Qualia Review: The Most Comprehensive Nootropic Blend

September 23, 2021

By Mansal Denton, guest author

[UPDATE February 2018: After nearly 1.5 years using Qualia, I've produced an updated 2018 Qualia review at the bottom of the original content.]

When I first spoke on the phone with Daniel Schmachtenberger, co-founder of the Neurohacker Collective [1], I had researched neither the man nor the business and had no idea what to expect.

After speaking for nearly an hour and a half, he had not only impressed me with his approach to nootropics and cognitive enhancement, but also showed where the Neurohacker Collective was headed (hint: it’s a collective, not just a company)

This context is important when viewing their flagship product Qualia, which is one of the most comprehensive and well-crafted unique nootropic stacks currently on the market.

With 42 ingredients split between two dosages (Step 1 and Step 2) and a guidebook (called the “Bio-Hardware Upgrade”), Qualia is definitely not for the feint of heart and neither is the hefty price tag.

But the price tag might be worth it.

For certain people with certain goals, Qualia might be the right fit. For others, less so.

This Qualia review will help you not only determine if the nootropic stack works, but also whether it is worth the price and what potential drawbacks you might experience.

A Whole New Approach

As someone immersed within the nootropics community, the thing that excites me the most about Qualia is the new approach.

Every company that produces a unique nootropic blend has to also consider themselves as a business with a profit motive. Thus far, this has led to many nootropic stacks of dubious quality.

The two that stand out the most are Alpha Brain, Mind Lab Pro, and OptiMind with the former being better than the latter. At least Alpha Brain has invested in a brand that rewards transparency (to see their doses) in addition to clinical trials [2]. Both are still lacking in many ways.

Qualia seems to provide a completely different approach to unique nootropic stacks than any other brand I have seen. It’s an approach whereby they are paying more attention to detail and disregarding the cost to themselves.

#1. Qualia is a split stack – some natural compounds are fat soluble (such as bacopa) while others are not. Instead of treating everything the same, Qualia has gone to great expense to provide two separate bottles and products for early AM fasted state and with food later in the day.

#2. Qualia doses nootropics adequately – while “adequate” is subjective, Qualia puts doses of each ingredient that are either within the standard dosage or nearly as much [3]. Many other companies “fairy dust” meaning they sprinkle some compounds so they can use it in marketing.

This is why Qualia Part 2 consists of sucking down 6 horse pills in the afternoon (it’s not that bad).

Focusing more attention on detail, Qualia costs the manufacturers more to make, which they must pass on to the customer. But the price difference might not be as bad as you think…

What Does Qualia Cost and Is it Worth It?

To purchase Qualia for a full month supply, it is $149. If you purchase a subscription it is $129 (read until the end of this section and I’ll give you a discount code).

Before you balk at the price, consider comparing Qualia with many of the other popular nootropic stacks on the market AND what it would cost for you to buy all the ingredients yourself.

Qualia vs. CILTEP

The main ingredients to create the CILTEP stack (there are 5) are all found in Qualia. The dosage for many of these 5 ingredients is smaller in Qualia, but still effective for psychoactive effects.

A single bottle of CILTEP is $43 for 20 days, which means it costs $2.15 per serving. In Qualia, these 5 ingredients are only 12% of the total ingredients (42 total). Thus, if Qualia costs $6.77 per serving then 12% ($6.77 x 0.12) is $0.81 per serving.

To summarize, for similar ingredients to perform chemically-induced long-term potentiation (CILTEP):

CILTEP Natural Stacks = $2.15 / serving
Qualia Neurohacker Collective = $0.81 / serving

There are plenty of flaws with this math [4], but it goes to show Qualia may be expensive… but you may get a lot more for your money.

Qualia vs. Alpha Brain

This isn’t even a comparison. These are two completely separate tiers.

The cost of Alpha Brain is $2.33 / serving while Qualia is $6.77 / serving. Without going into too much math or analysis, this suggests Alpha Brain is about ⅓ of the cost.

It is plausible to suggest Alpha Brain is ⅓ the benefit of Qualia (that’s generous), which means the two are equally priced for what they can provide.

So as a ratio of cost and benefits (subjective to my opinion), Alpha Brain and Qualia are about equally priced.

