For the past month I’ve been taking a deep dive into cognitive enhancing substances known as nootropics. One particular one that I found very interesting is a compound called Theacrine.  I have taken this compound every morning for three weeks to wean off caffeine in order to reset my tolerance.

This can be viewed, in my opinion, as a natural central nervous system stimulant and fantastic alternative to caffeine if used correctly.

Also known as 1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid, its a purine alkaloid found in Cupuaçu fruit and in Chinese tea known as kucha. It shows anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and appears to affect adenosine signaling in a manner similar to caffeine.

Theacrine has demonstrated clinical safety and non-habituating effects in healthy humans over 8 weeks of daily use at up to 300 mg/day. Therefore, it should be considered a safe alternative to caffeine.

Theacrine vs caffeine

Theacrine is similar to caffeine in molecular structure. The difference being an additional methyl group in the 9-position, and a carbamide as a result of an additional carbonyl group at the 8-position. However, these subtle differences result in very different chemical properties.

Theacrine has demonstrated clinical safety in healthy humans over 8 weeks of daily use at up to 300 mg/day. 

This theacrine study showed there was no evidence of a reduced reaction to a drugs effectiveness following its repeated use. This is significant as tolerence build up is very typical of neuroactive agents such as caffeine and other stimulants.

Caffeine tolerance can build up very fast. A 1981 study showed subjects who were not caffeine users became desensitized to it in only four days.

I’ve played with this compound at lower doses of 100mg and gone all the way up to 300mg. As one can imagine, the more stimulating effects come with a higher dosage. After three weeks of use, I have not built up a tolerance to this at all. I imagine the next espresso I have after this break from caffeine will be the best cup of coffee ever .

A more smooth and sustained effect than traditional stimulants.

The energy from Theacrine feels much more clean than traditional caffeine or other stimulants. I’ve also notice that is last much longer with a smooth peak and slow tappering off.

Caffeine kicks in pretty fast for me but also wears off fairly quick after just a few hours. Many people also crash later in the day after consuming large amounts.

Where to get Theacrine

Theacrine is just now starting to make a name for itself in the biohacking and fitness community. This means its going to be a while before you see it on store shelves or utilized in supplement blends. I’ve been using a lab quality 3rd party tested sample from Science.bio as seen below. You can also see my video review on this brand HERE.

Lab tested Theacrine from Science.bio which come as a small bag protected in a thick plastic jar.

However, with its increase in popularity, you can also buy Theacrine capsules on Amazon HERE.