Dark Earth Research Venom Riot Flavor Review
Venom Riot Flavor is a powder dietary supplement sold by Dark Earth Research and listed in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database under DSLD ID 271308. The label records a net content of 285 grams and a market status of On Market, with the product entered into the database on 21 July 2022. In the classification section the product type is listed as Other Combinations, the supplement form as Powder, the dietary claim as All Other, Structure/Function, and the intended target group as Adults aged 18 to 50 years. The Supplement Facts panel gives a serving size of 4.75 to 9.5 grams with 30 servings per container. The listed actives are Adrenaline Venom Formula at 7.7 g, Caffeine Anhydrous at 350 mg, and Geranium extract at 100 mg. The panel also lists Beta Alanine, Agmatine Sulfate, Juglans regia, L-Norvaline, Synephrine HCl, Choline Bitartrate, Hordenine HCl, Ephedra extract, and Yohimbine HCl, with no amount shown for several of them. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, and the Daily Value is not established for some items. Other ingredients are Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Acesulfame-K, Natural and Artificial flavors, and Calcium Silicate. The label statements say the product is a Dietary Supplement and that it contains 100mg Geranium. The suggested use is to mix half a scoop with 6 to 8 ounces of water and drink it 15 to 20 minutes before training. After tolerance is assessed with half a scoop, the label allows up to one scoop within a 24 hour period. The FDA disclaimer states that the statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness. The brand information names Dark Earth Research as manufacturer, with the source given as NIH, July 2022. The database page also lists other labels that share the ingredient beta-alanine, including Raspberry Lemonade Pre-Workout, Jacked Juice Pre-Workout, Creadrol-HCL, SPAWN, F5 Pre-Workout Powder Energy, and Surge, and notes that a total of 3,460 labels contain beta-alanine. The page states that labels are shown as printed on the bottle, with no grades, rankings or advice, and that a label is not an endorsement of the product. Readers are told to read the label on the bottle they buy because makers change their formulas. No price, barcode, or customer review data appears on this page.
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Study, Trial or Testing Result Summary
Members OnlyHuman studies
We found no human studies on energy for the ingredients in this pre-workout powder, so there is no study evidence to report for this goal. The label lists a single proprietary blend of 7.7 grams per serving. The store listing names what the blend is said to contain: beta alanine, agmatine sulfate, caffeine anhydrous at 350 milligrams, walnut extract, L-norvaline, geranium extract at 100 milligrams, synephrine, choline bitartrate, hordenine, ephedra extract and yohimbine. Apart from the caffeine and geranium amounts, the dose of each ingredient is hidden inside the blend, so it cannot be compared with any studied dose. Buyers rate it highly, with 96 percent of 156 ratings positive. The written comments shown describe strong focus, drive and pump in the gym, and some users take only half a scoop. One buyer felt no effect even at a double dose. Without study support, these ratings are the only evidence we have that it helps with energy. Animal and cell studies are never counted.
Review Totals and Summary
Members Only156 reviews · 96% positive
**Overall:** Dark Earth Research Venom Riot is a pre-workout powder that most buyers rate as strong and reliable, though one buyer felt nothing at all. It carries about 156 ratings across the stores. No other forms of the product turned up in the reviews, so there was nothing to leave out. **What buyers say it did for them:** Most describe a strong effect on focus and drive in the gym. One says it is their "go-to pre workout" for heavy lifts and that it "keeps me focus thru out my my time in the gym." Another uses it on low-energy days, saying it "gets me going for a tough day in the gym" when they would otherwise skip training. Others mention a good pump and an energy boost with no jitters or crazy comedown. One calls it "Solid pre. No jitters or crazy drama at all." **What they complain about:** The one clear complaint is that it did nothing. That buyer wrote "Doesn't do anything! No effects at all," after taking two scoops plus extra, and will not buy it again. A repeated frustration in the written feedback is that it sells out quickly. One customer found it "sold out in every flavor" and hopes it returns to stock. **Taste, smell, form:** Taste is mostly praised. One buyer says "The taste is amazing," and another says "Taste is good pump is good." The one critical buyer found it "ok not great." The reviews say nothing about smell or scoop texture. They give no detail on pill size, since this is a powder. **Value for money:** No one discusses price directly. The closest point is that several buyers need only a small serving. One says they "Never need any more than half a scoop," and another typically takes about half a scoop, which suggests a tub can last a long time. The buyer who got no effect felt their money was wasted. **Who it seems to suit and who it did not:** It seems to suit experienced lifters who want a strong stimulant effect for heavy sessions, and people who need a push on tired days. Some mix it with other pre-workouts, such as Deliverance or Sicario, and use only half a scoop. It did not suit the one buyer who felt no effect even at a double dose. Because the written feedback is short, there is little on how people with low stimulant tolerance fare. **Seller comments:** Several comments are about NutriCartel, the shop, rather than the formula. Buyers call it legitimate, say orders arrived as expected, and say they would buy from the store again. A few short comments, such as "Best preworkout on the market" and "Love this company," are praise with no detail.
