Requests have been flooding into the Great Green Wall for Nootropics reviews. I’m not surprised at all that you Dear Readers have wanted to know the science behind the supplements you’ve seen advertised to you.
We constantly monitor the market, finetuning our ratings so that we’re only recommending the absolute best products based on the evidence. When a reader put UMZU’s Cortigon on my radar, I was eager to jump in because they claim to rely on facts before hype, and they’ve got a novel ingredient to research. So let’s see how well the evidence supports their product.
UMZU Cortigon
Overall Rating: 2/5
Who is UMZU?
Like many Nootropic supplements hitting the market, UMZU tells their story from the perspective of their founder. Following an illness, he decided to formulate products for “hormonal balance” for men and women to achieve their optimal physical and mental health. They now have a full line of Mood and Fitness supplements on their website. Unfortunately, it appears they’ve missed the mark on their Cortigon formula.
Cortigon’s Claims of Benefit
UMZU promises quite a bit on their website, and makes many of those promises on just the Cortigon page. We’ll break down the big-hitters and see if there’s any evidence to corroborate their claims.
Better Stress Response
UMZU lists both Phosphatidylserine and Ginkgo as primary ingredients that can regulate the stress hormone Cortisol. But as we’ll see below, the evidence for Phosphatidylserine comes from a single, fifteen year old study. Meanwhile, L-Tyrosine and L-Theanine have multiple studies supporting their use as calming agents.
Mental Clarity
This claim doesn’t hold much water. When I say a product like Feedamind can give you “drive,” I’m not using fuzzy language – the Alpha GPC Choline has been proven to help you fire synapses faster. With Cortigon, the best I can say is that it’s possible that with a dulled Cortisol response you may have better clarity, but this hasn’t been well established by research.
Improved Memory
Here I think Cortigon is standing on firmer ground. Multiple studies of Ginkgo Biloba, including large-scale population observations, support the idea that ingesting this herb over long periods can have significant cognitive benefits, including memory, though the mechanisms remain unclear.
Pros
Cons
Top Alternatives
While researching UMZU’s products, I noticed that to get all your cognitive function and mood benefits from them you need to buy five separate products. If you’re more interested in a one-and-done approach, there are some other options you should try.
Feedamind
Overall Rating: 5/5
The epitome of a supplement that does it all, Feedamind has 13 clinically tested ingredients that have years of proven results. You won’t need to shop an entire product line to get what you need with Feedamind.
NooCube
Overall Rating: 4.7/5
Many consumers want reliability more than wow-factor. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you think Feedamind is promising too much (it isn’t!) and want the iron-clad security of a money-back guarantee, NooCube is your go-to.
Vyvamind
Overall Rating: 4.6/5
On the other side of the formula spectrum lies Vyvamind. Like UMZU, they’ve opted for a 6 ingredient formula that delivers a precise effect – you’ll get razor focus and mental amps that won’t let you down.
Ingredients and Evidence
When I saw the ingredients for Cortigon, I was more than a bit gutted. After reading all about their dedication to science, I really expected the effective ingredients I know are available, like Choline, Bacopa Monnieri, Lutein, or Zeaxanthin. Instead, we have B-Vitamins well beyond safe levels and a novel ingredient, Leucine.
Thiamine – 100 mg
There isn’t a ton of evidence that Thiamine supplementation can boost Cognition or mood. What evidence there is tells us that we usually get plenty of it in our food. In addition to that, the recommended amount of Thiamine is only 1.1 mg – meaning Cortigon has nearly 100 times more than you need, a possibly dangerous amount.
Vitamin B6 – 15 mg
Again, there has been some support for B6 increasing cognition, especially as we age. But unlike B1 and B12, long term intakes of only 6 mg of B6 can have dangerous side effects – such as loss of limb function and skin lesions that can disfigure you. Cortigon has more than twice this dangerous amount.
Vitamin B12 – 1,000 mcg
Vitamin B12 has the lowest rate of success in clinical trials among B-Vitamins for supporting brain function. And similar to the other Vitamins in Cortigon, this dose is over 400 times higher than recommended.
Phosphatidylserine – 300 mg
I’ve covered the potential benefits of Phosphatidylserine in previous reviews of Feedamind and other leading Nootropics, but I will highlight here a possible secondary use of this cell-membrane booster. In a one-of-its kind trial, scientists found that Phosphatidylserine attenuated the body’s negative response to the stress hormone Cortisol. It’s important to note that despite dozens of websites claiming this benefit, everyone is citing this one study. In my research I haven’t seen these results replicated.
Ginkgo Biloba – 100 mg
Perhaps the strongest Claim-to-Evidence link I have uncovered in support of Cortigon is their inclusion of Ginkgo Biloba. There are multiple studies, such as this one conducted on older patients, that show it can increase working memory. And in a nod to Cortigon’s claims, I was able to find one study showing it reduces Cortisol during stress, though this study is now over 20 years old.
L-Leucine – 100mg
When I read that Cortigon had Leucine in it, I felt a bit of a thrill. I hadn’t read much about this obscure amino acid in years, and finding it in a Nootropic had me hoping for some revelatory research. I did find quite recent studies demonstrating that Leucine can help repair damaged neuron tissue in the brain through a process called autophagy. Sadly, this use for Leucine seems limited to repairing physical damage, and doesn’t have a lot of clinical application in improving the Cognitive Function of healthy people.
Who is UMZU Cortigon For?
UMZU may be a good option for someone who doesn’t necessarily think they need help with memory, focus, better mental clarity, communication, or decision making. If you’re only looking for help balancing your mood, UMZU may be a good choice. That said, their formula doesn’t have L-Tyrosine, L-Theanine, or Ashwagandha, ingredients that have clear mood boosting benefits.
Top Alternatives
Feedamind
Overall Rating: 5/5
- Provides same-day boosts to focus and clarity.
- Theanine and Tyrosine for clinically demonstrated mood balancing.
NooCube
Overall Rating: 4.7/5
- Many of the same proven, effective ingredients as Feedamind.
- Free shipping, with 5 day delivery across the US and UK (10 days elsewhere).
- 60-day money back guarantee.
Vyvamind
Overall Rating: 4.6/5
- Straightforward neuro-stimulant.
- Still includes Tyrosine and Theanine, so your energy won’t come with anxiety.
- Caffeine levels still within healthy bounds.
Final Verdict
Despite the promising language and inspiring story behind UMZU’s Cortigon Nootropic, their formula falls flat in functionality and performance. There isn’t much evidence to support their claims, outside of some older studies that have never been duplicated.
That said, I do appreciate their researching novel ingredients and for exploring secondary uses for known compounds. In the end, though, I simply cannot recommend them because of their possibly dangerous levels of Vitamin B6. For a more safe, effective, science-backed supplement, I would look elsewhere.
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