KOAN
公案Four grams Wako, lion's mane fruiting body 8:1 at 750mg, KSM-66 ashwagandha, ALCAR, CDP-choline, 7,8-DHF (experimental BDNF-mimetic, disclosed), pterostilbene, MCT C8, L-theanine, 0.2g activated charcoal that turns the column teal-black through clear PET. The deepest stack on the menu. Engineer's SKU.
KOAN is the SKU the customer orders to signal they want measured pharmacology, not aesthetic. The name is the Zen prompt that has no logical resolution — fitting for a drink whose stack we still describe with 'experimental' against one of its compounds.
The stack reads like a deep-work biohacker tier list with one declared edge: 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) at 50mg. 7,8-DHF is a small-molecule TrkB agonist that mimics BDNF in animal models — Liu 2010 mouse data is robust on memory consolidation and neurogenesis, but human efficacy RCTs do not exist as of mid-2026. Tolerability and pharmacokinetics in humans have been characterised (single-dose safety data is clean) but we are not pretending efficacy is settled. We disclose this on the can, on the menu, and at the doorstep when the runner hands over the drink. We disclose because that is the brand. The customer ordering KOAN reads the disclosure and orders anyway — that is the customer we want.
The rest of the stack is at clinical-relevance dose and clinical-relevance evidence: lion's mane fruiting body 8:1 at 750mg, KSM-66 ashwagandha 400mg, ALCAR 500mg, CDP-choline 250mg, pterostilbene 100mg, MCT C8 5g, L-theanine 200mg, activated charcoal 0.2g. The charcoal turns the column teal-black through the clear PET (deliberately uninviting visually — KOAN is not for Instagram), and provides mild GI binding. The binding is also why we instruct: drink within 5 minutes of pour, do not stack with vitamins or other supplements within 4 hours, and do not run KOAN daily — once a week is the protocol.
The build.
- Lion's mane fruiting body 8:1spray-dried, fruiting-body verified, functionalmushrooms.eu (NL)750 mg
- KSM-66 ashwagandha root extractpatented Ixoreal full-spectrum, 5% withanolides400 mg
- Acetyl-L-carnitine HCl (ALCAR)pharmaceutical grade500 mg
- CDP-choline (citicoline)Cognizin patented, Kyowa Hakko250 mg
- 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF)EXPERIMENTAL — research-grade TrkB agonist, BDNF-mimetic. Animal efficacy data only. Human safety/PK characterised, no efficacy RCTs. Disclosed to customer at order, on can, and at delivery.50 mg
- Pterostilbeneresveratrol analog, blood-brain-barrier penetrant100 mg
- L-theanineSuntheanine patented, fermentation-derived200 mg
- 5gMCT C8 caprylic acid— ketogenic brain fuel, portal-vein direct
- 0.2gActivated charcoal (binchotan-style coconut-shell)— visual teal-black + mild GI binding. Drink within 5 minutes — beyond 30min the charcoal will start binding the other compounds.
Whisk 4g Wako with 60ml hot Bistrica (70C) into a smooth paste. Blend in 5g MCT C8 oil. Stir in CDP-choline, 7,8-DHF, pterostilbene, lion's mane, KSM-66, ALCAR, L-theanine, activated charcoal — add the charcoal last to delay binding. Top with 200ml chilled Bistrica + ice. Pour into PET. Drink within 5 minutes — the charcoal binding window is the operative constraint.
Matcha vegetal forward, faint mineral, no sweetness, no warmth. The aroma is restrained — most of the compounds are odourless.
Bitter front from matcha and pterostilbene, vegetal mid from the lion's mane and KSM-66, a slight oil-mouthfeel from the MCT layering through.
Long finish, slightly numbing on the tongue from L-theanine, faint metallic from ALCAR, the charcoal contributes a clean dryness that sits on the back palate.
Medium body. The MCT oil layer floats slightly even after mixing — visible on the meniscus. Heavier than AOI, lighter than PRIME. Cold throughout.
The compounds. The mechanism. The dose-response.
CDP-choline (citicoline) hydrolyses to cytidine and choline, providing direct substrate for phosphatidylcholine membrane synthesis and acetylcholine production. 7,8-dihydroxyflavone is a small-molecule TrkB receptor agonist that mimics BDNF signaling — Jang/Liu 2010 demonstrated memory consolidation and neurogenesis effects in rodent models, in humans only single-dose safety pharmacokinetics have been characterised and we DISCLOSE this. Pterostilbene is a methylated resveratrol analog with substantially better oral bioavailability and BBB penetration. L-theanine + caffeine synergy increases alpha-wave activity and attentional accuracy without arousal jitter — Owen 2008. MCT C8 (caprylic acid) bypasses standard fat digestion via portal-vein direct-to-liver transport, converting to ketones within 30-45 minutes for parallel brain fuel. Lion's mane hericenones support NGF synthesis (Mori 2009). KSM-66 modulates HPA-axis cortisol (Chandrasekhar 2012). ALCAR transports long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria.
