Nootropics for Memory: Which Supplements Have Evidence?

By Peter Benson, Cognitive Enhancement Researcher  ·  Updated October 2026  ·  Citations re-verified

Short answer: Bacopa monnieri has the best human evidence for memory among common nootropics, and its effect is small. DHA, phosphatidylserine, creatine and citicoline have limited evidence, mostly in older adults with memory complaints. Alpha-GPC and Lion’s Mane are not established for memory in healthy adults. Sleep and retrieval practice do more than any of them.

Most lists of memory supplements give fifteen compounds equal billing. The evidence is not equal. One compound has been tested for memory in healthy adults several times; a few have results in older adults with memory complaints; and some of the most heavily marketed have no memory trial in healthy people at all.

This guide ranks seven common compounds by what their human trials show for memory, says who was studied, and links to the full guide for each. It is part of the Memory & Learning guide.

The best nootropics for memory, ranked by evidence

🟢 Stronger or replicated human evidence  ·  🟡 Limited, mixed or preliminary human evidence  ·  🔴 Not established. Ratings are for memory in healthy adults.

Best supported: Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa is the one compound here tested for memory in healthy people more than once or twice. A systematic review of six randomised trials, all 12 weeks long and using 300–450mg of standardised extract a day, found improved performance on 9 of 17 tests of memory free recall, with little evidence of benefit in other cognitive domains (Pase et al., 2012). A meta-analysis of 437 participants found the most robust pooled effect was on speed of attention (Kongkeaw et al., 2014). In healthy older adults, one trial found better delayed word recall than placebo (Calabrese et al., 2008), and a 2026 network meta-analysis of 25 trials in 1,861 healthy older adults found Bacopa was one of the few plant compounds with a significant memory advantage over placebo, again small (Feng et al., 2026).

In practice: a real effect that you would need a test to detect. The trials ran 12 weeks, so a few weeks is not a fair trial. Stomach upset is the usual complaint, and taking it with food helps.

Limited evidence: DHA, phosphatidylserine, creatine and citicoline

Omega-3 DHA

The main trial is MIDAS: 485 healthy adults aged 55 and over with a memory complaint took 900mg of algal DHA a day or placebo for 24 weeks. The DHA group made significantly fewer errors on a visual learning test and scored better on verbal recognition memory. Working memory and executive function did not improve (Yurko-Mauro et al., 2010). The trial was run by Martek, which made the DHA.

The wider picture is modest. A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis of 58 trials across healthy, cognitively impaired and Alzheimer’s populations concluded that omega-3 supplements “may lead to a modest improvement in cognitive function” and called for better long-term trials (Shahinfar et al., 2025). In practice: the case is strongest for older adults who eat little oily fish. There is no good evidence that DHA sharpens memory in young adults with an adequate diet.

Phosphatidylserine

The early positive trials used phosphatidylserine extracted from cow brain, which is no longer sold. Supplements today are made from soy or sunflower. The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation describes the clinical evidence as mixed and notes that the best-designed study of soy-derived phosphatidylserine found no effect at 300mg or 600mg a day over 12 weeks. In practice: what is on the shelf is not what produced the best-known results.

Creatine

Two meta-analyses report a small memory benefit, largest in adults aged 66 to 76 (Prokopidis et al., 2023). Both have been criticised for counting the same participants more than once, which inflates the result (Citherlet, 2026). The largest single trial, 123 adults on 5g a day for six weeks, found no significant effect on working memory or reasoning and no extra benefit for vegetarians (Sandkühler et al., 2023). In practice: a possible small effect in older adults.

Citicoline

One 12-week trial in 100 older adults with age-related memory complaints found that 500mg a day improved episodic memory more than placebo. It was sponsored by the maker, and two of its authors are company employees (Nakazaki et al., 2021). The European Food Safety Authority reviewed the memory evidence in 2024 and concluded that a cause-and-effect relationship had not been established. In practice: one sponsored trial is a reason for interest, not confidence.

Not established for memory: alpha-GPC and Lion’s Mane

Alpha-GPC

Alpha-GPC’s trials are in people with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. In 100 adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, 600mg a day for 12 weeks improved a cognitive score more than placebo (Jeon et al., 2024). In healthy adults the evidence is one single-dose trial in 20 men, in which one attention test improved; it did not measure memory, and it was funded by a supplier (Kerksick, 2024).

There is also an open safety question. One Korean study linked alpha-GPC use to higher stroke risk in people aged 50 and over (Lee et al., 2021); a later one found lower stroke risk in users with mild cognitive impairment (Kim et al., 2025). Both are observational. In practice: with no memory trial in healthy adults and an unresolved safety signal, it does not belong at the top of a memory list.

Lion’s Mane

The best-known trial gave 30 adults with mild cognitive impairment 3,000mg a day for 16 weeks; cognitive scores rose and then fell after they stopped (Mori et al., 2009). In healthy adults the trials are small and inconsistent. In 41 adults aged 18 to 45, the Lion’s Mane group recalled fewer words than placebo on a delayed-recall test after four weeks (Docherty et al., 2023). A 2025 systematic review concluded there is a lack of substantial evidence to support it as a supplement in humans (Menon et al., 2025). The nerve-growth-factor findings come from cell and animal studies. In practice: an interesting mechanism without a reliable memory effect in people. The two are compared in Lion’s Mane vs Bacopa.

Other compounds often listed for memory

Several more have their own guides here: Huperzine A, magnesium L-threonate, Ginkgo biloba and Panax ginseng. They are left out of the ranking because I have not found memory trials in healthy adults for them that match Bacopa’s. Panax ginseng’s clearest signal, for example, is for mental fatigue, not memory.

What improves memory more than any supplement

Two things rest on a far broader evidence base than anything above, and both are free. The first is sleep, which is when new memories are consolidated; see sleep and memory consolidation. The second is retrieval practice: testing yourself on material at spaced intervals instead of re-reading it. The methods are in active recall and spaced repetition.

A supplement can only act on material you have studied and slept on. If those two are not in place, start there.

For how to set a baseline and read your own results, see our self-testing method.

Choosing a memory supplement

Two things matter on a label: that it states the amount of the active ingredient, and that the maker publishes third-party test results. Bacoside percentages are measured by different laboratory methods, so a “24%” on one label and a “50%” on another are not directly comparable.

These are affiliate links. If you buy through them, NeuroEdge Formula may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. My conclusion above is that sleep and retrieval practice come first and that many readers need neither product.

Safety points before you start

Bacopa commonly causes stomach upset, less so with food. Alpha-GPC carries the unresolved stroke question described above, which matters most if you are over 50 or have cardiovascular risk factors. Creatine raises blood creatinine, which can confuse a kidney blood test, so tell your doctor you take it. If you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a medical condition, check with a doctor or pharmacist before starting any of these. More in our nootropic safety guide.

Frequently asked questions

Scientific references