Top 4 Uses Of Huperzine A

Huperzine A is a powerful and potent Nootropic. It is classed as a ‘cholinergic’ compound because it affects the levels of choline and acetylcholine in your brain. By preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, Huperzine A has the potential to powerfully increase your cognitive performance and memory. Most people use Huperzine A for focus and studying. The great Nootropic effects of Huperzine A make it applicable to anybody looking for a boost in cognition. Huperzine A is also often used in combination with other Nootropics, as a stack. In this article, we explore the top four uses of Huperzine A. [caption id=""attachment_1171"" align=""aligncenter"" width=""640""] Many people use huperzine A for studying and improving focus[/caption]

1.    Huperzine A for studying and focus

Many students and professionals use Huperzine A to improve their focus and help with studying. Huperzine A helps to maintain good levels of acetylcholine.[1] Acetylcholine is known as the ‘learning transmitter’ and is vital for strong cognitive function. Acetylcholine helps to allow signals to pass between neurons in your brain and is super important in learning and remembering. This is why so many people love huperzine A – it may have the potential to help boost your cognitive performance!  

2.    Maintaining healthy brain function

A number of studies have indicated that huperzine A may be beneficial in maintaining a healthy brain.[2] Animal models, and stage IV clinical trials in China have pointed to the potential of Huperzine A to protect neurons from damage.[3] This is a great potential benefit of using Huperzine A for Nootropic effects, and one that is often overlooked. If you love using Huperzine A or Huperzine A stacks, you may be benefitting not only from the Nootropic effects but also from Huperzine A’s potential neuroprotective benefits.  

3.    Maintaining a healthy mood

Many people use Huperzine A for improving their mood, and maintaining a healthy state of wellbeing. There are a number of user reports about Huperzine A improving mood: [caption id=""attachment_1113"" align=""alignright"" width=""300""] Liftmode's Huperzine A 1%[/caption] “I can feel the effects within an hour of a 100-200mcg dose, which I take every two or three days depending on my activities. It makes me feel much like Ben-Aus, alert and able to concentrate, and as such appears to have improved my retention of newly learned material. However, for me, it gives me a substantial mood improvement which may be in part due to an increase in alertness or some sort of choline issue.” – Huperzine A review on LongeCity [4] Although there is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence about using Huperzine A for mood, there is still a need for more studies to confirm this is in healthy people. Studies that have noted increases in mood have mostly been on people who are using Huperzine A but have mild to moderate dementia.[5]  

4.    Huperzine A for bodybuilding and increased energy

Many people also use Huperzine A for bodybuilding or weight lifting. Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter for maintaining muscle tone and smooth muscle contraction.[6] [caption id=""attachment_1172"" align=""aligncenter"" width=""300""] People are using Huperzine A for energy and athletics[/caption] Acetylcholine plays a complex role in smooth muscles but there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of acetylcholine’s ability to improve or affect skeletal muscle (the kind of muscle that bodybuilders try to increase). Huperzine A may be good for bodybuilding and physical activity by stimulating your brain and providing mental energy (from the increase in acetylcholine).  

Conclusion

In conclusion, people use Huperzine A for a number of great benefits. The most studied and significant benefit of Huperzine A is its ability to potentially improve cognitive performance and memory – in other words, it’s a great Nootropic! People also use Huperzine A for improving mood and to help with bodybuilding, but these haven’t been properly studied yet. There is not much evidence supporting using huperzine A for bodybuilding, except possibly to increase mental energy.          

References:

  [1] Comparative studies of huperzine A, donepezil, and rivastigmine on brain acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine levels in freely-moving rats, YQ Liang and XC Tang, Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2006 Sep;27(9):1127-36. [2] New insights into huperzine A for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, HY Zhang, Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2012 Sep; 33(9): 1170–1175, Published online 2012 Sep 3. doi: 10.1038/aps.2012.128 [3] Progress in studies of huperzine A, a natural cholinesterase inhibitor from Chinese herbal medicine, R Wang et al., Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2006 Jan;27(1):1-26. [4] Huperzine A, my experience, User review forum on LongeCity.org, retrieved on September 14, 2016 [5] Treatment with Huperzine A improves cognition in vascular dementia patients, ZQ Xu et al., Cell Biochem Biophys. 2012 Jan;62(1):55-8. doi: 10.1007/s12013-011-9258-5. [6] Action of acetylcholine on smooth muscle, TB Bolton, SP Lim, Z Kardiol. 1991;80 Suppl 7:73-7.