In this Mind Lab Pro review I’ll discuss the pros and cons that I’ve encountered using this premium nootropic / brain supplement. You’re probably wondering, “Is it really worth the money?” or “Can’t I get something similar elsewhere?” Well, it costs around $65 and for good reason.
Grand Chess Master Nigel Short fully endorses this product. He is the youngest international master, at the age of 14, breaking Bobby Fischer’s record.
Let’s first take a look at the ingredients and see what you get.
11 Ingredients backed by scientific studies
If you have read my article covering all of the best brain supplements, then you know that Mind Lab Pro has most of the powerful ingredients. The only ingredient I wish it had is ginkgo biloba, but the other 11 ingredients make up for it.
Not only that, but the ingredients are extremely high quality, NOT synthetic, when compared to some “good” brands out there. For example, instead of the cheap cynocobalamin, they use methylcobalamin which is more bio available and less toxic.
I highly encourage you to look at the detailed list of the ingredients with further studies and explanations.
Below is comparison table of the quality ingredients Mind Lab Pro contains versus the generic / cheap forms of ingredients that most other brands use. You can tell that they really took the time to carefully research and provide the best/ natural ingredients for this product.
| Plain Form VS | Mind Lab Pro Upgrade | Mind Lab Pro Advantages |
|---|---|---|
| Choline | Cognizin® Citicoline | Patented, dynamic choline form backed by several human clinical trials; a global leader in citicoline research and innovation. |
| Phosphatidylserine PS | Sharp-PS® Green | Sunflower-derived PS that is soy-free, allergen-free, non-GMO and eco-friendly. |
| Lion’s Mane Mushroom | Full Spectrum Lion’s Mane Mushroom Extract | Guaranteed supply of hericenones & erinacines, the mushroom’s active nootropic compounds for brain regeneration support. |
| Bacopa Monnieri powder | Bacopa monnieri standardized to 45% bacosides | Greater nootropic activity; supplies higher levels of Bacopa’s active compounds for memory, learning, and anti-stress. |
| Pterostilbene | Pterocarpus extract 90% | Botanical in origin; 90% pure. Many other pterostilbene forms on the market are made from synthetics. |
| Tyrosine | N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine (NALT) | Preferred form for brain health; greater potency and better bioavailability |
| L-Theanine | Suntheanine® | Patented, 100% pure L-isomer-theanine shown to boost Alpha brainwaves in human clinical research. |
| Rhodiola Rosea powder | Rhodiola Rosea standardized to 3% rosavins and 1% salidrosides | Stronger potency; guaranteed levels of Rhodiola root’s active nootropics for stress management & mental strength |
| Vinpocetine | Premium-grade nootropic | Lab-synthesized from top-quality Vinca minor plants and calibrated for purity & potency |
| Vitamin B6 as Pyridoxine HCl | Vitamin B6 as P-5-P | Absorbable, activated P-5-P is the coenzyme form of B6 that supports brain chemical synthesis more directly and effectively than Pyridoxine B6 |
| Vitamin B12 as Cyanocobalamin | Vitamin B12 as Methylcobalamin | Potent, metabolically active form of B12 that is easier for the body to absorb and utilize |
What is it designed to do? And What Should I expect?
Mind Lab Pro is designed to improve overall brain performance with natural herbs & botanicals found in nature. Each 11 of the ingredients were carefully chosen to improve the areas of processing speed, critical thinking, creativity, focus, and memory. You should notice some of these areas working better within a couple days to a week of use. Some areas you will notice immediate effects while other areas will take longer to notice over the 30 days that you take it.
Now remember that everybody is different. What doesn’t work for someone might work for you and visa versa. For healthy brain function, I believe that it’s critical to take care of vitamin and mineral deficiencies first while eating a clean diet versus eating like crap and taking one of these supplements to try and make up for it. With that said, taking a brain supplement like Mind Lab Pro can really increase your brain’s performance.
My Experience & Observations
Intense Focus (when paired with caffeine) – You can really tell the difference between regular caffeine and Mind Lab Pro when it’s paired with caffeine (via pill, coffee, or tea). It was a bit similar to Adderall (not exactly, maybe a step below) but was a couple steps better than just using caffeine. We all know that caffeine can help you focus, however, this made you feel like you had better focus and overall brain support: focus, thoughts, mood, speed, critical thinking, and creativity. It felt like my mind was well oiled and efficiently thinking versus what I felt while taking regular caffeine. There’s been times where I take caffeine and feel focused, but I am not as sharp or think as fast. I would stick to the recommended dose of 2 pills per serving. Don’t take more than 3 pills at a time. I induced a headache by doing so and I attribute this to the Vinpocetine that is in it. Vinpocetine is known to induce headaches in some people if you have too much.
Heightened sense of Feeling – This was the first thing I noticed when I took this on an empty stomach with hot water. I wasn’t able to replicate the exact same effect when taken with food, however, it felt like my entire skin (especially arms and face) had twice the amount of feeling in them.
