Transcription
I'm David Tomman, author of NeuroTropicsExpert, and this YouTube channel. In this video, you'll discover the nootropic benefits of Vinpocetine. Now, this is an update to a video I made on Vinpocetine a few years ago. In this video, I'll tell you what Vinpocetine is, where it comes from, and why experienced neurohackers like me use it. I'll share with you some clinical studies demonstrating the benefits of Vinpocetine. I'll tell you how much Vinpocetine to use, any potential side effects, and where to buy Vinpocetine. And yes, you can still buy it in the United States, and I'll tell you where.
Now, why should you listen to me, to this video about Vinpocetine? Well, because Vinpocetine is, by far, the best way that I know of to increase blood flow in your brain. It's like Viagra for your brain. This is also one of the best ways to help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. And Vinpocetine can also help repair and reverse the effects of damage caused by strokes. Sounds good?
Now, before we get started, please hit the Subscribe button for my channel. It doesn't cost you anything, but it helps YouTube know to suggest this channel to someone else who may need this information, too. And hit the share button so others can learn more about Vinpocetine and how it may help them with their own brain health issues. So stay with me for a few minutes, and I'll tell you more about Vinpocetine. Let's get started. [Music]
Vinpocetine, or periwinkle extract, is a semisynthetic derivative of vincamine, an alkaloid derived from the Lesser Periwinkle plant, or Vinca minor. Vinpocetine was first isolated from the Periwinkle plant in 1975 by chemist Saba Sante. A Hungarian pharmaceutical company, Gideon Richter, began manufacturing Vinpocetine in 1978. Vinpocetine continues to be one of the company's top-selling drugs worldwide. No wonder why Vinpocetine is used as a prescription drug in Japan, Europe, Mexico, and Russia for the treatment of cognitive and cerebrovascular disorders. And in the USA and Canada, Vinpocetine used to be sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, but here in the USA, the FDA chose to ban this amazing nootropic because one of the pharmaceutical companies wants to make a drug out of it. But I'll tell you how you can still find Vinpocetine here in the USA later in this video.
As a nootropic, Vinpocetine is used primarily to increase cerebral blood flow. Other uses include using Vinpocetine for the prevention of motion sickness, menopause symptoms, chronic fatigue syndrome, seizure disorders, hearing and eye disorders, and even as a topical application to increase female sexual response. In this video, we'll investigate Vinpocetine's value as a nootropic and to optimize cognition. Vinpocetine, also under the brands Cavinton and Intellect, is a unique nootropic supplement derived from the Lesser Periwinkle plant, or Vinca minor. This is a flowering plant that's native to central and southern Europe and Turkey. Vinca minor has also grown as ground cover in the United States.
Since it was first released in 1978, Vinpocetine has earned a well-deserved reputation within the nootropics community for optimizing cognitive health, primarily by boosting cerebral blood flow. But to understand how and why Vinpocetine boosts cognition and protects your brain, you need to dive a little bit into how blood flows in your brain. An optimized adult brain gets about 1/7th of your heart's output of blood every minute. Your brain needs this blood flow for a constant supply of glucose, oxygen, and other nutrients to keep it functioning properly. Unlike other organs and muscles in your body, your brain cannot stand any interruption in this steady flow of blood. Two carotid arteries in the sides of your neck send blood to the front and top of your brain. Arteries in your vertebrae, or in your spine, join with the carotid arteries at the base of your brain to form the Circle of Willis. The Circle of Willis is critical because it is the only area of your body where all four major blood vessels join, allowing blood to be sent to areas where it is needed, even if one of the major blood vessels becomes blocked. Now we'll take a look at how things go bad later in this video.
The good news is that Vinpocetine can have a profound effect on maintaining and repairing your brain's blood vessels, cerebral blood flowing through the Circle of Willis and to the individual brain cells. Vinpocetine not only helps increase cerebral blood flow, it also works as a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in your brain. Vinpocetine boosts brain health and function in several ways, but two in particular stand out. First, Vinpocetine boosts cerebral circulation. Your brain only accounts for about 2% of your body weight, but it consumes about 20% of your oxygen and nutrients circulating in your blood. Now, this is why strong, healthy cerebral blood flow is so critical to your brain health and cognitive performance. Vinpocetine inhibits an enzyme called PDE1 while reducing calcium levels in brain cells. When both of these are elevated, the smooth muscle and blood vessels contract, narrowing the diameter of blood vessels and restricting blood flow to that area of the brain. Now, you may be familiar with PDE5 inhibitors like Viagra, which work to dilate blood vessels and maintain healthy blood flow to your penis. Vinpocetine has a similar mechanism of action in your brain.
