Comment · Thu, December 17, 2015 · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
Where are nootropics manufactured?
Original post in this thread
armyanmar · 2 points
I'm new to nootropics and was wondering where does MOST of it come form. I know it may be spread afew regions but where do the majority come from and for bonus points where are most being exported to?
What they were answering
rymor · 1 points
Thanks for the thorough reply.
I've gotten a lot of benefits from nootropics and, like most people here, have done my best to research (and self-experiment with) the benefits and risks associated with the various herbs and compounds. The other type of risk, however, associated with impurities, is tougher to get a handle on since research seems to be lacking, and it's not something you can figure out yourself.
This type of safety is probably not something most people think about since they trust that regulation is in place in most industries (whether or not that trust is misplaced). Like a lot of things we ingest, I suppose, at the end of the day, people have to just do their best to make an informed decision, and then hope that they can trust the company's quality control and government regulation (if applicable). All this is a calculated risk if adequate information is available.
What I was trying to get at with these questions is: When buying nootropic compounds from reputable vendors whose testing is top-notch and even exceeds industry standards, to what extent are consumers still being asked to accept risk? (i.e., Are there impurities cannot be realistically detected? What are they most likely to be? Do we know enough to make a judgment about how much of a concern this should be?).
Again, thanks for the prompt response.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic & Nootropics Depot
What I was trying to get at with these questions is: When buying nootropic compounds from reputable vendors whose testing is top-notch and even exceeds industry standards, to what extent are consumers still being asked to accept risk? (i.e., Are there impurities cannot be realistically detected? What are they most likely to be? Do we know enough to make a judgment about how much of a concern this should be?).
There would be almost no risk for impurities, if the vendor is testing for them, and has proper QA/QC steps to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. If you do an FTIR and HPLC of a compound, you will see impurities if they are in there. If you are taking a more experimental Nootropic compound, then you still have the risk of an interaction we don't know about, or an effect not yet documented. However, you have that same risk with supplements and pharmaceuticals.
I think people's trust in the regulation of most industries, like the supplement and pharmaceutical industry, is certainly misplaced. Regulation is there to give people rules to follow, and punish those that are found violating them. It's not to catch things before risking consumers. There is just not enough manpower. This is especially true in the supplement industry. Yes, they FDA sometimes inspects labs, and makes sure they are following the minimum processes. However, initial inspections only go so far, and spot inspections rarely catch things before they affect customers. So it really comes down to trusting the individual company to continuously ensure they are doing things properly.