Questions and answers
Thirty-eight questions in six groups. Where the answer is that something was never published, that is the answer given.
Thirty-eight questions in six groups: the label, taking it, the evidence, buying and delivery, safety, and this website.
Where the honest answer is that something was never published, that is the answer given rather than a plausible-sounding substitute.
Everything, by topic
The label
What is Cognizil?
A liquid dietary supplement sold in the United States by Gocognizil as an authorised Cognizil retailer. The bottle holds 1 oz / 30 ml, the serving is 1 ml taken as one dropperful, and the label counts 30 servings to a bottle. The front prints “ADVANCED MEMORY SUPPORT*”.
Does Cognizil publish a Supplement Facts panel?
Yes. The written brief supplied with this build said a typed milligram list was not on the sales page and told us not to invent a panel. The artwork in the same folder contains a full label wrap with a complete panel on it. We transcribed the panel that exists rather than inventing one, and the supplement facts page shows it in full.
What is in the blend?
Twenty-one ingredients sharing 15.47 mg: maca, African mango, grape seed, guarana, eleuthero, astragalus, green tea, gymnema, forskohlii, cayenne, grapefruit seed, panax ginseng, raspberry ketones, L-glutamine, L-tyrosine, L-arginine, beta alanine, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, GABA, L-tryptophan and L-carnitine HCl, in that printed order.
How much of each is in a serving?
Not published, and not legally required to be. What can be worked out is an upper bound for each position, because the law requires blend ingredients to be listed heaviest first. The best case page does that and then grants the label's own extract-ratio claims on top.
Is 15.47 mg a lot?
No. Split twenty-one ways it averages 0.737 mg each. For comparison, the lowest dose used in the research behind these ingredients adds up to about 25.9 grams — roughly 1,670 times the whole blend.
What does the ^ symbol mean on the panel?
It marks an ingredient “sourced from a concentrate with a 20:1 extract equivalent”: twenty parts of raw herb were used to make one part of extract. A single ingredient carries a * instead, for a 10:1 equivalent. It is a yield figure rather than a statement of potency — the best case page grants it anyway.
What are the other ingredients?
Water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, stevia, xylitol and citrus extract. The xylitol is worth noting if you have a dog: it is seriously toxic to them.
Who makes it?
The label names Cognizil at a post-office box in Ogden, Utah, with a phone number and an email address. It does not name a manufacturing facility.
Taking it
How do I take Cognizil?
The label says: shake well before each use, take 1 dropperful daily, place in mouth and swallow. That is the whole instruction.
Why shake it?
It is a suspension of plant extracts in water. Anything that settles has to be redistributed before the dropper is filled, or the first and last doses in a bottle are not the same. This instruction is doing real work.
Is a dropperful exactly 1 ml?
The panel says the serving size is 1 ml, and a standard supplement dropper is usually calibrated to that. If your dropper has graduations, use them.
With or without food?
The label does not say. Nothing on this panel gives an obvious reason to prefer either.
How long does a bottle last?
Thirty days. 30 ml at 1 ml a day, and the panel's 30 servings confirms it.
What if I miss a day?
Take the next dose at the usual time. The label says not to exceed the recommended dose, so do not double up.
How should I store it?
The label says keep away from heat, light and humidity to preserve freshness. For a liquid of plant extracts that is more than boilerplate — a cupboard, not a windowsill.
How long before I would know whether it works?
No trial of this product exists. The seller's own review summary says most people waited three to four weeks. With a 180-day window on the sales page kits there is room to give it a fair month and still decide.
Evidence
Is there evidence any of this improves memory?
For a few ingredients there is real literature, and for several there is none in humans at all. Panax ginseng's 2024 meta-analysis found a small effect on memory and nothing on overall cognition, attention or executive function. Guarana's meta-analysis called its pooled effect less than trivial. Raspberry ketones have no human trial. It is all on the ingredients page with citations.
