LiftMode: the Chicago nootropics shop that set the standard for phenibut, then stopped selling it, and now sells kanna

Who they say they are, and what the record says

For ten years, if an American bought phenibut online, the jar most likely said LiftMode on it. The store opened in Chicago in late 2012, sold the drug in crystals, powder, capsules and solution, and by 2026 had become the brand that buyers on r/phenibut measure everything else against. A February 2026 thread asked which brand comes closest to "the almighty liftmode".[1] LiftMode had stopped selling phenibut more than two years earlier.

The shop belongs to Synaptent LLC, an Illinois company formed on 2010-03-24, with a headquarters on West Fulton Street in Chicago.[2] The FDA wrote to Synaptent about the site in 2021, and the company's reply calls liftmode.com "our" website and gives "1442 w fulton st chicago il 60607".[3] The About page dates the business to "since our launch in early 2010" and names a chief executive, a founder who is also chief science officer, and a chief technology officer.[4] The domain itself was registered in November 2011.[5]

The archive first shows a working store in December 2012. By March 2013 it was "liftmode commerce", a plain Magento shop whose featured products began with "featured products phenibut crystal granules 100 grams".[6][7]

Figure 1. March 2013, the store's first months. Its featured products that day were phenibut, phenethylamine and hordenine. [6]

What it sells

The phenibut years. In 2013 the phenibut page called it an amino acid "used as an ingredient in dietary supplement products" and said "it is said to support relaxation restful sleep and positive mood".[8] The page sat in the menu under "home aphrodisiac phenibut hcl crystal granules", beside menu entries for "noopept phenibut fba", the last a category for stock sold through Amazon, whose product page the listing linked as "amazon product detail page".[8] The products, the page said, were raw ingredients, so "we cannot provide directions for their consumption". It then gave dosing limits anyway.[8]

Figure 2. July 2013: phenibut, filed under "aphrodisiac" and sold as "an ingredient in dietary supplement products". The page also links its Amazon listing. [8]

The other compounds. Phenibut was the best seller, not the whole shelf. The 2013 menu also held picamilon and sunifiram, "a nootropic sold as a raw material to cutting edge researchers into enhanced cognition".[9] Sunifiram is an experimental compound that has not been tested in people.

Figure 3. April 2013: sunifiram, an experimental compound never tested in people, sold by the gram with a measuring scoop and a link to its Amazon listing. [9]

Over the next eight years the archive records noopept, phenylpiracetam, emoxypine, centrophenoxine, hordenine, synephrine, yohimbine, phenethylamine, L-tetrahydropalmatine, kava and, in 2020, tetrahydroharmine, a beta-carboline from the ayahuasca vine.[7] Around these sat about a hundred ordinary supplements: curcumin, NAC, melatonin, lion's mane.

After phenibut. On 15 November 2023 the store announced: "it is with deep regret that we announce that we have had to discontinue the sale of our phenibut products". It blamed the FDA and other agencies, said the costs "have left us with no viable option than to permanently end the sale of phenibut effective immediately", and added "we have collated our current best alternatives all at 25 off".[10] In July 2025 a buyer opening his last jar wrote that he had bought it "before knowing phenibut would disappear from liftmode".[11]

Figure 4. 15 November 2023: the end of phenibut at LiftMode, blamed on FDA, with a 25% sale on "alternatives". [10]

Kanna. What replaced phenibut at the centre of the catalogue was kanna, the South African succulent Sceletium tortuosum, whose alkaloids mesembrine and mesembrenone act on serotonin reuptake. LiftMode had sold a kanna extract since at least 2019, then listed as "kanna extract powder 1 gram sample 5 alkaloids 3 mesembrine".[12] By 2026 the range had grown to an MT55 powder "standardized for a high and consistent mesembrine content", an XK6 extract "standardized for higher mesembrenone content", a resin sold as "kanna 3x mt165 15 alkaloid powdered resin extract", capsules, tablets, five flavoured elixirs, a gum, a taffy and a jam.[13][14][15][7] The MT165 page is blunt about strength: "mt165 should not be purchased by customers who are not already fully versed in and familiar with kanna", and it is "not for sale to those under the age of 18".[15] We found no age check on the store itself.