In two separate clinical studies, chronic ischemic post-stroke patients were treated with either a single infusion or daily infusion of Vinpocetine for two weeks. Vinpocetine increased cerebral glucose uptake and glucose metabolism in both the stroke region of the patients' brains as well as the intact brain tissue. Patients in the two-week-long treatment also showed increased cerebral blood flow, especially in the thalamus, basal ganglia, and visual cortex regions of the brain. And the second way Vinpocetine works in your brain is it's anti-inflammatory. Vinpocetine prevents the upregulation of, and this is a long one, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells by TNFα, or tumor necrosis factor alpha. This sounds a little complicated but has serious implications in the development of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. And here's how it works: NFκB is a protein complex that controls transcription of DNA, cyto production, or signaling proteins and cell survival. Tumor necrosis factor α, or TNFα, is a signaling protein, or cytokine, involved in inflammation produced by neurons. Vinpocetine inhibits this action. Vinpocetine also reduces the tumor necrosis factor α-induced expression of microRNA of pro-inflammatory molecules like interleukin-1 beta, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. Researchers have found that Vinpocetine prevents this inflammatory response at the cellular nucleus level, and this mechanism of action is independent of Vinpocetine's action on PDE1. Now, this is a very big deal because tumor necrosis factor α contributes to the neuronal cell death found in Parkinson's disease, and there is growing evidence that the accumulation of amyloid-beta protein leads to an upregulation of interleukins and tumor necrosis factor α that contributes to neurodegeneration leading to Parkinson's disease. Scientists are now working on trying to determine if Vinpocetine can reduce inflammation in the brain and help protect the brain from developing Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
Poor cerebral blood flow, inflammation, and free radicals, or oxidative stress, can damage your brain, and one of the ways this manifests is memory loss. If it's left unchecked, it can develop into serious neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Cognitive function declines, inflammation kills brain cells from the inside, free radicals destroy neurons and synapses, anxiety, depression, and moodiness increase, and concentration and memory decline. Poor cerebral circulation causes a domino effect in the brain, affecting many critical processes. Memory, cognition, and decision-making all suffer as a result.
Vinpocetine is one of the most researched nootropics on the planet. It was introduced to clinical practice in Hungary in 1978 for the treatment of cerebrovascular, or brain blood flow, disorders and related symptoms. And since then, Vinpocetine has become a reference compound in pharmacological research: cognitive deficits caused by hypoxia, or oxygen deficiency, ischemia, or inadequate blood supply, and research into cyclic nucleotides like cAMP and cGMP. Vinpocetine's mechanism of action in the brain includes increasing brain blood circulation and oxygen utilization, increased tolerance for hypoxia and ischemia, anti-convulsive activity, inhibiting the PDE1 enzyme, increasing the pliability of red blood cells, inhibiting the aggregation of platelets, or blood clots. Hundreds of studies in animals and humans have shown Vinpocetine can repair and reverse the effects of damage caused by strokes. Vinpocetine can prevent the inflammation and damage by free radicals that can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Vinpocetine can improve glucose and oxygen supply to critical brain cells through increased blood flow, improving cognition, concentration, mental agility, anxiety, depression, and memory.
You should be able to feel the effects of Vinpocetine within an hour of taking it. Neurohackers report that Vinpocetine reduces brain fog and mental fatigue. Most experience improved focus, memory, and even an improved sense of well-being. Vinpocetine's effect on short-term, working, and long-term memory can be profound. Remembering names, numbers, and life events becomes easier at work or in school. Vinpocetine can assist in learning and helping your brain commit to memory. You should feel a significant difference in your ability to focus at work. And like any nootropic, Vinpocetine is not going to turn back your clock 30 or 40 years, but it will help to keep your brain functioning more smoothly.
Twelve healthy female volunteers were treated with 40 milligrams of Vinpocetine three times a day, or a placebo, for two days. In this randomized, double-blind, crossover study, on day three of the study and one hour following the morning dosage of Vinpocetine, the women completed a battery of psychological tests. The study found that those who used Vinpocetine had a significant improvement in memory when compared to placebo. If you've been having problems with long-term memory lately, this study is for you. Researchers produced a medial septal lesion on rats in the lab. The medial septal nuclei are an area of your brain that's composed of medium-sized neurons. These neurons receive signals from different areas of your brain, including your hippocampus. A lesion cuts off communication with an important memory formation area of your brain. The effect of Vinpocetine in this study was on the hippocampus function and long-term potentiation pathway. The scientists found that damage in this area of the brain negatively affects long-term potentiation. The rats were given either paracetamol, Vinpocetine, or hydralazine one hour after the lesion and once a day for 6 days after the operation. The study found that all of the drugs used in this study produced complete restoration of long-term potentiation and shows that Vinpocetine is one of the most effective and least expensive ways to restore long-term potentiation and long-term memory formation.
A placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial was conducted at the University of Surrey with 203 dementia patients using Vinpocetine. Patients received either 10 milligrams of Vinpocetine three times a day, 20 milligrams of Vinpocetine three times a day, or a placebo three times a day for 16 weeks. The patients were assessed on cognitive performance and measures of quality of life, including depression. Both Vinpocetine groups experienced a significantly improved cognitive performance score compared to placebo. The study concluded that Vinpocetine was useful in the management of patients with symptoms of dementia, and there was no statistical difference in cognitive scores with the 10-milligram or 20-milligram doses of Vinpocetine.
Vinpocetine has a reputation among neurohackers and in clinical trials for safety at recommended doses. The recommended dosage for Vinpocetine is 10 milligrams taken three times per day with food or a healthy fat or oil. Vinpocetine seems to be more effective when taken with a meal or a high-quality fat like unrefined coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. You can safely dose up to 60 milligrams of Vinpocetine per day total, but clinical studies and user experience nearly always report that higher doses provide no additional benefit, so don't even bother. Vinpocetine is well-tolerated and safe for use by most people, but if you're particularly sensitive to supplements and drugs, try a starting dose of 5 milligrams of Vinpocetine and see how your body reacts. If you're dealing with low blood pressure, you should avoid using Vinpocetine. This nootropic affects blood flow not only in your brain but throughout your entire system. If you take Vinpocetine and you feel lightheaded or dizzy, it could be a sign that your blood pressure is too low. Vinpocetine affects clotting factors in your blood and may decrease red blood cell platelet aggregation, so if you're using blood thinners or high doses of aspirin, you should avoid using Vinpocetine. Stop taking Vinpocetine at least 2 weeks before surgery because of its effect on blood thinning and flow.
Vinpocetine usually comes in 5, 10, and 20 milligram tablets. Many countries around the world require a prescription to purchase Vinpocetine. In the USA, the FDA recently added Vinpocetine to its dietary supplement ingredient advisory list. The FDA says that this list is intended to quickly alert the public when the FDA identifies ingredients that do not appear to be lawfully included in products marketed as dietary supplements. In this instance, Vinpocetine was put on the FDA's list at the request of a major pharmaceutical company who intended to make and market it as a prescription drug—no surprise there—which means that you can no longer buy Vinpocetine from vendors such as Amazon or Bulk Supplements. I use and recommend Life Extension Vinpocetine, who still sell Vinpocetine. I'll provide a link to that down in the notes section of this video.
So that's my report on Vinpocetine. If you want to see links to the studies I talked about, go to my website, NeuroTropicsExpert, and search for Vinpocetine, or click on the link down in the notes section below this video. Once you're at my website, NeuroTropicsExpert, you'll find a full transcript for this video. You'll, and while you're there, you'll also find dozens and dozens of articles on all the well-known nootropics over on NeuroTropicsExpert. And if you haven't already, download your free copy of Secrets of the Optimized Brain. It's nearly 100 pages and contains details on 92 of the most popular nootropics used today. And my four-time award-winning book, the second edition of Head First: The Complete Guide to Healing and Optimizing Your Brain with Nootropic Supplements, is available. Head First, the second edition, is 962 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, or for iPad or Kindle. You can get your copy at any major book seller, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, B&B Press, Apple Books, Walmart, and others, likely Chapters up in Canada. You will find a link to these stores down below in the notes section of this video. And did I mention that Head First won four awards? You really need to get a copy if you haven't already. Head First is available worldwide now.
If you're feeling frustrated and you're having trouble trying to figure out which nootropics are best for you, maybe you could use some professional help. Consider booking a personal consultation with me. You'll find a link to my calendar down below in the notes section of this video. Be happy to work with you, just let me know. And if you want to see more videos on all the best nootropics used today, subscribe to this channel before you leave. I'll be putting up new videos on nootropics and optimizing your brain every week. And thank you for watching. I'm David Tomman, author of NeuroTropicsExpert.