Quick Verdict
Despite being two different types of supplements, Alpha Brain and Genius Mushrooms have the same overarching goal of naturally boosting brain power. Genius Mushrooms, as the name suggests, harnesses the power of three medicinal mushrooms and largely delivers on its promises while also being affordable.
Alpha Brain failed to impress me and did little to improve my brain function, which is why I usually recommend people avoid it.
If mushrooms are not your thing or you want a comprehensive nootropic formula, Noocube is an excellent non-stimulant product that is effective while remaining in the lower price segment.
| Feature | Winner |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Alpha Brain |
| Dosage | Genius Mushrooms |
| Short-Term Effects | Genius Mushrooms |
| Long Term Effects | Genius Mushrooms |
| Third-Party Testing | Draw |
| Clinical Research | Alpha Brain |
| Side Effects | Draw |
| User Reviews | Alpha Brain |
| Price | Genius Mushrooms |
Winner
I can’t recommend either Alpha Brain or Genius Mushrooms. NooCube is a better nootropic supplement with a solid formulation for non-stimulant brain gains.
What Is Genius Mushrooms?
Genius Mushrooms is a dietary supplement that combines three potent mushroom varieties: Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, and Reishi.
Each of these mushrooms is known for its unique health benefits, contributing to the overall formula designed to enhance mental clarity, energy, and immune support.
The supplement is manufactured by The Genius Brand, a company known for its commitment to using high-quality, natural ingredients backed by scientific research.
Genius Mushrooms is made with organic, non-GMO mushrooms and is free from artificial additives and preservatives, ensuring a clean and pure product.
Whether you’re looking to boost your productivity, maintain a high level of physical performance, or support your body’s natural defenses, Genius Mushrooms presents a versatile option that can fit into various health and wellness routines.
You can read my in-depth Genius Mushrooms review here.
What Is Alpha Brain?
Alpha Brain is a nootropic supplement designed to enhance cognitive function, mental clarity, and overall brain performance. Developed by Onnit, a company well-regarded for its holistic health products, Alpha Brain aims to support memory, focus, and processing speed.
Onnit emphasizes using natural and high-quality ingredients in Alpha Brain, ensuring the product is free from caffeine and other stimulants. This makes it suitable for individuals who want to avoid jittery side effects commonly associated with other cognitive enhancers.
Alpha Brain has gained popularity among a wide range of users, from professionals seeking enhanced productivity to athletes and students looking for a mental edge.
By focusing on improving key aspects of brain function without relying on artificial additives, Alpha Brain presents a reliable option for those aiming to support their cognitive health in a natural and balanced way.
You can read my in-depth Alpha Brain review here.
Genius Mushrooms vs. Alpha Brain Main Differences
Benefits
Both products are designed mainly as nootropics, meaning they aim to enhance mental performance and energy levels. Both use only natural ingredients but take different approaches to achieve this heavily sought-after effect.
Alpha Brain is a comprehensive supplement that improves memory, focus, and cognitive function. The blend comprises several natural compounds, including amino acids, herbs, and plants, that have been shown to promote cognitive performance.
Onnit describes the pill as the “ultimate way to get in the zone” via increasing brainwave activity. Alpha Brain also regulates the amounts of acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter.
Genius Mushrooms desires to promote largely the same effect, which is better energy, mood, clarity of mind, and concentration, but instead of herbs and amino acids, it relies on the power of medicinal mushrooms.
Genius Mushrooms combines three of the most researched and proven effective mushrooms into one blend to improve mental performance. A bonus not typical for regular nootropic formulations like Alpha Brain is the mushroom’s enhanced immune support.
Ingredients
Alpha Brain has an extensive formulation crafted to tackle different aspects of cognitive performance. The blend is stacked with proven nootropic compounds, but the issue here is the absence of clear information about dosages. Instead, they are hidden behind the Onnit Flow, Focus, and Fuel proprietary blends.
These blends prevent us from comparing the included dosages to the existing literature. However, the total weight of the blends still gives us a decent approximation.
Genius Mushrooms has a simpler formulation comprising three medicinal mushrooms—Cordyceps, Reishi, and Lion’s Mane—each present at 500 mg. Let’s see what each component of the two products holds as potential benefits.
Alpha Brain contains L-theanine, an amino acid found in practically every nootropic. It is a potent antioxidant that has been demonstrated to improve stress reduction, verbal fluency, and executive function. [1][2]
The second core nootropic component in Alpha Brain is L-tyrosine, which improves mind flexibility and helps with multitasking [3].
L-tyrosine also shows notable efficacy during challenging situations. However, the dose in Alpha Brain is certainly far from the recommended one.
