Memopryl Ingredients: What Is in Each Capsule

Memopryl names six ingredients on its retailer pack and in the brand's "Inside Memopryl" graphic. They are phosphatidylserine, Ginkgo biloba leaf, N-acetyl L-carnitine HCl, St. John's wort, Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) and L-glutamine. The bottle styles the name "MemoPryl by NutraVibe," and each one holds 60 capsules.

Two of the six are herbs, and one is an herb extract best known for mood. The rest are nutrients found in the body. Each tile below gives the short version, and the sections that follow give the studies.

Phosphatidylserine is a fat-like molecule found in the walls of every cell. 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). The gain was largest in people who started with lower scores. A smaller pilot gave 30 older adults 300 mg a day for 12 weeks, and scores rose from where they began (Richter et al., 2013). That pilot had no placebo group, so it carries less weight.

The FDA lets sellers make a memory claim for phosphatidylserine only with strong qualifying words. Those words say there is very little scientific evidence for it (FDA, qualified health claims).

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

Ginkgo comes from the leaves of one of the oldest tree species on earth. It has been studied for blood flow and for the aging brain. It is one of the most tested herbs in memory research.

The largest study, called GEM, gave 3,069 adults aged 75 and over 240 mg a day for a median of 6.1 years. Ginkgo did not lower dementia rates compared with placebo (DeKosky et al., 2008 (GEM)). Federal health sources agree it has not been shown to prevent or slow dementia (NCCIH, Ginkgo). More on that trial is in our post on what the big ginkgo trials found.

Safety line: ginkgo may raise bleeding risk in people who take blood thinners such as warfarin (NCCIH, Ginkgo). Ask your doctor first if you take one or have surgery planned.

The pack lists N-acetyl L-carnitine HCl. It is a salt form of acetyl-L-carnitine, often shortened to ALCAR. Carnitine helps cells move fats into the parts that make energy.

ALCAR was studied at 1.5 to 3 g a day for 3 to 12 months in people with memory impairment (NIH ODS, Carnitine). A Cochrane review of 16 trials found no evidence to recommend it for routine use in dementia (Hudson & Tabet, 2003 (Cochrane)). So it fits the brain energy theme, but the human results are weak.

Safety line: near 3 g a day, ALCAR can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea and a fishy body odor (NIH ODS, Carnitine).

St. John's wort is a yellow-flowered herb, Hypericum perforatum. It 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.

What makes it stand out is how it acts on the liver. It speeds up the enzymes that clear many drugs (StatPearls, St. John's Wort). That can weaken birth control pills, warfarin, cyclosporine, digoxin, simvastatin, some seizure drugs, and some HIV and cancer drugs (NCCIH, St. John's Wort).

Safety line: with antidepressants or other serotonin drugs it can cause serotonin syndrome, a serious reaction (MSKCC, St. John's Wort). It can also make skin more sensitive to sun. Our post on St. John's wort and your medicines lists the drug groups.

Brahmi is the traditional name for Bacopa monnieri, a creeping plant that grows in wet ground. It has a long history 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 bacopa extract a day for 12 weeks. Learning rate, memory consolidation and processing speed improved more than with placebo (Stough et al., 2001). The change showed up only at the 12-week check, not before. Other studies used 300 to 450 mg a day (StatPearls, Bacopa).

Safety line: side effects are mostly in the stomach, such as nausea, cramps and more frequent stools. Bacopa may also affect drug-processing enzymes (StatPearls, Bacopa).

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, not for memory (MSKCC, Glutamine).

Safety line: reported side effects include nausea and headache (MSKCC, Glutamine).

The Supplement Facts panel for Memopryl was not part of the files we received. The brand's info link opened an error page when we checked on September 24, 2026. So no amount for any of the six ingredients is published here.

That matters in two ways. First, nobody can tell whether a capsule holds a dose close to what the studies used. Added together, the studied amounts come to more than 3 grams a day, which is a lot to fit in capsules. Second, St. John's wort interacts with medicines at any dose, so the amount does not change the medicine check.

A dose below the studied range is not proof the formula fails. It is simply not the dose that was tested. When your bottle arrives, read its panel and compare it with this table. Our Memopryl Supplement Facts guide shows what to look for, and the safety page covers each ingredient in more depth.