Huperzine A: A Natural Nootropic
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Huperzine A: A Natural Nootropic
Huperzine A is a compound, specifically a naturally occurring sesquiterpene alkaloid, that functions as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. If that seems like a bunch of big words, don’t worry, we’ll translate in a moment.
First, a nod to its origins: it is found in certain kinds of firmoss, especially the “toothed clubmoss”, Huperzia serrata, which grows in many Asian countries.
What’s an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor?
Let’s do this step-by-step:
- An acetylcholinesterase inhibitor is a compound that inhibits acetylcholinesterase.
- Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that catalyzes (speeds up) the breakdown of acetylcholine.
- Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter; it’s an ester of acetic acid and choline.
- This is the main neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system, and is also heavily involved in cognitive functions including memory and creative thinking.
What this means: if you take an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor like huperzine A, it will inhibit acetylcholinesterase, meaning you will have more acetylcholine to work with. That’s good.
What can I expect from it?
Huperzine A has been well-studied for a while, mostly for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease:
- New insights into huperzine A for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
- Huperzine A: Is it an Effective Disease-Modifying Drug for Alzheimer’s Disease?
- Huperzine A and Its Neuroprotective Molecular Signaling in Alzheimer’s Disease
However, research has suggested that huperzine A is much better as a prevention than a treatment:
❝A central event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the accumulation of senile plaques composed of aggregated amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides.
Ex vivo electrophysiological experiments showed that 10 μM of Aβ1-40 significantly decreased the effect of the AChE inhibitor huperzine A on the synaptic potential parameters. ❞
~ Dr. Irina Zueva
In other words: the answer to the titular question is “Yes, yes it can”
And, to translate Dr. Zueva’s words into simple English:
- People with Alzheimer’s have amyloid-β plaque in their brains
- That plaque reduces the effectiveness of huperzine A
So, what if we take it in advance? That works much better:
❝Pre-treatment with [huperzine A] at concentrations of 50, 100, and 150 µg/mL completely inhibited the secretion of PGE2, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β compared to post-treatment with [huperzine A].
This suggests that prophylactic treatment is better than post-inflammation treatment. ❞
~ Dr. Thu Kim Dang
Source: Anti-neuroinflammatory effects of alkaloid-enriched extract from Huperzia serrata
As you may know, neuroinflammation is a big part of Alzheimer’s pathology, so we want to keep that down. The above research suggests we should do that sooner rather than later.
Aside from holding off dementia, can it improve memory now, too?
There’s been a lot less research done into this (medicine is generally more concerned with preventing/treating disease, than improving the health of healthy people), but there is some:
^This is a small (n=68) old (1999) study for which the full paper has mysteriously disappeared and we only get to see the abstract. It gave favorable results, though.
The effects of huperzine A and IDRA 21 on visual recognition memory in young macaques
^This, like most non-dementia research into HupA, is an animal study. But we chose to spotlight this one because, unlike most of the studies, it did not chemically lobotomize the animals first; they were and remained healthy. That said, huperzine A improved the memory scores most for the monkeys that performed worst without it initially.
Where can I get it?
As ever, we don’t sell it, but here’s an example product on Amazon for your convenience
Enjoy!
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3 Appetite Suppressants Better Than Ozempic
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Dr. Annette Bosworth gives her recommendations, and explains why:
What and how
We’ll get straight to it; the recommendations are:
- Coffee, black, unsweetened: not only suppresses the appetite but also boosts the metabolism, increasing fat burn.
- Salt: especially for when fasting (as under such circumstances we may lose salts without replenishing them), a small taste of this can help satisfy taste buds while replenishing sodium and—depending on the salt—other minerals. For example, if you buy “low-sodium salt” in the supermarket, this is generally sodium chloride cut with potassium chloride and/or occasionally magnesium sulfate.
- Ketones (MCT oil): ketones can suppress hunger, particularly when fasting causes blood sugar levels to drop. Supplementing with MCT oil promotes ketone production in the liver, training the body to produce more ketones naturally, thus curbing appetite.
For more on these including the science of them, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
- Ozempic vs Five Natural Supplements
- Some Surprising Truths About Hunger And Satiety
- The Fruit That Can Specifically Reduce Belly Fat
Take care!
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Gut Feelings – by Dr Will Cole
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More and more, science is uncovering links between our gut health and the rest of our health—including our mental health! We all know “get some fiber and consider probiotics”, but what else is there that we can do?
Quite a lot, actually. And part of it, which Dr. Cole also explores, is the fact that the gut-brain highway is a two-way street!
The book looks a lot especially at the particular relationship between shame and eating. The shame need not initially be about eating, though it can certainly end up that way too. But any kind of shame—be it relating to one’s body, work, relationship, or anything else, can not only have a direct effect on the gut, but indirect too:
Once our “eating our feelings” instinct kicks in, things can spiral from there, after all.
So, Dr. Cole walks us through tackling this from both sides—nutrition and psychology. With chapters full of tips and tricks, plus a 21-day plan (not a diet plan, a habit integration plan), this book hits shame (and inflammation, incidentally) hard and leads us into much healthier habits and cycles.
In short: if you’d like to have a better relationship with your food, improve your gut health, and/or reduce inflammation, this is definitely a book for you!
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Broccoli vs Collard Greens – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing broccoli to collard greens, we picked the broccoli.
Why?
Both are great and it was close!
In terms of macros, there’s really nothing between them, so this first round’s a tie.
In the category of vitamins, broccoli has more of vitamins B1, B2, B6, and C, while collards have more vitamin A, and they’re approximately equal in other vitamins they both contain, so that’s a 4:1 win to broccoli here.
Looking at minerals next, broccoli has more phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while collards have more calcium, copper, iron, and manganese, for a 4:4 tie in this round.
In other considerations, broccoli contains sulforaphane (that’s good) while collards are slightly higher in polyphenols, though broccoli’s very good for those too. So this round’s a tie, most reasonably.
Adding up the sections makes for a modest yet clear overall win for broccoli (largely on the strength of the vitamins), but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Broccoli Sprouts & Sulforaphane
Enjoy!
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Antidepressant Contact Lenses!
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…and other items from this week’s health science news:
Seeing life in a better light?
Bringing new meaning to the idea of “looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses”, researchers at Yonsei University have developed soft, transparent contact lenses with built-in ultrathin electrodes that deliver mild electrical stimulation through the retina*, and in mice with induced depression, this treatment produced antidepressant-like effects comparable to fluoxetine (Prozac) after three weeks.
*because the retina is anatomically directly connected to the brain (and by some reckonings, the eyes can even be considered to be extensions of the brain), researchers used it as a non-invasive access point to influence the neural pathways involved in mood regulation.
How it works: the lenses use temporal interference, where two harmless electrical signals intersect at precise points in the retina, allowing targeted stimulation of mood-related brain circuits, all without invasive brain implants or drugs.
What they did: depressed mice received 30 minutes of retinal stimulation daily for three weeks, and outcomes were compared with untreated depressed mice, healthy controls, and mice treated with fluoxetine.
What that did: treated mice had a 48% reduction in blood corticosterone (a stress hormone), a 47% increase in serotonin levels, and lower inflammatory markers in the brain compared with untreated depressed mice. Additionally, mice using the contact lenses showed reduced depression-like behaviors at levels similar to those seen with Prozac-treated mice.
You may be wondering how the scientists acquired depressed mice, and how they diagnosed the mental health of mice sufficiently clearly as to conduct this experiment. The answer is that they induced depression thus:
❝A chronic corticosterone-induced stress mouse model recapitulating depression-associated behavioral phenotypes was established following the protocol outlined by Pereira et al. C3H/HeNCrlOri (rd1, 25–30 g, male) mice were randomized into three groups, including the control (sham group), depression (Dep group), and TI-TES treatment (TES group). For depression induction, corticosterone by subcutaneous administration (s.c.) of a total 100 μL of corticosterone cocktail (20 mg kg−1 body weight) dissolved in 20% Tween 80, 0.2% DMSO (all purchased from Sigma, St. Louis, MO), and 0.9% saline were chronically treated. It should be noted that the corticosterone paradigm used in this study does not represent human major depressive disorder itself but rather a preclinical stress model that recapitulates specific behavioral and biological features associated with depression.❞
Translated from sciencese: they gave them drugs that resulted in the same behaviors and measurable biomarkers as depression; as such, this is broadly assumed to be representative of depression in humans, but is not necessarily exactly the same thing.]
Next, up the researchers want to test long-term safety in larger animals, and customize stimulation, before human clinical trials:
Read in full: Contact lenses treat depression in mice as effectively as anti-depressant medication
Related: Does This New Machine Cure Depression?
COVID in the house? This antiviral cuts transmission by ⅔!
Researchers (Dr. Anne Luetkemeyer et al.) found that taking ensitrelvir within 72 hours of the first household member’s COVID symptom onset reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID in exposed household contacts by about two-thirds, compared to placebo.
In numbers:
- Dosage: participants took 375mg on day 1, then 125mg daily on days 2–5.
- Effect: symptomatic COVID by day 10 occurred in 2.9% of the ensitrelvir group versus 9.0% of the placebo group (a 67% relative risk reduction).
- Interpretation: in the full intention-to-treat analysis, infection occurred in 4.4% with ensitrelvir versus 10.2% with placebo (a 57% relative risk reduction).
