Nootropics (colloquial: smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, similar to adaptogens) are a wide range of natural or synthetic supplements or drugs, and other substances that are claimed to improve cognitive function or to promote relaxation, particularly boosting mood, executive functions, attention, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals. The most commonly used nootropic in the world is caffeine.
While most nootropics are not regulated, there are other nootropics like Theanine, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and allows its sale as a dietary supplement.
They are often found in supplement form as nutraceuticals, or in recent years, as functional food or drinks. Recently, some companies even began using nootropics in beer as an alcohol replacement.
Nootropics are frequently advertised with unproven claims of effectiveness at improving cognition. The FDA and FTC warned manufacturers and consumers in 2019 about possible advertising fraud and marketing scams concerning nootropic supplement products. The FDA and FTC stated that some nootropic products had not been approved as a drug effective for any medical purpose, were not proven to be safe, and were illegally marketed in the United States under violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.