Do you ever feel like your brain could use a little boost throughout the day? Do you often feel like mental fatigue, brain fog, and overall mood get in the way of having a productive or enjoyable day?
Don’t worry; you join a majority of people in the world that constantly feel like they’re at capacity with life. They don’t have the motivation to do anything, they struggle to perform well when they finally do something, and often aren’t able to perform long enough to make a difference.
Life doesn’t have to be this way, though. You don’t have to feel stuck, trapped, or ineffective on a daily basis. Instead, you can start to take control of your mind and begin to see your mental power reach its full potential with the help of nootropics.
While the world of nootropics is still a new concept to most people, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about one of the most unique supplements today — DOSE MindHoney. We’ll take a look at this supplement’s ingredients, its benefits, and whether or not its truly worth the purchase in this review of DOSE MindHoney.
What Is DOSE MindHoney?
MindHoney is a nootropic and adaptogenic supplement created by DOSE Nomadic Nutrition, a company you’ve likely never heard of until now. It’s designed to target three areas of daily performance — your mind, body, and mood.
For those rooted in psychology, it’s a supplement that supports your daily flow state to keep you focused, locked-in, and prepared for whatever this crazy world throws at you. Your flow state, which is the fluidity and sense of connection between your mind and body, is essential to daily performance and function.
DOSE MindHoney Claims
- Enhance your ability to focus and give you mental clarity.
- Provides a boost of energy and improves your immune system.
- Balances your mood and reshapes your frame of mind.
- Eliminates end-of-the-day crash and reduces stress.
- Clinically proven to increase Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) by 143%.
- Free shipping, certified organic, GMP-certified, Kosher-certified, and Halal-certified.
That all sounds great, but you’re likely wondering whether or not those claims are true. After all, there is a wide range of supplements out there that claim to do the same thing.
Don’t worry, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about this product, including what nootropics are, what adaptogenics are, more about the company, and the various ingredients used.
What Are Nootropics?
Nootropics are a line of brain supplements that help improve cognitive function. They can be ancient herbs, nutrients, plants, mushrooms, etc. Since the brain is responsible for so much, nootropics are generally categorized into five different benefits — energy, mood, memory, focus, and brain health.
How These Nootropics Work To Improve Cognitive Function
- Energy – adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy molecule of the body. By increasing ATP production, you receive an energy boost.
- Memory – acetylcholine is the major neurotransmitter involved in memory, which can be increased with the addition of choline.
- Mood – there are two main neurotransmitters when it comes to mood (dopamine and serotonin), each of which contributes to a happy and positive mood.
- Brain Health – everything from increasing blood flow, reducing oxidative stress, regulating inflammation, and more can contribute to a healthier brain.
- Focus – the two main neurotransmitters involved in keeping us focused are adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are also called epinephrine and norepinephrine.
While some nootropics utilize ingredients that only focus on one of those benefits, others stack ingredients that combine benefits. Some formulas even satisfy all five benefits, making them an all-in-one nootropic solution.
DOSE MindHoney Falls Into The All-In-One Category.
What Are Adaptogens?
Adaptogens, on the other hand, are a select group of supplements that support your body’s natural ability to adapt, manage, and move past the everyday stressors we encounter.
Many people like to think of adaptogens as a thermostat, but instead of monitoring temperature, it monitors your stress response. When stress levels are high, adaptogens help to lower that stress. When stress levels are low, they help you stay relaxed and calm — but not too calm that you’re unalert.
Combining ingredients with adaptogenic properties and nootropic properties, like MindHoney does, improves the overall health and wellness of your mind, body, and soul.
A Little More About The Company…
DOSE was founded in 2019 by Austin Platt, who was struggling to find success with any of the stimulants he was prescribed or recommended to take. To combat this, he decided to create his own formula that was an all-natural substitute to those prescriptions and was designed to be taken daily.
I wanted to take some time to speak a little about the company because they’re a little more unique than others. They have a slogan, “Changing the world one bottle at a time,” and they take it to an extreme most supplement companies ignore.
In a partnership with OneTreePlanted, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of trees planted each year, DOSE is committed to planting three (3) trees for every bottle purchased by a consumer.
