Phosphatidylserine
Also sold as: PS · PtdSer · Soy-derived phosphatidylserine · Sunflower-derived phosphatidylserine
A membrane phospholipid marketed for memory, stress and cortisol control. Clinical signals depend on source, population and added ingredients; evidence for a general nootropic or sleep aid remains uncertain.
Focus Anxiety Sleep
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Research
- Sleep: No dedicated trial with sleep as a primary endpoint is retained; benefit for nighttime awakenings is unestablished, not disproved by a negative sleep RCT.
- Focus: Some older-adult and pediatric studies signal benefit, but historical bovine PS, modern plant PS and multi-ingredient products are not interchangeable; a 120-person soy-PS trial was null.
- Anxiety: Small studies of stress-hormone responses suggest context-dependent effects; biochemical shifts do not establish treatment of an anxiety disorder.
REALITY CHECK // Historical bovine-PS findings cannot simply be pasted onto a modern soy or sunflower bottle. A 120-person soy-PS memory trial was null, and many positive studies used DHA, PA or other active ingredients. There is no dedicated primary-endpoint sleep trial in this dossier.
Levels: how we grade evidence. Grey = evidence of no benefit; amber = evidence it makes this goal worse.
Ratings are self-reported by a self-selected group of users: how it felt, not proof that it works.
Check your bottle
Compare what your label says with what was used in trials. This is a trial range, not a personal prescription.
Enter the amount from your label to see the result.
How it was studied
UPPER LIMIT // No established EFSA or US upper limit is supplied. Short trials used roughly 100–300 mg/day, with up to 750–800 mg/day in some brief experiments; these are study exposures, not proven safe ceilings. Long-term and reproductive safety remain insufficient.
Summary
A historical bovine-cortex PS memory trial was positive, but soy PS at 300 or 600 mg/day for 12 weeks was null in 120 adults with age-associated memory impairment. Some PS-DHA or PS-PA studies are encouraging but cannot isolate PS. Healthy-child sunflower PS findings were null overall; dedicated sleep trials are absent.
Mechanism
PS contributes to membrane structure and cell signaling and may affect neurotransmission and HPA stress responses. Cortisol changes are biomarkers, not proof that night waking is caused by cortisol or that PS will treat it.
Typical studied dose
Cognitive trials used historical bovine PS 300 mg/day for 12 weeks; soy PS 300/600 mg/day for 12 weeks; sunflower PS 100 mg/day for 12 weeks in children. Small exercise studies used soy PS 750 mg/day for 10 days. Historical bovine stress studies used 800 mg/day orally for 10 days or intravenous administration, which is not a supplement protocol. A six-week stress trial tested 400 mg PS plus 400 mg PA; lower combined dosing was null. These are PS ingredient amounts, not arbitrary concentrate weights.
Upper limit
No established EFSA or US upper limit is supplied. Short trials used roughly 100–300 mg/day, with up to 750–800 mg/day in some brief experiments; these are study exposures, not proven safe ceilings. Long-term and reproductive safety remain insufficient.
Popular stacks with Phosphatidylserine
Not enough stack data yet. A combination with Phosphatidylserine appears here once 5 people rate the same set.
