Alpha Brain Black Label Review – Does it Really Work? (updated)

This is our recently updated Alpha Brain Black Label review, an improved version of their original Alpha Brain formula. We’ll check its ingredients, dosage directions, side effects, and customer reviews to see if it’s worth the price and whether it can give you the benefits it promises.

Alpha Brain Black Label Summarized

PROS

• Uses a number of potent, well-researched nootropics
• Contains a good amount of citicoline, a key ingredient for cognitive function
• Low-stim
• Transparent formula
• Uses ingredients with both long-term and short-term effects

CONS

• Mucuna Pruriens has a notable risk of side effects and drug interactions
• Caffeine dose, while safe, is too light to have a significant benefit
• $124.95 for only 20 servings is overpriced for what it offers

SUMMARY:

Alpha Brain Black Label contains some of the best ingredients we’ve seen in a nootropic supplement. It uses evidenced ingredients like L-Theanine, Phosphatidylserine, and Lion’s Mane Mushroom. These should help you with your memory retention, information processing, and focus.

With that said, Alpha Brain Black Label also has some downsides. It uses Mucuna Pruriens which might cause major side effects for certain groups of people. Alpha Brain Black Label should give you some benefits – mental energy, focus, clarity – but considering its steep price, we believe better value for money can be found elsewhere.

What do we recommend?

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About Alpha Brain Black Label

Alpha Brain Black Label is a brand new brain supplement from Onnit – an upgraded version of the original, still highly popular Alpha Brain.

Black Label is a premium supplement. It’s marketed as an advanced version of the old Alpha Brain; faster-acting, more potent, and more effective. Onnit says you’ll get the following benefits from using it:

1. Sharper focus
2. Relaxed, calm alertness
3. Increased mental processing efficiency
4. Enhanced vision
5. Improved productivity

These last few benefits make Alpha Brain Black Label somewhat unique. You don’t typically get a nootropic supplement that also offers better vision. Vision supplements and brain supplements are often stacked by gamers and people who work long-hours in front of the screen, but rarely do they come as the same supplement.

So, how do Onnit’s promises hold up? Let’s find out how many of their claims are actually true!

Dosage Instructions

How to use Alpha Brain Black Label? The dosage directions are to take 2 capsules, two times per day with your meals.

Make sure to take a break from Alpha Brain Black Label after using it for several days in order to avoid the side effects from Huperzine A (more on this below).

Ingredients – What’s Inside?

Here are the ingredients Alpha Brain Black Label:

• Mucuna Pruriens Extract (1,000mg)
• Lion’s Mane mycelium & fruiting body (500mg)
• Citicoline (250mg)
• Phosphatidylserine (200mg)
• L-Theanine (100mg)
• Caffeine Anhydrous (25mg)
• Lutein (20mg)
• Zeaxanthin (4mg)
• Toothed Clubmoss (20mg)

Looking at the ingredient list of Onnit’s Alpha Brain Black Label, it’s a big improvement from their original Alpha Brain. There are no proprietary blends in this one as compared to the original Alpha Brain, which means we can see ingredient doses clearly – allowing us to assess their safety and effectiveness.

Below we share a detailed breakdown of each ingredient; how it works, what it does to you, and what the scientific studies say about it. Please comment below if you have any questions.

Mucuna Pruriens

Mucuna is a bit of an odd ingredient for a brain supplement like Alpha Brain Black Label. Mucuna Pruriens is mostly used in men’s vitality products due to its ability to raise testosterone levels. With that being said, it’s not a terrible choice for Alpha Brain Black Label. A lot of evidence suggests that boosting testosterone – even slightly – may lead to improved cognition, mood, and sleep. We’d just reduce the dose here, as 1,000mg per serving is a bit too much – the extra capsule space could be used for other proven nootropic ingredients.

Lion’s Mane

We’re glad to see Lion’s Mane Mushroom in Alpha Brain Black Label. One of the issues with the original Alpha Brain formula is that it doesn’t support long-term brain function, which is precisely what Lion’s Mane helps you with. Studies show that taking Lion’s Mane extracts leads to a boost in Nerve Growth Factors (NGF) – proteins that stimulate the growth and repair of your brain cells. Put simply, more NGF in the brain results in better learning, memory, and cognitive function overall. You may also find that any brain fog you may have diminishes with the use of Lion’s Mane.

