What if there was a pill that you could take that could improve your mental capacity? One that would make you smarter, improve your memory, or even give you the chance to slow down the aging of your brain? This is the idea behind a new class of drugs called nootropics.

Chance are you have probably already heard of nootropics. They are more commonly referred to as "cognitive enhancers", "brain enhancers", "smart nutrients", "cognitive enhancers" and probably most commonly "smart drugs". They are a type of drugs that improve human cognitive abilities. This site covers all substances, including nutrients, herbs, and prescription drugs, that have possible cognitive enhancing effects.

Dr. Corneliu Giurgea first gave the name "nootropic" to cognitive enhancing drugs. The word itself is derived from two greek words noos (mind), and tropein (to bend). Although most nootropics are not typically "mind bending", some do have more profound effects than others.

One important thing to understand about nootropics is that it is not really understood exactly how they work. While some believe that they work by altering the supply of certain chemicals to the brain such as enzymes, hormones, or neurotransmitters; there are others that believe they work by improving the brain's oxygen supply or stimulating nerve growth. There is even a group of people that believe that they don't do anything, but believing that they do is what actually makes them work.

The truth is that we don't to what extent they work, how they work, or if they work at all because we don't fully understand how cognition and intelligence works.