It’s an amazing initiative that shows their commitment to the environment and shows that they take pride in giving back to the community.
DOSE MindHoney Ingredients
Now that we’ve taken a good look at the background of this supplement, we can start to deep-dive into the ingredients. When it comes to finding out what to expect from a supplement, there’s nothing more telling than the ingredient label.
With that being said, this is often the most important part of the buying process and will determine whether or not it’s worth a purchase from the consumer.
To ensure you’re given a proper representation of the ingredient, we’re going to detail every ingredient used in the formula and whether or not those ingredients can be trusted. So, let’s get started!
Functional Mushrooms
If you’ve never heard of functional mushrooms, you might want to listen up because they are truly a remarkable food. They’re not the same as the white button mushrooms you buy in the grocery store, but they are becoming more widely available in the Western world.
There are nearly 15 different species of functional mushrooms, and MindHoney utilizes four of the most beneficial ones — lion’s mane, cordyceps, reishi, and chaga. Let’s take a quick look at what each species is supposed to do to your body:
- Lion’s Mane – largely responsible for improving memory and protecting against dementia, but also acts as an antioxidant, reduces symptoms of depression, and reduces inflammation in the body. (about 125mg)
- Cordyceps – largely responsible for increasing ATP production and providing a boost of energy, but also has anti-aging properties, acts as an antioxidant, regulates blood sugar levels, and helps lower ‘bad’ cholesterol. (about 125mg)
- Reishi – largely responsible for boosting the immune system and increasing the number of white blood cells in the body, but also helps fight fatigue, reduces depression symptoms, has antioxidant properties, and helps lower blood sugar. (about 125mg)
- Chaga – has anti-aging properties, extremely nutritious, lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol, rich with antioxidants, reduces inflammation, supports the immune system, and lowers blood sugar throughout the body. (about 125mg)
I really like this blend of functional mushrooms. While all functional mushrooms provide antioxidants, support the immune system, and improve digestion, you also get an energy boost, cognitive boost, and overall wellness boost with this blend.
Brain Enhancers
In addition to the mushroom blend, MindHoney also contains a ‘brain enhancer’ blend that targets cognitive function. It’s important to note that Lion’s Mane mushroom could also fall into this category since it helps improve memory.
Let’s take a look at the four other brain enhancers in this formula, including NeuroFactor, CoffeeBerry Energy, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and DMAE Bitartrate:
- NeuroFactor – a patented product (from Futureceuticals) made from the whole fruit of the coffee plant. It’s proven to increase BDNF levels when taken in small doses each day.
- Coffeeberry Energy – a patented product (from Futureceuticals) made from coffee fruits, often called coffee berries. It not only delivers caffeine but coffee polyphenols that are beneficial to your health. (140mg of caffeine)
- N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine – a highly-bioavailable form of L-Tyrosine, an amino acid that’s a precursor to dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. It helps improve memory, focus, mood, and reduces stress. (200mg)
- DMAE Bitartrate – is related to acetylcholine, which helps improve mental clarity, focus, alertness, and memory when taken in reasonable doses. (100mg)
In the ‘brain enhancer’ blend, I’m a strong advocate for N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine and DMAE Bitartrate. They’re excellent brain enhancers that improve cognitive function in a variety of ways. NeuroFactor is also effective at increasing BDNF levels, and this is proven.
It’s not that Coffeeberry Energy is a bad ingredient, but it does contain 140mg of caffeine. The daily recommended dosage of caffeine is 400mg, and you should never go above that. While this is less than half of that, you also have to consider all the other caffeine you consume on a daily basis.
That’s why I generally try to avoid caffeine in supplements, but it will give you that energy boost we all love.
Adaptogenic Herbs
We discussed what adaptogenic herbs are earlier in this review, so we already understand that this blend of ingredients is designed to help us manage stress, provide an uplifting mood, and help calm our nerves under pressure.
