Tim Ferriss built a career on self-experiment: the 4-Hour books, a podcast of several hundred long interviews with athletes, doctors and researchers, and two decades of testing supplements, diets, drugs and protocols on himself and writing up the results. That history is why his supplement list gets copied, and it is also why it gets misread. Ferriss has said more than once that a small, stable core is all he actually keeps, and that most of what circulates under his name is a snapshot of one experiment or another. This review separates the two, grades each item by the human evidence for the reason he gives, adds up the cost, and ends with the short version worth borrowing.
Tim Ferriss's list in 60 seconds. The core, as he has described it and as the roundups under Sources agree: vitamin D3 at about 5,000 IU, a scoop of AG1, creatine, magnesium (threonate by day and glycinate at night, in some accounts), about 2 g of omega-3 a day, and 5 mg of lithium orotate, with lion's mane before deep work and L-theanine when short of sleep as occasional extras. Around that core sits a rotating set of experiments over the years: ketone esters, exogenous ketones, nootropics, cold exposure, fasting, and the psychedelic research he has funded, none of which belongs on a daily list. Our verdict: creatine, magnesium for sleep, omega-3 at his dose and vitamin D when a test shows it is low are backed by human evidence and cost about $30 a month together; lithium orotate is a well-argued gamble with no trials at that dose; AG1 is an expensive multivitamin; the rest are experiments, which is what he calls them.
The short answer: Ferriss's own rule is the useful one. Sleep, training and stress come first, the core stays small, and everything else is a test with an end date. Copy the rule before you copy a single bottle.
Who Is Tim Ferriss, and Why Does His List Get Copied?
Ferriss is an author and investor, born in 1977, whose books turned personal experimentation into a genre. His podcast has run since 2014, and its guests include most of the people whose stacks are reviewed on this site. He also puts his money behind his interests: he was an early funder of psychedelic research at Johns Hopkins and Imperial College, and he has a product partnership with Momentous, whose creatine, magnesium and protein appear in his routine. That last point matters the same way it does for Joe Rogan and Onnit: some of what he takes, he also has a stake in.
The reason his list is worth reviewing is that he is unusually honest about the difference between a habit and a trial. He keeps a written log, runs one change at a time, and drops things that do not earn their place. That is the same method behind a personalized protocol, and it is the part of his routine almost nobody copies.
What Tim Ferriss Takes: The Core, With the Human Evidence
The grades below are Reverse Age Lab's reading of the human research for the purpose Ferriss gives each product. Strong means repeated randomized trials in people show the effect. Moderate means the effect is real but conditional. Early means small or short human studies with mixed results. Weak means no convincing human trials for the claim at the dose used.
Product | What it is | Why he says he takes it | Human evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
Creatine monohydrate | The most studied sports supplement | Strength, muscle, and the brain as he ages | Strong for strength and lean mass; early but promising for memory |
Magnesium (threonate, glycinate) | A mineral most diets run short of | Sleep, recovery, calm | Moderate for sleep in older adults and people who are low; threonate specifically has one small trial on cognition |
Omega-3 fish oil, about 2 g a day | EPA and DHA | Heart, brain, inflammation | Moderate at this dose for triglycerides and cardiovascular risk; the dose stays under the level linked to atrial fibrillation |
Vitamin D3, about 5,000 IU | The sunshine vitamin | Immunity, mood, bone | Moderate: corrects a low level; large trials show no extra benefit for people already replete |
AG1 | A greens powder with vitamins, probiotics and adaptogens | Insurance, especially when traveling | Weak: no published trials of the product; works like a costly multivitamin |
Lithium orotate, 5 mg | A tiny dose of lithium, far below prescription levels | Mood stability and brain health, after studies of lithium in drinking water | Weak to early: population studies link trace lithium in water to lower suicide and dementia rates; one small trial of microdose lithium slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer's; no trials of orotate at 5 mg in healthy adults |
Lion's mane, before deep work | A mushroom extract | Focus, nerve growth | Early: one small trial in older adults with mild impairment improved cognition while taken; little in healthy adults |
L-theanine, when short of sleep | An amino acid from tea | Calm without sedation | Early to moderate: small trials show reduced stress and better sleep quality at 200 mg |
Protein (whey or plant) | Food in a scoop | Hitting a protein target | Strong as part of adequate daily protein; the powder is convenience, not magic |
A note on the experiments: Ferriss has tried and written about exogenous ketones and ketone esters, various nootropics, cyclic ketogenic diets, extended fasts, cold exposure, and, under medical and research settings, psilocybin. He does not present those as daily supplements, and neither does this review.
