Genius Consciousness
Positives
- Great ingredient selection
- Big serving sizes in right places
- Uses Lion's Mane Mushroom
Negatives
- Must be cycled regularly
- Contains several different stimulants
- One stimulant totally unproven!
Genius Consciousness Review Summary
Genius Consciousness is a very powerful nootropic supplement. The Genius Brand have a serious reputation, and after doing a thorough review of Consciousness, it’s pretty obvious why. It contains a range of proven, effective brain boosters, and the doses are very generous across the board.
The only real issue we have with Genius Consciousness is the side effect risks. It contains multiple stimulants which means it is probably not suitable for long-term daily use. It is also possibly unsuitable for those of you who are sensitive to stimulants. It also contains Huperzine A, which means you need to cycle the product each month! That’s a serious flaw in our opinion. It doesn’t make it a bad stack, but for us it does spoil an otherwise potent daily nootropic.
All-in-all, Genius Consciousness is a good quality short-term focus booster. We don’t think it is a very good choice for a long-term, daily brain supplement though. It will deliver good benefits for a lot of users, but better products are out there, no doubt about it.
Where To Buy Genius Consciousness
We urge you to buy Genius Consciousness direct from the manufacturer whenever you can.
Full Genius Consciousness Review
The Genius Brand have risen from an obscure supplement manufacturer to one of the biggest names in the industry in as little as 5 years. They started off with one or two very niche products, but at the time of writing they offer a wide range of popular fitness and performance supplements: pre-workouts, sleep aids, and of course, nootropics.
Genius Consciousness is The Genius Brand’s only full spectrum, daily nootropic.
Most of their products have a nootropic edge to them. But this is the only one that aims for comprehensive cognitive enhancement alone.
But what is Genius Consciousness supposed to do exactly?
Why should you consider using it?
How is it any different to other nootropics on the market today?
Genius Consciousness is described as a “super nootropic awakening formula”. The bottle states that it uses “biohack technology” to deliver enhanced mental performance. It also lists some central benefits:
- Better concentration
- Working memory support
- Brain health support
That’s a good split of benefits to aim for. If you can enhance concentration in the short term, support memory function, and keep your brain healthy in the long-run, then you’re doing better than 99% of people.
The Genius Consciousness banner ads are a bit more vague about what this supplement can do:
Sounds good to us.
Nootropic supplementation can make you feel like you’re cognitive function has been taken up a notch. Whether this manifests itself in “deeper” thought, more creative output, or feeling like your thoughts are “free” depends on what you dedicate your brain power to!
Regardless of what it is that your aiming for, it looks like Genius Consciousness might be able to help. Whether it’s memory, focus, or processing power, this product claims to have you covered.
The question is, does it ACTUALLY work?
How much of this is true and how much is just marketing hype?
Does the Genius Consciousness formula deliver on these promises?
Is it safe?
Can it compete with the best nootropic stacks on the market right now? Is there a better option for enhancing memory, focus and brain health?
Find out by reading our full Genius Consciousness review below. We take a look at the formula, seeing which ingredients work and which don’t. We look at doses, potential side effects, and how the stack works as a whole. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments!
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Genius Consciousness Ingredients
Check out the Genius Consciousness formula:
That is a very interesting formula.
There’s a lot of good ingredients in here. Right away, there are a few things that jump out at us as real strengths.
The serving sizes look good.
The Genius Brand also seem to have got the balance right between memory booster, focus enhancers, and long-term cognition support.
However, we also spot a number of things we would definitely change.
There are a few different stimulants in here.
We don’t like daily stacks that contain stimulants anyway. But when they do, we’d always rather they just used the best one (caffeine anhydrous) and dosed it properly instead of limping in with a bunch of different substances.
There are some ingredients in here with limited potential for improving mental performance.
Finally, we don’t like the fact that you need to cycle Genius Consciousness.
Despite these flaws though, we think this looks like a great nootropic stack. Users will experience benefits, no doubt.
Let’s go through these points in more detail.
What We Like – Great Range Of Ingredients
There are some superb natural nootropic substances in Genius Consciousness. The doses are very good in most places too. Together, they can deliver real cognitive enhancements without causing the side effects associated with synthetic brain drugs.
For example, a half-scoop of Genius Consciousness provides 300mg of Alpha-GPC.
Alpha-GPC is one of the best substances to use if you want to quickly increase focus, concentration span, and processing power.
It confers choline to the brain, which uses it to make acetylcholine. This is the ‘learning’ neurotransmitter. It is heavily involved in multiple cognitive functions. More acetylcholine means more raw brain power.
Just taking choline isn’t a good way to boost acetylcholine levels. It doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier well. An analogue such as Alpha-GPC is the best way to go.
The 300mg in Genius Consciousness is more than enough to see your ability to remain focused for long periods of time significantly improve in just a couple of weeks.
We also have a hefty dose of Lion’s Mane Mushroom in every half-scoop serving of Genius Consciousness.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom has been used for centuries as a natural nootropic. In China especially, it has been used for a number of reasons; to support cognitive function in old age, to help boost the immune system, and to boost mood.
