My Qualia Mind Review (30 Day Self-Experiment)

A bottle of Qualia Mind

Table of Contents

Last updated on November 13, 2023.

Smart like a superhero?

Imagine you would have one superpower. And this superpower would be: Being smart as f*ck.

You would be super focused, sharp and witty. You could:

     

      • Get an MIT degree

      • Excell at your job and get promoted next week

      • Be witty and attractive in conversations

      • Meditate yourself into new spheres

      • Feel in calm control for the whole day under any circumstance

      • Or simply go to a party and at the end of the night, still remember everybody’s name

    Wouldn’t that be amazing? You probably heard about Qualia Mind, that’s why you are reading this Qualia Mind review.

    My Qualia Mind Review

    Qualia Mind claims to be:

    Specifically designed to promote focus, support energy, mental clarity, mood, memory, and creativity

    Neurohacker Collective Website

    Does it work? As a flow- & biohacker I like to improve myself and test out new ways to become the best version of myself. I’ve been looking at Qualia Mind for a while now and got myself a one month supply of the nootropic as a Christmas gift. Watch my 1 Year Qualia Mind Review!

    In this post, you will not only find my subjective 30-day experience with Qualia but also a quantitative measurement of my cognitive function.

    What is Qualia Mind?

    Qualia Mind is a nootropic that claims several cognitive benefits including promoting focus, supporting energy, mental clarity, mood, memory, and creativity.

    It was created by the Neurohacker Collective. One of the co-founders, Daniel Schmachtenberger, was recently on my podcast and runs a great podcast himself.

    What are Nootropics?

    Nootropics are drugs, supplements, and other substances that may improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity or motivation in healthy individuals. 

    Wikipedia

    A bottle of Qualia Mind with 2 Qualia Mind pills to represent my review

     

    Qualia Mind Packshot with 154 Capsules

    The Basis for Biohacking

    The basis for using any kind of supplement or nootropic is a healthy lifestyle. If you get only 4 hours of crappy sleep a night, need 3 coffees to go through the day and stuff processed microwave food inside your body, nootropics nor other supplements can’t do much for you.

    Good sleep is crucial for optimal cognitive function. [Qualia] Mind is most effective in a well rested brain and is not intended to enhance function during sleep deficit.

    Qualia Mind’s “How to use” card

    I think I cover the basics for Flow & biohacking quite well: I get up every day at the same time after 8 hours of mostly good sleep. I drink max. 1 – 2 biohacking coffees a day (max. 5 days a week), eat healthy self-cooked meals, do some movement practices and meditate daily.

    Expectations for Neurohacker’s Qualia

    I wished for the following effects:

       

        • Getting faster & deeper into the meditation ‘zone’ during my daily meditation practice

        • Accelerated learning from (audio) books and online courses

        • No afternoon down / sleepiness after lunch

        • Accelerating in my professional work

      Other effects I will watch out for:

         

          • Vivid dreams (this is one that I heard from other testimonials)

          • Being present in the moment (more often & deeper)

        My Quantified Approach

        I used a test by Quantified Mind and did a 6-day baseline test before taking the first pill of Qualia. I repeated the test at different times of the day during my 30 days with Qualia.

        The Quantified Mind test I used is based on the standard “Coffee study” and includes the following cognitive tests:

           

            • Sorting

            • Finger Tapping

            • Design Copy

            • Simple Reaction Time

            • Coding

            • Visual Backward Digit Span

          Each of these tests measure one or multiple cognitive functions like reaction time, executive function, motor function, visual processing, and working memory.

          At the end of each test, I got a score. See the full results at the end of this blogpost.

          Of course, this is no perfect study but an approach to measure something more than my subjective experiences during this experiment.

          Qualia Mind 30 Day Review & Results

          Week 1

          Jan 2, 2019 – Day 1 on Qualia:

          I took seven pills in the morning before breakfast. I even wondered whether I should go to work or better stay at home due to the potential big effect it could have.

          The first thing I noticed was around one hour after taking the pills. A slight stomach upset. Not super bad but a weird feeling.

          Other than that: NOTHING. Nothing happened.

          In the evening I was quite disappointed because I read in other reviews that people feel something within 20 minutes after taking the pills.

          I took Qualia for 5 days (“On days”) and then paused the intake for 2 consecutive days (“Off days”) to prevent my body from building up a tolerance against the compounds. This is how Neurohacker Collective suggests to use it.

          After the first week, I was a bit underwhelmed. I wasn’t sure whether I felt anything or this was just the placebo effect.

          Week 2

          In week 2 I changed two things:

             

              1. I upped my dose to 8 pills instead of 7

              1. I took them with breakfast instead of on an empty stomach. I had no stomach upsets since then.

            Week 2 was a little more interesting. I felt that I was deeper in my meditation and could stay longer “in the zone”.

            I was also still wondering why some people feel such a big effect on the first day. I thought “Maybe it has to build up slowly in my body and takes a while to get started”.

            Week 3

            I went back to a 7 pill dose and BOOM! It hit me on Day 1 of week 3. Around one hour after taking Qualia. I felt like waking up in the Matrix.

            I was on the bus on my way to work when I realized:

               

                1. My situational awareness went way up. I was very aware of what was going on around me. Without feeling anxious or anything. Just a very calm high situational awareness.

                1. I became very aware of my own mind. My thoughts were very clear and I felt in full control of them.

              In week 3 I also experienced:

              An even deeper meditation state than in week 2 and one of my favorite effects:

              Getting in a state of flow really fast. I think I usually need like 45 minutes of focused work to feel a flow state. On Qualia, I get into it after 10 to 20 minutes.

              I was super excited and really enjoyed being “On”. Week 4 stayed on the same level as week 3.