Do it Yourself Qualia: What’s the Burden?

I’ve created a small chart that shows you what it would be like to create the Qualia stack on your own. I ensured I was buying the higher quality products as I imagine the Neurohacker Collective is doing.

If you buy all of the ingredients yourself it’s going to cost a total of $711.67 (give or take $100 in either direction) [5], but that will yield more servings. Here is where the DIY price comparison gets really interesting…

The price per serving of Qualia is $6.77 if you purchase a single $149 order.

The price per serving of Qualia is $5.86 if you purchase a subscription at $129 per month.

The price per serving of DIY Qualia is $9.16 if you purchase all the ingredients separately by yourself with moderate quality.

They have a much cheaper price on ingredients because they buy in bulk and they purchase lower quantities of certain ingredients than you can find for sale.

But the point is, you couldn’t save money doing it yourself, which suggests the current price of Qualia is quite good.

The bigger question is whether or not you’d like to consume 43-80 capsules per day. I have a hard enough with 9 from both steps of Qualia so “no, thank you” is my answer.

What Are the Benefits of Qualia?

Even if Qualia isn’t as outrageously expensive as it might initially seem, the harder test is whether the benefits of this all-inclusive supplement are worthwhile.

A skim of the ingredients will show any nootropic enthusiast that the objective with Qualia is essentially everything. They’re trying to build an all-in-one stack.

Personally, I feel like this isn’t the optimal approach because each individual’s biochemistry is so different, genetics vary, life experiences, etc. etc. It really should be each person’s individual responsibility to determine specific goals and seek to supplement to achieve them.

But, I live in the real world and realize that 9 / 10 people don’t want to spend the time and energy to develop a personal stack.

That means getting a trusted source to achieve ALL of these benefits (click on each to drop-down a more detailed analysis):

Qualia increases focus and concentration through various mechanisms. The most obvious is the combination of caffeine and L-theanine in the proper ratio [6]. Other additions to improve focus and attention include artichoke extract and forskolin (the foundation for the CILTEP stack) [7].

Personal Experience with Qualia

Realistically, this entire Qualia supplement review has been peppered with my personal experience and philosophy, but I have 3 days of subjective information to go by with a few conclusions.

Day 1

This was not a great start for Qualia. The comparison was all subjective (to other experiences), but my focus felt a bit scattered compared to my usual caffeine + l-theanine combination. There were frequent moments of odd headaches.

Part 2 brought increased focus, but I had a tendency to desire monotonous / repetitive tasks versus creative or “deep work” [9].

Day 3

The third time I took Qualia (non-consecutive days) was much, much better. It seemed like my brain had adapted to the new confluence of substances. I felt more productive, but very different from caffeine (the first day it was only subtle differences between Qualia and caffeine).

My diet and sleep on both days were good, but diet on this day was even better. I fasted for longer, ate sardines, greens, and coconut / butter green tea along with my Step 2. Even though I still had a sense of “buzzing” (which might be uncomfortable for some), it didn’t feel like overstimulation.

The only drawback on this day was a slight stomachache. For some context, it has been probably a year since I’ve had a stomach ache so it’s pretty safe to draw a correlation.

Side Effects of Qualia: What Are the Drawbacks?

According to the Qualia product guide / website, users can see more advantages with extended use (5 times per week) [10]. This may work for some people, but is simply too much for me. I’m very sensitive to compounds and Qualia has a lot of stuff going on.

Someone with a very simple approach to nootropics might say Qualia has too much going on. As the old adage goes, jack of all trades, master of none [11].

Having slight headaches and stomachaches aren’t the end of the world (especially given how brief they are), but if it happens every time and it’s impossible to take out the culprit ingredient, the results make me question whether or not it is worth it.

In the end, I’d say it is worth it, but not 5 times per week. More of an “as-needed” stack. I currently include it 2-3 times per week.

Does this seem like you? If so, check out Qualia here.

Finally, even though Qualia tackles most aspects of cognitive health and enhanced performance, in some aspects they simply fall short. Most notably, 200 mg of algal DHA is not nearly enough per day. You will need to consume some sort of fish oil omega-3 supplement in addition to Qualia.