Biohacker Summary
Members Only10 of 10 recommend it
The main ingredient was not discussed by anyone on the panel, so there is no group view on it, and everything the panel said concerns smaller ingredients in this product. Caffeine, a smaller ingredient in this product, drew comments from all ten: most use it for focus, mood, training and fat burning, and several pair it with L-theanine, with doses given from 100 to 150 milligrams up to 300 or 400 milligrams. Many caution to stop caffeine by noon or lunch to protect sleep, others warn it can cause restlessness, worry or worse fatigue, and one came off it for a year. Walnuts, also a smaller ingredient in this product, got brief praise from three of them for brain support and as a food topping or pudding ingredient.
See all 10 biohackers →Hide the biohackers
Dave Asprey · Caffeine · uses
- Loves coffee, has the caffeine molecule tattooed on his arm, drinks it every morning, and says it does amazing things for your brain and for how long you can live, but it can't clear most brain fog on its own.
- Created Danger Coffee, a mineral-enriched, lab-tested, mold-free coffee that delivers rich flavor and clean caffeine without all the junk, and recommends it to others.
- Dave Asprey's lab proved that caffeine is a flow hack and the only known substance to actually make you flow prone. Coffee will make you more flow prone.
- Dave explains why the 1:2 ratio of caffeine to L-theanine beats coffee alone for working memory, accuracy, and calm, sustained concentration.
- States that his entire career started on caffeine and he uses it every morning, but notes it's like a loan from your future self, leading to an afternoon crash.
- Dave Asprey's company used caffeine, which is a safe ingredient, but they stopped using it because it doesn't provide the type of results and change in the skin that newer ingredients do.
- States that caffeine is one of his superpowers and increases the rate of ketone formation, which fuels neurons.
- Once I’ve hydrated and taken my creatine, I reach for Danger Coffee for caffeine and essential minerals in one cup.
- Uses caffeine, noting it blocks adenosine to increase norepinephrine and dopamine signaling, fueling the prefrontal cortex for focus. He mentions it got him through business school and is part of his longevity journey.
- Will have some walnuts on occasion, but it is rare.
- Does not believe caffeine is a nootropic, considering it just a stimulant.
- Recommends walnuts as a nut that is low in oxalate and less likely to be moldy, though macadamias are safer.
- Recommends consuming 15 to 20 walnuts daily, noting that this amount has been proven to help with sperm health, despite being a lot of walnuts and calories.
- Recommends taking 3 g of beta-alanine with creatine to enhance muscle buffering and extend high-intensity capacity for competitive athletes.
Thomas DeLauer · Caffeine · neutral
- Explains that caffeine from green tea mobilizes fatty acids, which can be converted into ketones, providing a ketone boost, especially in a fasted or low-carb state.
- Warns that treating brain fog with caffeine without addressing underlying inflammation is ineffective and likely to make the situation worse.
- Notes that caffeine significantly increased fat metabolism and fat oxidation during exercise, especially at lower intensities, and that adding coffee around an exercise bout led to more calories and fat burned.
