Onnit Alpha Brain is still one of the most popular nootropic supplements in the world, despite having been on the market for many years. But does it help with anxiety? That is, after all, one of the main benefits that Onnit claim on their website. In this article, we look at the Alpha Brain ingredients list to see if it helps with stress and anxiety.
If you know anything about nootropics, then you have almost definitely heard of Alpha Brain. It was one of the first products to make brain supplements something that everybody could enjoy. Before Alpha Brain, nootropics were largely something that only enthusiasts dabbled with; only the Silicon Valley types, bio-hackers, and people experimenting with performance enhancement even knew nootropics existed.
Today, nootropics are a huge market, with people from all walks of life – programmers, traders, athletes, business executives, researchers, etc – taking brain supplements on a regular basis.
One of the most widely-used nootropics in the world is still Alpha brain, which has been immensely popular since its launch many years ago.
Now, those of you who have read our Alpha Brain review will know that we are not big fans of the stack. But that doesn’t mean people can’t still benefit from using it.
One of the main benefits of Alpha Brain claimed by Onnit is that it reduces anxiety. They say that Alpha Brain reduces stress, promotes a calm, clear mind, and helps suppress the main symptoms of anxiety.
Does Alpha Brain help with anxiety?
Is ti good to use Alpha Brain if you want calm, clear-headed focus?
Let’s take a look at the ingredients and find out!
Alpha Brain for anxiety
Does Alpha Brain really help with anxiety?
The answer, we think, is no.
Despite Onnit’s claims about Alpha Brain being one of the most effective natural nootropics for reducing stress and anxiety, we don’t believe that it is all that effective for stress or anxiety.
If you look at the ingredients in Alpha Brain, you’ll see that there are several supposed anxiolytics in the mix. Onnit claim that these substances can drastically reduce anxiety and help keep you calm and focused on the task at hand. However, the scientific evidence backing up these claims is flimsy, to put it mildly.
For example, Onnit claim that Oat Straw supplementation is a proven method for alleviating symptoms of stress and anxiety. However, we have searched high and low and we are yet to find a single robust, high-quality, conclusive clinical trial that shows oat straw (even as extract) having a meaningful positive effect on anxiety levels.
The only anxiolytic in Alpha Brain is theanine. While theanine is good for helping you get to sleep easier, it doesn’t significantly reduce anxiety levels from baseline. It is more useful when used alongside other, more powerful anxiolytics.
Some people mistakenly claim that Tyrosine is an anti-anxiety treatment. Well, it isn’t. Tyrosine enhances – or rather preserves – cognitive function in stressful situations. People who are sleep deprived, extremely cold, distracted by noises, or placed in a stressful environment all perform better cognitively when consuming Tyrosine. But it does not lower anxiety levels at all. It just makes you better at performing while feeling anxious, stressed, and so on.
So no, Alpha Brain does not help with anxiety.
For reduced anxiety, use a proper, tried and tested anxiolytic like Rhodiola rosea or Ashwagandha.
Learn more: