The term “nootropic” was coined by a Romanian doctor named Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea in 1972. He was a psychologist and chemist that synthesized the nootropic called Piracetam that could improve memory. With his tests on Piracetam, he decided to use a Greek combination of “nous” meaning “mind” and “trepein” meaning “to bend”. Literally, the drugs were able to help bend the mind.
In order to be considered a nootropic, in needs to meet the following criteria:
-Improve memory and learning ability
-Protect the brain from chemical and physical assaults
-Improve the efficacy of neuron firing
-Possess few or no side effects and low toxicity
When you hear the term nootropic tossed around, it refers to it in the sense of a cognitive enhancer, something that affects thinking either by improved memory, processing things faster, increase in concentration, or a combination of these. Anything from caffeine to Adderall can be considered a nootropic.