There are three ingredients MindHoney includes in this blend — L-Theanine, American Ginseng, Ashwagandha. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
- L-Theanine – a non-dietary amino acid that is structurally similar to L-Glutamine and L-Glutamate. It helps boost alpha and theta brain waves, reduces anxiety symptoms, improves cognitive function, lowers blood pressure, and relaxes your body. (200mg)
- American Ginseng – not to be confused with Asian Ginseng, which is a different species, but Ginseng in general is known to promote relaxation, improve cognition and memory, improve blood circulation, and reduce oxidative stress. (50mg)
- Ashwagandha – an ancient herb primarily used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. It’s known to reverse and repair the damage your brain endures through stress and anxiety. It also inhibits the enzyme responsible for breaking down acetylcholine (memory). (80mg)
Much like the functional mushroom blend, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about these adaptogenic herbs. MindHoney utilizes three of the most effective ones, meaning you’ll be in one of the best mental states of your life.
I would also like to point out that L-Theanine is most effective when paired with caffeine. In my opinion, you should always have L-Theanine in your supplement when caffeine is present. It helps eliminate the jitters and crash we often get from caffeine.
While I’m normally against caffeine in supplements, having L-Theanine softens the blow here.
Vital Vitamins
Let’s be honest, what’s a supplement without some vitamins included? They’re essential to daily health, they’re essential to the breakdown of food into energy, and they’re frequently demanded by the consumer.
MindHoney includes four different vitamins in their formula, all of which fall under the B-Complex — Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, and Vitamin B12. Let’s take a look at what each one is responsible for:
- Vitamin B3 – also known as niacin, known for lowering bad cholesterol, increasing good cholesterol, boosting brain function, and enhancing skin health. (20mg)
- Vitamin B6 – also known as pyridoxine, known for improving mood, reducing depression symptoms, improves brain health, and increases production of hemoglobin. (5mg)
- Vitamin B9 – also known as folic acid, known for producing DNA, improving mood, and reducing symptoms of depression. (5mg)
- Vitamin B12 – also known as cobalamin, is known for improving red blood cell formation, improving mood, reducing depression symptoms, and produces DNA. (400mcg)
When it comes to the B-Complex vitamins, this is a pretty effective group. They use the right dosages, and the combination of Vitamin B6, B9, and B12 is commonly used in brain supplements all over the market — because they work.
DOSE MindHoney Dosage, Packaging, And Pricing
There’s something about the packaging of MindHoney that’s so simple, yet so uniform and spiffy. It arrives in a white box with black and orange lettering on it. The bottle the capsules come in, however, is black with white and orange lettering (same design, though).
They don’t have a lot of claims on the front, other than notifying the customers that it’s designed to be an adaptogen and nootropic, providing both brain health and daily focus. The supplement facts are clearly labeled on the back with accurate dosages, which is appreciated.
In order to get a full serving, you’ll need to take two capsules each day. This supplement is safe to take daily, so you won’t have to worry about cycling it on and off. And since each bottle contains 60 capsules, you get a one month’s supply in each bottle.
One bottle costs you $39.95, which equates to around $1.33 per serving (or $0.67 per capsule). Compared to others, it’s a reasonable price for what you get. There’s a lot of good ingredients included in this formula, and it’s certainly worth every penny.
DOSE MindHoney Pros vs. Cons
Of course, it doesn’t really matter what supplement you’re considering purchasing; you’re bound to find flaws or shortcomings with it in one way or another. No supplement is perfect, and MindHoney is no different.
The good news is there’s nothing dangerous about it. I really like the formula, but a majority of my complaints are just adding some ingredients I think would pair well with it.
With that being said, let’s list out everything we like — and don’t like — about MindHoney.
Pros
- Utilizes four of the most effective functional mushrooms available today
- Utilizes three of the most effective adaptogens available today
- Includes four vitamins that improve your body’s ability to break down food for energy
- DMAE Bitartrate, NeuroFactor, and N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine are a powerful combination of brain enhancers
- Coffeeberry Energy provides an energy boost
- Enhance your ability to focus and give you mental clarity.
- Provides a boost of energy and improves your immune system.
- Balances your mood and reshapes your frame of mind.
- Eliminates end-of-the-day crash and reduces stress.
- Clinically proven to increase Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) by 143%.
- Free shipping, certified organic, GMP-certified, Kosher-certified, and Halal-certified.