Well, unlike many traditional remedies, Lion’s Mane Mushroom actually works!
We now know that Lion’s Mane Mushroom has the ability to significantly improve cognitive function over the long-term. It may also potentially slow the onset of age-related cognitive decline and ameliorate many of the symptoms of memory loss.
We’ve written about Lion’s Mane Mushroom in great detail elsewhere, so we won’t go into it in too much detail here.
But basically, Lion’s Mane Mushroom boosts the production of Nerve Growth Factor. This is a peptide which promotes the growth of various brain tissues, including neuron dendrites – the branch-like strictures which facilitate communication between neurons (in a way this is the nuts and bolts of thought).
Large doses have been shown to ameliorate mild cognitive impairment in some cases.
Taking 500mg of Lion’s Mane Mushroom each day over many weeks and months will give you great returns in the form of enhanced memory function and better overall mental performance over the long term.
-Learn More About Lion’s Mane Mushroom-
What We Don’t Like – Cycling
There are a number of things we dislike about Genius Consciousness.
These are things which could be easily changed, is it is a real shame to see these issues holding back what is otherwise a great daily nootropic.
The main issue as far as we’re concerned is the need for cycling.
Genius Consciousness contains Huperzine A. This raises acetylcholine levels in the brain by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (which breaks down and removes acetylcholine from the brain).
By doing so, it causes a steady build up of acetylcholine in the brain. This leads to an immediate increase in cognitive capacity. But if left unchecked for longer periods of time you can end up with an excessive buildup of acetylcholine.
Too much acetylcholine causes a range of side effects including:
- Headaches
- Confusion
- Irritability
- Lack of focus
- Low mood
- Insomnia
- Muscle cramps
To avoid this excessive buildup of acetylcholine, you need to reactivate your brain’s “safety valve”: acetylcholinesterase. That means taking a break from Huperzine A.
The break needs to be long enough for acetylcholinesterase production to kick back in and for it to do its job. You need to give it enough time to get rid of the excess acetylcholine and return neurotransmitter levels back to normal.
This usually translates to about a week off after 3 weeks of usage, although the exact cycle length depends on a number of factors (age, your health, cholinergic use, tolerance, etc).
Generally, we advise against using a cholinergic and Huperzine A at the same time.
This is because you are ramping up acetylcholine from two ends – by increasing production and preventing destruction.
This can cause a very rapid build up of acetylcholine and your brain will have no way of regulating it. Side effects will occur very quickly and they can rapidly get worse.
We also advise against using Huperzine A as part of a comprehensive daily stack, especially if you are looking to enhance cognitive function in the long-term.
Many of the best cognitive enhancers work best when taken consistently over many months. Taking breaks can make some of the best ingredients much less effective.
So substances like Lion’s Mane Mushroom or Phosphatidylserine will never deliver everything they can if you keep taking breaks.
You’ll get some benefits, sure.
But nothing compared to what they can do if you make them part of your daily routine.
-Read Your Way To A Better Brain-
Genius Consciousness Side Effects – Is It Safe?
Another major issue with Genius Consciousness is the side effect risks.
The formula contains more than one stimulant.
In every half-scoop serving we have 50mg of Caffeine, 50mg of Coffee Bean Extract, and 62.5mg of Dynamine.
That is 162.5mg of added stimulant-containing ingredients per serving.
Generally speaking, we don’t like to have stimulants in our daily nootropic stack.
We like our daily stack to be suitable for continual, long-term use.
We don’t want to limit our tea or coffee consumption while using it.
We don’t want to have to take it at the right time of day.
We certainly don’t want to have to worry about side effects.
Adding caffeine and other stimulants to your daily nootropic stack mean that you have to do all of these things.
However, for some people, added stimulants are a major plus.
But even if you think you need a kick from your daily stack (and you don’t mind limiting your coffee consumption), then we still think the stimulant profile in Genius Consciousness could be seriously improved.
For one thing, we don’t know exactly how much caffeine we get from the coffee bean extract.
We don’t know why the extract is in here, or what it is supposed to be providing other than caffeine.
We would always prefer a manufacturer to just pick straight caffeine so we know exactly what we’re dealing with. Using various whole plant extracts just confuses things – CAFFEINE IS CAFFEINE NO MATTER WHERE IT COMES FROM.
This is especially true when manufacturers opt for an unproven, poorly understood stimulant like Dynamine.
Dynamine is a branded form of methylliberine; an alkaloid compound found in tea leaves.
As you’ll see from the manufacturer website, this patented blend of plant extracts is completely unproven at this point:
We’re told that Dynamine is thought to work similar to Theacrine – a stimulant similar to caffeine but much weaker.
Why is this being used instead of caffeine?!
As we stated above, caffeine is caffeine. Getting it from multiple sources doesn’t change anything – it just makes things complicated.
Whether it’s from coffee beans or guarana, caffeine is the same molecule. If it wasn’t it would have a different name!
It is always safer and much simpler to go with a stack that provides an effective dose of straight caffeine. We don’t know precisely how much is in Genius Consciousness, and we don’t know how you’e going to react to Dynamine. With stimulants, better the devil you know.