Citicoline

Citicoline, a.k.a, CDP-Choline is one of the best natural nootropics out there. Citicoline boosts the level of acetylcholine in your brain. Acetylcholine is our primary executive neurotransmitter; affecting speech, muscle contraction, learning, memory processing, and more. Studies link Citicoline with significant increases in several different markers of cognitive function. The dosage of 250mg is within the optimal Citicoline dose range, too. Alpha Brain Black Label uses Citicoline sodium, which is a regular form of Citicoline. The best brain supplements sometimes use ultrapure Cognizin Citicoline, but regular Citicoline is okay. (study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4562749/)

Phosphatidylserine

Phosphatidylserine, or PS for short, is a vital fatty component of your brain cell membranes. As a building block of your brain cells, PS is found in large amounts in the brain. Your PS levels go down as you get older, which leads to a decline in cognitive functions, reaction times, and memory processing. Supplementing PS is a sure-fire way to improve concentration and other aspects of mental performance, while also potentially reducing stress & anxiety. Alpha Brain Black Label uses 250mg of a highly bioavailable form of PS – SeriAid 50P Phosphatidylserine, which is excellent.

L-Theanine

L-Theanine is an amino acid found in large amounts in tea, specifically green tea. Theanine is commonly used in caffeine pills and other energy-boosting supplements. This is due to l-theanine’s benefit at reducing the side effects of caffeine while enhancing caffeine’s beneficial effects. But theanine has some nootropic effects of its own, including a reduction in anxiety, a boost in Alpha Brain Waves, and an increase in focus linked to a “flow state.”

Caffeine Anhydrous

Caffeine doesn’t need much talk. Without question, it’s one of the most powerful nootropic agents and stimulants in the world. It quickly boosts motivation, diminishes fatigue, and lifts your mood & energy. Caffeine also improves many parameters of cognitive performance – such as increasing focus so you’re more locked in on a task.

Many people get the benefits of caffeine from a small dose of 50mg. Alpha Brain Black Label contains 25mg, which, while completely safe and risk-free, is a little too light to produce any significant effects.

Marigold Extract

Alpha Brain Black Label uses a patented form of Marigold Extract, which is a natural source of lutein. Lutein is a pigment naturally occurring in some foods – including spinach, kale, and eggs. The most notable benefit of lutein is the ability to fight macular degeneration, support visual acuity, and reduce eye strain. However, why lutein is a part of Alpha Brain Black Label – a brain supplement – is a question for its manufacturers. Alpha Brain Black Label is all about improving focus and learning; their website doesn’t say a lot about eye health!

Toothed Clubmoss

Toothed Clubmoss, or Huperzia Serrata, is a source of a chemical called Huperzine A. This potent and fast-acting nootropic helps maintain higher acetylcholine levels in your brain. Which, as we’ve discussed in the Citicoline section, can consequently improve your focus, short-term memory, and information processing. Alpha Brain contains 200mcg of Huperzine A, which is a large serving.

(source: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-764/huperzine-a)

Our Commentary on Alpha Brain Black Label’s Ingredients

As a whole, Alpha Brain Black Label’s formula looks powerful and effective at increasing focus, memory processing, and mental clarity. We do feel this nootropic will work for most of its users – something we can’t say about most nootropics today.

Alpha Brain Black Label delivers clinically tested doses of proven ingredients. Each serving gives you 250mg of Citicoline, which improves concentration and recall efficiency. Meanwhile, ingredients like L-Theanine, Phosphatidylserine, L-Theanine, and Lion’s Mane Mushroom will support your mood and long-term brain development.

But there are a few downsides that need to be addressed, too.

Is Alpha Brain Black Label The Best Brain Formula on Offer Right Now?

Although it’s got many positive things going for it, we don’t rate Alpha Brain Black Label as the best nootropic supplement on the market today. Here’s why.

Alpha Brain uses Mucuna Pruriens which can lower your blood sugar and interact with medications. It also may negatively affect people with dopamine imbalances and those with psychiatric disorders. L-tyrosine is a much safer alternative in our opinion.

With that said, if you’ve tried Mucuna Pruriens before and it worked well for you, then Alpha Brain Black Label shouldn’t cause you any problems.

