One of my favorite Nootropics for pickup or socializing that hasen't been mentioned up to this point is L-Theanine; it's the Nootropic ingredient in green tea. It has a bunch of effects that make you better at socializing like:
- Verbal fluency
- Creativity and banter
- Relaxation
- Mildly dampers social anxiety
The reason this is one my favorite Nootropics for pickup is that it's super convenient to drink green tea while doing pickup; you can buy green tea at any grocery store, when you go out put a bag or two in your pocket, at the bar order bottled water instead of booze, then put the green tea in the water. The caffeine in the green tea, will make you more energetic.
You're going to get less L-Theanine, less caffeine, less tannins, and a worse taste if you use cold or room-temperature bottled water for green tea instead of hot water. I'm not certian of the exact solubility of L-Theanine off the top of my head but you can almost be assured that it will have a greater solubility as the temperature of the water increases. To maximize both caffeine and L-Theanine content per milliliter of water, brew in hot water instead of cold. Trade the bottle for a mug.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21735551
Theanine is a unique non-protein amino acid found in tea (Camellia sinensis). It contributes to the favourable umami taste of tea and is linked to various beneficial effects in humans. There is an increasing interest in theanine as an important component of tea, as an ingredient for novel functional foods and as a dietary supplement. Therefore, optimal conditions for extracting theanine from tea are required for the accurate quantification of theanine in tea and as an efficient first step for its purification. This study examined the effects of four different extraction conditions on the yield of theanine from green tea using water and applied response surface methodology to further optimise the extraction conditions. The results showed that temperature, extraction time, ratio of water-to-tea and tea particle sizes had significant impacts on the extraction yield of theanine. The optimal conditions for extracting theanine from green tea using water were found to be extraction at 80 °C for 30 min with a water-to-tea ratio of 20:1 mL/g and a tea particle size of 0.5-1 mm.
I skipped much in the video, but you mentioned that you drink as much as 3 liters a day. I only saw 1 teabag in the bottle you were drinking out of! Per 8 ounces of water, the caffeine content in green tea is only 25 mg (see link below). Per 8 ounces of black tea, L-Theanine content is 20mg if I am not mistaken (likely higher for green tea). You do realize, there are 33.8 ounces in a liter? At only one teabag per bottle and 3 liters total (at room temp or below, to boot), at this diminutive amount, you are experiencing placebo (or a benefit of proper hydration) rather than the effects of L-theanine and caffeine. Please consume 3 liters of brewed green tea with one teabag per 8-12 ounces of water and then report back.
http://jat.oxfordjou...t/32/8/702.long
Please note, by ounce, I mean a US (fluid) ounce rather than an Imperial (fluid) ounce, I'm too lazy to convert everything to metric.
Edited by FW900, 20 May 2014 - 10:19 PM.