- Says that caffeine significantly increased fat metabolism and that at low intensity cardio or exercise caffeine works better at mobilizing and utilizing fat.
- Might have some caffeine before fasted training.
- Recommends caffeine as a must on the fasting day to create a low-grade energy demand that forces the body to favor lipolysis.
- Recommends drinking 150 to 200 mg of caffeine immediately before a 20-minute nap to enhance alertness and performance, as the caffeine peaks when the nap has cleared adenosine.
- States that caffeine is probably the most studied ergogenic aid with a profound effect on fat mobilization, suggesting that simple is better.
- Recommends focusing on antioxidant-rich foods like walnuts for telomere protection, suggesting a little handful as an easy telomere-friendly food.
- Mentions that people try cutting out caffeine when dealing with sleep issues, but it's not always the root cause.
- Recommends walnuts for brain health, stating they contain 2.5g ALA per ounce, the most of any nut.
- Warns that consuming more than 50-60 mg of caffeine in the first hour after waking stacks a stimulant on top of the body's natural cortisol-driven alertness, leading to a sharp spike and mid-morning crash, and building tolerance faster.
- Suggests using walnuts as an alternative to fish oil if someone is not a fan of fish oil, to help blunt the glucose response from rice.
- Recommends beta-alanine, stating it is a rate-limiting precursor to carnosine, which acts as an intracellular pH buffer and improves performance in efforts lasting 1 to 4 minutes.
Andrew Huberman · Caffeine · uses
- Used caffeine, taking 400 milligrams, to improve his mood and physical vigor during mundane tasks like swimming, noting that it made life not so bad and allowed him to rip through the water.
- Mentions caffeine in a discussion about supplement use.
- Discusses caffeine timing as a tool related to sleep.
- He recommends caffeine, in coffee or tea form, or in tablet or capsule form at lower dosages than found in coffee and tea, as a reasonable way to explore stimulant-based approaches for enhancing cognitive function and focus.
- Huberman states that caffeine can improve focus and concentration, with a general useful range of 100 to 400 milligrams, and most people do well with 100 to 200 milligrams prior to focused work.
- Discusses caffeine as a tool for improving attention, noting its impact on focus and sleep.
- Mentions that coffee and tea produce caffeine, which were likely defense chemicals, and that plants learned it was better to alter consciousness than kill predators outright.
- Discusses caffeine and its health benefits.
- Recommends caffeine as a tool to increase motivation and dopamine.
- Huberman explains that regular ingestion of caffeine at safe levels of about 100 to 250 mg increases the number of D2 and D3 dopamine receptors, making circulating dopamine more potent.
- Mentions that in previous episodes, he discussed beta-alanine for moderate-duration work.
- Andrew Huberman mentions walnuts as a fat source he consumes.
- Recommends starting beta-alanine at a minimal dosage like 2 grams and gradually increasing by one gram each week to build tolerance and mitigate side effects like skin itching.
- States that walnuts are a high plant source of ALA.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick · Caffeine · neutral
- Explains that caffeine can activate AMPK, a cellular energy sensor involved in fat burning and glucose regulation, which helps muscle cells take up glucose and promotes using fatty acids for energy.
- Recommends pairing caffeine with L-theanine to enhance alertness and focus while mitigating anxiety and jitteriness, suggesting a dose of 100 to 150 mg of caffeine.
- Recommends pairing coffee with L-theanine to enhance cognitive performance, noting that L-theanine can help balance caffeine’s stimulatory effects.
- Recommends cutting out caffeine in the three months before conception for both men and women, as it affects sperm.
- Mentions that walnuts contain polyphenols called ellagitannins, which gut bacteria convert into Urolithin A, but there's significant individual variation in how much Urolithin A people actually produce from eating them.
- Recommends caffeine for alertness and focus, especially when combined with L-theanine to smooth out the response and maintain cognitive benefits, suggesting a practical dose of 100-150 mg.
- Recommends cutting down or eliminating caffeine when actively trying to conceive.
- Warns that a very high dose of caffeine, around 350 mg pre-workout, may blunt some of creatine's performance benefit due to opposite effects on muscle relaxation.