Increase in Overall MOOD & Optimism – This would have to be one of the biggest areas I noticed improvements in, maybe more so than overall cognitive performance. I felt a ton more optimistic about the projects I was working on which allowed me to feel way more motivated than usual. See the next point.
Increased Confidence – HELPS anxiety and Worrying – Piggy backing off of my above statement with mood, I really felt more confident in the sense that I had less questions and self doubts running through my mind trying to deter me; no more analysis paralysis either. I noticed that I wasn’t scared to make a mistake, especially ones that I shouldn’t be worried about.
Flow – Better Multitasking & Easier to Shift Focus: I felt that I was able to shift my focus effortlessly from one task to another. For me, I know that shifting from task to task is a huge time waster an
Better Recall from Memory – I didn’t notice memory improvements until after the first week of using this. Memory is a tricky area to measure improvement. It usually isn’t something that you notice instantly. After about a couple days to a week of using this, I noticed that my memory was sharper, and I was able to recall things better while learning and reading material.
Speech is more fluid – Another benefit was being able to effortlessly recall from your memory the things that you already know. Have you ever been in conversations and you forget common words that are on the tip of your tongue?
Longer attention span – I was able to focus on items I didn’t want to do or have troubles focusing on.
No Crash – Sustained affect – I feel that these ingredients in the pills really support the effects of caffeine from making you get the jitters or having a caffeine crash.
What’s inside the Pill?
Quality Powder – Breaking open the capsules, the powder is fine, fluffy, and well mixed. You can tell that it is fresh and it feels high quality.
Other Pros
- Caffeine Free: You might think being caffeine free is a negative thing. This actually was a smart move by the formulator because he understands that many people drink coffee or tea already, so this doesn’t add to your caffeine intake.
- Vegan / GMO Free / Gluten Free
- Premium Ingredients – Quality Quality Quality – One of the most important aspects I looked at when writing this Mind Lab Pro review.
- No After Taste or unpleasant burps
- Capsules are PACKED tightly
- No Fillers
Next up in this Mind Lab Pro review, I’ll discuss the cons I found.
Cons
A little bit expensive – This is a little bit expensive at $65, check out the pricing here. One of the reasons why it’s expensive is because they have chosen the best forms of ingredients to give you the maximum effect unlike other cheaper products out there.
Some Headaches IF you take more than the recommended dose – It is my belief that the headaches are due to too much vinpocetine. I usually get headaches if I take more than 15 – 20 mg. Not everyone is effected the same way though and have different tolerances. This doesn’t happen all the time, but find that drinking lots of water with this supplement helps.
Best Way to Take it – My Experiments & Results
Like most things I try out, I was trying to experiment with the different parameters to increase the overall effectiveness of the pills. Here are some of my experiments.
Control – Recommended Method to Take: 2 Capsules with Food
With Yerba Mate + Butter + MCT Oil + : Result: Best combination – I found that pairing Yerba Mate with Mind Lab Pro has been the best combination. I make my Yerba Mate this way, with Grass fed butter and Coconut oil. This provides necessary medium and short chain fats that the brain and body use. I usually drink this on an empty stomach.
Empty Stomach + Hot Water: Result: Good & Bad – I felt the most impact when taking this on an empty stomach with hot water. I felt completely optimistic but after a couple hours later I was extremely moody and not talkative.
Food + Black Pepper + B Vitamins – Result: Slightly Better – I have a MTHFR gene mutation that affects overall mood and focus. In order to fix the effects the mutation causes, supplementing with the right form of B vitamins is a must. Black pepper is known for increasing nutrient absorption. A good example of this is curcumin and bioperine, which is black pepper extract.
With Coffee – Result: Slightly Better – With coffee, I had better focus when compared to the recommended method of taking the pills. However,it wasn’t as good as with Yerba Mate as discussed above.
Empty Stomach + Butter/ Coconut Oil – Result: Same – I took roughly a tablespoon of grass fed butter (Kerrygold) and tablespoon of coconut oil. This combination had about the same results when compared to the recommended method of taking them (control).
3 Capsules at a time – Result: Bad – Remember that the recommended dose is 2 capsules. After taking 3, I got a headache and could not focus at all. This is most likely due to the Vinpocetine. I’ve taken this separately before and it has caused headaches when I take too much, so be careful.
4 Capsules at a time- Result: Not tested yet – Haven’t ran this experiment yet for my Mind Lab Pro review…. Assuming I will get a headache. I’ll add this next week when I try it out.
Questions You might be thinking…
Is there a load time or wait time to see effects?
Yes and No. You will see some benefits such as a better mood immediately but should feel most of the benefits with using this for 1 to 2 weeks.
Are there any withdrawals?
Nope, there are no withdrawals that I’ve experienced!
Mind Lab Pro Review Conclusion
I feel that this supplement is a solid buy if you want to increase your mental focus and brain power naturally. I’ve experienced nothing but positive things. If you are tired of caffeine pills and other things, but don’t necessarily want to go the adderall/ prescription route, then you should definitely try this out.
Anyways, I hope my Mind Lab Pro review has helped you figure out if it is a good fit for you. If you have tried this supplement out, please let me know how your experience was in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