- Not very expensive
- Small bottle makes it easy to carry around
- Every bottle purchased is equal to one tree planted, thanks to their partnership
Cons
- Coffeeberry Energy contains 140mg of caffeine
- Provides a small dose (80mg) of Ashwagandha, which should be around 200-300mg
- Would be nice to see Bacopa Monnieri, Citicoline, Phosphatidylserine, and Rhodiola Rosea in this formula
- Rather new to the market, so not a lot of attention or reviews
Claims vs. Reality
I always get excited when new nootropic formulas are introduced to the supplement community. As we learn more about how these nootropics work and which ingredients are most effective, the formulas continue to get better and better.
Earlier in this review, we discussed the various claims made by this company when you take MindHoney. After taking a look at the background of the formula and deep-diving into the ingredients, it’s clear that they pinned the tail on the donkey with this formula.
The functional mushroom blend is as good as it gets without adding more functional mushrooms into it, which isn’t completely necessary. The four mushrooms chosen give you a broad range of benefits, which is good.
The adaptogenic blend and brain enhancer blend do a great job of working together. They provide the energy and focus needed, but also help relax you so you can remain in that flow state long-term. Of course, the vitamin blend helps provide that energy as well.
It’s not expensive, making it a good alternative to other prescription drugs and expensive supplements, which was one of the main goals of this company. Bravo to Austin Platt and his team for this formula. If only they had a non-caffeine version, I would be fully satisfied.
DOSE MindHoney Competitors And Alternatives
DOSE MindHoney does a lot of things right, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones doing so. In fact, there are a couple of alternatives to MindHoney that I would recommend if you wanted something without caffeine — Mind Lab Pro — or wanted something with less ingredients — Performance Lab Mind.
I’m also going to recommend a formula by Four Sigmatic that consists of a wider range of functional mushrooms, in case you were interested in trying those out. Let’s take a look!
Mind Lab Pro
Mind Lab Pro is one of my favorite nootropic supplements available today. It contains 11 ingredients, all of which are equipped with scientific evidence supporting them. It even contains six ingredients found in MindHoney.
The ingredients include Citicoline, Phosphatidylserine, Bacopa Monnieri, Lion’s Mane, L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, Rhodiola Rosea, Maritime Pine Bark Extract, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, and Vitamin B12.
The only downside with Mind Lab Pro, compared to MindHoney, is the price. Each bottle costs $65 instead of $40. You can, however, save some money by purchasing 3 bottles at a time ($195) because you get a fourth bottle free.
Performance Lab Mind
Most of what I like about Mind Lab Pro, Performance Lab Mind ‘dumbs’ it down into a simpler formula. Instead of 11 ingredients, it includes just four — Citicoline, Phosphatidylserine, Maritime Pine Bark, and L-Tyrosine.
While being cheaper than Mind Lab Pro, it’s still not as cheap as MindHoney. Each bottle costs you $49, but you also have the opportunity to receive a fourth bottle for free if you purchase three at once. That would bring each bottle down to about $38, which is right around what MindHoney costs.
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Blend
If you’re someone who has always wanted to receive the daily benefits that mushrooms provide, but can’t stand the taste, texture, or sight of mushrooms, then Four Sigmatic Mushroom Blend is for you. It’s a powdered supplement that you add to your beverage or smoothie, allowing you to easily add mushrooms to your diet.
This mushroom blend contains 10 different function mushroom species — Reishi, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Enokitake, Shiitake, Maitake, Tremella, Meshima, and Agaricus Blazei. It also contains Rose Hips Extract, which contains a lot of Vitamin C.
Each jug of this contains 30 servings and only costs $24, making it way cheaper than any of the above options. It doesn’t have the other nutrients the other formulas provide, but the 10 different species of mushrooms provide a wide range of benefits themselves.
Final Verdict: DOSE MindHoney
There’s not much to complain about with MindHoney. They have an effective formula, utilizing a majority of my favorite nootropic ingredients and adaptogens available today.
Not only that, but they have one of the best initiatives and missions working behind the scenes every time someone purchases a bottle — their partnership with OneTreePlanted. It’s the type of company you can easily support because they give you a quality product and make an effort to give back themselves.
With that being said, there are also some solid alternatives if you want a simpler formula, one without caffeine, or are interested in trying more of those functional mushrooms everyone’s always talking about.
Either way, you have plenty of good options to consider here!