Next up t is the Ayurvedic herb Bacopa monnieri. The plant has been used separately and in formulations to increase language learning, memory acquisition, and delayed recall by enhancing the activation of brain receptors. [4]
The dose in Alpha Bran is around 100 mg.
Alpha Brain contains approximately 40 mg of Huperzine A, a substance found in both products linked to assisting recovery from brain injuries and enhancing brain function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease [5,6].
Cat’s Claw is a common ingredient in nootropic formulations and is even mentioned as a separate entry rather than part of a blend in Alpha Brain. It has traditionally been used to improve cognitive performance.
Phosphatidylserine is a key component of the Alpha Brain. Daily intake of the substance has been found to improve memory in older persons [7].
The 50 to 100 mg in Alpha Brain may prove beneficial.
The remaining Alpha brain constituents are Pterostilbene, L-Leucine, and Alpha-GPC.
Cordyceps is the first fungi type in Genius Mushrooms. Cordyceps mushrooms improve mental clarity, prevent cognitive decline, promote brain cell growth, and relieve headaches.
They can also reduce inflammation, certain diseases, and the indications of aging, improve heart health, physical performance, athletic endurance, and natural energy levels, enhance testicular function, and cure coughs, diabetes, diarrhea, liver and kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancers [8].
The 500 mg of cordyceps is half the recommended dose, so the positive effects will certainly be delayed until you reach saturation through continued use.
Reishi mushroom extract, long used in traditional Chinese medicine, is now also used in medicines in Japan and Korea. It’s also become a common element in Western nutritional supplements.
Reishi extract is commonly regarded as a natural way to improve brain clarity, immunological function, and energy levels [9].
The Reishi dose is also 500 mg, nearly three times less than the optimal dose, so the effects will not be as pronounced as those proven in studies.
The last mushroom, but the most important one and the only one dosed adequately in the Genius Mushrooms formulation, is Lion’s Mane.
They are also the most well-studied and proven medicinal mushroom species on Earth.
Lion’s mane mushrooms have been shown to improve brain health and function, increase cognitive performance, brain cell growth, and blood supply to brain cells, counteract moderate cognitive impairment and mental decline, and aid attention, focus, and memory [3].
Stimulant vs. Non-Stimulant
Usually, the only stimulant used in natural nootropics and brain-bosting supplements is caffeine, which is absent from both formulations. Caffeine is an incredibly potent brain and body stimulant, but it comes with side effects such as energy crashes and jitteriness.
With these two, there is no danger of experiencing such effects, but on the flip side, the energy boost is much more subtle than caffeine.
Alpha Brain is also offered in ? second version called Black Label, which contains caffeine and a few more components. However, this is a separate product and not the version I tested for this comparison.
Short vs. Long-Term Effects
Experts and regular users agree that non-stimulant nootropics work best when taken consistently. The accumulation of these supplements in the body amplifies their effects on energy, focus, and memory.
To reap the full benefits of nootropics, it is advised that you use them for at least three months.
Medicinal mushrooms work largely in the same way, meaning that you must take them for some time, usually at least a couple of weeks before noticeable effects start to appear. Especially with the sub-optimal doses of Cordyceps and Reishi, Genius Mushroom is more likely to unfold its full potential after two or three months of continuous intake.
Clinical Research
Alpha Brain was the first nootropic company to publish peer-reviewed studies on their product.
After 6 weeks, Alpha Brain was found to significantly improve delayed verbal recall and executive function when compared to a placebo group.
However, the primary flaw in this study is that it was funded by Onnit, which may skew the results in their favor.
Genius mushrooms do not have a full formulation study, but all three included mushrooms have been thoroughly tested. The possible benefits and side effects are well known, and you can read about them in the respective sections of this review.
It’s not certain if combining them has a synergizing effect, but if it is, it’s certainly positive.
Side Effects
Since Alpha Brain utilizes only natural compounds, the chance for side effects is small.
However, with so many ingredients in the mix, some people may feel stomach discomfort, dizziness, or mild headaches.
If you’ve used nootropics previously, you’ll have no trouble with Alpha brain. If this is the first time you try to boost your brain power like this, it’s wise to be vigilant about potential unwanted side effects.
I had no side effects from taking Genius Mushrooms, but you should always exercise caution when trying something new.
One of the possible adverse effects is digestive problems such as nausea, bloating, or diarrhea.
These symptoms may appear if the body is having problems responding to the introduction of mushroom components or if the supplement is taken on an empty stomach.
It is advisable to begin with a smaller dosage and gradually raise it to determine tolerance.
People have reported adverse responses such as skin rashes, itching, and difficulty breathing.
User Reviews
Being supported by Joe Rogan is one of the most successful types of product advertising, which explains why Alpha Brain has roughly 40,000 Amazon ratings and 7,000 on its website.
