Vinpocetine Dosage and Review

What is Vinpocetine?

In a couple words, Vinpocetine is a tested and legal nootropic supplement that is reported to enhance cerebral blood flow, which in turn increases cognitive functions including concentration and memory. Furthermore, Vinpocetine has been identified as potentially effective in preventing and treating various ailments including Alzheimer's disease, acute ischemic stroke, and Parkinson's disease.

Just Summarize the Science

Vinpocetine facilitates increased cerebral processes and improves blood flow, causing increased oxygenation and utilization of glycogen stores. Vinpocetine is not only used by people looking for increased cerebral function, but also by those looking to treat existing brain disorders (as many brain disorders are caused by poor circulation, neuronal damage, or inadequate energy), but also by athletes looking to naturally improve their performance.

The Science: Clinical Studies and Vinpocetine

Clinical studies have researched various traits of Vinpocetine including its antioxidant effects, neuroprotective effects, phosphodiesterase-1 inhibition, psycho-pharmacological effects, and acute ischemic stroke.

Antioxidant Effects: A clinical study found that Vinpocetine had a scavenger effect close to that of vitamin E. In rats, Vinpocetine was found to inhibit the formation of lipid peroxidation.

Phosphodiesterase-1 Inhibition: A clinical study found that Vinpocetine inhibits type 1 PDE. This may explain Vinpocetine's benefits in cerebral circulation.

Neuroprotective Effects: A clinical study involving 118 tuberculosis patients between the ages of seventeen and sixty-three who had normal hearing or hearing problems found that Vinpocetine prevented neurosensory hypoacusis. A clinical study involving guinea pigs found that Vinpocetine supplements prevented hearing loss that would have otherwise been caused by the aminoglycoside antibiotic amikacin given to them.

A study in Italy treated 22 elderly patients with central nervous system degenerative disorders. After taking 10 mg for 30 days, then 5 mg for 60 days, 87 percent experienced improvement with no significant side effects.

Although most studies focus on vinpocetine and its effects on patients suffering from degenerative ailments, several peer-reviewed double blinded studies focus on studying the affects of vinpocetine on the cognitive performance of normal, healthy subjects. After observing vinpocetine, they found significant improvement.

Notably, in a German study, 40 healthy subjects were given 40 mg of vinpocetine daily for two days. Afterwards, they were assessed by the Sternberg Memory Scanning Test. The outcome was significant improvement in memory. The study found that normal, healthy people can experience benefits from vinpocetine.

Overall, Vinpocetine has been extensively studied and continues to be extremely popular in Japan, China, Korea, and, particularly, Europe.

Proper Dosage of Vinpocetine

An optimal dosage of Vinpocetine to help with cerebral function such as memory and concentration is about 15 milligrams a day. This is usually taken in the form of a tablet, containing 5 milligram, three times a day. My suggestion is to start out with 10 milligrams a day and work your way up. Studies in which participants took amounts between 10 to 30 milligrams per day showed positive benefits.

Side Effects

Critical reviews of studies and literature have reported no adverse effects. In a study involving Alzheimer's disease, participants were given very large doses of vinpocetine (60 mg) for one year, and no significant harmful effect was reported.

However, as with most herbs, there are a small number of cases in which people have described side effects such as stomach pain, nausea, sleep disturbance, headache, dizziness, nervousness, and flushing of the face have been recorded.

Important: The information in this article is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your healthcare provider or doctor. Furthermore, it is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on any of my hubs. You should always speak with your doctor or health acre professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

Vinpocetine was discovered in the late 1960s and is a synthetic ethyl ester of apovincamine, a vinca alkaloid obtained from the leaves of the Lesser Periwinkle. It is rapidly absorbed by the human body when administered orally, reaching maximum concentration in 1.5 hours.

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