Here we have our BrainMD Focus and Energy review. In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about its ingredients, benefits and potential side effects.
Launched by dr. Daniel Amen, the company BrainMD has enjoyed lots of success over the years. Many people use their supplements with the goal of boosting their cognitive performance and supporting brain health.
Focus and Energy is a caffeine-free formula that can apparently boost your mental sharpness and productivity. It’s also claimed to help with:
- Focus
- Stress support
- Clean energy
BrainMD Focus and Energy uses some well-known adaptogen herbs from the East, including Ashwagandha and Rhodiola Rosea.
So right off the bat, the first impressions are solid. But can this nootropic compete with the current top-rated brain health supplements?
BrainMD Focus and Energy Review At a Glance
If you don’t want to read through our full review, we’ve found BrainMD Focus and Energy to be a good supplement to take for a short while, when you need a quick mental boost.
However, taking it long-term might not be the best idea since it contains a high dose of green tea extract, which is suggested to cause liver damage. It’s also missing a few core ingredients, so it rates a little below what it would get.
Pros
- Great ingredient choices
- Stimulant-free
- Ashwagandha & Rhodiola are among the best herbs for stress
Cons – brainmd focus and energy review
- Green tea extract dosage is too high, which has been linked to liver damage (1)
- Uses a cheap form of choline bitartrate, and the dose is too low
The 3 Best Brain Health Supplements
We’ve picked the top three nootropic stacks that are available to you right now for focus, mental energy, and cognitive support.
Benefits in brainmd focus and energy review
BrainMD Focus and Energy is all about supporting your body’s natural energy levels with caffeine-free ingredients.
The manufacturer of this product wanted you to be able to take it as a clean and smarter ‘pick me up’ that won’t lead to energy crash that you’d usually experience from stimulants.
The BrainMD Focus and Energy formula is built upon various herbs and adaptogens that the manufacturer claims will help “protect against the effects of stress.”
Here are a few other benefits that the marketing material on the official website claims:
- Enhances concentration
- Supports positive mood and promotes restful sleep
- Natural, smooth energy
Of course, this is all great, but we’ll need to check the actual ingredients before making any conclusions. It’s always nice to see what the manufacturer has to say about their product.
But at the end of the day, everyone will tooth their own horn, so we need to take an objective look at the ingredient formula to be able to tell whether the supplement works or not.
We’ve also reviewed these BrainMD products: BrainMD Serotonin Mood Support
BrainMD Focus and Energy Ingredients
BrainMD Focus and Energy has 5 ingredients. Most of them are great, but we do have a few complaints.
First one is that Green tea extract is dosed too high, which can lead to side effects. Another issue is that Sensoril Ashwagandha might be too calming for some users, which is kind of ironic given that this product is called “Focus and Energy”.
Other than that though, we haven’t seen any problems with this product. It doesn’t have a proprietary blend which means you’ll be able to see the ingredient doses on the label clearly – props to the manufacturer for being transparent!
Here’s a closer look at the ingredients:
Decaf Green Tea Extract (600mg)
It’s a multi-benefit ingredient that helps with everything from weight loss to cognitive function. However, according to WebMD, a dosage this high might cause side effects such as liver strain. Especially if you take it long-term. (1)
Sensoril Ashwagandha (250mg)
This is an Adaptogen that makes your body better at dealing with stress. Sensoril Ashwagandha is more calming than other patented forms of Ashwagandha, such as KSM-66.
While this isn’t a bad thing per se, we’d prefer to see KSM-66 here because it’s better suited for a supplement called “focus and energy”.
Rhodiola Rosea Extract (200mg)
Now, this is a fantastic ingredient. We have no complaints here. It’s one of our favorite choices for a supplement of this kind, and is generously dosed too!
Choline Bitartrate (55mg)
Choline is an essential nutrient that your brain needs for conducting repairs and for energy metabolism.
However, choline bitartrate is one of the worst forms of choline because very little of it can go through your blood-brain barrier. Which means, it doesn’t work here, and the dosage is far too low as well. (2)
Panax Ginseng Extract (200mg)
This is also known as ‘True Ginseng,’ an ingredient that has lots of studies showing it helps with mood and cognitive function. It might also support your testosterone production, which is kind of a nice bonus side-effect!
Anything Missing?
Although the BrainMD Focus and Energy formula is quite good, it’s missing a few of the best brain-boosting ingredients. Including:
- Citicoline – This is a form of choline that can easily pass through your blood brain barrier and boost mental energy. (3)
- Maritime Pine Bark Extract – Promotes cerebral blood flow for peak focus and concentration. (4)
- L-Tyrosine – A natural amino acid that enhances dopamine production in your brain, and as a result, it helps you be mentally sharper and more focused under stress. (5)
-See This Year’s Top Rated Brain Health Supplements-
How to Take (Dosage Instructions)
The official website recommends taking 4 capsules of BrainMD Focus and Energy daily with meals, or as recommended by your doctor.
Interestingly, the manufacturer of this product also recommends avoiding taking it in late afternoon or evening. Even though it’s stimulant-free, it might keep you awake as some of the ingredients are a bit stimulatory(ish).
Side Effects – brainmd focus and energy review
As we’ve said, BrainMD Focus and Energy can potentially lead to long-term side effects due to the high dosage of green tea extract.
Drinking more than 8 cups of green tea per day, or taking green tea extracts for prolonged periods of time has been shown to cause liver damage.
Make sure to consult with your doctor before taking a new supplement, especially if you have any kind of medical condition!
Customer Reviews
With 60 ratings on Amazon, BrainMD Focus and Energy has an average score of 4/5. While many users said they ‘felt’ something working, others said how they couldn’t tell the difference.
One user said that they love how this product gave them energy “without feeling nervous.” Another customer reported feeling “a bit jittery when taking these.” Apparently it didn’t give them the mental focus as suggested.
Price & Value For Money for brainmd focus and energy review
Depending on where you buy BrainMD Focus and Energy, it costs around $40 for one bottle that lasts a month.
If you ignore the potential side effects of the green tea extract, we feel that this is a decent value for money; at least for short-term supplementation. If you’re looking for safer long-term benefits, we suggest doing more research.
You can see the review of our #1 rated product here.
BrainMD Focus and Energy Review Conclusion
So that brings us to the end of this BrainMD Focus and Energy review. On the whole, it’s a solid product. It has 5 ingredients, most of which are good, but there are a few concerns.
The biggest one is that the green tea extract is too heavily dosed which comes at the cost of potential side effects. Another issue is that choline is dosed too low, and it comes in the least effective form – choline bitartrate.
On the bright side, this supplement contains Ashwagandha & Rhodiola Rosea which are helpful for stress. It also uses Panax Ginseng which is a solid ingredient in its own right.
For us, this is a good choice if you’re looking for a short-term solution. But for long-range support, there are better options available right now!
The 3 Best Brain Health Supplements
We’ve picked the top three nootropic stacks that are available to you right now for cognitive support.
Brainmd focus and energy review References
- Green Tea; WebMD. (source)
- Choline. (source)
- Citicoline: pharmacological and clinical review, 2006 update. (source)
- A review of the French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol), a herbal medication with a diverse clinical pharmacology. (source)
- Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands–A review. (source)