precursor of dopamine and noradrenaline. In animal experiments, more tyrosine increases catecholamine synthesis, mainly …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleOnly under strainMineralMagnesium citrate
Magnesium citrate is a readily soluble organic magnesium salt and is listed in Annex II of the EU food supplements directive. Several human studies show higher …
Claim: Better sleepNo benefit · healthy (older adults with poor sleep)MineralMagnesium glycinate
Magnesium glycinate (listed in Annex II of the EU food supplements directive as magnesium bisglycinate) is a chelate of magnesium and the amino acid glycine. …
Claim: Better sleepSmall benefit · healthy (self-reported poor sleep)MineralMagnesium L-threonate
Magnesium L-threonate (Magtein) was developed to raise magnesium in the brain. This has been shown only in rodents (cerebrospinal fluid magnesium in rats about 7% …
Claim: Memory ↑, better cognitionSingle unconfirmed finding · healthy (adults with dissatisfying sleep)HormoneMelatonin
Melatonin is the night hormone of the pineal gland and acts via the receptors MT1 and MT2, mainly as a timing signal for the internal clock. As a supplement, it …
Claim: Fall asleep fasterSmall benefit · Patients: primary sleep disordersMetabolism/mitochondriaRx referenceMetformin
Metformin is the most widely prescribed biguanide for type 2 diabetes: it mainly lowers glucose production in the liver, probably by inhibiting complex I of the …
Claim: Slows aging even without diabetesNot studiedStimulantRx referenceMethylphenidate
Methylphenidate is an approved stimulant for the treatment of ADHD and a controlled narcotic in Germany. In humans, it blocks both the dopamine and the …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleSmall benefitOtherMK-677
MK-677 (ibutamoren) is not a peptide but a tablet substance that activates the ghrelin receptor and thereby markedly increases the body's own release of growth …
Claim: More muscle mass and less fatSmall benefit · healthy (older adults)EugeroicRx referenceModafinil
Modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting agent (eugeroic) that in the EU is now approved only for daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy. It inhibits the dopamine transporter …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleSmall benefitAmino acid/precursorN-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is a drug that is prescription-only in Germany, except for oral use in acute common cold illnesses; it is used as a mucolytic and as an …
Claim: Protects the liverNot studiedMetabolism/mitochondriaNicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN)
NMN is the immediate precursor of the coenzyme NAD+, which is needed for energy metabolism, sirtuins and DNA repair. In several randomized studies, oral NMN raises …
Claim: Slows aging and extends healthy lifespanNot studiedMetabolism/mitochondriaNicotinamide riboside (NR)
Nicotinamide riboside is a vitamin B3 form that is converted to NAD+ via NMN. In RCTs, oral NR raises NAD+ and its metabolites in blood but hardly NAD+ itself in …
Claim: Slows aging and extends lifeMixed resultsRacetamNoopept
Noopept is a dipeptide, prescription-only in Russia, that was designed as a piracetam analogue and is probably converted in the body to the endogenous …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleNot studiedOtherOmega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA)
Omega-3 fatty acids from fish, krill or algae are offered mainly as EPA and DHA; they are incorporated into cell membranes, and in mice DHA reaches the brain via …
Claim: Protects heart and vessels from myocardial infarction and strokeNo benefit · healthy (primary prevention, people aged 50 and 55 years and older, respectively)AdaptogenPanax Ginseng
Panax ginseng is a traditional medicinal plant whose root contains ginsenosides, a large group of steroid saponins with many targets described in the laboratory. …
Claim: Better concentration and memory performanceMixed resultsRacetamPhenylpiracetam
Phenylpiracetam (fonturacetam) is a piracetam derivative with a phenyl ring that is prescription-only in Russia and banned in sport as a stimulant. In binding …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleNot studiedRacetamRx referencePiracetam
Piracetam is the first racetam, a cyclic derivative of GABA, and has been used for decades in cognitive disorders and cortical myoclonus. A clear molecular target …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleNo benefitPsychedelicPsilocybin
Psilocybin is the main active ingredient of psychedelic mushrooms and is immediately converted in the body to psilocin, which activates the serotonin 2A receptor; …
Claim: Helps against depression, even when other treatments have failedProven benefit · Patients: depression, also treatment-resistantPeptideRetatrutide
Retatrutide is a not yet approved peptide from Eli Lilly that activates three hormone receptors: GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon. In a phase 3 study, people with obesity …
Claim: Strongest weight loss of all weight-loss shotsProven benefit · Patients: obesity without diabetesPlant extractRhodiola rosea
Rhodiola rosea (roseroot) is a plant of cold regions whose root extract is regarded as an “adaptogen” against stress and exhaustion. In the laboratory, extracts …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleOnly under strainPlant extractSaffron
Saffron consists of the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus; crocins are considered the marker compounds and are cleaved to crocetin in the gut. Meta-analyses of small …
Claim: Better moodMixed resultsPeptideSelank
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide made of the immune peptide tuftsin and the stabilizing tripeptide Pro-Gly-Pro, registered in Russia as an anti-anxiety drug. In …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleNot studiedPeptideSemaglutide
Semaglutide is a long-acting analog of the gut hormone GLP-1, approved in type 2 diabetes and for weight reduction. It activates GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas and …
Claim: Substantial weight loss (“weight-loss shot”)Proven benefit · Patients: overweight with a comorbidity or obesity, without diabetesPeptideSemax
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide made of the ACTH fragment 4–7 and the degradation-resistant tripeptide Pro-Gly-Pro, listed as a medicine in Russia. In animal …
Claim: Better mental performance in healthy peopleNot studiedOtherShilajit
Shilajit is a black, resin-like exudate from mountain rock that consists of more than 80% humic substances, and whose exact composition and origin are unresolved. …
Claim: Testosterone ↑Single unconfirmed findingMetabolism/mitochondriaSpermidine
Spermidine is an endogenous polyamine that is marketed as an “autophagy inducer” and longevity substance. In mice, it extended life and protected the heart, …
Claim: Triggers autophagy and extends lifeNot studiedOtherRx referenceTadalafil
Tadalafil inhibits phosphodiesterase 5 and thereby enhances the cGMP signaling cascade triggered by nitric oxide, which relaxes the corpora cavernosa and blood …
Claim: Better erections and more blood flow even without erectile dysfunctionNot studiedAmino acid/precursorTaurine
Taurine is a sulfur-containing aminosulfonic acid that occurs in high concentrations in heart and skeletal muscle and is, among other things, a component of …
Claim: Slows aging and extends lifeNot studiedPeptideTB-500
TB-500 is a synthetic, acetylated fragment of seven amino acids (LKKTETQ) of the endogenous protein thymosin β4, which binds actin. Almost all healing data come …
Claim: Injuries of tendons, muscles and skin heal fasterNot studied · Patients: sports and soft tissue injuriesHormoneRx referenceTestosterone
Testosterone is the most important male androgen and at the same time a prescription-only medicinal product, approved for testosterone deficiency. In healthy men at …
Claim: Builds muscle mass and strength in healthy menProven benefitPeptideTirzepatide
Tirzepatide is a peptide injected once weekly that activates both the GIP and the GLP-1 receptor, with markedly stronger action at the GIP receptor. It lowers blood …
Claim: Substantial weight loss (“weight-loss shot”)Proven benefit · Patients: obesity or overweight with a comorbidity, without diabetesPlant extractTongkat Ali
Tongkat ali is the root of the Southeast Asian tree Eurycoma longifolia; its marker compound eurycomanone increased testosterone formation in isolated rat Leydig …
Claim: Testosterone ↑ in healthy menMixed resultsMetabolism/mitochondriaUrolithin A
Urolithin A is a metabolite that gut bacteria form from ellagitannins; only a minority of people form it in appreciable amounts, which is why it is sold as a pure …
Claim: Activates mitophagy and increases muscle strength and enduranceMixed results · healthy (middle-aged to older)VitaminVitamin D
Vitamin D is the precursor of a hormone that, via the vitamin D receptor, mainly controls calcium absorption in the gut; a true deficiency harms bone and, according …
Claim: Strengthens bones and protects against fractures and fallsNo benefit · healthy (adults aged 50 and 55 years and older, respectively, not selected for deficiency)MineralZinc
Zinc is an essential trace element and cofactor of more than 300 enzymatic reactions. In zinc deficiency, testosterone falls, and zinc supplementation raises it …
Claim: Testosterone ↑Only proven in patients295 more profiles are so far available in German only. They will appear here once their translation has been checked. Browse the German library
The library does not replace medical advice. It deliberately contains no dosages and no sources of supply. Review date of each profile: see its page.
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