Huperzine-A as a Pre-Workout

Moss-derived compound huperzine-A is used to enhance cognition during exercise.

Huperzine-A is a naturally found compound in the club moss plant that is refined in science labs and may provide pre workout benefits:

• Enhanced cognition. Huperzine-A may improve cognitive performance, especially focus and alertness.
• Improved muscle strength. The moss derived compound delivers muscle potentiating ability according to animal research.

Overview

Synthetically made in laboratories from an extract of the clubmoss plant (Huperzia serrata), Huperzine-A is an alkaloid believed to enhance cognitive function. Huperzine-A itself is a relatively new supplement, but its natural source has been incorporated into traditional Chinese medicine practices for centuries.

As a nootropic that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, huperzine-A has not only been shown to enhance brain energy, but also sustain overall neuronal health. Because of this, it is sometimes added to pre-workout formulas and said to enhance mental energy and focus.

Beyond their great activity in the brain, huperzine-A products have also been used in Chinese health and nutrition to manage inflammation, fevers, and schizophrenia. More on huperzine-A as a nootropic.

How Huperzine-A Might Help With Pre-Workout Formulas

Inhibiting acetylcholinesterase

Acetylcholine is a critical neurotransmitter with a major role in maintaining sharp mental performance and overall brain health. Huperzine-A has been shown to sustain elevated levels of acetyl choline by blocking acetylcholinesterase (AchE), the enzyme in charge of degrading acetylcholine.^{2 3 4}

Increasing the rate of acetylcholine availability by blocking acetylcholinesterase has further been shown to enhance postsynaptic muscle function, specifically in muscle conditions such as myasthenia gravis.⁵ By blocking acetylcholinesterase, huperzine-A may be able to improve muscle activation and contraction.⁶

Huperzine-A Pre-Workout Benefits & Uses

Huperzine-A has primarily demonstrated nootropic effects and is thus used to boost cognitive performance.⁸ Early research and reviews support this finding, listing such cognitive pre workout benefits as:

• Enhanced memory
• Improved learning performance, alertness, and focus
• Protection of neurons from oxidative stress and injury^{9 10}

The nootropic has also been shown to potentiate skeletal muscle activity in animal studies. This could ultimately increase muscle strength and restore muscle function — especially after strains and swellings — which would be ideal for bodybuilding and other anaerobic exercises.

Research

Animal Research

Animal studies have found huperzine A capable of improving both cognition and muscle activity. It has been shown to:

• Increase the efficiency of muscle contraction in rat, frog, and guinea pig muscles¹³
• Reverse cognitive dysfunction in rats while learning tasks¹⁴
• Attenuate the impairment of spatial memory in mice¹⁵
• Facilitate cell growth, proliferation, and survival of rat brain cells¹⁶

Human Research

Huperzine-A’s capacity to enhance brain power is highlighted in the results of clinical studies.

Huperzine-A (200 mcg) may improve recall and cognitive performance

In this double-blind, controlled investigation, 34 pairs of middle and junior-high students who had complaints about memory problems were given either 100 mcg huperzine-A (Hup) or placebo every day for 4 weeks. Students administered huperzine-A had higher significantly scores on Memory Quotient testing and better performance on language lessons than the placebo group.

• The researchers concluded that “the Hup capsules enhance the memory and learning performance of adolescent students.”¹⁷

Huperzine-A (200 mcg) may improve memory, cognition, behavior in people with Alzheimer’s

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized investigation, 103 Alzheimer’s patients were given either 200 mcg (4 tablets) of huperzine-A or a placebo every day during an 8-week period. Approximately 58% of patients on huperzine-A demonstrated significant improvements in memory, cognitive, and behavioral functions, with better efficacy than the placebo. No severe side effect or interactions were reported.

• The researchers concluded that “Hup is a promising drug for symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”¹⁸

Huperzine-A (400 mcg) may improve cognition in people with Alzheimer’s

In this placebo-controlled investigation, 202 Alzheimer’s patients were administered either 400 mc of huperzine-A or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. Compared to the placebo, huperzine-A resulted in significant improvements in cognition, behavior, and mood on various cognitive function measures.

• The researchers concluded that “huperzine Alpha remarkably improves the cognition, behavior, ADL,and mood of AD patients.”¹⁹

Dosage for Pre-Workout

• Successful clinical research studies have used from 200 – 400 mcg of huperzine-A.
• Typical supplements provide from 50 – 200 mcg of huperzine-A per serving.

Available Forms

• Synthetic preparation as powder in capsules from clubmoss extracts