Neuriva Brain Performance is a relatively new supplement designed to improve focus, memory, and concentration. Despite a relatively thin ingredient list, the product has seen a lot of buzz from its customers, and many wonder if Neuriva will live up to its claims.
Neuriva is offered by Schiff Vitamins and can be found online and in stores around the nation.
When looking for an effective brain health supplement, you’ll want to see a healthy mix of ingredients like fish oil, resveratrol, Phosphatidylserine, Acetyl-L Carnitine, Ginkgo Biloba, bacopa monnieri, and Rhodiola Rosea. These boost brain power in many ways, including memory, focus, stamina, thinking skills, blood flow, and energy.
Keeping that in mind, does Neuriva deliver the goods, or do they fall short? Our Neuriva review dives deeper into this supplement, its benefits, side effects, pricing, dosage, and more, so keep reading.
Neuriva Nootropic Supplements
Before we get into what is involved in making Neuriva, it’s important to point out that Schiff Vitamins offers five different products in this line as of the time of this writing. They have the Neuriva Original, Neuriva Plus, Neuriva Brain + Energy, Neuriva Brain Performance, and Neuriva Brain Performance De-stress.
According to their website, Schiff claims these supplements will enhance focus and learning, improve accuracy and memory function, and strengthen concentration. These claims align with most brain supplements, but many fail to deliver.
Some companies offer other additives to their brain supplements, including improved mood, brain cell protection, and support for long-term brain adaptation. These don’t seem to be provided by Neuriva, at least according to their marketing efforts.
Now the fun part, breaking down the ingredients will always tell you whether or not a product is worth a purchase or not.
Neuriva Ingredients
As mentioned above, many ingredients are backed by certified research that can be vital to making an effective brain supplement. These can include, but aren’t limited to:
- Fish Oil
- Resveratrol
- Phosphatidylserine
- Acetyl-L Carnitine
- Ginkgo Biloba
- Bacopa Monnieri
- Rhodiola Rosea
You’ll notice something strange when looking at the ingredients list on the back of the Neuriva label. There are only two ingredients – phosphatidylserine, which is found in most brain supplements such as Youthful Brain and Neuro-Peak, and coffee fruit extract. In fact, of all the ingredients they could’ve chosen, only one of them is from the list above.
That’s quite a statement to make, especially since so many other brands offer a variety of ingredients to customers. Of course, more isn’t always better, and fewer ingredients could also mean fewer side effects. With only two ingredients, you can only hope they are powerful enough to make a noticeable difference.
Let’s look at what these natural ingredients do and how they pertain to keeping a healthy brain.
Coffee Fruit Extract (Coffea arabica)
The Neuriva labels list the coffee fruit extract as the first ingredient, including 100mg. It’s a relatively new ingredient, which often scares people due to a lack of research and studies. That may be the case with this one, as well.
Only a little comes up when looking for research supporting the use of coffee fruit extract as a brain supplement. In fact, only one major study brought back positive results where researchers saw an increase in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels. Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a protein that can support brain function by promoting the survival of nerve cells.
Unfortunately, this study was conducted with the Whole Coffee Fruit Extract, which is not what was used here. As a result, we are still determining if we are getting the same benefits as each ingredient.
For this reason, coffee fruit extract is not a trusted ingredient in improving brain function. That’s not a good start, with this being the first of only two ingredients. While coffee fruit extract may have some mental performance benefits, there is not enough research to conclude that its effective enough to be one of only two ingredients in a nootropic supplement.
Phosphatidylserine
Neuriva will also include 100mg of phosphatidylserine. Unlike the last ingredient, this is as trusted an ingredient as they come, mainly because it is a phospholipid naturally found inside the brain.
Phosphatidylserine makes up a large part of your brain’s structures, helping support healthy brain cell generation. It also acts as what some call a “cell signaler.” As brain cells die, the phosphatidylserine will move from inside the membrane to outside the cell. When immune cells notice this, they know it’s time to kill the cell.
Although you don’t need to worry about having a deficiency of this ingredient, our phosphatidylserine levels are known to decline as we age. It is consumed in our everyday diet, but not enough to work wonders on brain function.
By adding the 100mg included in Neuriva, you will give your brain cells the extra boost they need.
Neuriva Plus Ingredients
Earlier, we mentioned a second product available by Schiff – Neuriva Plus. Introducing a more potent formula, this version includes Vitamins B6 and B12 and folate. Vitamin B6 and B12 can be found in various brain support supplements, including Focus Factor Brain Supplement.
Vitamin B6 is known to help produce serotonin and norepinephrine, which improves your mood functions. The 1.7mg included is more than enough for an average daily dose.
Vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked to dementia in older people, noting that at least 2.4 mcg is needed per day. Folate has also been linked to dementia while also helping to curb depression. The 680mcg of folate is right in the wheelhouse of what’s expected in a daily sitting.
Neuriva Plus also offers twice as much phosphatidylserine and coffee fruit extract (200mg).
Is It Safe to Take Neuriva?
