Huperzine A Supplements Review

Choose the Best Huperzine A Supplement. CL Tests Reveal the Best Huperzine A Supplements for Memory.

Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Last Updated : 02/04/2020 | Initially Posted: 07/06/2012

What It Is:

Huperzine A is a chemical purified from leaves of the Chinese toothed club moss (Huperzia serrata (Thunb. ex Murray) Trevis) or synthetically manufactured.

What It Does:

Huperzine A is one of many dietary supplement ingredients that have been used to help prevent or treat memory disorders. Other ingredients tested and reviewed by ConsumerLab.com include ginkgo, acetyl-L-carnitine, ginseng, niacinamide, vitamin E and fish/marine oils.

Huperzine A is believed to work in a manner similar to some prescription drugs for treating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease: increasing the level of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine by blocking its breakdown. It may also protect neurons from cell death caused by toxic levels of glutamate and protect against some of the effects of chemical nerve agents used in warfare (e.g. soman).

In limited studies, huperzine A has been shown to improve memory, thinking, and behavioral function in people with Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, and senile dementia. (See ConsumerTips™ for usage information).

However, huperzine A was not shown to improve memory performance any better than a placebo in a 12-week study of 14 people in the U.S. with moderate or severe traumatic brain injuries. In that study, the dose of huperzine A was increased every four days, starting at 100 mcg in the mornings, then 200 mcg in the morning and 100 mcg at night, then 200 mcg twice daily, and finally 300 mcg twice daily. Interestingly, those taking the placebo improved more than those taking huperzine A, although the difference was not statistically significant, suggesting a strong placebo effect in this population and the possibility of a detrimental effect of huperzine A (Zafonte, Brian Inj 2019).

Quality Concerns and Tests Performed:

Neither the U.S. government nor any other agency is responsible for routinely testing dietary supplements for their contents or quality. In order to help consumers identify products of better quality, ConsumerLab.com purchased and tested huperzine A supplements for the quality of their ingredients and other relevant parameters as described below. See Testing Method for more details.

Only the (-) isomer of huperzine A is active. However, if a product is made from synthetic huperzine A, at least 50% of its huperzine A will be inactive, and often products do not state the form of huperzine A that they contain. The labeled amount of huperzine A in a product should reflect only the active form. Huperzine A is also a relatively expensive ingredient, creating an economic incentive for making a product with less than the labeled amount. In fact, tests by ConsumerLab.com in 2005 and 2008 detected no or little huperzine in one product.

Lead contamination is also possible with huperzine A, as found during testing by ConsumerLab.com in 2003. Lead is a potential contaminant in natural products. In children, infants, and fetuses, even low levels of lead can adversely affect neurobehavioral development and cognitive function. In adults, lead at somewhat higher levels can cause elevated blood pressure, anemia, and adversely affect the nervous and reproductive systems. Lead is of particular concern during pregnancy as the mother can transfer it to the fetus.

All products were tested for their amounts of huperzine A in the (-) isomer form as well as for potential lead contamination. Any product in tablet form (excluding chewable and time-release tablets) was also tested for its ability to properly break apart (disintegrate) in solution — which is necessary for ingredients to be absorbed.

Update: (2/4/20) An analysis of supplements containing huperzine A sold online in the U.S. found that most did not contain the amounts listed on their labels and many included ingredients that were not listed, including potentially dangerous ingredients (see Concerns and Cautions).

What CL Found:

Of the three huperzine A supplements ConsumerLab.com selected for testing, only one could be considered CL Approved — Source Naturals Huperzine A. Two additional products, GNC Herbal Plus Standardized Huperzine A and Swanson Superior Herbs Maximum-Strength Huperzine A, were also CL Approved, having passed the same tests through CL's Voluntary Certification Program.

Although Metagenics Ceriva passed laboratory testing -- containing its listed amount of huperzine A and lacking lead contamination -- it could not be CL Approved as the product does not comply with FDA labeling rules. To help consumers read labels, the FDA requires ingredients be listed in descending order of weight. Ceriva contains 2,000 times more palm extract than huperzine A but lists huperzine A above the palm extract. For compounds, like huperzine A, which are extracted from plants, the FDA also requires listing the part of the plant from which it was obtained. Not listing the plant part on an herbal supplement leaves open the possibility that an ingredient was made from the wrong (and less expensive) part of the plant. Ceriva identifies the plant but not the plant part --which should be the aerial (above-ground) portion or leaf.