              I don’t feel a “down” on the two “Off days”, but definitely look forward to the “On days”. During my 30 days experiment, I had several conversations with the Neurohacker Collective support and I must praise their responsiveness on in-depth questions and their effort to help.

              Quantified Results

              I summed up all scores of the six different tests in Quantified Mind to a daily score.

              I thought the scores can vary from day to day due to the time of the day, the weather, sleep, etc. That’s why I calculated an average daily score for each week.

              Week 0 was before taking Qualia. Week 1 to 4 are the average daily scores measured on “On days”. My results:

              Week 0 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
              3127 3340 3408 3336 3351

              So on average, you can see a 7.4% increase in cognitive performance (at least on these tests) in the weeks with Qualia Mind. Of course, this is not a valid scientific study. This is just a quantitative measurement added to my subjective review.

               

               

              Update November 2023 – after 3 years

              I’ve been using Qualia Mind now for over 3 years. I tested dozens of cheaper as well as more expensive alternatives but no other product has this much of positive effect for me. The wide calmness for dropping into meditations is really unique and the sharp focus and productivity while being calm is also not achieved with other nootropic stacks. So I still use Qualia Mind regularly and think it’s the best product on the market.

              Save 15% on Qualia

              Save 15% On Qualia

              If you wanna find out whether Qualia Mind is the superhero pill for you: Save 15% on your order by using my Neurohacker Collective discount code MAXHUG in the official Neurohacker Collective Shop*.

              MAXHUG
              Click here to copy the promo code
              MAXHUG to your clipboard.
              No expiry date

              If you have any questions about Qualia Mind, let me know in the comments down below!

              How to Get Qualia Mind in Europe

              Like many other supplement companies, Neurohacker doesn’t ship to Europe. Here is my favorite shop to get Neurohacker products in Europe:

              Order Qualia Mind here in Europe – Get 5% off with coupon code MAXHUG

              Qualia Mind FAQ

              How long does the effect of Qualia Mind last?
              I feel it after 60 to 90 minutes and it lasts for 7 to 9 hours on average. This changes from day to day and is very personal.
              Is Qualia Mind suitable for people with caffeine sensitivity?
              I can’t take too much caffeine myself. That’s why I prefer the Qualia Mind Caffeine Free version which has the same effect as Qualia Mind (except for the first 1 to 2 hours). I combine it with a small french press coffee and that works perfect. If you are caffeine or stimulant sensitive, I would go for Qualia Mind Caffeine Free.
              Qualia Mind vs. Qualia Mind Essentials what do you like more?
              I prefer Qualia Mind over Qualia Mind Essentials. Essentials has a big part of the effect that Qualia Mind has but is missing the overall awareness effect for me. Though if you wanna save money, Essentials is the way to go.
              What ingredients are in Qualia Mind?

              Qualia Mind contains 28 active ingredients: 7 vitamins & minerals, 21 nootropics and 5 other non-active ingredients.

              The nootropic ingredients are: Acetyl-L-Carnitine HCI, Artishoke Leaf Extract (4% cynarin and related flavonoids), Bacopa monnieri Leaf Extract (40% bacosides), Rhodiola rosea Root Extract (3% rosavins, 1% salidrosides), DL-Phenylalanine, Uridine-5′-Monophosphate heptahydrate disodium, N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Taurine, L-Theanine, Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine (alpha GPC), Cognizin Citicoline, Organic Coffeeberry (90 mg caffeine) Whole Coffee (Coffea arabica) Fruit Extract, Velvet Bean (Mucuna pruriens) Seed Extract (50% L-Dopa), Phosphatidylserine (from sunflower lecithin), Theobromine, DHA (as Docosahexaenoic Acid from Algae), Celastrus paniculatus Seed Extract, Ginkgo biloba Leaf Extract (24% glycosides), Coleau forskohlii Root Extract (20% forskolin), Pyrroloquinoine Quinone disodium, Huperzia serrata Leaf Extract (1% Huperzine A)

              Is there a discount code for Qualia Mind?
              Use the coupon code ‘MAXHUG’ for 15% on any Qualia Mind order.
              How long does one bottle last?
              One bottle of Qualia Mind (154 capsules) will last for at least one month for most people. This assumes you take 7 capsules, 5 days a week. If you take a lower dosage or use it on fewer days the time span increases.
              How and when to take Qualia Mind?
              Neurohacker recommends taking 7 capsules first thing in the morning with water. Personally, I take it with breakfast to avoid stomach upsets.

              *This is an affiliate code which means you save 15% and I get a small commissions from Neurohacker to produce more content – This does not add any cost for you. I appreciate your support 🙌🏻 (so much even that I use a “hands raised in celebration” emoji).

              Peace✌🏻

              You can read this Qualia Mind Review in German here.

              This Post Has 6 Comments

              1. Al B.

                I just got my bottle of Qualia mind…I really want to calibrate intake…is it ok to start with 5 capsules instead of 7 ?

                1. Max Hug

                  I think starting with 5 pills and then slowly increasing the dosage (max. 8 a day) until you like the effect is fine.
                  Personally, it took over a week for me to really feel it.

              2. Chuma Geo

                How does the pill work? Does it builds up gradually before noticing results or do you see instant results?

                1. Max Hug

                  I think for most people it builds up gradually before noticing effects. Although some people claim to feel effects on Day 1.

              3. Joe D

                “We are no longer allowed to sell Qualia Mind in Europe. This is because the PQQ in Qualia Mind comes from a supplier who does not have approval for the European market.”

                Any advise?

                1. Max Hug

                  This is a patent issue atm in Europe. In the meantime you could try Qualia Mind Essentials or Qualia Focus.

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