What the Evidence Supports
Creatine. The strongest item, as it was on Rogan's list and as it is on almost every list worth reading. The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand summarizes decades of randomized trials: 3 to 5 g a day of creatine monohydrate increases strength and lean mass in people who train and is safe in healthy adults. A 2023 meta-analysis found a small improvement in memory, larger in older adults. Some roundups put Ferriss's dose as low as 1.5 g; if that is right, it is under the range the trials used, and 3 to 5 g is the evidence-based amount.
Magnesium for sleep. A randomized trial in older adults with insomnia found that 500 mg of magnesium improved sleep time, sleep efficiency and early waking, and a 2021 review of trials in older adults reached a cautious version of the same conclusion. The effect is clearest in people who are short of magnesium to begin with, which describes a good share of adults. Glycinate at night is a sensible form. Threonate is a different bet: a single small trial in older adults found better cognitive scores after twelve weeks, funded by the maker, with no independent replication. It costs several times what glycinate does.
Omega-3 at a moderate dose. Two grams of EPA and DHA a day lowers triglycerides, and the REDUCE-IT trial showed a purified EPA prescription cut cardiovascular events in people with high triglycerides on statins. Importantly, Ferriss's dose stays near the level below which a 2021 meta-analysis found the atrial fibrillation risk of omega-3 supplements was not raised. That makes his dose the one to copy, not Rogan's tablespoons.
Vitamin D, when low. The VITAL trial of more than 25,000 adults found no reduction in cancer or cardiovascular disease from vitamin D in people who mostly were not deficient. Five thousand IU is a fair dose for someone who tests low and is retested. Without the test, it is guessing, and it is possible to overshoot.
L-theanine. A randomized trial in healthy adults found 200 mg a day for four weeks reduced stress-related symptoms and improved sleep quality. It is cheap, safe, and reasonable to use exactly the way Ferriss describes, occasionally rather than daily.
What Is a Gamble, and What Is Not Worth the Money
Lithium orotate. This is the most interesting item on the list and the one with the biggest gap between the argument and the evidence. The argument is real: regions with more lithium in their drinking water have had lower suicide rates in several population studies, and a small randomized trial of microdose lithium (300 micrograms a day) slowed cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease over fifteen months. The gap is that no trial has tested 5 mg of lithium orotate in healthy adults for mood, cognition or anything else, and orotate is not the form used in the studies. At 5 mg the dose is far below prescription lithium, and toxicity at that level has not been reported, but thyroid and kidney effects are the reason prescription lithium is monitored, and nobody is monitoring a supplement. Ferriss frames it as a personal experiment. That is the correct frame.
AG1. A greens powder is a multivitamin with a longer label and a much higher price, and AG1 has no published trials of the product. Ferriss uses it as travel insurance, which is at least an honest use. A $15 multivitamin covers the same vitamins; the rest of the money buys vegetables.
Magnesium threonate as a daily brain supplement. One maker-funded trial is not a reason to pay four times the price of glycinate every month. If the goal is sleep, glycinate does the job. If the goal is cognition, creatine has far better evidence and costs a tenth as much.
The experiments. Ketone esters, nootropic blends and the like have small, mixed human trials and high prices, and Ferriss himself rotates them out. Anything you add from this group should have an end date, a measurement, and a reason to stop.
What Tim Ferriss's List Costs, and What the Same Evidence Costs
Retail prices in the United States as of September 2026, rounded, for a month at the doses the roundups describe.
Item | Roughly per month | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
Creatine monohydrate | $10 to $15 | Strong |
Magnesium glycinate | $10 to $15 | Moderate for sleep |
Magnesium threonate | $35 to $50 | Early |
Omega-3 at 2 g EPA and DHA | $15 to $30 | Moderate |
Vitamin D3 | $5 to $10 | Moderate, when low |
AG1 | $79 to $99 | Weak |
Lithium orotate, 5 mg | $8 to $15 | Weak to early |
Lion's mane, occasional | $15 to $30 | Early |
L-theanine, occasional | $8 to $15 | Early to moderate |
Protein powder | $40 to $70 | Strong as food |
The whole core comes to roughly $225 to $350 a month, and more than a third of that is AG1 and threonate. The evidence-backed part, creatine, magnesium glycinate, omega-3 at 2 g and vitamin D if a test shows you need it, costs $40 to $70 a month, which is the same pattern we found in Bryan Johnson's Blueprint and in Joe Rogan's stack: the parts that work are cheap.
