We all want to be able to feel mentally empowered, don’t we? All of us strive to gain that competitive edge, whether it be the ability to focus better at work, train more intensively, or being able to study for longer.
The reason why nootropics are becoming increasingly popular is that they tend to contain adaptogenic plants that can improve your cognitive performance, but also improve your mood.
It can be a little confusing for us as consumers to choose a great nootropic because there are now so many options available as a result of their popularity. How can you determine which one is best for you when they all make fantastic promises but differ slightly from one another?
Well, I’m going to be reviewing Rae Wellness’ In The Mood supplement, which is perhaps the most highly affordable nootropic I’ve ever come across, however, does its lower price point make it inferior to more expensive formulas?
In this review, we’re gonna take a close look at the ingredients in Rae’s In The Mood and determine whether or not it’s as effective as some of the best nootropic formulas.
Main Takeaways
- Rae Wellness In The Mood contains ingredients like ashwagandha and Panax ginseng that have been linked to stress reduction and cognitive enhancement in studies, although the evidence is still emerging.
- The supplement includes a proprietary blend, which lacks transparency in ingredient quantities, and certain key ingredients seem to be under-dosed compared to amounts used in studies that demonstrated benefits.
- Priced at around $15 for 30 servings, In The Mood is relatively affordable compared to other nootropics and can be easily purchased through the brand’s website.
- With a 3.8-star average rating based on over 1500 reviews, consumer feedback is mixed, suggesting that results may vary and it may not be effective for everyone.
Rae Wellness In The Mood Ingredients
Rae’s In The Mood nootropic formula comes with a variety of ingredients, including niacin, vitamin B6, a proprietary blend containing several plant-based extracts, L-arginine, ashwagandha, and Panax ginseng.
Given my experience with some of these ingredients, I’m confident that this formula could certainly work as a cognitive-enhancing supplement, however, that is only if the ingredients are dosed appropriately.
Niacin
Niacin, also referred to as vitamin B3, is a molecule that is necessary to support the function of many enzymes.
Rae Wellness has included niacin in this formula because there is some preliminary research suggesting that niacin has cognitive effects.
The theory is that niacin increases cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels, which some studies show is correlated with better performance on cognitive tests, or was associated with a lower risk of AD. [1][2][3]
More research is necessary to ensure niacin can reliably reproduce these effects.
Vitamin B6
Although there isn’t evidence that vitamin B6 can directly affect cognition, several studies have found reductions in PMS symptoms, both physical and psychological.
One of the studies found that the daily supplementation of magnesium (200 mg) and vitamin b6 (50 mg) provided relief for anxiety-related premenstrual symptoms. [4]
A randomized double-blind crossover trial also found that vitamin b6 (50 mg) was beneficial in reducing emotional PMS symptoms such as depression, irritability, and tiredness. [5]
Most PMS studies that use vitamin b6 only found a small reduction in symptoms, plus, the studies are not particularly high-quality as they’re quite outdated and use flawed methodologies.
Therefore, take this information with a grain of salt, as the studies are questionable.
Proprietary Blend
A proprietary blend is a special combination of ingredients in a nutritional supplement that is designed for a particular function. Like a secret recipe, the amounts and ratios of the ingredients in the proprietary blend are a trade secret.
Frankly, I don’t like proprietary blends because it’s impossible to assess their effectiveness if you don’t know exactly how much of each ingredient has been included in the blend.
However, let’s still have a look at the ingredients in this blend to determine, at least, if they could generate promising results.
L-Taurine
Taurine’s potential benefits for athletic performance are what have sparked the most interest in its use in various dietary supplements, as well as energy drinks.
Since taurine levers are higher in type 1 than type 2 muscle fibers, most studies have investigated whether its supplementation could improve endurance exercise performance. [6]
Taurine seems to have a small effect on time to exhaustion in both untrained healthy people and older adults with heart failure, but it doesn’t seem to benefit time trial performance. [7]
Additionally, taurine has also shown promising results in reducing symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness and accelerating strength recovery post-workout. [8]
However, as we don’t know the size of the dose, it’s hard to say whether Rae’s supplement could recreate this effect.
Maca Root Extract
Touted for being able to balance hormone levels and improve reproductive health, Maca is a name that refers to two plants belonging to the Brassicaceae family.
However, some research suggests that maca may also be capable of improving symptoms of menopause, especially those related to mood (such as anxiety and depression). [9][10]
For example, one of the studies has noted a reduction in both anxiety and depression in postmenopausal women ingesting 3.5g maca daily for 6 weeks. [11]
With that being said, more research is necessary to confirm these results, and based on the aforementioned study, In The Mood doesn’t seem to contain enough maca to replicate those effects.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea extract is a mixture that is prepared from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant which contains powerful molecules, including the most potent one, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
Evidence suggests that these molecules can benefit almost every organ in the body, including the brain.
