Roll Call

“Huperzine?”Here!Huperzine A

Plant

Hasn’t appeared in a scanned product yet.

As a supplement

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.

Huperzine A is an alkaloid extracted from the Chinese club moss Huperzia serrata, chemically able to inhibit the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the brain.

Why it’s used

Taken to support memory and cognitive function, largely by analogy to acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting drugs used in dementia care.

What the evidence says

A Cochrane review of trials, mostly conducted in China, found some suggestion of cognitive benefit in Alzheimer's disease but flagged poor trial quality, small sample sizes, and risk of bias, concluding the evidence is not strong enough to draw firm conclusions.

Context

Studied trials have generally used it in Alzheimer's disease populations rather than healthy adults, over periods of weeks to a few months.

Rumors

  1. Huperzine A improves memory and learning.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

    • Nootropics Depot — a brand: sells supplements
      How we know who this is
      • “Nootropics Depot is located in Tempe Arizona.” (their page)
      • “While we started our journey with nootropics, we now sell many different supplements for all sorts of goals.” (their page)

  2. Large doses of huperzine A are toxic and build up in the body.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

  3. Huperzine A induces lucid dreams.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

    • SureOKGo — a brand: sells FOG OFF cognitive support supplement
      How we know who this is
      • “SureOKGo was built to make products we'd actually give to our own patients.” (their page)
      • “Every batch of FOG OFF is third-party tested for purity, potency, and contaminants before it ships.” (their page)

  4. Huperzine A helps treat Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

    • SOMA Analytics — a publisher: reviews and promotes natural nootropic and sleep supplements
      How we know who this is
      • “Jason is the founder of SOMA Analytics and has full oversight of the content produced both here on the website and on the YouTube channel.” (their page)
      • “As this is our approach, we only promote natural products and remedies.” (their page)

  5. Huperzine A sharpens focus and mental clarity.

    We haven’t found evidence strong enough to support this or rule it out.

    What was measured is not yet noted.

    Who’s saying this

    • Graymatter Labs — a brand: sells plant-based nootropic drink mix
      How we know who this is
      • “We created Graymatter Labs to increase the awareness of their benefits.” (their page)
      • “With my Co-Founder and a PhD Molecular Biologist, we formulated Graymatter Bright Mind —a plant-based drink mix that enhances focus, boosts energy, and avoids anxiety or crashes.” (their page)