Forms and label traps
| Form on label | Active content | Studied range / day | Absorption & GI tolerance | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soy PS: explicitly declared PS ingredient mass Best for: Comparing an actual declared PS amount with soy-PS trials. |
Extract weight · marker not quantified | 300–750 mg | Orally absorbed; source-specific efficacy and formulation remain uncertain. Generally tolerated; gut discomfort or insomnia may occur. |
Good option [FORM // CHECK_SPECIFICATION] Range spans different research indications: 300/600 mg memory trial was null, 750 mg exercise trial was small. Enter actual PS mg only; if only concentrate mass is listed, this conversion is unavailable. |
| Sunflower PS: explicitly declared PS ingredient mass Best for: Checking a soy-free PS specification. |
Extract weight · marker not quantified | 100–100 mg | No demonstrated clinical superiority to soy PS. Well tolerated in the cited pediatric trial. |
Good option [FORM // CHECK_SPECIFICATION] The 100 mg/day child trial was null overall; subgroup signals do not establish general pediatric cognitive enhancement. Actual PS mg is required. |
| Historical bovine-cortex PS Best for: Interpreting historical evidence only. |
Extract weight · marker not quantified | 300–800 mg | Historical tissue-source product differs in fatty-acid profile. Tolerated in small old trials; source safety concern dominates. |
Avoid / not comparable [FORM // CHECK_SPECIFICATION] Not a recommended purchasing option. Historical memory and stress findings cannot be transferred automatically to plant sources. |
| PS plus DHA / phosphatidic acid / other active ingredients Best for: Recognizing the exact studied combination. |
Unstandardized: active content unknown | no comparable trial range | Several active ingredients prevent single-ingredient attribution. Formulation-specific; generally tolerated in small trials. |
Caution [FORM // CHECK_SPECIFICATION] No total-blend mg target. Read PS and each co-ingredient separately; this calculator cannot establish equivalent efficacy. |
| Unstandardized soy / sunflower lecithin Best for: Avoiding the lecithin-equals-PS mistake. |
Unstandardized: active content unknown | no comparable trial range | PS is a small variable fraction of lecithin. Usually tolerated as a food ingredient. |
Caution [FORM // CHECK_SPECIFICATION] The dossier estimates 1–3% PS, but no fixed conversion is verified for an individual product; do not treat an estimated percentage as measured content. |
Common label traps
- TRAP_01 // PLANT PS HAS THE SAME PROOF AS BOVINE PS
The source and fatty-acid profiles differ. The 120-person soy memory trial was null despite a positive historical bovine trial. - TRAP_02 // LOWER CORTISOL FIXES 2 AM AWAKENINGS
Hormone responses during stress are not sleep outcomes; no dedicated primary-endpoint sleep RCT is retained. - TRAP_03 // LECITHIN IS A CHEAP PS REPLACEMENT
Lecithin contains a small variable PS fraction. A generic lecithin mg amount cannot be converted into a verified PS dose. - TRAP_04 // NATURAL STIMULANT / UNIVERSAL NOOTROPIC
The supplied data do not establish stimulant-like effects or broad cognitive enhancement in healthy young adults.
Other outcomes studied
Outside the five leaderboard goals. Same evidence levels as above.
- OLDER-ADULT MEMORY: SOURCE MATTERS Limited · benefit
Bovine PS 300 mg/day, 12 weeks, n=149 was positive, especially with lower baseline scores; soy PS 300/600 mg/day, 12 weeks, n=120 was null.
PMID 2027477 PMID 11842880 - PS-DHA MEMORY FORMULA Limited · benefit
In 157 older adults over 15 weeks, immediate verbal recall improved; broader effects were exploratory subgroup findings and DHA confounds attribution.
PMID 20523044 - MCI: MULTI-INGREDIENT FORMULA Limited · benefit
A 190-person, 12-month study used 31.5 mg PS with ALA, ginkgo and vitamins. Short-term memory beta 0.600 (95% CI 0.399–0.800) cannot be attributed to PS alone.
PMID 39317299 - DEMENTIA: PS PLUS PA Limited · benefit
A small trial of 300 mg PS plus 240 mg PA/day suggested stabilization of daily functioning over two months, not reversal or improvement of dementia.
PMID 25414047 - PEDIATRIC ADHD Limited · benefit
A small trial (n=36) used 200 mg/day soy PS for two months; other studies used omega-3 combinations. This does not replace clinical ADHD treatment.
PMID 23495677 PMID 21807480 PMID 38173190 - HEALTHY CHILD COGNITION Limited · no benefit
Sunflower PS 100 mg/day for 12 weeks did not improve primary/secondary endpoints in the whole cohort; a lower-performing subgroup signal needs cautious interpretation.
