Most of us focus on keeping our bodies looking good and healthy, so it’s beneficial to find supplements that can improve quality and performance in other areas of your life. This is especially true for people who spend a lot of time working on a computer, such as students and office workers.
Unlike pre-workout supplements, which are intended to (primarily) boost your physical performance, nootropics are formulated to increase your cognitive capabilities. A well-formulated, and well-dosed nootropic can enhance your memory, focus, alertness, mood, and ability to process information faster. A truly great nootropic also addresses brain plasticity and development for long-range cognitive optimization.
Most nootropic supplements typically rely on caffeine to achieve most of their effects, which is not ideal. The nootropic we’re reviewing today – Actual Intelligence by Axe & Sledge – is said to boost your brainpower from all angles, without overdosing you with stimulants.
Is that really the case, and how does Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence compare to other leading brain supplements on the market, these are the questions our team will look into today.
Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence Summarized
PROS
- Transparent formula with no proprietary blends
- Contains several well-researched nootropics
- Alpha GPC, caffeine, and Lion’s Mane Mushroom work to boost your overall cognitive function
CONS
- Contains Bitter Orange Extract, a stimulant which is too aggressive in combination with caffeine
- Some unproven ingredients – such as Methyllberine and Theacrine
- Missing some core ingredients such as Pine Bark Extract and Phosphatidylserine
SUMMARY: Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence is a decent nootropic. It contains a few of our favourite ingredients in Lion’s Mane, L-Theanine, and Alpha GPC. Together, these ingredients should increase your cognitive functions, including memory and focus, if you take it consistently long enough. However, Actual Intelligence also has some downsides, such as using the aggressive stimulant Bitter Orange, which could result in unwanted side effects. For the price of $49.95 per bottle (30 servings), we feel Actual Intelligence could improve upon some areas before we can recommend it as one of the best nootropic supplements you can find.
What do we recommend?
-Click to See the Current Top 3 Nootropic Supplements-
About Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence
Actual Intelligence also called A.I. is a dietary supplement, classified as a “nootropic.” It is designed to boost brain function with the goal of maximizing your productivity and performance outside of the gym. Actual Intelligence uses 10 ingredients in what they say are “effective doses,” which have been tested and shown to provide your mood, mental energy, alertness, and cognition a substantial boost.
Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence prides itself on using four patented ingredients, including Teacrine®, Dynamine™, and Purcaf™. But are these really as effective as the manufacturer says, or are they just a marketing “gimmick?”
If you’ve been looking for a supplement to help you reach that flow state and improve your brain function, then you’ll want to keep reading our review as we reveal whether we think Actual Intelligence can actually help you as it claims or if there are better options available.
| 🙂Benefits: | improves focus, enhances mood, boosts motivation & productivity |
| 💊Ingredients: | Alpha GPC, L-Theanine, Caffeine, Bitter Orange Extract,… |
| 🏢Manufacturer: | Axe & Sledge |
| ☑️Availability: | Manufacturer’s Website |
| 💵Pricing: | $49.95/bottle (30 servings) |
Dosage Instructions
Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence is easy to take. Simply drink 2 capsules of the product with your beverage of choice. Preferably, take it in the morning to avoid insomnia from consuming the stimulants too late in the day.
Ingredients – What’s Inside Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence?
Here is the ingredient label of Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence;
In case you can’t quite make that out, here are the ingredients in Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence;
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom Powder – 400mg
- Alpha-Glycerly Phosphoryl Choline (Alpha GPC) – 200mg
- Organic Caffeine – 100mg
- L-Theanine – 100mg
- Theacrine – 50mg
- Methylliberine – 50mg
- Bitter Orange Extract – 10mg
- Toothed Clubmoss (Huperzine A) – 5mg
So, 7 active ingredients in total. We also have some controversial “filler” ingredients, such as Titanium Dioxide, which some studies have classified as carcinogenic, but the evidence is still far from conclusive, so we’ll focus on the active ingredients in Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence to see if the ingredients are safe and what they can do for your in terms of cognitive benefits.
Let’s have a closer look at each ingredient.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom – 400mg
We can tell you right from the start, this is our favorite ingredient in Actual Intelligence. Why is it our favorite? Because, it not only improves focus and memory in the short-term, it also increases your Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which helps you grow and repair brain cells – effectively supporting long-term cognitive health. At 400mg per day, it should be enough to give you a noticeable effect, although a bit too low for our liking.
Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (Alpha GPC) – 200mg
Alpha GPC is a source of choline, a compound that your brain needs to build healthy neurons, as well as to produce some important neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, which are involved in memory and information processing. The 200mg of Alpha GPC is a good dose which should give you an improvement in the aforementioned areas of brain function with daily use.
Organic Caffeine – 100mg
Caffeine doesn’t need too much explaining. It is a stimulant – both of the brain and of the body – enhancing performance, increasing the metabolism, and making you more alert. It is a good ingredient to use to augment the overall effectiveness of a nootropic formula. Plus, at the dose of 100mg per serving, it’s low enough to not cause major issues in most people.
Still, if you’re sensitive to stimulants, even 100mg can lead to jitters, anxiety, and energy crashes. In which case, it’s best to look for stimulant-free nootropics that can be just as, if not even more effective.
L-Theanine – 100mg
L-theanine is a compound naturally found in green tea and some species of mushrooms. It is thought to have an effect on your brainwaves; particularly, it increases your alpha brain waves. These are associated with a calmer mind, reduced “brain chatter,” and a more holistic brain function overall. L-theanine is also good to have with caffeine as it smoothens out some of the negative effects of the stimulant.
Theacrine – 50mg
Theacrine is a compound structurally similar to caffeine. Early studies suggest it may have similar effects, but without causing dependency and some of the side effects (e.g. jitters).
Still, the human evidence on Theacrine is fairly thin – many of the studies have been done on animals. We think there are better ingredients that Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence could’ve included here, such as Phosphatidylserine.
Methylliberine – 50mg
Methylliberine is a nootropic that was more recently introduced in the market. Much like the previous ingredient (Theacrine), it is thought to have an effect similar to that of caffeine, but without any side effects.
Again, though, Methylliberine is underresearched and it is not clear how effective and safe it really is for long-term use.
Bitter Orange Extract – 10mg
Here we come to the problematic ingredient in Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence. Bitter Orange Extract has a natural, harmless-sounding name, but the reality is a bit different. It contains a compound called “Synephrine”, which is similar to the banned substance Ephedra.
Synephrine is known to have potent energy-boosting properties, but that comes at a cost; causing high blood pressure, heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, and many other potentially dangerous side effects. The risk goes up even higher when you combine Synephrine with other stimulants – such as caffeine.
Toothed Clubmoss (Huperzine A) – 5mg
Toothed Clubmoss is a plant which contains Huperzine A, a compound which prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine in the brain. As we’ve mentioned early on, acetylcholine plays an important role in regulating your brain’s executive functions. Low levels could lead to mental decline; whereas higher levels of the neurotransmitter are linked with optimal brain performance.
With that being said, Huperzine A is not the best way to elevate acetylcholine. While it works in the short term, it is known to ironically lead to memory loss, chronic headaches, and other side effects when taken every day for a long time.
Our Commentary on Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence’s Ingredients
We think there are some good things about the Axe & Sledge ingredients’ profile. For one, Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence has a fully transparent formula, so at least we can tell how the ingredients are dosed. Props to the manufacturer for not including a proprietary blend!
- Actual Intelligence also uses a few of our favourite nootropics, such as Lion’s Mane and L-Theanine. These ingredients should not only improve your focus and mood, Lion’s Mane also supports long-term neuron health thanks to its BDNF-boosting activity.
Having said that, Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence has a few issues too many for us to recommend it as one of the best nootropic formulas around.
For one, it combines caffeine with another stimulant, Bitter Orange Extract, which is far worse in terms of negative side effects, more so if you have sensitivities.
Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence also uses a couple unproven ingredients like Theacrine and Methylliberine, which should’ve been replaced with proven memory- and focus-enhancing compounds such as Pine Bark Extract, B-Complex vitamins, or Rhodiola Rosea (which is also a natural performance enhancer).
At the end of the day, Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence is not a bad nootropic formula. It should give you a slight cognitive boost. It’s just that there’s nothing overly inspiring or impressive about it. There are, without question, better brain supplements available on the market today.
Not what you were looking for?
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User Reviews
From our research, Axe & Sledge only appears to officially sell from its manufacturer’s website, so impartial reviews are difficult to come by. Their website has 21 reviews and almost all of them are perfect 5-star ratings, which does seem a little too good to be true!
Pricing
A month’s worth of Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence will cost you $49.95. That’s one bottle with 60 capsules (30 servings).
Side Effects
Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence may cause side effects to individuals sensitive to stimulants. The combination of bitter orange extract + caffeine can lead to the following:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- “Jitters” and mood swings
- Heart palpitations
- Elevated blood pressure
If you’re on any meds or if you have a condition, talk to your doctor before taking this supplement.
Conclusion to Axe and Sledge Actual Intelligence REVIEW
So, is Axe & Sledge Actual Intelligence something you should look into?
If you are used to high doses of stimulants, and if you’re just looking for something to give you a decent performance boost, then the answer is “yes.”
That said, for the price of $49.95, Actual Intelligence leaves a lot to be desired. Not only is it missing some core ingredients, but it is also using some potentially risky ones. It is also not a good long-term supplementation option since it contains Huperzine A – an ingredient that needs to be cycled on and off every few weeks.
Although it’s not a bad nootropic, with a little research you can definitely find better brain supplements today.
What do we recommend?