The score on Amazon is 4.0, whereas on the website, it is 3.5. Some consumers have had disappointing experiences similar to mine, but considering the large number of reviews, the score indicates a high degree of satisfaction among most buyers.
Price
| Nootropic Supplement | 1 Bottle | Subscription | 60 Servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Brain | $69.90 / 45 servings ($1.55 per serving) | $59.41 ($1.32 per serving) | |
| Genius Mushrooms | $21.99 / 30 servings ($0.73 per serving) | $17.59 / 30 servings ($0.59 per serving) | $39.99/ 60 servings ($0.67/serving) |
My Experience With Genius Mushrooms And Alpha Brain
Despite the product’s popularity and celebrity endorsement, I didn’t experience the promised effects of Alpha Brain. As someone juggling way too many things daily, I am always looking to optimize my focus and mental abilities, but Alpha Brain did little to help me.
The underdosed formulation is simply not potent enough to elicit the effect I am searching for. Perhaps the results would be better with a longer intake, but 30 days have not been enough for me to feel it.
Unlike Alpha Brain, Genius Mushrooms works as advertised. After the initial two weeks, I started feeling more focused and dialed in, and I smashed my daily tasks with less effort than usual.
Perhaps the main reason for this is the potent dose of Lion’s Mane, a mushroom I’ve had success with before. However, note that the effects were relatively mild and not groundbreaking. I haven’t turned into a computing machine by simply taking mushrooms.
However, the compounding effect over time is something that can elevate your efforts to new heights.
Should You Choose Genius Mushrooms Or Alpha Brain?
Genius Mushrooms is definitely the more effective supplement, and I have felt the positive effects in terms of better mood, more focus, and more mental energy. Alpha Brain failed to deliver any meaningful results in one month and is twice as expensive, so the choice here easily is Genius Mushrooms.
That said, Alpha Brain contains a lot more ingredients, and if you up the dose or extend the period of intake, the possible benefits may be wider than those of the mushroom mix. But for me, the time and money invested in taking Alpha Brain for months at a time is not worth it.
Instead, my go-to non-stimulant nootropic remains Noocube, which has a well-thought-out formulation that delivers consistent and comprehensive cognitive benefits.
Winner
NooCube Brain Productivity
Non-Stimulant Nootropic For Instant Brain Boost
A better nootropic formulation than Alpha Brain and Genius Mushrooms
CHECK CURRENT DEALS
References
- Hidese, S., Ogawa, S., Ota, M., Ishida, I., Yasukawa, Z., Ozeki, M., & Kunugi, H. (2019). Effects of L-theanine administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrients, 11(10), 2362.
- Williams, J. L., Everett, J. M., D’Cunha, N. M., Sergi, D., Georgousopoulou, E. N., Keegan, R. J., … & Naumovski, N. (2020). The effects of green tea amino acid L-theanine consumption on the ability to manage stress and anxiety levels: A systematic review. Plant foods for human nutrition, 75, 12-23.
- Steenbergen, L., Sellaro, R., Hommel, B., & Colzato, L. S. (2015). Tyrosine promotes cognitive flexibility: evidence from proactive vs. reactive control during task switching performance. Neuropsychologia, 69, 50-55.
- Morgan, A., & Stevens, J. (2010). Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 16(7), 753-759.
- Li, J., Wu, H. M., Zhou, R. L., Liu, G. J., & Dong, B. R. (2008). Huperzine A for Alzheimer’s disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2).
- Mei, Z., Zheng, P., Tan, X., Wang, Y., & Situ, B. (2017). Huperzine A alleviates neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and improves cognitive function after repetitive traumatic brain injury. Metabolic Brain Disease, 32, 1861-1869.
- Kang, E. Y., Cui, F., Kim, H. K., Nawaz, H., Kang, S., Kim, H., … & Go, G. W. (2022). Effect of Phosphatidylserine on cognitive function in the elderly: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 54(1), 52-58.
- Tuli, H. S., Sandhu, S. S., & Sharma, A. K. (2014). Pharmacological and therapeutic potential of Cordyceps with special reference to Cordycepin. 3 Biotech, 4(1), 1-12.
- Benzie, I. F. F., Wachtel-Galor, S., Yuen, J., & Buswell, J. A. (2011). Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi or Reishi). Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects, 49(3), 1137-1153.
- Lai, P. L., Naidu, M., Sabaratnam, V., Wong, K. H., David, R. P., Kuppusamy, U. R., … & Malek, S. N. A. (2013). Neurotrophic properties of the Lion’s mane medicinal mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia. International journal of medicinal mushrooms, 15(6).
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