Solaray Hup A with 225 mg Eleuthero was not Approved because it also failed to list ingredients in order of amount and did not list the plant part from which the huperzine A was obtained. In addition, the amount of huperzine A could not be determined due to chemical interference during testing.

Cost comparison
The cost of huperzine A ranged widely among the products. To obtain 100 mcg of huperzine A, the lowest cost was just 8 cents from Source Naturals Huperzine A, followed by 17 cents from Swanson Superior Herbs Maximum-Strength Huperzine A. A similar amount of huperzine A from Metagenics Ceriva cost $1.39 -- seventeen times as much as from Source Naturals, although Ceriva includes the additional ingredients folate, palm extract, and a small amount of vitamin E. In addition to being lowest in cost, Source Naturals was the only CL Approved product which was vegetarian and gluten-free.

Test Results by Product:

Listed alphabetically below are the test results for five huperzine A supplements. ConsumerLab.com selected three products. Two other products (each indicated with an asterisk) were tested at the request of their manufacturers/distributors through CL's Voluntary Certification Program and are included for having passed testing.

Shown for each product is the claimed amount and form of the tested ingredient and the serving size recommended on the label. The full list of ingredients is available for each product by clicking on the word "Ingredients" in the first column. Products listed as "Approved" met their label claims and ConsumerLab.com's quality criteria (see Passing Score). Be aware that suggested serving sizes on labels may not reflect an appropriate dosage for your intended use, such as for memory and cognition enhancement. Adjustments may be necessary. Be sure to compare the "Suggested Daily Serving" in the second column to dose information provided in What to Consider When Using. Cost comparisons appear in the last column.

CONSUMERLAB.COM RESULTS FOR HUPERZINE A SUPPLEMENTS Click on beneath a product name to find a vendor that sells it. To find retailers that sell some of the listed products click here.
Product Name, Unit Type, and Suggested Daily Serving (Click on "Ingredients" for Full List and Special Designations)	Amount of Huperzine A (- isomer) (mcg) Per Suggested Daily Serving on Label	--TEST RESULTS --
		OVERALL RESULTS: APPROVED (Passed) or NOT APPROVED (Failed)	Contained Claimed Amount of Huperzine A	Broke Apart Properly	Free of Unacceptable Levels of Lead	Cost for 100 mcg of Huperzine A¹ Cost For Suggested Daily Serving Additional Key Ingredients, Product Notes, and/or Special Designations² Price Paid
Huperzine A Supplements:
GNC Herbal Plus Standardized Huperzine A (1 vegetarian capsule, once or twice daily)* Dist. by General Nutrition Corporation Ingredients	50 to 100 mcg	APPROVED		N/A		$0.76 $0.38-$0.76 $18.99/50 vegetarian capsules
Metagenics® Ceriva™ (2 softgels daily) Dist. by Metagenics, Inc. Ingredients	100 mcg	NOT APPROVED Labeling Infractions³		N/A		$1.39 $1.39 Vitamin E, folate, palm extract $41.75/60 softgels
Solaray® Hup A with 225 mg Eleuthero (1 vegetarian capsule, up to four times daily) Mfd. by Nutraceutical Corp. Ingredients	50 to 200 mcg	NOT APPROVED Labeling Infractions³	Unable to determine due to interference	N/A		$0.47 $0.23 - $0.93 $14.03/60 vegetarian capsules
Source Naturals® Huperzine A (1 tablet, once or twice daily) Dist. by Source Naturals, Inc. Ingredients	200 to 400 mcg	APPROVED				$0.08 *Lowest cost for huperzine A* $0.16 - $0.32 Vegetarian and Gluten free $19.37/120 tablets
Swanson® Superior Herbs Maximum-Strength Huperzine A (1 capsule daily)* Dist. by Swanson Health Products Ingredients	200 mcg	APPROVED		N/A		$0.17 $0.33 $9.99/30 capsules
Not applicable: Only non-chewable, non-capsule, non-enteric coated, and non-time release formulations are tested for disintegration. * Tested through CL's Voluntary Certification Program prior to, at time of, or after the posting of this Product Review. ** Product identical in formulation and manufacture to a product that has passed testing but sold under a different brand. For more information see CL's Multi-Label Testing Program. ¹ Amounts shown are for general comparison purposes and are calculated from the price paid by ConsumerLab.com (without tax or shipping) and amounts of huperzine A shown on labels. Unit amounts of some products do not provide exactly 100 mcg of huperzine A. Prices may vary by retailer and number of pills per package. ² Not tested but claimed on label. ³ Labeling on the Metagenics and Solaray products to do not follow proper FDA labeling rules requiring that ingredients be listed in descending order of content weight. In addition, although both list the plant from which the huperzine A is obtained, the part of the plant is not shown and should be listed (e.g., aerial part).
Unless otherwise noted, information about the products listed above is based on the samples purchased by ConsumerLab.com (CL) for this Product Review. Manufacturers may change ingredients and label information at any time, so be sure to check labels carefully when evaluating the products you use or buy. If a product's ingredients differ from what is listed above, it may not necessarily be of the same quality as what was tested. The information contained in this report is based on the compilation and review of information from product labeling and analytic testing. CL applies what it believes to be the most appropriate testing methods and standards. The information in this report does not reflect the opinion or recommendation of CL, its officers or employees. CL cannot assure the accuracy of information.
Copyright ConsumerLab.com, LLC, 2012 All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced, excerpted, or cited in any fashion without the express written permission of ConsumerLab.com LLC