User Reviews

As it’s a new product, impartial Alpha Brain Black Label reviews on websites like Reddit and Amazon are difficult to find. We’ll be updating this section in the following months as Alpha Brain Black Label starts getting feedback from its users. Make sure to watch this space to check for the latest info on the nootropic stack!

Side Effects: Is Alpha Brain Black Label Safe?

Is Alpha Brain Black Label safe? Overall, Alpha Brain Black Label contains ingredients that are all safe for human use. Most of the ingredients are dosed optimally, with the exception of a few like Huperzine A.

So, will Alpha Brain Black Label cause side effects?

Yes, Alpha Brain Black Label may lead to side effects in a small number of users. The inclusion of Huperzine A at higher doses increases the risk of headaches, low mood, loss of focus, stomach cramps, and nausea. We do think it’s excessive to use Huperzine A alongside Citicoline as both are cholinergic compounds.

Because Alpha Brain Black Label uses Huperzine A, it’s not safe to take it every day. This compound rapidly increases focus and cognitive processing, but it leads to side effects if used every day. This is because Huperzine A causes acetylcholine to build up excessively, “clogging up” your neurons.

*Remember that our posts are informational in nature; they aren’t medical advice. Make sure to speak with your doctor before using a new supplement.

Pricing & Other Things to Consider

A bottle of Alpha Brain Black Label costs $124.95 for a one-time purchase. The bottle contains 80 capsules, and since you’re meant to take 4 per day, you only get 20 servings. If you subscribe to monthly delivery you can get it for $106.21. Quite a steep price in both cases! In fact, Alpha Brain Black Label is far more expensive than even the current best-reviewed nootropic supplements. Is it a good value for money? You be the judge!

Alpha Brain Black Label vs Alpha Brain: Which is Better?

Alpha Brain Black Label vs Alpha Brain Original: which offers better value for money? Which one delivers better nootropic benefits?

While we don’t rate either one as the best nootropic supplements, Onnit’s Alpha Brain Black Label is the more effective option.

Compared to the original Alpha Brain, Alpha Brain Black Label doesn’t hide its ingredient doses behind proprietary blends, which enables us to see if they’re effective and safe. And for the most part, they are! Alpha Brain Black Label uses a more effective form of choline than the original Alpha Brain, along with including several other well-researched nootropics. Alpha Brain Black Label also uses lutein which is excellent for eye health.

However, Alpha Brain does cost a lot less than Alpha Brain Black Label, and yields you 45 servings compared to the Black Label’s 20. Despite this, we still don’t think Alpha Brain is the better value for money than Alpha Brain Black Label, because it uses an inferior ingredient formula, and doesn’t have the same benefits.

Conclusion to Alpha Brain Black Label Review

In our experience, yes, Alpha Brain Black Label really works. Users of Alpha Brain Black Label should experience a notable increase in focus, mental clarity, and executive function within a couple of hours of taking their first dose of the supplement. Most people will also experience a subtle boost in energy levels due to caffeine, and possibly a slight reduction in anxiety from Phosphatidylserine.

But, as good as its short-term benefits are, we still don’t recommend Alpha Brain Black Label as the best brain supplement on the market right now. While it’s not a bad product, there are certain issues with it that make us hesitant to recommend it to you, our readers:

1. For one, you can’t take Alpha Brain Black Label every day. It uses Huperzine A which needs to be cycled due to its long-term side effects. However, the rest of the main active ingredients in this nootropic stack only work if you take them consistently every day. Taking Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Citicoline, or Phosphatidylserine here and there is virtually pointless.
2. While it’s good that Alpha Brain Black Label doesn’t have too much caffeine, if you do want to experience caffeine’s benefits, we don’t think 25mg will be enough for you.
3. The inclusion of Mucuna Pruriens is another issue. Mucuna is a natural testosterone boosting plant; which makes this supplement potentially unsuitable for women.
4. Lutemax is a great ingredient but for an eye-support/vision supplement. More effective nootropic ingredients could be put in its stead in Alpha Brain Black Label to make the supplement more effective for boosting brain function overall.

The bottom line is, we feel Alpha Brain Black Label is definitely a potent supplement, but it’s not the best option for people looking for long-term improvements in memory, learning, focus, and cognitive functions in general.

It can only be used occasionally, e.g. a few times per week when you need a “boost,” but that means it doesn’t help long-term brain health. With a little research you can find better nootropics – for a much lower price, too.

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