What is 9-Me-BC and It Safe? 9 Facts About 9-Me-BC You Need to Know
The dietary supplement market was worth over $123 billion in 2019. Growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 8.2%, the market should be worth over $10 billion more by the end of 2020.
When you think of supplements, you may think of folk science and old wives’ tales. Yet, today, many supplements come onto the market with real scientific research to back their benefits. This couldn’t be more true than for nootropics like 9-me-bc.
9-me-bc is a powerful cognitive enhancement supplement. The best part? It has nearly a decade of peer-reviewed research touting its benefits for neurodegenerative diseases and beyond.
Are you searching for an over-the-counter pick me up? 9-me-bc may be exactly what you’ve been looking for. Keep reading to find out if this nootropic is right for keeping your brain sharp!
What is 9-Me-BC?
1. 9-Me-BC Stands for 9-Methyl-β-Carboline
9-me-bc is a type of β-carboline. β-carbolines are organic compounds, meaning they are mostly made up of Carbon with a few Nitrogen atoms added in. Importantly, these compounds tend to act on GABA receptors in the human body.
β-carbolines are what are known as indole alkaloid compounds. “Indole” refers to the fact that these compounds contain an aromatic benzene group. “Alkaloid” refers to a class of organic compounds that are often found in plants.
2. 9-Me-BC is a Nootropic
9-me-bc is a nootropic, which is a class of compounds that are known to enhance brain function. Most known nootropics target one or more of the following mechanisms: memory, creativity, or executive function, overall increasing the capacity of your brain.
If a compound is a nootropic, then it enhances one or more of these. Why is that important? Aside from alleviating annoying daily symptoms like brain fog, nootropics also show promise in treating neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
There are three different categories of nootropics:
- Direct Nootropics These nootropics are compounds that exert their effects on a receptor directly and includes the ever-popular cannabidiol (CBD)
- Enzyme-Modulating Nootropics These nootropics are compounds that exert their effects on enzymes, which, in turn, affect receptors
- Indirect Nootropics These nootropics neither affect receptors nor enzymes, choosing to use a more indirect mechanism to exert its effects
To learn more about nootropics and how 9-me-bc fits into the picture, click the link!
3. β-carbolines are Endogenous and Exogenous Compounds
β-carbolines are found all over the natural world. They’re in the foods we eat and the plants we keep in and around our homes. They’re also in the tissues that make up our organs and in our very brains.
That means these compounds are endogenous (inside us) and exogenous (found in nature).
4. Other BCs May be Neurotoxic
9-me-bc isn’t the only type of β-carboline out there. MPTP and MPP+ are two other types of BCs. And in fact, these two BCs in particular are a unique contrast to 9-me-bc.
Why? Because MPTP and MPP+ are actually neurotoxins instead of nootropics. That means they work the opposite way 9-me-bc does: these two β-carbolines actually damage brain cells.
Parkinson’s is one disorder that shows the effects of neurotoxins like MPTP and MPP+ directly.
Among other things, β-carbolines stimulate damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and encourage cell death. This can result in the loss of brain mass, which is a hallmark of Parkinson’s.
5. 9-Me-BC Stimulates Transcription Factors
Transcription is the first step of the process of turning genes into proteins. And 9-me-bc is known to increase the production of transcription factors.
These transcription factors specifically activate the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase. This enzyme is involved with converting L-theanine to L-DOPA in the brain. And L-DOPA can help prevent or reduce symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases.
6. 9-Me-BC is Neuroprotective
9-me-bc acts in the opposite way as do other BCs like MPTP and MPP+. That’s because it actually works to protect brain cells. When administered alongside neurotoxic BCs, 9-me-bc actually protects cells against their damaging effects.
This quality is what’s known as neuroprotection.
7. 9-Me-BC Helps Stimulate Neurogenesis
Neurogenesis is the creation of new cells in the brain. It was once thought that humans were born with all their brain cells. Once mature, scientists thought adults could never grow new brain cells.
All that changed with the discovery of neurogenesis. Today, we know that the brain creates new brain cells on its own. We also know that compounds like cannabis and 9-me-bc can help speed up the process.
8. 9-Me-BC Inhibits Neuroinflammation
Inflammation is part of the body’s natural immune response. Yet, when inflammation gets out of hand, chronic diseases like cystic fibrosis and mental health conditions like depression can result.
That’s why it’s so promising that 9-me-bc plays a role in neuroinflammation or inflammation in the brain.
9. 9-Me-BC Improves Long-Term Memory
After discovering its use in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s researchers wanted to know if 9-me-bc could work for healthy humans, too. They did a study on healthy rats to see the effects of 9-me-bc as a nootropic.
The results? After administering 9-me-bc, rats achieved significantly better results on a memory-reliant maze task than the control group. In other words, rats given 9-me-bc had better memory of how to beat a maze than did rats given a placebo.
Importantly, this study found that memory was selectively improved across a ten-day waiting period, but not a 5-day waiting period. This implies that 9-me-bc has a stronger effect on long-term memory, especially memories that have 10 or more days to gestate.
Stop Skipping Out on the Powers of Nootropics
9-me-bc is a nootropic and nootropics are brain-boosters. Using this nootropic can offer a whole host of incredible benefits, including the ability to boost your memory. Worth trying, isn’t?
Talk with your doctor about the potential risks and check more in our guide to nootropics and cognitive enhancers.