Can 15.47 mg do anything?
For a handful of very potent compounds a milligram-scale dose is meaningful. None of the twenty-one ingredients here is in that category: the amino acids are dosed in grams, the botanicals in hundreds of milligrams. Fourteen of the sixteen with a researched dose cannot reach it even on the most generous reading of this label.
Does the 20:1 extract claim fix that?
It helps two ingredients and does not rescue the rest. Granting the multiplier in full, grape seed and guarana reach the bottom of their studied ranges. The other fourteen still fall short, by between 1.5 times and nearly 6,800 times.
Why is grapefruit seed in a memory supplement?
We do not know. We could not verify a human dose or a cognitive purpose for it. There is also a published analytical literature on commercial grapefruit seed extract that every buyer should read, and it has its own page here.
Does oral GABA reach the brain?
The systematic review we read says there are no data showing GABA's blood–brain barrier permeability in humans. That is an open question, not a settled mechanism, and the amount here is bounded under a milligram in any case.
What about the chromium?
7 micrograms, which is exactly 20% of the 35-microgram Daily Value. The arithmetic is correct. Chromium has no established requirement and NIH describes the clinical significance of its effects as unclear.
Buying and delivery
How much does Cognizil cost?
The sales page prices supplied to this site are two bottles at $79 each ($158), three at $69 each ($207) and six at $49 each ($294). No single-bottle price was supplied. Shipping is not published here.
Which pack is the best value?
Six bottles, at $1.63 a day against $2.63 for the two-bottle pack. That is also 180 days of product, which is a long commitment to something whose amounts you cannot check — so the cheapest per day and the wisest first order are not the same pack.
How long is the guarantee?
The brief says 180 days on the sales page kits. Read the term on the sales page before you pay and write the closing date down.
Is there a phone number?
The brief says there is no public phone on the sales or contact pages. The bottle prints one: +1 (877) 257 0710, for the distributor in Ogden, Utah. It is not a retailer order desk, and it is the only number anyone has.
Where does it ship from?
The United States, unless the sales page says otherwise. Tracking arrives in the order email.
What is the lot number for?
Matching a bottle to an order. The reference supplied to this site is COG-26/GO-1410. Check your own bottle rather than relying on that.
Is there a certificate of analysis?
A reference, COG-1410-26-GO, was supplied. No certificate document was, so this site publishes the reference as a reference.
Safety
Who should not take this?
The label says not for use by anyone under 18, or by pregnant or nursing women, and that anyone with a known medical condition should consult a physician first.
Is there a drug interaction to know about?
Grapefruit is the one to raise. It is among the best-established food–drug interactions there is, affecting statins, some blood-pressure medicines, transplant drugs and others. The amount here is bounded at about 1.4 mg, which is small, and the conversation is still worth having.
Does it contain caffeine?
Guarana is on the panel and guarana carries caffeine. The amount is not disclosed and is bounded at 3.87 mg of extract, so any caffeine in a serving is very small — but the label does not say, so neither will we.
Are there side effects?
None were published for this product. The absence of data is not safety data. Nothing on this panel is present at an amount likely to cause a pharmacological effect of any kind, which is the honest version of the answer.
Is it safe for pets to be around?
Keep it away from dogs. The Other Ingredients line contains xylitol, which is seriously toxic to dogs, and a sweet liquid in a dropper bottle is exactly what a dog will find.
This website
Who writes this site?
The Cognizil Editorial Desk, for Gocognizil, the authorised US retailer. It is the retailer's own site. It is not independent, and the way we handle that is to publish the label exactly and show our arithmetic.
Why does the site argue against the product it sells?
Because the alternative is publishing things we cannot support. A buyer who reads the best-case page and orders anyway has made a decision. A buyer sold on a number nobody published has not.
Are the reviews on this site real?
None is published as a verified customer review. The eight supplied entries share two sentences between them — four of each, word for word. The reviews page shows the audit.
