Per square

85% dark cacao, 100 mg L-theanine, 250 mg lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus), a pinch of mineral salt.

How to dose

Take one square. Let it rest on the tongue for 30 seconds before chewing. Allow 20 minutes. Start with one square; build to two only if needed.

Where the mechanism lives

Theobromine — the primary methylxanthine in cacao. 10× lower adenosine receptor affinity than caffeine, longer half-life (6–10 h vs caffeine’s 3–5 h), and no documented cortisol spike. Vasodilatory rather than vasoconstrictive. This is why dark chocolate gives you a tap on the shoulder where coffee gives you a slap.

L-theanine (100 mg per square) — an amino acid that naturally co-occurs in Camellia sinensis tea, included here as a discrete extract. Crosses the blood-brain barrier within 30 minutes. Nobre, Rao and Owen (2008) reported alpha-wave activity increases on EEG 30–45 minutes after typical dietary doses, with modulation of glutamate, GABA, dopamine and serotonin tone.¹ Half-life around 3 hours. No sedation.

Lion’s mane (250 mg, Hericium erinaceus) — its hericenones and erinacines have been shown to stimulate nerve growth factor (NGF). Mori and colleagues (2009) reported cognitive improvement in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 30 adults aged 50–80 with mild cognitive impairment, taking 3 g daily for 16 weeks.² NGF and BDNF are the neurotrophic pillar, not the methylation pillar — different machinery from the broccoli sprout powder.

What users report

Reported subjective effects on focus vary. Not a therapeutic claim and not assessed by the TGA.

Sources