Supplements for Meditation

Besides a reasonable healthy diet, there may be supplements that make sense for a meditator.

As meditation training is a kind of learning, the concepts of neurogenesis (adding brain cells) and neuroplasticity (creating lasting changes) makes sense.  Neuroscientists are not exactly supplement junkies, but they do typically recommend two things over and over:

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Aerobic Exercise

I find it interesting that the Theravada Buddhists include substantial portions of walking meditation on retreats, sometimes 50% of meditation time, as much as 8 hours a day.  I think that much might be overkill, but the general idea gives one at least the incentive to do what the medical establishment already recommends, about 30 minutes a day of moderate activity like walking.

It is fairly common in retreat environments for stimulants to be provided, such as:

• Tea and Coffee

I'm a bit sensitive to those myself, but if those work for you and you don't overdo it, use them intelligently when you need to.  On the other hand, if you need to sleep, sleep.

Rather than, or in addition to caffeine, I recommend one of the earlier "cognitive enhancing" drugs:

• Piracetam

The research on piracetam is somewhat inconclusive with respect to the kind of things it is often tested for, such as cognitive impairment, etc.  I can only point to a small number of advanced meditators that have gone on and off the substance and noticed the difference.  There are other more potent "racetams", but the original is the best studied, probably safest in that regard, and seems to work fine.

My take is that piracetam is helpful in keeping the mind aware and mindful, a literal mindfulness supplement.

It is often suggested that one start off with higher doses of piracetam, around 4.6 grams twice a day, and perhaps gradually tapering down to a maintenance dose of around 2.4 grams once a day, but you could also just start at the maintenance dose if you're more patient.  Your mileage may vary.  I've been satisfied with a modest 0.5 gram per day for many years now.

Even more controversial, and based on even sparser research, it might be worth mentioning perhaps even a:

• Major Psychedelic

There is a very small amount of research showing that major psychedelics, such as psilocybin and LSD, promote neurogenesis and neuroplasticity.  Perhaps that by itself is not enough to recommend it, and at some point I intend to do a more detailed post about psychedelics and meditation, but for now I would speculate that, if you are comfortable with these substances, a very small microdose, perhaps 1-5% of a dose, taken first thing in the morning on retreat, might not be the worst thing to do.

Of course, better than any supplement would be to make sure you are:

• Regularly, repeatedly, earnestly engaging in the practice of mindfulness and letting go