How do I report a mistake?
Email [email protected]. Corrections are made and the date at the top of the page moves.
If your question is not here
Write to [email protected], Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm Eastern Time. Questions that come up more than once get added to this page.
For anything about an order, use the contact route in your order email, because that is the route that carries your order ID. The number printed on the bottle is the distributor's and cannot look up a retailer order.
See the Cognizil packs
Two, three or six bottles, priced plainly, with a 180-day window on the sales page kits. Read the best case first, then decide.
Shipping is calculated at checkout. This site publishes no figure it was not given.
References
Every source below was opened and read. Nothing here cites a study we did not read, and no identifier on this site was written from memory.
- U.S. Government Publishing Office21 CFR 101.36 — Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements — eCFR.gov · source
- U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationDietary Supplement Labeling Guide: Chapter IV, Nutrition Labeling — FDA.gov · source
- U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationDaily Value and Percent Daily Value: Changes on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels — FDA.gov · source
- U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationGrapefruit Juice and Some Drugs Don’t Mix — FDA.gov · source
- U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFDA Calls on Certain Firms to Stop Producing and Issuing Misleading ‘FDA Registration Certificates’ — FDA.gov · source
- Booker, Frommenwiler, Reich et al. — 2022Understanding plant to extract ratios in botanical extracts — Frontiers in Pharmacology · DOI 10.3389/fphar.2022.981978 · source
- Shin, Lee, Yang, Lim & Ernst — 2010Maca (L. meyenii) for improving sexual function: a systematic review — BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine · PMID 20691074 · source
- Ngondi, Etoundi, Nyangono et al. — 2009IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans — Lipids in Health and Disease · PMID 19254366 · source
- Centre for Reviews and DisseminationThe efficacy of Irvingia gabonensis supplementation in the management of overweight and obesity: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials — NCBI Bookshelf (DARE) · NBK132337 · source
- Zhang, Liu, Li et al. — 2016The impact of grape seed extract treatment on blood pressure changes: a meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials — Medicine (Baltimore) · PMID 27537554 · source
- Congretel, Bonnet, Gaudel et al. — 2023Effect of Guarana (Paullinia cupana) on Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Nutrients · PMID 36678305 · source
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal ProductsAssessment report on Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. et Maxim.) Maxim., radix — ema.europa.eu · source
- Schaffler, Wolf & Burkart — 2013No benefit adding Eleutherococcus senticosus to stress management training in stress-related fatigue/weakness, impaired work or concentration — Pharmacopsychiatry · PMID 23740477 · source
- Pop, Cherecheș, Buzoianu et al. — 2021Standardized astragalus extract for attenuation of the immunosuppression induced by strenuous physical exercise: randomized controlled trial — Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · PMID 34271953 · source
- Zhang, Lin, Xu, Leung & Chan — 2014Astragalus (a traditional Chinese medicine) for treating chronic kidney disease — Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · CD008369.pub2 · source
- European Food Safety Authority — 2018Scientific opinion on the safety of green tea catechins — EFSA Journal · DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5239 · source
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesGymnema, in LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury — NCBI Bookshelf · NBK610217 · source
- Godard, Johnson & Richmond — 2005Body composition and hormonal adaptations associated with forskolin consumption in overweight and obese men — Obesity Research · PMID 16129715 · source
- Henderson, Magu, Rasmussen et al. — 2005Effects of Coleus forskohlii supplementation on body composition and hematological profiles in mildly overweight women — Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · PMID 18500958 · source
- Zsiborás, Matics, Hegedűs et al. — 2023The effects of capsaicin intake on weight loss among overweight and obese subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials — British Journal of Nutrition · PMID 36938807 · source
