This Mood-Supporting, Energizing Supplement Might Just Replace My Matcha

Sometimes it's difficult for me to concentrate. For me, it's not so much the focusing part as it is hyper-focused on something else I find interesting, urgent, or just plain distracting, and then having problems returning to the very important task I set down to complete.

To be sure, staying focused and on track isn't always easy for me. And, like many Americans, I've discovered that caffeine helps me obtain the productivity and attention boost I need to cut through the clutter and get stuff done.

My on-again, off-again relationship with caffeine.

Having said that, I've never claimed to require my daily caffeine fix. I started with the sweet stuff when I first started drinking caffeinated beverages, just like people do with wine. I swiftly progressed to lattes and flavored coffees with milk or nut milk after growing to adore the whipped-cream-topped and syrup-infused flavors of frappuccinos, mochas, and macchiatos.

By college, I was preparing hazelnut coffees with my Keurig before going to my morning job or grabbing a flat white (OK, plus the occasional caramel macchiato—old habits die hard) before going to the library for a late night of essay writing.

For me, caffeine was more of a tool than a hunger. Without a little aid from coffee in the early mornings and late evenings, I knew I'd be less energized, aware, and attentive.

Caffeine's focus-enhancing companion is discovered.

I've gone from coffee to black tea to green tea since college, looking for the ultimate caffeinated companion. I still use coffee to help with focus, energy, and attention, but I've added L-theanine to my arsenal.

L-theanine, a powerful bioactive found in black tea, green tea, and some types of mushrooms, works in tandem with caffeine to boost attention, energy, and concentration. It also has a relaxing impact and helps to enhance general mood—a kind of "focused zen," if you will.

When I relocated to Hawaii and started drinking matcha, I learned the benefits of L-theanine. While I've grown to appreciate matcha's earthy, umami flavor, it wasn't the taste that drew me in. Thanks to L-theanine, I got all of the focus and concentration benefits of matcha's caffeine without the jitters or the awful caffeine crash that I was used to from my coffee days.

I'd stumbled onto an entirely new world of possibilities. While L-theanine is most commonly associated with matcha and other green teas, some smart nootropic pills (that is, supplements that boost cognitive function) contain this naturally occurring component in their formulae to relax the central nervous system and support brain functioning. When combined with coffee, the synergistic cognitive effects are unrivaled, as I have personally observed.

I'm not the only one who's noticed the cognitive benefits of this dynamic combination, according to studies published in Nutritional Neuroscience. L-theanine and caffeine, when combined, helped people complete cognitively demanding activities faster and more accurately while also making them less distracted, according to a 2008 study. In a 2010 study, researchers discovered that the chemicals worked synergistically to greatly improve alertness and focus.

With all of these wonderful advantages in mind, you can imagine my delight when I learned that mindbodygreen was releasing a focus supplement containing a variety of nootropic botanicals, including this strategic duo: plant-origin caffeine and the bioactive L-theanine.

Concentration is the ultimate grail.

Focus+ by mindbodygreen is all I want in a nootropic and more. I was immediately drawn to the focus+ recipe, which contains L-theanine as well as instant and sustained-release caffeine (derived from whole coffee berries and green coffee beans, respectively).

But the fantastic elements don't end there! Guarana and Panax ginseng are another synergistic duo that support concentration, mental acuity, task performance, and overall mood, while vitamin B12 promotes the production of "feel-good" neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, supports ATP energy currency for all of my body's cells, and improves nervous system health.

I feel invigorated and ready to take on the day after taking focus+. The alertness, calm focus, and prolonged energy that this premium nootropic provides are palpable—from mental clarity to mood support and motivation, I can't stop speaking the praises of this synergistic mix!