The ingredients in Neuriva are both plant-based and generally regarded as safe. There are not too many reported side effects.
What Are Side Effects Of Neuriva?
While side effects are uncommon, some users have reported disrupted sleep patterns, rashes, and anxiety. That said, these side effects seem to be rare.
There are hundreds of positive reviews of Neuriva, and while there are a few negative reviews, most simply state that the product didn’t work for them.
Is Neuriva FDA Approved?
The short answer is “no,” but this isn’t a red flag. The FDA does not regulate vitamins and supplements, so there are no FDA-approved supplements. This includes the supplements at health stores and grocery stores.
That said, Neuriva is produced by Schiff Vitamins, which is a trustworthy brand.
Where Can I Buy Neuriva?
You can buy Neuriva directly from retailers like Amazon and Walmart. It is distributed in a colorful bottle with a creative image of a brain on the front and comes in your typical pill supplement bottle. The packaging makes all of the claims we detailed above.
Neuriva is also available at some Walgreens and CVS locations.
How Much Does Neuriva Cost?
Neuriva costs $32.99 for a 30-ct bottle and $44.99 if you purchase the Plus. The cost is similar to other brands, but the value might differ.
How Should I Take Neuriva?
It would be best to take Neuriva daily (one pill), meaning each bottle will last 30 days.
Neuriva Pros vs. Cons
Based on what’s been uncovered, there are some clear pros and cons to giving Neuriva a try. As with most supplements, they may not work for everyone.
Let’s quickly summarize the pros and cons we’ve found so far with Neuriva.
Pros
- Schiff is a trusted company known for its quality product
- Lack of ingredients could be good for beginners
- Phosphatidylserine is vital to long-term brain health
- Neuriva Plus offers Vitamins B6, B9, B12 (better option than the original formula)
- Twice the amount of phosphatidylserine in the Plus version
- Can be found anywhere
Cons
- Only contains two ingredients, one of which shouldn’t be fully trusted
- Schiff under-delivered compared to some of their other product
- Would’ve liked to include ginkgo Biloba, bacopa Monnier, or Acetyl-L carnitine
- Rather pricey compared to what it offers
- There are much better alternatives available
Claims vs. Reality
As part of our review process, we examine how a company markets a product. We review the company’s claims and marketing materials and compare those to the product’s actual benefits. This helps us remove the “hype” component and ensure potential customers know what to expect.
Neuriva makes it very clear what its product is designed to do. Claiming to improve five areas of health, Neuriva will enhance your focus, memory, learning, accuracy, and concentration. The packaging also states that only clinically proven natural ingredients were used.
The Plus version also states to improve reasoning, in addition to the benefits provided by the original formula.
By looking at the ingredients, phosphatidylserine will definitely help in the long-term health of your brain cells and structure. This is known to support a more “sharp” mind and memory.
It seems like a lot of the original formula was centered around the coffee fruit extract. I think it’s never a good idea to have your main ingredient not be backed by research. As a result, it is unclear if Neuriva will deliver all it says it will.
I want to note that the Plus version will likely help avoid cognitive decline due to aging. Vitamins B6, B9, and B12 are known to be great for cell metabolism and helping dementia patients.
Competitors & Alternatives
When shopping for supplements, you want to ensure you get the most bang for your buck. In my opinion, Neuriva doesn’t quite do that and falls short compared to its competitors. We’ve done reviews of Prevagen, Alpha Brain, Focus Factor, and almost every nootropic you can think of.
One competitor I’ve grown to admire is Mind Lab Pro, which mixes pretty much everything I’d like to see in a brain supplement. Customers will get phosphatidylserine, Vitamin B6, B9, B12, and much more.
In addition, you will also get citicoline, bacopa monnieri, lion’s mane mushroom, n-acetyl l-tyrosine, l-theanine, Rhodiola rosea, and maritime pine bark extract. Mind Lab Pro claims to help with focus, information processing, mental clarity, stress, anxiety, memory, neurogenesis, and brain cell protection.
Even better, Mind Lab Pro won’t break the bank, which might be assumed based on the value it provides.
It’s challenging to recommend Neuriva over competing nootropics since there are only two ingredients (coffee fruit extract and phosphatidylserine). Other nootropics deliver these same ingredients and more for a better price.
Final Thoughts on Neuriva
When it comes to it, Neuriva doesn’t offer enough value for its customers, especially if you look at what other health brands are doing in the industry. It’s actually quite disappointing that it comes from Schiff Vitamins, known for some top-level supplements.
The Plus version was a bit of an upgrade, but Schiff is missing out on some key ingredients. I see some companies get too cute or fancy with their ingredients, which almost always ends up with adding unnecessary or useless ingredients. I also see some companies that remain too basic – Neuriva falls in the latter group.
Neuriva is a mixture of two very basic ingredients. This health supplement won’t give you much; most of what it will provide you is unnecessary.
I wouldn’t recommend Neuriva to someone looking to get the most out of their brain health supplement. This might be the way to go if you’re looking for something super basic.