- Takeoka, Dao, Wong, Lundin & Mahoney — 2001Identification of benzethonium chloride in commercial grapefruit seed extracts — Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry · PMID 11453769 · source
- Avula, Dentali & Khan — 2007Simultaneous identification and quantification by liquid chromatography of benzethonium chloride, methyl paraben and triclosan in commercial products labeled as grapefruit seed extract — Die Pharmazie · PMID 17867553 · source
- Zeng, Li, Wang et al. — 2024Effects of Ginseng on Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Phytotherapy Research · PMID 39474788 · source
- Operational Supplement Safety, Consortium for Health and Military PerformanceRaspberry ketone dietary supplements for weight loss — opss.org · source
- Gleeson — 2008Dosing and efficacy of glutamine supplementation in human exercise and sport training — Journal of Nutrition · PMID 18806122 · source
- Deijen & Orlebeke — 1994Effect of tyrosine on cognitive function and blood pressure under stress — Brain Research Bulletin · PMID 8293316 · source
- McNeal, Meininger, Wilborn et al. — 2018Safety of dietary supplementation with arginine in adult humans — Amino Acids · PMID 29858688 · source
- Collier, Casey & Kanaley — 2005Growth hormone responses to varying doses of oral arginine — Growth Hormone & IGF Research · PMID 15809017 · source
- Trexler, Smith-Ryan, Stout et al. — 2015International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine — Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · PMID 26175657 · source
- Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food AdditivesGlycyrrhizinic acid — evaluation and intake guidance — WHO JECFA database · source
- Hepsomali, Groeger, Nishihira & Scholey — 2020Effects of oral gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration on stress and sleep in humans: a systematic review — Frontiers in Neuroscience · DOI 10.3389/fnins.2020.00923 · source
- Sutanto, Loh, Kim & Kim — 2021The impact of tryptophan supplementation on sleep quality: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression — Nutrition Reviews · PMID 33942088 · source
- NIH Office of Dietary SupplementsCarnitine — Health Professional Fact Sheet — ods.od.nih.gov · source
- NIH Office of Dietary SupplementsChromium — Health Professional Fact Sheet — ods.od.nih.gov · source
- U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationQuestions and Answers on Dietary Supplements — FDA.gov · source
The five questions people should ask and mostly do not
The questions above are the ones we are asked. These five are the ones that would change a buying decision, and almost nobody asks them.
- How much of the first-named ingredient can there be?
- Its ceiling is the entire blend total, 15.47 mg. If the lowest dose in the literature for that ingredient exceeds the whole blend — and for maca it does, at 1.5 g — then nothing in the blend reaches a studied dose.
- What does the last-named ingredient's ceiling look like?
- Position 21 gives 0.737 mg. The ingredient there is L-carnitine HCl, studied from 250 mg upward.
- Which symbol points at which footnote?
- The asterisk does double duty on this panel. Following it from an amino acid lands on a sentence about a 2,000 calorie diet.
- What is the caffeine content?
- Not stated, although guarana is fourth on the list. This is the only unlabelled active on the product that a buyer might actually feel.
- Is there a certificate of analysis?
- A reference number exists. No document was supplied. Those are different things and the difference is the subject of its own page.
Every one of those five is answerable from the printed panel plus division. That is the argument for reading a back label before a product page.
Questions we cannot answer
- How much ginseng is in a serving? Not published. Its position caps it at 1.29 mg and the real figure could be far lower.
- Will it work for me? No supplement page can answer this and the ones that do are not answering it.
- Is it safe with my medication? A pharmacist with your list in front of them can answer this. We cannot and will not try.
- Has the finished product been tested? Not that we were told. If a document arrives it is published with the date.
- What does the sales page claim exactly? The brief gives us ‘cognitive function and mental clarity’. The label says advanced memory support. We publish both and attribute both.
Why a page of non-answers is worth publishing
Because the alternative is a plausible-sounding answer that a reader cannot distinguish from a real one. A site that never says 'not published' is either extraordinarily well-informed or is filling gaps, and a reader has no way to tell which.