Nootropics: Natural Focus, Energy & Clarity Without the Caffeine

So many of us are looking for a way to stay energized, focused, and feeling good without mainlining two morning espressos and topping it off with a fizzy can of caffeine bomb to get through the afternoon lull. We are busy. There’s no way around it. So the solution is finding that elusive caffeine alternative that’s healthy, jitter-free, and relieves stress instead of exacerbating it. 

Luckily, nootropic drinks promote focus, cognition, energy, and mood, all while fighting stress and supporting sleep. But you’ve got to know what you’re looking for to make the most out of these bioactive compounds. Let’s get into the details of nootropics vs caffeine and how stacking nootropics can offer way more than energy.

The Problem with Caffeine-Sourced Energy

First - caffeine is a nootropic. It’s just a crappy one, so we don’t really like to talk about it. Nootropics are compounds that promote cognition by modulating different neurotransmitters and protecting brain health by fighting oxidative stress. Caffeine is the wayward member of this family. It does those things, sure, but only temporarily, and in a way that damages health instead of promoting it. 

Think about it - caffeine achieves its natural energy boost by tricking your brain into a false stress response. The resulting zoned-in focus, heightened energy, and improved executive functioning is a lizard-brain response to a threat - it’s fear! Probably why it makes your mood worse and not better. Also probably why it messes with your sleep. Plus, caffeine is toxic in high doses - it’ll wear at your heart and immune system, and the resulting poor sleep and chronic high stress leaves you vulnerable to a host of other problems.

Over it. Be better at your job.

What to Look for in a Nootropic Drink

There are way better nootropics out there than caffeine, which means there’s a better way for us to get healthy focus and energy from a nootropic drink. Whether you’re biohacking, staying ahead of the grind, or looking for a performance boost, here are the main players to look for in a daily wellness drink:

Best Nootropics for Focus

GABA is a nootropic, amino acid, and native neurotransmitter. It’s the main signaler that calms overexcited neurons. That means less stress - less noise and disorganization and madness frantically swirling around your mind. Better focus is the byproduct, because even though GABA is a calm-down chemical, it’s not associated with drowsiness or brain fog. So a nootropic drink with GABA can not only serve as a drink for focus, but also for mood and stress relief.

L-Theanine - if you ask us - really should have been the most famous compound in the tea plant over caffeine. Theanine is an antioxidant, which is why teas are considered sort of immunity tonics. Plus, theanine increases alpha brain wave activity, which is associated with a calm clarity but totally unassociated with drowsiness. 

Doesn’t zoned-in focus without that overwhelmed, panicky feeling sound awesome?

Best Nootropics for Energy

Paraxanthine is the new kid on the block and it’s poised to finally take down the town bully - caffeine. Paraxanthine is the main metabolite of caffeine; when caffeine is broken down in the liver, about 80% of the byproduct is paraxanthine. Until recently, it could only be observed in the lab. But recently, enfinity® figured out how to synthesize it, making a paraxanthine nootropic drink without caffeine a reality.

The cool thing about caffeine vs paraxanthine is that paraxanthine side effects are nil. Instead of creating a stress response and overloading the adrenal system, it streamlines energy production and promotes pro-motivation neurochemicals. Research indicates it increases metabolism without raising blood pressure or heart rate. It’s safe in higher doses than caffeine, and it doesn’t cause a crash or disrupt your sleep. Pretty cool, right?

Ashwagandha is a multi talented plant. It’s an adaptogen, nootropic, and superfood. A staple in traditional medicines across the world for several thousand years, one of ashwagandha’s capabilities is a natural energy boost. Rather, the energy boost is actually a result of several other capabilities. Ashwagandha acts on the brain’s stress response center, the HPA axis, promoting resilience from the inside out. More resilience = less cortisol = better recovery at night = more energy (and better mood) during the day. All sans caffeine.

Best Nootropics for Mood

Saffron has been used as a mood enhancing drink since Iron Age Persia - 3000 years ago! The crocin compounds saffron is packed with offer a host of health benefits; in studies, saffron supplements for mood have also been observed to reverse DNA damage, suppress cancer cell growth, protect hippocampal activity in the brain (learning and memory), reduce food cravings, and scavenge free radicals. So not only does saffron add a mood boost to a nootropic drink made for productivity and focus, it also boosts immunity and stress resilience, aiding in recovery. Sounds like a feedback loop of feeling good!

Eleuthero is basically ginseng. Sort of. It’s Panax’s Siberian cousin. As such, it offers similar benefits to Panax ginseng, but it also adds its own twist. In fact, when the ginseng shortage became imminent by the mid-20th century, Russian researchers looked to eleuthero for its ability to boost energy and stamina. In fact, the World Health Organization acknowledges the validity of this nootropic for mood, stress, and immunity. Under “Uses Supported by Clinical Data”:

“As a prophylactic and restorative tonic for enhancement of mental and physical capacities in cases of weakness, exhaustion and tiredness, and during convalescence.”

MTE: A Healthy Caffeine Alternative & Wellness Drink

What do we mean when we say MTE is a wellness drink? Isn’t that kind of vague? Well, MTE: the stress relief, mood boosting drink for focus, energy, immunity, and metabolism that also happens to be an energy supplement drink is just… wordy. But it’s true! You don’t need a whole lot of ingredients to experience a whole lot of benefits. Our advanced blend of adaptogens, nootropics, and superfoods, powered by paraxanthine instead of caffeine, is a game changer for the energy supplement industry. With regular use, it might be a game changer for you, too.