In the US, the FDA hasn’t weighed in on this one yet, but ensitrelvir is already approved in Japan for mild-to-moderate COVID treatment and, based on this trial, for postexposure prophylaxis.
You can read more about it here:
Read in full: Antiviral ensitrelvir cuts risk of COVID-19 in household contacts by two-thirds, study finds
Related: Getting antivirals for COVID too often depends on where you live and how wealthy you are
Kratom crisis?
First, what kratom is: it’s a plant containing psychoactive compounds, most notably mitragynine, sold in powders, capsules, teas, liquid shots, and newer concentrated products such as 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), which can be substantially more potent than traditional kratom.
A recent national survey analysis found kratom use in the US has reached its highest recorded level, with lifetime use rising from 1.6% of Americans aged 12+ in 2021 to 1.9% in 2024—more than 5 million people, including over 100,000 adolescents aged 12–17.
Yes, we’re getting these figures in 2026 because science takes its time sometimes (to analyze the data, get peer-reviewed, etc), so probably the numbers are even higher now.
In particular, synthetic or concentrated derivatives like 7-OH pose greater overdose or dependence risks because of much stronger opioid-like effects, and these products are increasingly sold in convenience stores and smoke shops:
Read in full: Kratom use is on the rise in the US
Related: Addiction Myths That Are Hard To Quit
Take care!
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5 Movements You’ll Lose First (Unless You Do This)
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Will Harlow, over-50s specialist physio, shows us how to avoid the usual first mobility losses:
Keep your footing, and reach for good health
Some movements typically become difficult first, such as these 5:
- Deep squat: difficulty squatting reflects reduced mobility in your hips, knees, and especially your ankles, which commonly stiffen with age and limit everyday tasks like picking items up from the floor.
- Single-leg balance: reduced ability to stand on one leg signals declining balance from changes in your inner ear, proprioception, and muscle strength, and poor performance is linked to higher all-cause mortality risk. So it’s important, even if it doesn’t seem so.
- Overhead reach: loss of overhead reaching comes from shoulder joint changes and mid-spine stiffness, increasing the risk of shoulder and back problems and making daily tasks harder.
- Getting up from the floor: inability to rise from the floor is dangerous, as many serious outcomes after falls occur because a person cannot get up, not because of the fall itself.
- Side-stepping: the ability to take a quick step sideways is essential for preventing falls, but it declines with reduced leg strength and slower reaction time as people age.
So, what to do about it? Well, practise those 5 movements, of course, but there are also 3 compound exercises that train what you need to do all 5:
- Sit-to-stand with overhead push: strengthens your legs while improving squatting ability, overhead reaching, and your capacity to get up and down from lower positions using controlled movement.
- Cup taps: trains balance, coordination, and reaction speed by standing on one leg and tapping targets with your free foot, helping both single-leg balance and rapid side-stepping.
- Chair ankle mobilization: improves mobility in your ankles, knees, and hips, which supports deeper squatting, safer floor transfers, and better balance over time.
Now, these may not seem fun, but not only is prevention better than cure, but also, losing your mobility and then having to regain it will be a lot less fun than maintaining your mobility in the first place.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Mobility For Now & For Later: Train For The Marathon That Is Your Life!
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Cured – by Dr. Jeffrey Rediger
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Our body (for most of us, at least), has a powerful immune system to not only keep pathogens at bay, but also deal with things that are often “inside-job” threats, such as cancer.
Of course, it can only do that if it is kept in good form, which includes nourishing it well and other such lifestyle factors. These Dr. Rediger discusses chapter-by-chapter in the first part of the book.
The second part of the book is given over to more psychological matters, and specifically, psychosomatic matters. Now, in popular parlance, “psychosomatic” is often used to mean “you’re imagining it”, but in medicine/science that’s not what it means at all; rather it is about how psychological factors affect physiological (and thus: somatic) processes.
Assuming you already know about lifestyle medicine, in which case the first part of the book may be superfluous for you, more of the practical value will come from the second part of the book, with explanations of how to improve one’s own regenerative abilities from the brain down.
The style is very old-school pop-science for such a relatively recent book (published 2021); from the style alone we could be forgiven for thinking it was from the 70s–90s, but the content reveals a more modern perspective than that. Dr. Rediger likes telling stories, and as such there are many lengthy anecdotes about patients with various conditions and how their healing journeys went. This is informative and illustrative, but case studies will always feel cherry-picked, so we generally prefer more robust science. On which note, there is a bibliography at the back, so it’s not all anecdotal, of course.
Bottom line: if you like minimal hard science and a lot of illustrative stories, this book will be one you’ll enjoy curling up with.
Click here to check out Cured, and give your body a restorative boost!
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