- Self-administers 350 mg of caffeine in a bolus right after returning from mass and his workout, and before eating, noting that he likes dark roast Starbucks.
- The newest literature on Caffeine dose and its link to multiple cardiometabolic disease risk reduction shows that even the ≥400 mg group was healthier than 0 mg.
- Some people produce urolithin A after eating pomegranates and walnuts, but others need to supplement directly.
- Explains that caffeine works by blocking adenosine, a molecule that builds up and makes one feel tired, and that timing coffee intake is about leveraging adenosine biology for peak cognitive alertness.
- Recommends beta-alanine for boosting exercise performance, stating it allows one to push harder and longer by buffering muscle burn.
- Lists beta-alanine as a supplement for enhancing exercise performance and recovery.
Siim Land · Caffeine · recommends
- Recommends stopping caffeine earlier to improve sleep.
- Notes that polyphenolic compounds in coffee, both decaf and regular caffeinated, can influence cellular stress pathways and have been seen to increase autophagy activity in mice, with regular coffee appearing more potent due to caffeine's additional energetic stress.
- Recommends moving caffeine intake earlier in the day because having it too late can disrupt sleep, especially for slow metabolizers.
- Recommends not having caffeine after lunch, noting that 400 mg 4 hours before bed reduced deep sleep by approximately 30 minutes in a trial, although he personally has a fast caffeine metabolism.
- Warns that combining a large dose of glycine with caffeine can amplify negative experiences, as caffeine independently increases arousal and can cause restlessness, anxiety, and increased heart rate.
- States that regular coffee promotes visceral fat loss, and going from low or zero intake to moderate intake increases fat loss due to caffeine and polyphenols.
- Ate walnuts as a food high in fiber and polyphenols to help with visceral fat loss.
- States that walnuts are one of the boring foods from which he gets most of his fiber.
- Mentions that walnuts reduced lipid peroxidation and oxidized LDL over several hours in a randomized crossover trial.
- Recommends walnuts for brain health.
- Found that adding nuts, specifically a handful of walnuts, consistently increases his omega-3 status, and noticed his omega-3 status was lower when he wasn't eating them.
- Suggests that higher caffeine intake might be useful for older people because caffeine raises cortisol, and consuming it in the morning contributes to circadian regulation.
- States that caffeine has proven benefits for increasing exercise performance when used correctly and at the right time.
- States that caffeine raises blood pressure, but mostly if one is not used to consuming it, and habitual caffeine consumers develop tolerance to these effects.
Ben Greenfield · Caffeine · stopped
- Came off caffeine for a year after his separation.
- Quit caffeine in the same year he quit testosterone replacement therapy and alcohol.
- Uses caffeine, such as coffee or green tea, in his morning fasted fat-burning session to slightly increase the oxidation of fats.
- Advises against relying on caffeine for morning energy, suggesting that natural sugar-based stimulants combined with hydration and meditation can provide sufficient wakefulness.
- Recommends Caffeine, noting that it can improve focus, mood, and training, help control appetite, raise calories burned, and reduce fatigue.
- Recommends Beta-alanine, explaining it builds up carnosine in muscles, helping buffer acidity during hard efforts.
- Notes that 3 mg/kg of caffeine increases fat oxidation by 31%, and 5 mg/kg increases it by 51% compared to a placebo.
- Caffeine on its own isn’t particularly impressive as an ergogenic aid, but when combined with taurine, there are significant increases in power production.
- Mentions that caffeine can help mitigate the negative effects of a caloric deficit on lean muscle mass and metabolism.
- Has talked before about caffeine as a supplement that seems to assist with sleep deprivation.
- Warns that energy drinks can deliver large doses of caffeine quickly, which may overstimulate the heart and cause abnormal heart rhythms and electrocardiogram changes, especially in children.
- Warns that eating walnuts for omega-3s won't fix the issue because high LA blocks the conversion of plant-based ALA to EPA.
- Recommends beta-alanine to enhance muscular endurance and improve buffering capacity during high-intensity efforts.
- Recommends walnuts with oatmeal for breakfast.