PMID 41318468 - STRESS-HORMONE RESPONSE Limited · benefit
Historical bovine PS findings were based on 8–9 men. Plant PS plus PA findings depended on dose and high chronic stress; these are surrogate outcomes.
PMID 1325348 PMID 2170852 PMID 25081826 - EXERCISE CAPACITY Limited · benefit
One small RCT (n=14) at 750 mg/day for 10 days increased time to exhaustion from 7:51 to 9:51 (P=0.001), without changing cortisol; replication is needed.
PMID 16394955 - HEALTHY-ADULT GENERAL NOOTROPIC No established evidence
A robust benefit in healthy younger adults is not established in the dossier; this is an evidence gap, not a negative trial.
Reader questions
Does soy or sunflower source matter?
Yes for evidence and allergies. Historical bovine trials, plant monotherapy and PS-DHA/PS-PA formulas differ. No modern plant source can inherit all bovine findings, and sunflower superiority is not demonstrated.
Can PS help my nighttime cortisol or 2 AM waking?
No dedicated primary-endpoint sleep trial is retained. Waking at night does not itself diagnose a cortisol problem; hormone findings during lab stress cannot establish an effective sleep protocol.
Is a 500 mg 70% concentrate a 500 mg PS dose?
No. If the 70% PS content is valid for that product, it corresponds to 350 mg PS by composition. The calculator presets require an explicitly declared PS amount, not an assumed concentrate mass.
Can a child combine PS with ADHD medicines or citicoline?
Only through the treating clinician. A confounded single rechallenge case reported serious recurrent psychiatric symptoms with PS/citicoline plus methylphenidate. New suicidal thinking or severe behavioral change requires immediate medical assessment.
Does PS cause cancer or hair loss?
The supplied dossier does not establish these causal claims. That uncertainty also does not prove indefinite long-term safety; it is a reason to avoid confident marketing either way.
Stack interactions
- Caution Methylphenidate / psychiatric medicines in children [CAUTION // REVIEW_COMBINATION]
A single rechallenge case involved PS plus citicoline, so causality is confounded; serious recurrent psychiatric symptoms were reported. Pediatric combinations require the treating clinician.
PMID 41562580 - Caution Anticoagulants / cholinergic medicines [CAUTION // REVIEW_COMBINATION]
The dossier raises theoretical bleeding and additive cholinergic concerns; clinical interaction strength has not been established. Review with the prescriber. - Caution DHA / phosphatidic acid [CAUTION // REVIEW_COMBINATION]
These can be active co-ingredients. Evidence for a combined product does not demonstrate synergy or the effect of PS alone.
PMID 20523044 PMID 25081826 PMID 25414047 - Caution Caffeine / taurine / ashwagandha [CAUTION // REVIEW_COMBINATION]
Caffeine/taurine appear in sports combinations, so PS-specific effects cannot be separated. Ashwagandha combinations have no interaction trial in this dossier.
PMID 42654170 PMID 23746562
Red flags: interactions and who should avoid it
Interactions
A single pediatric case reported recurrent suicidality after re-exposure to PS plus citicoline while taking methylphenidate; attribution to PS alone is uncertain but supervision is essential. Anticoagulant and cholinergic medicine concerns are theoretical, without hard clinical interaction data here. DHA, PA, caffeine and taurine in combination trials confound PS-specific attribution; untested ashwagandha stacks have unknown effects.
Avoid or ask a doctor first if
Avoid bovine-cortex PS products; the dossier flags historical prion-source concerns and commercial withdrawal. Soy allergy requires product-specific assessment and a soy-free source if appropriate. Pregnancy/lactation lack safety data. Children on psychiatric medicines require their treating clinician; new serious mood or behavioral changes need immediate assessment. GI discomfort and insomnia can occur, especially at higher or late doses.
Sources (PubMed, 16)
- Effects of phosphatidylserine in age-associated memory impairment.
PMID 2027477 · 1991 · Controlled clinical trialHistorical bovine PS trial in age-associated memory impairment; n=149, 300 mg/day, 12 weeks.
