Memopryl Ingredients: Six Names, Read One at a Time

The short list, taken only from the label, the retailer pages and the linked sources.

• Six ingredients are named by the retailer pack and the brand's Inside Memopryl graphic.
• The amount of every ingredient, the serving size and the other ingredients are not published in our files.
• Study doses run from 100 mg a day (phosphatidylserine) to 3 g a day (acetyl-L-carnitine).
• Caffeine is not one of the six named ingredients.
• Bacopa has the clearest result in healthy adults; L-glutamine has no memory dose set.
• St. John's wort and ginkgo are the two ingredients with medicine concerns.
• Your bottle's Supplement Facts panel is the final word on the list.

This is the whole named list. It comes from the retailer pack and from the brand graphic, because the Supplement Facts panel is not in our files. The names are spelled below as the label lists them.

• Phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid found in cell membranes
• Ginkgo Biloba Leaf (Ginkgo biloba leaf)
• N-Acetyl L-Carnitine HCl, a form of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR)
• St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
• Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)
• L-Glutamine, an amino acid

Two are herbs with long traditions, one is an herb best known for mood, and the rest are nutrients that the body also makes or uses. That mix is why the research stories differ so much.

It is a fat-like molecule found in the walls of every cell, and brain cells hold a lot of it. Supplements are often made from soy.

In 78 Japanese adults aged 50 to 69 with memory complaints, 100 or 300 mg a day of soy phosphatidylserine for 6 months raised memory scores (Kato-Kataoka et al., 2010). A smaller pilot gave 30 older adults 300 mg a day for 12 weeks, with no placebo group (Richter et al., 2013). The FDA allows a memory claim only with words that admit very little scientific evidence (FDA, qualified health claims).

Safety point: the trials used soy-derived material. The source in Memopryl is not published, so check your panel if you avoid soy.

Ginkgo comes from the leaves of an old tree species. It has been studied for blood flow and for the aging brain. The GEM trial gave 3,069 adults aged 75 and over 240 mg a day for a median of 6.1 years, and dementia rates did not fall (DeKosky et al., 2008 (GEM)).

Federal health sources say it has not been shown to prevent or slow dementia (NCCIH, Ginkgo). Our post on the big ginkgo trials goes deeper.

Safety point: it may raise bleeding risk with blood thinners such as warfarin. Ask a doctor first if you take one or have surgery planned.

It is the salt form of acetyl-L-carnitine, shortened to ALCAR. Carnitine helps cells move fats into the parts that make energy. That is why it sits next to the brain energy claim.

In memory-impairment studies, people took 1.5 to 3 g a day for 3 to 12 months (NIH ODS, Carnitine). A Cochrane review of 16 trials found no evidence to recommend it for routine use in dementia (Hudson & Tabet, 2003 (Cochrane)).

Safety point: near 3 g a day it can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea and a fishy body odor.

The brand has not said. St. John's wort is studied for mood, usually at 300 mg three times a day, or 900 mg in total (StatPearls, St. John's Wort). It is not a memory ingredient, and Memopryl makes no mood claim.

Its weight on this list comes from medicines. It speeds up the enzymes that clear many drugs, which can weaken birth control, warfarin, cyclosporine, digoxin, simvastatin, some seizure drugs and some HIV and cancer drugs (NCCIH, St. John's Wort).

Safety point: with antidepressants or other serotonin drugs it can cause serotonin syndrome (MSKCC, St. John's Wort). It can also make skin burn more easily in the sun.

Brahmi is the traditional name for Bacopa monnieri, a creeping plant of wet ground with a long place in Ayurvedic practice. Of the six, it has the clearest memory data in healthy adults.

In a placebo-controlled trial, 46 healthy adults took 300 mg of extract a day for 12 weeks. Learning rate, memory consolidation and processing speed improved more than with placebo (Stough et al., 2001). Other studies used 300 to 450 mg a day (StatPearls, Bacopa).

Safety point: effects are mostly in the stomach. Bacopa may also affect drug-processing enzymes.

L-glutamine is one of the most common amino acids in the body. Muscles, the gut and the brain all use it. It is sold widely as a general supplement.

We found no good evidence that it helps memory or focus in healthy adults. In 91 students, a single 2 g dose did not improve learning or reaction time (Jongkees et al., 2017). It is studied mostly for side effects of cancer treatment (MSKCC, Glutamine).

Safety point: nausea and headache have been reported.

The label that matters is the one on your bottle. Look for the serving size, each amount or one blend total, the other ingredients, the capsule material and any allergen line. If a name differs from the list above, ask the order desk before you start.

Searches for a memory ingredients list often hope for a single magic herb. This list does not have one. It has a mix with uneven research behind it, and one member that needs a pharmacist.

Our view: the list reads like a menu, not a recipe. Each name has a story, and the stories differ in strength. Bacopa carries the best human data. Phosphatidylserine has a real trial in an older group. Ginkgo and carnitine disappointed in large reviews. Glutamine has no memory dose. St. John's wort is there for reasons the brand has not explained.

Without amounts, you cannot say whether a capsule holds a studied dose. That is the first thing to read on your own bottle. The second is to show the list to a pharmacist.

This is general information, not medical advice.

Last updated October 16, 2026.