ConsumerTips™:

What to Consider When Buying:
The active form of huperzine A is the (-) isomer, which is the form that occurs naturally in Chinese club moss. Synthetic huperzine will contain a mixture of huperzine A in the active (-) isomer form and the inactive (+) isomer form. Consequently, if a product does not claim to be natural, be sure that label states the amount of huperzine specifically in the active (-) isomer form.

What to Consider When Using:
Doses of 50 to 200 mcg (micrograms) twice daily have been used for Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia, and a somewhat lower dose of 30 mcg twice daily has been used for senile or pre-senile dementia. A dose of 100 mcg twice daily has been used for memory improvement in adolescents. Some studies suggest huperzine A may enhance the effects of prescription drugs donepezil (Aricept®) or tacrine (Cognex®), permitting lower doses of these drugs and fewer side effects from them.

Concerns and Cautions:

Alzheimer's disease and other types of severe age-related mental impairment are too serious to treat on your own and the symptoms of these diseases could be confused with those of other serious conditions. It is advisable to see your doctor before self-medicating for severe memory or cognitive problems. Because huperzine A increases acetylcholine levels, it may decrease the effectiveness of anticholinergic drugs (such as atropine, benztropine [Cogentin®], biperiden [Akineton®], and trihexyphenidyl (Artane®) and its own effectiveness may be reduced if used with such drugs. Conversely, it may increase the activity of other cholinergic drugs and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as bethanechol (Urecholine®), donepezil (Aricept®), echothiophate (Phospholine Iodine®), edrophonium (Reversol®), neostigmine (Prostigmin®), physostigmine , pyridostigmine (Mestinon®), succinylcholine (Anecitne®, Quelicin®), and tacrine (Cognex®). Consult a physician before using huperzine A with any of these drugs. Huperzine A can decrease heart rate and must be used with caution in patients with heart problems. Theoretically, huperzine A may exacerbate gastrointestinal and urinary obstruction, peptic ulcer disease, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Be aware that supplements that list huperzine A may contain more or less huperzine A than claimed on the label, and/or potentially dangerous unlisted ingredients. An analysis of 22 supplements (tablets, capsules and powders) listing huperzine A as an ingredient purchased online in the U.S. found that only two of the products contained within 10% of the amount of huperzine A listed on their labels. Sixteen products (73%) contained ingredients that were not listed on the label, and nine products (41%) contained ingredients that are not approved for use in dietary supplements or that may not be permitted, pending an FDA decision, including stimulants such as demelverine, 1,5-dimethylhexylamine, vinpocetine, noopept, and hordenine (which is on the FDA's Dietary Supplement Ingredients Advisory List). One product that was labeled as "decaffeinated" was found to contain caffeine. The brand names of the products tested were not provided (Crawford, Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2020).

Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only. It is not an endorsement of any product nor is it meant to substitute for the advice provided by physicians or other healthcare professionals. The information contained herein should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Consumers should inform their healthcare providers of the dietary supplements they take.

Latest Clinical Research Updates for Huperzine A Supplements

Problems With Huperzine A

2/04/2020

A recent analysis of supplements claiming to contain huperzine A (promoted for memory enhancement) found problems with most products. For details see the Concerns and Cautions section of the Huperzine A Supplements Review. Also learn what clinical studies have shown with huperzine A in the What It Does section and see which huperzine A supplements have been Approved by CL.

Huperzine A for Memory?

12/10/2019

Huperzine A is often touted as a memory-enhancing supplement. Find out if it helped in a recent study of people with traumatic brain injuries in the What It Does section of the Huperzine A Supplements Review. Also see our top choice for Huperzine A.