I experimented heavily with nootropics right around the time Limitless came out. I shudder when I think of the copious amounts of time and money I squandered. It is a fool's errand. It is virtually impossible to quantify efficacy absent any real scientific rigor and the potential to do more harm than good is great. The most important lesson I learned about mental well-being and cognition after all was that there are no shortcuts. Diet, exercise, mindfulness, and persistence in whatever you are trying to become better at are the only ways to actually improve. At best the rest is inert snake oil and at worst you are harming yourself.