Best Nootropics for Stress & Mood — 2026

Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, 750 Da molecular weight) developed in the 1990s at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences as a synthetic analog of tuftsin — an immunomodulatory tetrapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg) that i…

Acetylated form of Selank peptide with enhanced bioavailability, commonly used as a nasal spray for anxiolytic and nootropic effects.

Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro, MEHFPGP, 813 Da molecular weight) developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the 1980s. The compound is derived from ACTH(4-10) — the 4-10 amino acid fragment of adrenocor…

Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) is a nonapeptide — a 9-amino-acid neuropeptide with sequence Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu (WAGGDASGE, 848 Da molecular weight) — first isolated in 1977 from the cerebral venous blood of rabbits subjected to electrical stimulation of the…

Phenibut is the common Western name for **β-phenyl-γ-aminobutyric acid** (beta-phenyl-GABA; Russian trade names *Phenibut*/*Фенибут*, *Noofen*, *Anvifen*), a Soviet-era anxiolytic and nootropic developed in the 1960s at the Herzen State Pedagogical Institute in Leningrad under Vs…

Active compound from kava for relaxation and sleep support.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera, also called "Indian ginseng" and "winter cherry") is the most studied and most clinically validated herbal adaptogen in the contemporary supplement market. It is the botanical anchor of Ayurvedic medicine — the indigenous medical tradition of the …

**L-Theanine** is a **non-proteinogenic amino acid** found almost exclusively in **tea (Camellia sinensis)** and a handful of edible mushrooms, and it has become the single most widely-used calm-focus nootropic in the modern supplement market — both on its own at 100-400mg doses …

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant cation in the human body and the second most abundant intracellular cation after potassium, with approximately 25 grams present in a typical adult—roughly 60% stored in bone, 27% in muscle, 6-7% in other soft tissues, and less than 1% in extr…

**Magnesium L-Threonate** is a proprietary chelated form of magnesium in which the magnesium cation is bound to **L-threonic acid** — a metabolite of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) — forming the salt commonly marketed under the brand name **Magtein**. It was developed in the mid-2000s…

Glycine is the simplest amino acid—a single hydrogen atom replacing the typical side chain found in other proteinogenic amino acids—yet it performs an wide range of biological functions. Despite being classified as "non-essential" because humans can synthesize it endogenously fro…

**Inositol** is a naturally-occurring **cyclic sugar alcohol (cyclohexanehexol)** that functions as a critical structural component of cell membranes and a **second-messenger precursor** in intracellular signaling. Of the nine possible stereoisomers of inositol, only two — **myo-…

Bromantane is an atypical psychostimulant and anxiolytic developed in the 1980s at the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, originally created as an adaptogen for Soviet military and elite athletic use and later approved in Russia for the …

Rhodiola rosea is a succulent perennial plant that grows in cold, high-altitude regions of the Arctic, Siberia, Scandinavia, Iceland, the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Carpathian Mountains. Its golden-yellow rhizome has been used for over a thousand years as a tonic against fatigue…

**Schisandra** (scientific name *Schisandra chinensis*; called **wu wei zi** in Chinese, literally "five-flavor fruit" — referring to the berry's unique property of exhibiting all five basic tastes simultaneously: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent/spicy — **omija** in Korea…

**Tulsi** (scientific name *Ocimum tenuiflorum*, formerly classified as *Ocimum sanctum*; called **tulasi** in Sanskrit and most Indian languages, **holy basil** or **sacred basil** in Western herbalism, and **kala tulsi** or **manjari** for specific varieties) is a perennial aro…

**Eleuthero** (scientific name *Eleutherococcus senticosus*, formerly classified as *Acanthopanax senticosus*; called **ci wu jia** in Chinese, **siberian ginseng** in Western herbalism — though this common name is problematic and technically inaccurate as eleuthero is NOT in the…

Hawthorn (Crataegus species — principally Crataegus monogyna, C. laevigata, C. pinnatifida, and C. cuneata) is the most extensively studied cardiovascular botanical in the Western pharmacopoeia and one of very few herbs with formal pharmaceutical regulatory approval in Europe for…

Pinealon is a **synthetic tripeptide — glutamyl-aspartyl-arginine (Glu-Asp-Arg, or EDR)** — developed by the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology (IBG) under the leadership of **Professor Vladimir Khavinson**, the dominant figure in what is collectively known …

Cortagen is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) from the Khavinson bioregulator family developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is organ-targeted to cardiac and coronary tissue, studied for cardiac function preservation and coronary ar…