Please bare in mind the following facts while reading this review: It is absolutely vital that you get proper advice from a qualified health professional before you start using supplements like this. Do not gamble with your health! Always do your own research before you buy any supplement online, and get your information from multiple different sources.Caution
Conclusion – Should You Buy Genius Consciousness?
As you’ll know if you read the full Genius Consciousness review, this stack is far from perfect.
It contains several different stimulants.
Caffeine shouldn’t be part of a daily nootropic stack in our opinion, but for some people, it’s necessary. But we can’t ever see a reason to use various whole plant extracts instead of just straight caffeine. Caffeine is a well understood stimulant; it is highly potent, and we are all familiar with how well we handle it.
Dynamine is unproven at this point – the official Genius Consciousness website says so!
The biggest problem is the fact that you really need to cycle it to avoid side effects.
This reduces the effectiveness of other ingredients, and by extension, the stack as a whole.
But despite these flaws, Consciousness remains a very good, potent, economical nootropic stack.
It contains a great mix of ingredients. The doses are sound, and the quality of the ingredients is generally excellent.
Genius Consciousness looks like it is capable of delivering on all of its promises. The vast majority of users will get good returns here: improved memory function, enhanced focus, and a better functioning brain in the future.
It isn’t that we don’t like this stack.
It is just that it is far from perfect.
There are much better options out there if you want a full spectrum, comprehensive, all-in-one nootropic.
If you are looking for something to help you stay on top of your game for months at a time, then Consciousness probably isn’t the best option. Check out some of our top rated stacks to see what we mean.
We have reviewed hundreds of nootropics and this supplement is still the most impressive. Our review team used this product for months and all experienced:
- Heightened focus
- Enhanced memory function
- More mental energy
- Better mental performance under stress
Read our full review to find out if this is the nootropic you have been looking for.
I have taken this for 3 days and feel completely drained and unable to focus on anything. 3 days I will never get back.
That’s really unfortunate Yvonne. Sorry you had a bad experience with this stack. It looks alright to us on paper but it’s never a one size fits all thing.
Have you had any positive experience with other nootropics?
Hi, I stumbled on your site after searching reviews for ‘Genius Caffeine’ online due to my concern with receiving the pills in different shades of yellow & White, not sure if i received a bad batch….i’m a reluctant to take them. Is this Normal?
I’m also quite annoyed i wasn’t able to leave a review on Amazon for this product, they’ve removed reviews for this particular product – doesn’t instil much confidence in the brand.
Best
Rayan
Hey Rayan. Very good question. You’re right to be cautious if your pills don’t look uniform. We strongly recommend that you get in touch with the manufacturer and provide them with photos before you go ahead and use them. Better safe than sorry! If it is a bad batch they’ll more than likely send you a replacement.
Let us know how you get on.
Hi, thanks for the review. I’be been taking GC intermittently and would like to know your opinion on how effective it would be if taken sporadically, like 2-3 times a week only on particularly demanding days for example. Instead of every day. The manufacturer states taking it daily has a “build up effect” but like you mentioned I worry about the continuous use of stimulants (I’m already quite tolerant to caffeine).
Yes we completely understand. We generally advise people to avoid supplementing with stimulants every single day. Even if you do think you have quite a high tolerance to caffeine, it isn’t a good idea to be consuming a lot of the stuff on a daily basis. It’s an extremely powerful stimulant. It has powerful effects at tiny doses (a few hundred milligrams can hit you like a sledgehammer).
Taking it 2-3 times a week would probably work really well. Some of the ingredients are best taken continuously, but the adverse effects of consuming purified caffeine everyday outweigh the benefits – at least in our opinion. The Alpha-GPC and Tyrosine will still work fine if you use them a couple of times per week. Lion’s Mane is best used on a more regular basis, but it still promote neuroplasticity if you use it less frequently.
At the very least, using it less frequently will save you money. Try it out and if it still works well for you, you’ve just stretched out your supply!
I have been using GC for about 3 weeks. I decided to dive deep because it seems like a too good to be true product. Thanks for the in depth read through. I learned a lot more. I tried to look up every ingredient, but I didn’t find those stimulants in my search. Thanks for the knowledge.
Hey Roscoe, thanks for the kind words! We’re glad you found the review useful.
I was not impressed with this at first, the Container that it came in was much smaller than I had anticipated and it was only about 1/3rd full. For something that is 45 dollars plus 11 dollars in handling, I felt ripped off and decieved. It does not need the 11 dollar handling charge, this is small enough to fit in my regular mail box. The first few doses I took had almost no effect on me, I was waiting and waiting but I only felt a tiny bit of boost in my concentration that was practically negligable. However today, I have not taken anything, but I feel a sustained boost in my thinking and mental energy. I’m still in the early stages of using this product but I am getting the feeling that this builds up it’s quality as you take it. An accumulative effect. In class I felt amazing today, I’m always a good student but I felt a mental energy that was usually good. Like I said, I did not take a scoop today, so it appears that this may linger in the system? I don’t know, but something happened.