Lately we’ve been getting a lot in to the nootropic business so i thought it would be a good idea to discuss this recent development and explain a little more about what CPH4 is, and what it isn’t.
So this year in 2014 a movie was released called Lucy starring the marvelous Scarlett Johansson and the ever enjoyable Morgan Freeman. The basic premise of the movie is that Scarlett’s character Lucy ends up with a drug called CPH4 in her system. This drug allows her to use 100% of her brain activity, instead of the typical 10% that a human usually uses.
If the plot sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The movie Limitless featuring Bradley Cooper also used the same basic idea and crafted its plot around the purely fictional drug NZT. Numerous other forms of media have exploited this idea to make an interesting piece of fiction. Lucy is nothing new. Of course, the idea of becoming an omniscient human being capable of reading thoughts and interpreting radio waves that float through the air is quite appealing, so naturally people are wondering if they can get their hands on some CPH4.
So before we go any further, let’s get one thing straight: Humans use 100% of their brains in various ways. The “10%” figure that is often quoted is nothing more than a myth or urban legend. Our brains are still very mysterious and originally it was thought that we don’t use them completely. The truth however is that many parts of our brain are not accessed consciously but rather unconsciously. Conscious activity occurs when you think about something. Maybe you are trying to remember where you put your keys, or you are crunching some numbers in your head while you are shopping at the supermarket. This conscious activity occurs in different regions of the brain depending on what you are thinking about.
Unconscious activity occurs all the time. Brain scans of people doing simple activities such as walking reveal that many parts of the brain are working hard to make sure you keep your balance, watch out for potential threats, and plotting your next step. There’s a reason you can look down at your phone and write a text while you walk, that’s because some parts of your brain are essentially working on autopilot.
Besides that, it’s been shown that damage to any part of the brain results in a loss of function. If we were only using 10% of our brains, then trauma to the brain wouldn’t be a serious problem. But every single medical case of brain damage proves that the reality is quite the opposite.
So the 10% rule is a complete and total myth. But can a drug like CPH4 improve your brain’s performance? Well first of all, the drug CPH4 doesn’t exist. The blue candy looking drug that is shown in the movie Lucy is completely fake, looking more like a prop from Breaking Bad than something produced in your body. The movie gives the explanation that it’s based on a molecule that helps infants and fetuses ignore the pain caused by growing bones. This does exist, but it has absolutely no connection to CPH4.
There is in fact a molecule known as CPH4 in medical science. Its full name is 6-carboxytetrahydropterin synthase. This is an enzyme found in the cells of millions of organisms, but primarily in bacteria. Enzymes in cells are used to produce other types of molecules that are necessary for the cell to function. The CPH4 enzyme produces Queuosine. Queuosine is a molecule that essentially helps hold the tRNA of bacteria cells together. It’s nothing more than glue for other molecules to stick to each other. It literally has no impact on intelligence or brain capacity (bacteria don’t have brains after all).
As a result of this movie people have taken to selling CPH4 online in an attempt to take advantage of uninformed customers. Do NOT under any circumstances consume anything labeled CPH4. The best case scenario is that you would be taking the literal CPH4 synthase described above, in which case absolutely nothing positive would happen to your body. The worst case scenario however could be accidentally ingesting something harmful. You don’t know what is being put into these mysterious packages.
Your brain’s capacity is theoretically unknown, and so you can’t simply take a magic drug or pill and expect to become more intelligent or gain instant knowledge about a subject like Scarlett’s character in Lucy. However some true nootropics exist. Real life nootropic drugs allow your brain to use its existing capacity more fully by improving connections within the brain and heightening the speed with which it transfers information. Modafinil and Racetams are a proven commodity. It improves concentration, increases awareness, and improves short term memory recall. These things will allow you to perform better.
CPH4 =