The Takeaway: Copy the Method, Then the Core
Ferriss's list is the most reasonable celebrity stack we have reviewed, and the reason is not the products. It is the method: a small core, one experiment at a time, a written record, and the willingness to drop things. The core itself is sound, with two exceptions worth knowing about, AG1 on cost and lithium orotate on evidence. Take creatine at 3 to 5 g, magnesium glycinate at night, omega-3 at about 2 g, and vitamin D if a blood test says so. Treat the rest as he does: as tests.
Build Your Own Personalized Protocol
The one thing Ferriss has that most people do not is a system for testing what works on his own body. Reverse Age Lab is built to give you that system without the years of trial and error. Rala, our patented AI, reads the human studies and real reviews behind supplements, diet and exercise, then turns them into one personalized daily protocol built around your body, your goals and your blood work, organized so the pieces work together and nothing is doubled up. It checks what you already take for interactions, redundancies and safe upper limits, and it tells you which of a celebrity list's items belong in yours. Build your protocol free at reverseagelab.net/protocol, or start by running what you take through the supplement stack checker.
Frequently Asked Questions
What supplements does Tim Ferriss take every day?
By his own account and the roundups that track it, the daily core is vitamin D3 at about 5,000 IU, a scoop of AG1, creatine, magnesium, about 2 g of omega-3 and 5 mg of lithium orotate. Lion's mane before deep work and L-theanine when he is short of sleep are occasional. Everything else attributed to him is an experiment he has written about, not a daily habit.
Why does Tim Ferriss take lithium orotate?
Because of population studies linking trace lithium in drinking water to lower suicide and dementia rates, and a small trial in which microdose lithium slowed cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. He describes it as a personal experiment at a dose far below prescription lithium. No trial has tested 5 mg of lithium orotate in healthy adults, so it remains a gamble rather than an evidence-based habit.
Is magnesium threonate better than magnesium glycinate?
For sleep, no: the sleep trials used ordinary magnesium, and glycinate is well absorbed and cheap. Threonate has one small maker-funded trial suggesting better cognition in older adults and costs several times more. If sleep is the goal, glycinate at night is the evidence-based choice.
Is Tim Ferriss's omega-3 dose safe?
Yes, and it is the dose to copy. About 2 g of EPA and DHA a day lowers triglycerides and sits near the level below which a 2021 meta-analysis found no rise in atrial fibrillation risk. Much higher doses, like the tablespoons of fish oil some podcasters describe, do raise that risk.
Which parts of Tim Ferriss's list are worth copying?
Creatine at 3 to 5 g a day, magnesium glycinate at night, omega-3 at about 2 g, and vitamin D3 if a blood test shows you are low. Together they cost $40 to $70 a month and carry the strongest evidence on his list. The method, one experiment at a time with a written record, is worth more than any of them.
How much does Tim Ferriss spend on supplements?
At retail, the core he describes costs roughly $225 to $350 a month, with AG1 and magnesium threonate making up more than a third of it. The evidence-backed part costs $40 to $70.
Sources
Roundups of Ferriss's public statements about his routine, compared for this review: FastLifeHacks (2026), Routines (2026), Humantonik; his product partnership: Momentous x Tim Ferriss.
Kreider RB et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017. PubMed.
Prokopidis K et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews, 2023. PubMed.
Abbasi B et al. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2012. PubMed.
Mah J, Pitre T. Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2021. PubMed.
Liu G et al. Efficacy and safety of MMFS-01, a synapse density enhancer, for treating cognitive impairment in older adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2016. PubMed.
Bhatt DL et al. Cardiovascular risk reduction with icosapent ethyl for hypertriglyceridemia (REDUCE-IT). New England Journal of Medicine, 2019. PubMed.
Gencer B et al. Effect of long-term marine omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on the risk of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation, 2021. PubMed.
Manson JE et al. Vitamin D supplements and prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease (VITAL). New England Journal of Medicine, 2019. PubMed.
Nunes MA et al. Microdose lithium treatment stabilized cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Current Alzheimer Research, 2013. PubMed.
Schrauzer GN, Shrestha KP. Lithium in drinking water and the incidences of crimes, suicides, and arrests related to drug addictions. Biological Trace Element Research, 1990. PubMed.
Mori K et al. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research, 2009. PubMed.
Hidese S et al. Effects of L-theanine administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrients, 2019. PubMed.