Each compound dosed at lower-end clinical range to permit weekly use without saturation. Lion's mane 750mg (we deliver ~6g whole-equivalent at 8:1, above the 1g/day floor of cognitive trials). KSM-66 400mg sits below the 600mg full-stress-attenuation dose but above the 250mg cognitive floor. CDP-choline 250mg is the lower bound of clinical trials (250-500mg/day). 7,8-DHF 50mg is the human single-dose tolerated range — we explicitly do NOT recommend daily KOAN; once-weekly protocol disclosed.
- Knott V et al. Citicoline review for prevention and treatment of multiple disorders10.1080/15622975.2014.886722
- Jang SW, Liu X et al. A selective TrkB agonist with potent neurotrophic activities by 7,8-dihydroxyflavone10.1073/pnas.1000720107
- McCormack D, McFadden D. Pterostilbene antioxidant and disease modification review10.1155/2013/575482
- Owen GN et al. The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood10.1179/147683008X301513
- Cunnane SC et al. Ketones rescue brain fuel supply in later life — Alzheimer treatment implications10.3389/fnmol.2016.00053
- Chandrasekhar K et al. Ashwagandha root extract in reducing stress and anxiety10.4103/0253-7176.106022
- Mori K et al. Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) cognitive impairment RCT10.1002/ptr.2634
Who orders this. When. Why.
Thirty-six, founder, in his Lustica villa for a long weekend that is not actually a weekend — term sheet redlines due Monday 09:00 GMT. KOAN at 07:30, term sheet open at 08:15, deep work until 13:00. Reads the 7,8-DHF disclosure, accepts the experimental flag, takes one a week and only on these weekends. The protocol has produced two closed deals.
Sixty-eight, retired architect living in Donja Lastva, runs a quarterly four-week self-experimentation protocol: KOAN every Tuesday morning, journals cognitive output. Reads every citation on the back of the can. The 7,8-DHF disclosure is exactly the reason he ordered the first time. He has been on the same protocol for fourteen months.
Twenty-eight, distributed-systems engineer, lives in Tivat year-round on a Tier-1 remote contract. KOAN on Sunday mornings only — production debug days when the on-call rotation lands on him. The MCT-C8-plus-matcha pairing is the closest thing he has found to the Friday-evening flow state on demand. He runs it once a week, never more.
Where it comes from.
matcha terroirWako, same as MU and AOI. The 4g dose is high — we use Wako despite the cost because at this dose the leaf identity has to carry through the multi-compound base. Anything below Wako disappears under the stack.
adriatic elementsBistrica is the substrate of choice for KOAN — its low total-dissolved-solids profile lets the compound suspension stay clean and the charcoal stay visually pure (high-mineral water clouds the teal-black to a flat grey). Activated charcoal is sourced from a Polish food-grade supplier in binchotan-style coconut-shell carbonisation — finer particle than supplement-grade powder. 7,8-DHF and pterostilbene come through a German specialty supplements distributor with EU novel-food compliance documentation on file.
When it works.
- Black coffee chaser if needed
- Eggs and avocado (light, fat-forward)
- Plain dark chocolate (85%+, the polyphenols complement the pterostilbene)
- 07:00-08:30 deep work primer
- Once a week maximum — not for daily stacking
- Debug
- Write
- Philosophy at the limit
Anything with vitamins or supplements — the activated charcoal will bind them. Wait 4 hours minimum before or after any other supplement, multivitamin, or medication. Not for daily use; weekly maximum protocol. Not with alcohol within 24 hours either side.
Dominika Miłobędzka black-iron-glaze chawan, deliberately heavy, 320ml
KOAN is heavy and the chawan is heavier. Dominika Miłobędzka fires this in iron-saturate glaze at 1280C reduction — matte black surface with the metallic flecks of an underfired night sky. The vessel weight is not aesthetic; it is enforcement.
Two and a half grams of Wako, one hundred millilitres of soft water at seventy degrees, whisked to a pale jade foam and poured short into a transparent can. Nothing else, on purpose.
Green oat-matcha base, 500mg lion's mane fruiting body, 100mg phosphatidylserine, 80mg Suntheanine, butterfly pea cold infusion floated as a cobalt halo through clear PET. The drink is the wordmark. You see #0000FF before you taste anything.
Two grams of Wako, KSM-66 ashwagandha, Rhodiola SHR-5, ALCAR, L-tyrosine, Bistrica still water, Ston sea-salt rim, fennel pollen dusted last on the meniscus. No milk by design. Served in a coupe at the table. The evening cognitive primer for late dinners and yacht arrivals.