Studies have found that EGCG can easily cross the blood-brain barrier and is apparently able to increase brain activity up to 2 hours after 300 mg were ingested, so its effects on cognition have garnered some attention. [12][13]
However, it seems that these effects are dose-dependent, as other studies have shown that a similar dose of 270mg was found to not influence mood or cognition. [14]
Promising research reveals that EGCG consumption may improve learning ability and memory, but unfortunately, the studies have all been conducted on animals, so it’s not deemed high-quality evidence. [15][16][17]
Research on anxiety and mood appears to be lackluster, in fact, a study done on healthy humans found that a 270 mg dose of EGCG did not influence mood in a positive or negative manner. [18]
There is evidence showing that EGCG reduces anxiety in rats, particularly in combination with Midozolan, but more research is necessary to confirm these effects. [19]
Natural Caffeine from Green Coffee Beans
Caffeine is an anti-sleep compound that is actually classified as a nootropic because it sensitizes the neurons and provides mental stimulation.
Its main mechanism is to antagonize adenosine receptors. Adenosine causes sedation and relaxation when it acts upon its receptors, and caffeine prevents this from happening, causing alertness and wakefulness. [20]
However, if you’re someone that regularly consumes caffeine, you probably have built some tolerance to it, which means you won’t feel these effects, at least not in the same way as someone who doesn’t consume caffeine.
L-Arginine
Arginine is an amino acid that is used by the nitric oxide synthase (an enzyme) to create nitric oxide, which is known to support circulation and increase blood flow.
Although it’s true that arginine supports the production of nitric oxide, arginine supplementation doesn’t seem to be able to reliably support the production of nitric oxide, according to scientific evidence. [21][22][23]
Therefore, its use as a supplement to widen blood vessels and increase blood flow is questionable, to say the least.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha has several biologically active chemical constituents such as alkaloids (isopelletierine, anaferine, cuseohygrine, anahygrine), steroidal lactones (withanolides, withaferins), saponins containing an additional acyl group (sitoindoside VII and VIII), and withanolides with a glucose at carbon 27 (sitoindoside IX and X).
These chemical constituents trigger specific events in the body, for instance, sitoindosides and acylsterylglucosides are anti-stress agents, so they increase your resistance to stress. We can partially attribute this to their effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which regulates serum cortisol concentration. [24]
In one study with chronically stressed adults, those who supplemented with ashwagandha, experienced a reduction in cortisol levels, when compared to the control group. Those taking the highest dosage experienced a 30 percent reduction, on average. [25]
Still, it’s important to note that there’s a conflict of interest as the companies profiting from people buying Ashwagandha have funded the study the aforementioned study.
With that being said, you can still find several other studies suggesting that Ashwagandha can reduce the symptoms in people with stress or anxiety. [26][27][28]
Additionally, a systematic review points out that Ashwagandha intervention resulted in greater score improvements (significantly in most cases) than placebo in outcomes on anxiety or stress scales. [29]
A systematic review assesses a variety of existing human trials that use Ashwagandha to treat anxiety, so it’s not just any study as it takes more data into account.
With that being said, the most common dosing protocol for Ashwagandha is 600mg/day, and Rae’s In The Mood formula contains 100 mg, which is quite a low dosage, so it’s questionable whether it’ll produce anxiolytic effects.
Panax Ginseng
Rae Wellness claims that Panax Ginseng has the same effects as Ashwagandha, in other words, it’s able to help you manage stress and promote a feeling of calmness.
Based on the evidence I have found, it seems to be effective for mood, immunity, and cognition.
One study using 200 and 400mg Panax Ginseng found increased calmness in a relatively dose-dependent manner after acute ingestion in healthy adults. [30]
Another 60-day study using the same doses and product failed to note any benefits. [31]
However, the bulk of the evidence suggests that acute dosing of Panax Ginseng leads to mental health improvements, as well as an improvement in social function. [32][33]
Unfortunately, akin to Ashwagandha, acute doses are used in the studies where positive results are observed and In The Mood only contains 25 mg of Panax Ginseng, which means it’s underdosed.
How Much Does In The Mood Cost?
As I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this review, In The Mood is among the affordable nootropic formulas on the market, costing about $15 per 30 servings.
Most nootropic formulas tend to cost around $60 per 30 servings, so it’s clear that In The Mood is a cheap supplement in comparison.
If you’d like to try In The Mood, it’s also easier because in case it doesn’t work, the investment is not as substantial so it isn’t as painful as investing in a more expensive formula.
Does In The Mood Actually Work?
Although I do appreciate the fact that people can obtain a nootropic at such an affordable price, it is unfortunate that most of the effective ingredients (i.e: Ashwagandha and Panax Ginseng) are largely underdosed, which means that the supplement should be unable to reproduce the mood and anxiolytic effects reported in studies.
If you also take into account the reviews on their website — you’ll find that in over 1500 reviews, they have 3.8 stars, which is low and it indicates that the supplement may not work for a lot of people.
It’s a shame because they have included all the right ingredients (with the exception of the proprietary blend, as I personally don’t like them), but they’re not available in sufficient amounts.
If you’re still interested in getting Rae’s In The Mood formula, feel free to get it through the brand’s official website.
Medical Disclaimer: The content on this website is meant to be informative, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, or trying a new supplement.
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