I started reading about supplements designed to improve brain performance after hearing Joe Rogan, the American Comedian and MMA Commentator, talking about them on his podcast. He makes the valid point that taking care of nutrition has this ring of “not cool” about it. Even writing the sentence “designed to improve brain performance” makes me cringe somewhat.
The Polish pharmaceutical market is subject to the same European Union regulatory framework as the UK market is. Despite this, I see a lot of highly interesting looking adverts on TV (it’s an iron law that 1 in ever 2 adverts will be a pharmaceutical product aimed at women) with various dubious claims in them. Diet loss tea, for god’s sake!
My rule of thumb is never trust any pharmaceutical product where the advert shows arrows moving through your body towards the derriere.
But a friend mentioned that such a brain-enhancing product exists in Poland already. It’s called Pamicon and costs 15 – 18 zinzillas for a packet of thirty. The active ingredients are extract of żen-śen, leaf of the yerba mate plant (a popular drink in Poland) and leaf of something called wyciąg z liści bacopa monnieri.
After two months of taking the supplement, I have observed differences. I concentrate at work for longer, I seem to have a sharper reaction to problem-solving. I drink less caffeine (the żen-śen apparently acts as a stimulant) and have vivid, but not lucid, dreams (the last one involving pulling my own eyeballs out, putting them on a plate then being unable to put them back in).
Being honest I seem to be dribbling in my sleep a lot more recently as well.
So, where am I going with this? Well, I can’t be certain of any particular effect, but it does seem like it’s subtly working, even as a placebo. Poles writing online seem to vary in opinion, but I would be interested in hearing if any readers are also bigging up their grey matter in a similar way. Why not try Pamicon and let me know what you think?
And does such a product exist in the UK?
I used to take Bilobil advertised to improve memory, but after a while I kept forgetting to take it. So I guess it doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteI'm unwilling to try anything where the reviewer cites dribbling and dreams involving eye removal as side effects.
ReplyDeleteHow much beer are you drinking now? Often I notice when I go on a health binge - I drink less beer - my doctor reckons almost all of my feel good factor comes from this - nothing else.
I carry a small notepad with me wherever I go. It has the same effect.
ReplyDeleteI also have a wife who constantly reminds me. About everything.