Ingredient Evidence Review
Citicoline
Cytidine 5'-diphosphocholine
Last updated 2026-05-19 · 4 primary citations
Mechanism
Your brain uses a chemical called acetylcholine to form and recall memories. Citicoline is the raw material your brain needs to make it. As we age, supply drops; this delivers it directly. Cognizin® is the specific patented form used in the clinical trials — not generic citicoline.
Why we use it
If Lion's Mane is the long-term brain-fertilizer story, Citicoline is the immediate 'what was I just doing' memory support. The two work on different parts of the same problem. Paired with phosphatidylserine (next row) for the membrane side of memory chemistry.
How we dose it
Hericea uses 500 mg per serving (per AM stick pack). The clinical trial range that anchors this dose is 250–1,000 mg/day.
500 mg — the exact dose that improved episodic memory (the kind that helps you remember names, faces, where you put your keys) in adults aged 50–85 in a published clinical trial.
Quality & sourcing
Kyowa Hakko enzymatic fermentation; ≥98% purity; GRAS-affirmed.
Cognizin® branded form; Kyowa Hakko-licensed supply contract.
Primary literature
Nakazaki E et al. (2021)
J NutrSupplier-fundedRCT · 100 people · 12 weeks · Healthy 50–85 year olds with memory complaints
Citicoline 500 mg/day for 12 weeks improved overall memory — and especially the 'remembering daily events' kind — vs placebo.
Sets our exact dose. The age range and 'memory complaints' description match the perimenopausal customer almost perfectly.
PMID 33978188
McGlade E et al. (2012)
Food Nutr SciSupplier-fundedRCT · 75 people · 4 weeks
Citicoline 250–500 mg/day improved attentional performance in healthy adult women.
Attention, not memory — and in healthy adult women, which is our cohort. Note it is published in a journal PubMed does not index, so the link goes to the DOI.
DOI 10.4236/fns.2012.36103
Secades JJ et al. (2016)
J Stroke Cerebrovasc DisMeta-analysis
Pooled analysis across multiple trials confirmed citicoline aids cognitive recovery after stroke.
Highest-quality evidence that citicoline does support real brain function. Stroke is the most demanding test of cognitive recovery; if it helps there, the milder applications are well-grounded.
PMID 27234918
EFSA NDA Panel (2024)
EFSA JournalRegulatory evidence review
The European Food Safety Authority assessed the citicoline-and-memory evidence for a proposed health claim and did not consider a cause-and-effect relationship to be established.
A regulator looked at this evidence and was not convinced. We include the verdict, not just the fact that a review happened — citing an assessment without its conclusion is exactly the behaviour Dose Check exists to catch.
DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8861