- The influence of soy-derived phosphatidylserine on cognition in age-associated memory impairment.
PMID 11842880 · 2001 · Randomized controlled trialSoy PS 300/600 mg/day in 120 AAMI adults: no significant improvement across measured outcomes.
- Phosphatidylserine containing omega-3 fatty acids may improve memory abilities in non-demented elderly with memory complaints: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
PMID 20523044 · 2010 · Randomized controlled trialPS-omega-3 trial: immediate verbal recall signal; exploratory subgroup findings and mixed formulation.
- Effects of a food supplement containing phosphatidylserine on cognitive function in Chinese older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
PMID 39317299 · 2025 · Randomized controlled trialMulti-ingredient MCI trial; PS cannot be isolated from ALA, ginkgo and vitamins.
- Positive effects of soy lecithin-derived phosphatidylserine plus phosphatidic acid on memory, cognition, daily functioning, and mood in elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
PMID 25414047 · 2014 · Randomized controlled trialPS-plus-PA pilot trials in older adults/Alzheimer disease; stabilization rather than reversal.
- The effect of phosphatidylserine administration on memory and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
PMID 23495677 · 2014 · Randomized controlled trialSmall 200 mg/day soy-PS pediatric ADHD trial; short-term signal not a treatment replacement.
- Phosphatidylserine enriched with polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acid supplementation for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents with epilepsy: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.
PMID 38173190 · 2024 · Randomized controlled trialPS with omega-3 in ADHD with epilepsy; combination-specific evidence.
- The effect of phosphatidylserine containing Omega3 fatty-acids on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, followed by an open-label extension.
PMID 21807480 · 2012 · Randomized controlled trialPS-omega-3 pediatric ADHD trial; does not isolate PS.
- The cognitive effects of supplementation with sunflower phosphatidyl serine in healthy children aged 8 to 12 years: a randomized controlled trial.
PMID 41318468 · 2025 · Randomized controlled trialSunflower PS child trial: whole-cohort endpoints null despite subgroup signal.
- Blunting by chronic phosphatidylserine administration of the stress-induced activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in healthy men.
PMID 1325348 · 1992 · Small controlled human stress experimentNine-man historical oral bovine-PS study with stress ACTH/cortisol outcomes.
- Effects of phosphatidylserine on the neuroendocrine response to physical stress in humans.
PMID 2170852 · 1990 · Small controlled intravenous human stress experimentSmall historical intravenous PS experiment; not a consumer oral supplement protocol.
- A soy-based phosphatidylserine/ phosphatidic acid complex (PAS) normalizes the stress reactivity of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal-axis in chronically stressed male subjects: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
PMID 25081826 · 2014 · Randomized controlled trialPS-plus-PA six-week stress response study; dose and baseline stress matter.
- Effects of phosphatidylserine on exercise capacity during cycling in active males.
PMID 16394955 · 2006 · Randomized controlled trialSmall soy-PS cycling trial: increased exhaustion time, no cortisol effect.
- Football-Specific Performance and Cognitive Fatigue Resistance Following Supplementation with Two Phosphatidylserine Doses Combined with Taurine and Caffeine in Professional Male Football Players: A Randomized, Triple-Masked, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
PMID 42654170 · 2026 · Randomized controlled trialFootball performance formula combined PS with taurine and caffeine; confounded attribution.
- Phosphatidylserine and caffeine attenuate postexercise mood disturbance and perception of fatigue in humans.
PMID 23746562 · 2013 · Randomized controlled trialPS plus caffeine postexercise mood/fatigue study; combination-specific.
- Recurrent Suicidality Following Rechallenge with Phosphatidylserine and Citicoline in a Pediatric ADHD Patient Treated with Methylphenidate: A Cautionary Case Report.
PMID 41562580 · 2025 · Case reportSingle confounded pediatric rechallenge case involving PS, citicoline and methylphenidate; safety signal without proof PS alone caused it.
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