SOLARAY SharpMind Energy, Energy Booster for Women and Men, Nootropic Focus Supplement, Caffeine Free Energy Pills with Rhodiola Rosea and Cordyceps, 60 Day Guarantee, 30 Servings, 30 VegCap Pills

I've been a big fan of Solaray vitamins for at least 10 years: I look for them at my local natural food store, and recently purchased a Women's One-A-Day from the company. I was delighted to find an opportunity to review a new product, and was intrigued by the ingredients. Galangal is an herb most commonly known as a spice in Thai cooking (and other Asian cuisines, as well.) I'm reading now that it contains polyphenols, which have numerous health benefits but specifically (for this formula) improve memory. Rhodiola is a great anti-anxiety herb that also helps depression, fatigue, stress, and brain function. Finally, cordyceps mushroom has been a valuable part of Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 1300 years, and is used to increase energy and reduce fatigue. What an interesting combination of herbs! I haven't yet seen this combination elsewhere. How does it work for me? I feel a calm but increased energy. The side of the box says "jitter-free energy", which about describes it. I've been taking this for about a week. I was a bit concerned when I saw that it had rhodiola, which tends to be overstimulating for my constitution. However, rhodiola is only 20% of the formula, so it is balanced well with the complementary herbs. Galangal is the main ingredient, at 300 mg, and the other two ingredients are 100 mg. IF this feels too stimulating for your individual body and brain, Solaray's Sharpmind line also has Focus, Stress, Brain Formula, and Mood formulations, in addition to one for Sleep. I'm not advertising the line, but showing that there are many ways to find a good combination of herbs to suit your personal needs. Solaray Sharpmind Focus has lion's mane mushroom extract, which helps memory and focus. I'm someone who has had "Covid brain" and wants quicker word recall and alertness. These supplements are already helping, and I trust the company to create quality product, which is important these days! The price is higher, but worth it for brand name recognition and quality.

Very interesting combo of ingredients. ▪︎ EnxtraⓇ is Alpinia galanga, part of the ginger family, and in some places, considered superior to ginger. And, as a nootropic, is complimentary to caffeine, supporting cognitive function in addition to other positive effects. While it is comimentary to caffeine, it itself is caffeine and stimulant free. ▪︎ Rhodiola is also an adaptogenic herb having many benefits, including positive effects on mood, improving physical and mental energy, lower stress hormone, among many other benefits. ▪︎ Cordyceps has been found to boost energy, mental clarity., and boosts ATP levels (the power our cells run on). It also seems to enhance the effects of caffiene, so this is something to keep in mind. However, the dose here is quite low compared to doses I have found online (100mg vs 1500mg). I am impressed with Solaray's new SharpMind line. I find them to be a trustworthy company that puts a lot of thought and care into their supplements. Their low doses make it easy to try new ingredients with relative safety. I think their Mood, and this one, Energy, which we have seen positive results from, are going to have a continuing place in our supplement regime.

After taking this supplement for a couple weeks now, I have noticed a some positive change in my mental acuity and quickness in problem solving. My favorite past-time is playing Commander/EDH(i.e., Magic: the Gathering card game format). For those who also play, the amount of interactions and things to keep track of can be overwhelming and borderline frustrating to figure out in the middle of a long game. But I have recently noticed that my ability to keep track of the cards on the board, cards being played, and the potential interactions of said cards, have become sharper - It's like I don't have to strain my brain as hard to figure out what's going on or what my next move will be. The only thing I've changed is me taking this supplement. But like any supplement, it could be a coincidence or placebo effect, but being able to play Commander more efficiently and with less stress is a positive change I would be happy to maintain. For now, I'll gladly keep taking this supplement and see if the good times keep rolling for me. Only reason why I took a star off is because I've had no increase in energy levels whatsoever. I still feel tired and fatigued during my usual times of the day, and I still feel my usual grogginess when I wake up.

This is a good energy support supplement, but it's basically just enXtra galangal extract + a low dose of rhodiola. Here is my breakdown of the formulation: **300mg enXtra Galangal extract - Good dosage, 300mg is a clinically studied dose, proven to boost energy levels and mental alertness. **100mg Rhodiola extract - Low dose rhodiola extract. Enough to offer some benefits, but rhodiola extract is better dosed at 250mg minimum. **100mg Cordyceps mycelial biomass - This is essentially just grain/substrate. Not high quality cordyceps. No benefits here - it's just filler. Thoughts: I do seem to get a nice energy boost from this supplement, which I attribute to the 300mg enXtra. The cordyceps and rhodiola are underdosed, and you would be better off buying a higher dose rhodiola extract to take alongside this. Not a great value, considering it's just 30 servings, but it does seem effective.

Unfortunately this product made my head feel strange. I felt sad and not upbeat like my normal personality. Took it for 4 days. As soon as I stopped, I felt back to normal.

Remarkably average overall. Slight boost in energy / cognition when ingested with coffee. On its own there was no noticeable effect.

Energy support and Mental Alertness a great combination in one pill.

Great product I can tell a difference on days I take this and on days that I skip or forget.