I’m sure this wasn’t malicious or underhanded in any way (perhaps limitations of space), but it’s important to note so that you aren’t considering Qualia the “one and done” nootropic option.

The Neurohacker Collective Team

One reason it's so easy to get behind Qualia is because of the Neurohacker Collective team. While we have done a Neurohacker Collective spotlight, it's useful to note the team's capabilities in this review of Qualia as well.

Daniel Schmachtenberger, his brother James Schmachtenberger, and Jordan Greenhall are individually credentialed enough with knowledge and previous ventures to make Neurohacker successful. Combined, these three create a powerhouse in the nootropics industry.

During the Brain Optimization Summit, I did an interview with Daniel Schmachtenberger that was too good not to share.

On a Mission – Who is Qualia For?

Imagine a sales executive for a software business who makes over 6-figures per year. He’s aware that having the best mental performance means more money and a higher likelihood of getting promoted.

He’s a little more interested in optimizing his brain than simply picking up a mainstream product, such as Alpha Brain, but with a host of familial responsibilities and a mission to climb the corporate ladder, he also refuses to spend time researching and tweaking his personal nootropic stack.

This is the type of person Qualia was made for.

Qualia is most useful for high performance individuals (entrepreneurs, executives, professionals) who want to outsource their brain health 100% to somebody else because focusing on the minutia doesn’t interest them.

However, with plenty of money to spend, there is no reason to outsource complete brain health to just anybody. It might as well be the best unique blend that money can buy.

Does this seem like you? If so, check out Qualia here.

2018 Qualia Review

What could change in 1.5 years of using Qualia? Well, many things…

…but it is hard to pinpoint how Qualia has directly influenced my life more broadly.

Using a product for any length of time offers a more nuanced understanding not only of the product, but also how it interacts with our complex brain and body.

Taking a substance like Qualia for over 1.5 years has offered me a few luxuries, which are worth sharing after the fact to make your experience even more effective.

Homeostatic Equilibrium: Why Cycle Qualia?

There is a phrase I refer to often, which is a quote from a famous neuroscientist:

“homeostatic equilibrium shall not be denied”

This essentially means that our complex body and brain is constantly seeking a state of equilibrium where it feels balanced and “normal”. Most nootropic users (or professionals for that matter) have experience drinking a cup of coffee and then quickly building a tolerance over a few days that requires more and more in order to have the same effect.

This is the body trying to find equilibrium. It has several mechanisms of doing so and all are very complex. This is relevant because I have found that cycling Qualia has a huge impact on the experience that I have with the stack.

As I indicated before, there are so many well-dosed ingredients in this stack, but what happens when you are taking it every single day (or 5 times per week as they've recommended)? Many times people experience the cognitive effects start to wear off over time.

This is not the end of the world. After all, one of the highlights of Qualia is that they aren't simply trying to activate a stress response with stimulants, but are trying to upgrade all aspects of cognition. From their own page, they're focused on the following:

As you can see from these six approaches, it is possible to experience the benefits of Qualia without actually subjectively feeling them.

Added Qualia Benefit: Increased Empathy

The original article was published on Qualia after a month or two of using the nootropic stack. The results were obviously there, but a nuanced understanding of how Qualia interacted with my brain in comparison to other nootropics was not.

Over 18 months of using Qualia all over the world while traveling, in my documentary A Head Above, and elsewhere, I have noticed the added one benefit of Qualia that was unexpected:

What Comes After Qualia?

Given my connections within the nootropics world, I've had the opportunity to also meet and spend time with all the Neurohacker Collective founders over the past 18 months (including staying at their home and developing a closer relationship with them).

From that, I've learned quite a few things about their future plans and while I cannot give away too many details, I will say it looks promising. Qualia has already propelled the Neurohacker Collective into a top spot as one of the most successful nootropic companies that currently exists. They're in the same category as Onnit or HVMN (formerly Nootrobox).

Unlike those companies, they only have a single product…

What is coming down the pipeline seems to be worth paying attention to even if you buy Qualia and don't find it to be at the level that you desire. The products they will be releasing over the next months are going to be focused on specific intentions, but all of them are studied with well-researched formulators and the support of an advisory team that is pretty stellar.

References

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