Dr. Mark Hyman · Walnuts · uses
- Says walnuts are one of her favorite nuts and they support brain and sex drive.
- Discusses with patients their caffeine consumption, suggesting that too much caffeine can artificially increase their stress response.
- Recommends stopping caffeine by noon.
- States that caffeine's effect on ADHD depends on the person, as it can help focus but also activate irritation or stress, and its impact is related to individual caffeine metabolism.
- Dr. Mark Hyman designed 'The World's Smartest Smoothie' using organic ingredients, including Organic Walnuts.
- Warns that drinking coffee first thing in the morning before eating layers caffeine on top of already elevated stress hormones, providing unsustainable energy and setting up for an afternoon crash.
- Notes that caffeine is one of the things that drives the hormone imbalance causing PMS.
- States that drinking coffee on an empty stomach, which is how most people do it, is probably not the best thing as it gives a jolt of caffeine and adrenaline before eating.
- Warns that caffeine, alcohol, and spicy foods can be potent triggers for hot flashes, and excess caffeine should be avoided.
- Warns that adding fiber does not cancel out the negative effects of caffeine and other processed additives.
- Warns that high caffeine intake, especially coffee, can contribute to dehydration by increasing fluid loss and masking fatigue, leading to a deficit if not balanced with sufficient water intake.
- Warns that caffeine without adequate protein creates blood sugar chaos, sending a stress signal to the brain and hindering healing.
- Dr. Hyman states that walnuts are a food containing polyphenols that the gut microbiome can convert into Urolithin A.
- Dr Hyman recommends walnuts as a source of healthy fats.
Dr. Eric Berg · Caffeine · warns
- Warns that caffeine can keep you awake and advises to watch out for hidden sources of caffeine.
- Stimulating the body with caffeine can actually make fatigue worse.
- Recommends crushed walnuts as a topping for a meal designed to clean out arteries.
- Dr. Berg warns that stimulating the body with caffeine can actually make fatigue worse.
- Warns that too much caffeine is a common cause of worry, indecision, fear, and tension, and that it depletes vitamin B1, negatively affecting the nervous system.
- Advises against buying organic walnuts, stating they are not worth the money.
- Warns that even a lot of caffeine in the morning can inhibit melatonin at night.
- Warns that coffee does not give you energy; instead, caffeine binds to adenosine receptors, inhibiting sleep signals and merely preventing sleepiness.
- States that caffeine can affect the ability to absorb magnesium and cause a deficiency.
- Warns that drinking caffeinated beverages later in the day can keep you awake because the liver needs to detoxify the caffeine.
- Warns that consuming caffeine can worsen tinnitus, citing a person who noticed this effect.
- Stimulating the body with caffeine can actually make fatigue worse.
- Dr. Berg used to recommend walnuts as superfoods for the heart, but now he advises against them because they don't provide essential nutrients like protein and can lead to bloating and low energy. He also notes that walnuts have ALA, a precursor to DHA and EPA, but the conversion is not great.
- Warns against buying organic walnuts, stating their hard shell prevents pesticide penetration, making conventional walnuts a cheaper and equally safe option.
Bryan Johnson · Caffeine · uses
- Drinks coffee when starting to fade, ensuring the last cup is between 10 and 12 hours before bed so caffeine doesn't affect sleep.
- Uses walnuts as an ingredient in Nutty Pudding.
- Used 300 mg of caffeine in the morning as part of their jet lag recovery.
- Uses 300 mg of slow release caffeine in the morning as part of a jet lag recovery protocol.
- Notes that coffee affects the gut, which then affects the brain, and that it is the coffee bean, not the caffeine, doing most of the work.
- Notes that the culture in DC involves running on caffeine, along with alcohol and sleep deprivation, leading to poor nutrition and an unhealthy environment.
- Warns that caffeine has a 6-hour half-life, so consuming it later in the day will leave a significant amount in the body at bedtime, recommending consumption earlier in the day.
- Recommends consuming no caffeine past noon due to its 6-hour half-life, suggesting that if sleep is nailed, caffeine might not be needed.
