If you like the thrill of mixing together your own nootropic stacks, then TruNoo might appeal to you.
But don’t get too excited.
Here’s what you’re really working with in this DIY chemistry set: One nootropic, one stimulant, one brain health nutrient.
Ho-hum. Maybe you’ll get the dosing right… maybe not.
TruNoo‘s DIY gimmick, claims, website copy, and college fraternity distribution network create concerns: It’s hard to take this brand seriously.
Table of Contents
About TruNoo
TruNoo supplies L-Theanine, Caffeine Citrate & Acetyl-L-Carnitine powder form. The idea is, by using the included (tiny!) 250 mg spoon, you can mix-and-match these three nootropics in a customized ratio–giving you “complete and total control of your dosing.” TruNoo’s mental performance claims include:
- Enhancing focus & concentration, thanks to the “customizable” blend of caffeine citrate and L-Theanine.
- Peak mental performance & productivity, without any kind of stimulant-driven jitters or crashing.
- A “Truly Epic SUPER Studystack.” They promote Caffeine citrate + L-Theanine as study aids, with ALCAR adding a “neuro repair” boost.
TruNoo L-Theanine Supplement Facts |
|
Ingredient | Amount Per Serving |
L-Theanine | 500 mg |
TruNoo Caffeine Citrate Supplement Facts |
|
Ingredient | Amount Per Serving |
Caffeine Citrate | 100 mg |
TruNoo ALCAR Supplement Facts |
|
Ingredient | Amount Per Serving |
ALCAR | 500 mg |
TruNoo’s three mix-and-match ingredients
L-Theanine + Caffeine Citrate
This is the original TruNoo “Regular Stack,” which they designed as a customizable nootropic tandem for students.
They call the Caffeine Citrate a “cutting edge stimulant” to wake up focus, while the L-Theanine is presented as a “balancing agent” to help ease the jitters of caffeine.
L-Theanine is our #5-ranked Best 5 Nootropic, and it is found in 3 of our top-5-ranked nootropic supplements. L-Theanine has great properties for stimulating alertness while instilling feelings of relaxation.
Caffeine Citrate is a harsher alertness-stimulant; TruNoo’s citrate form is about half as potent as regular caffeine, but much faster-acting.
Caffeine+L-Theanine is a popular mental performance stack shown to help focus, attention and accuracy. The combo “plays well together,” and TruNoo is correct about L-Theanine making caffeine gentler (without watering down its alertness benefits).
ALCAR (Acetyl-L-Carnitine)
Adding ALCAR to the L-Theanine & Caffeine Citrate forms the TruNoo “Premium Stack.” TruNoo positions ALCAR as a “neural repair” nootropic that helps nourish and rebuild the brain after long study sessions. They also claim it boosts acetylcholine and improves memory while you sleep.
ALCAR might work, but more as a long-term brain health compound–not a “prolonged burst of focus” nootropic as TruNoo claims.
At least they use the Acetyl-L form of carnitine, which is the right one for brain health.
TruNoo has a unique idea… but it’s a BAD idea.
At first, the idea that you can mix TruNoo powders as you please is exciting. But the more we think about it, the more problems we see with this approach:
- Tiny spoon. The 250 mg spoon makes it difficult to mix and dose accurately. TruNoo says pills are “hard to swallow,” but dosing with their tiny spoon seems WAY harder.
- Inconvenient. TruNoo targets students… but it’s hard to imagine students carefully mixing together their nootropic stack prior to classes, exams and study sessions.
- Safety concerns. Our biggest issue TruNoo is selling super fast-absorbing caffeine to young people in a form that is easy to mega-dose–which we feel is a recipe for disaster.
Ugh. The spelling. Really, TruNoo?
Straight from TruNoo’s marketing materials, observe:
- ALCAR reduces “jitters usually associated with stimualnts.”
- TruNoo is “a safe alternative to perscription stimulants.”
- “ALCAR stands for Acetly L-Carnitine Powder.”
That’s right. TruNoo spelled “stimulants,” “prescription,” and even “Acetyl-L-Carnitine” wrong. This hurts their credibility big time.
How can we take a nootropic seriously when they can’t even spell?
TruNoo also makes several illegal disease prevention claims, hurting their credibility even more.
TruNoo Benefits
TruNoo claims to improve focus and instill “high concentration.” Its stimulating effects are off-set by the relaxing properties of L-Theanine. They call the result a “clear and calm state of laser-sharp focus.” All these check out for an L-Theanine+Caffeine combo formula.
When ALCAR is added to form the TruNoo Premium Stack, they claim benefits for neuro-repair and memory, which are much harder to back up.
Because of its tried-and-true L-Theanine+Caffeine combo, TruNoo works in that it stimulates the mind for better focus, alertness and concentration. The Caffeine Citrate form is fast-acting, so users will start feeling more alert quickly. The ALCAR is probably good for nourishing the brain, but it’s not a “mental performance” nootropic that you feel… it’s more a brain maintenance nutrient.
Who Takes It?
Students. Everything about TruNoo’s materials is aimed at students who need help with focus, attention, studying and test-taking.
TruNoo pushes this even further with a “Campus Rep” program where they hire students to push their products on other students, collecting a commission in the process.
TruNoo says in order to get hired as a Campus Rep, you must be “popular” and “a member of a Greek organization on campus.” What a joke.
Any Side Effects?
The L-Theanine and ALCAR are both well-tolerated. Caffeine is well-tolerated up to a point, but the combination of self-dosing and using the fast-acting Citrate form of caffeine may open the door to excessive intake and related unpleasant side effects: Tremors, nervousness, anxiety, irritability, etc.
Summary
TruNoo Advantages
- DIY dosing. No other brain formula offers this feature. In the right hands, it could be a unique advantage that enables “flexible” nootropic benefits.
- It’s fun? Do you want to set up a lab in your kitchen and pretend you’re Walter White mixing up micro-batches of nootropic stacks? Then TruNoo is for you.
- Outstanding customer service. TruNoo’s team is really on the ball; they answer questions lightning-fast, and are courteous and professional.
TruNoo Drawbacks
- DIY dosing. In the wrong hands, TruNoo’s DIY dosing could create safety concerns, especially with megadosing of powerful caffeine citrate. It also could be an inconvenient hassle.
- Credibility. Illegal product claims, bad spelling (including misspelling one of their own ingredients!), and ethically questionable product positioning all hurt TruNoo.
- Caffeine. Any formula that relies on caffeine to deliver brain benefits is living a lie, because caffeine is a false nootropic.
- You can’t actually buy it. As of the date of this Review, TruNoo funnels all purchases from their website directly to Amazon… which says that none of the TruNoo products are available. There’s not even any pricing information. This makes us wonder if TruNoo got in trouble for their illegal claims or questionable distribution methods.
Final Word on TruNoo
If you mix it up the right way, the TruNoo 3-formula stack could be effective. But there are so many red flags surrounding TruNoo, it makes it hard to consider it. If you want to try these nutrients for nootropic benefits, buy them from a credible company instead.
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