- Warns against stimulants like caffeine for sleep, advising to have the last cup of coffee before noon if going to bed at 10:00 p.m.
- Advises that if one is going to drink caffeine, they should try to have it earlier in the day and experiment to find the right time that doesn't disrupt their sleep.
- Has stopped all caffeine, as it has helped him improve his sleep.
- Uses 2 teaspoons of ground walnuts in his Nutty Pudding for omega-3 and brain health.
- Includes walnuts in his Nutty Pudding, which he consumes an hour after his Super Veggie.
- Includes walnuts in his 'Nutty Pudding' as part of his fat profile for the third meal of the day.
Peter Attia · Caffeine · uses
- States that he needs two to three times the normal dose of any medication or drug to feel an effect, including caffeine, and can drink four cups of coffee without feeling anything.
- Mentions data suggesting caffeine might be more helpful in the luteal phase to help with fatigue components.
- Peter Attia, who did not believe in dietary supplements as a collegiate athlete, later dove into understanding the impacts of beta-alanine during grad school.
- Uses caffeine in combination with Alpha GPC, MCT, and Theanine, often adding it to coffee for long periods of cognitive work.
- Finds Alpha GPC works well with caffeine, and he puts a product containing Alpha GPC, MCT, and caffeine into his coffee for long periods of cognitive work.
- Mentions that experimenting with the timing of caffeine is a great idea for sleep.
- Warns that decaffeinated coffee can contain significant amounts of caffeine and advises cutting off all coffee, including decaf, by 11 a.m. for better sleep quality.
- Explains that caffeine is problematic because it blocks adenosine receptors, leading to a 'caffeine crash' when it wears off and adenosine floods the receptors, causing sleepiness.
- States that caffeine does not wake him up, which contributed to his belief that he did not have an addiction gene.
- States that caffeine does not wake him up.
- Warns that constantly consuming caffeine and Red Bull to turn up the sympathetic dial is a sign that the sympathetic system isn't working as it should, possibly due to overstimulation from stress.
- Consumes walnuts as a type of nut.
RAL Summary
Members OnlyTier 4 for Energy
Tier 3 requires some study support, but no human studies on energy were found for any of its ingredients, so the evidence is thin and supports tier 4. So it is graded Tier 4, lower than the rules alone gave.
- Emerging: not enough evidence to rank higher yet.
- No human studies on this goal for its ingredients.
More Details
Members OnlyBody systems · Combine with · Possible side effects
Body systems: Nervous system, Muscular system
Combine with: If the goal is cellular and DNA repair, pair a real longevity stack with a proper diet rather than relying on this product: NMN or nicotinamide riboside for NAD+ support, trans-resveratrol or pterostilbene for sirtuin activation, CoQ10 or ubiquinol and PQQ for mitochondrial health, and omega-3 fish oil, vitamin D3/K2 and magnesium for general cellular support. Antioxidants such as astaxanthin or glutathione/NAC may add protection against oxidative stress. If you use Venom Riot for energy, limit total caffeine, avoid taking it late in the day, hydrate well, and consider adding L-theanine to smooth stimulant effects and electrolytes for training. Check with a clinician if you have cardiovascular conditions or take medications.
Possible side effects: No side effects were reported in studies, and buyers in the written comments say they had no jitters or crash; one buyer felt no effect at all.
Supplement Facts
Adrenaline Venom Formula 7.7 g
| Adrenaline Venom Formula | 7.7 g | † |
Other ingredients: Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Acesulfame-K, Natural & Artificial flavors, Calcium Silicate.
Directions: Suggested use Mix half (1/2) a scoop with 6-8 ounces of water and drink 15-20 minutes prior to training. Once tolerance is assessed with half (1/2) a scoop you can increase to no more than one (1) scoop within a 24 hour period.
Label source: NIH label database · Report a label change
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Graded November 4, 2026 by the Reverse Age Lab evidence engine, from human studies, real reviews and our biohacker panel. How we grade. Is this medical advice? No. Rala organizes the published evidence; go over any change with your doctor, especially if you take meds.
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