Figure 5. October 2026: the flagship kanna extract. The tin promises at least 3% mesembrine and 5% alkaloids, "HPLC tested". [13]

What buyers report

We read the local archives of r/phenibut and r/Kanna, every post from 1 January 2024 to 11 October 2026, on 2026-10-11.[16] 327 of r/phenibut's 6,972 posts name LiftMode: 180 in 2024, 78 in 2025, 69 in 2026. Nearly all were written after the shop stopped selling phenibut, and nearly all are some version of the same question, what to buy now. The answers name the vendors that took its customers. In 2026 the most named was Nordic Chems, the subject of a separate dossier.

An old question with no evidence behind it. Because the old LiftMode phenibut is remembered as stronger than anything sold since, one 2026 thread asked whether "the old lift mode stuff yall talk about have been cut".[17] Sixty-six replies followed. Most rejected the idea, one saying "liftmode and nootropics depot before them were just pure high quality phenibut".[17] Nobody offered a test. The certificates below are the only laboratory evidence we found, and they show phenibut and nothing else at 100.4%.

Kanna buyers. 198 of r/Kanna's 4,904 posts name LiftMode. We read every one that a keyword pass flagged for delivery, payment, support or a weak product, and the most discussed threads. Praise is the larger share, and MT55 is the extract other vendors are compared with. In August 2026 one buyer asked, "is lift mode and healing herbal still the best around".[18] Against that, ten threads describe orders that did not ship or support that did not answer, and they come in three clusters:

• February to July 2024, while the shop was moving from Magento to Shopify. Mail to the support address bounced: "it kept bouncing back saying the email does not exist".[19] The checkout refused cards: "it appears i cannot process my credit card on their site".[20] One buyer wrote "they billed my credit card twice for it"; another was charged with no order on file: "charged my credit card never sent email confirmation".[21][22][23] Replies in the same threads defended the company: "they have good costumer service if you" are patient, one wrote.[21]
• December 2025. An order sat unshipped for two months: "they straight up just never shipped my order to me". A reply from a customer of ten years ("ive been ordering with them for close to 10 years") said his last order arrived in two days.[24]
• April to June 2026. A long-time buyer reported an unfulfilled order, no answer by phone or mail, and wrote "this is really unusual for them".[25] A month later another wrote "customer service has been unavailable for weeks now".[26]

Four of these posts describe a charge without an order, or a double charge, during outages.[21][22] We found no thread alleging a wrong or contaminated product.

One 2024 post is worth knowing about for a different reason. A buyer in Maryland wrote that police had field-tested his LiftMode MT55 and "it tested positive for pcp". He said the charges were later dropped.[27] Colour field tests are known for false positives, and a kanna extract is not PCP.

Lab results

LiftMode has published certificates longer than most of its competitors. Its certificate page says "through third party and in house testing liftmode invests in ensuring the best and most reliable quality", and the About page claims "we independently and rigorously test all ingredients every batch with a highly equipped us based laboratory".[28][4]

Phenibut. The 2020 phenibut certificate is two pages. The first is the company's own summary, which gives the country of origin as China ("20200414 china") and an "hplc assay 99 0 100 4".[29] The second is a report for Synaptent LLC from Colmaric Analyticals, a laboratory in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, with the same 100.4% assay and lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury in the parts per billion. An assay a fraction over 100% is within the method's error.

Figure 6. A 2020 phenibut certificate: made in China, assayed in Tennessee at 100.4%, metals in the parts per billion. The company's own summary on the left, the laboratory's report on the right. [29]

Kanna. The newest kanna certificate on the page is for MT55 lot 06052017810420, tested in June 2020. The summary claims at least 5% alkaloids and 3% mesembrine and reports "kanna extract 5 alkaloids 3 mesembrine 8 00 6 10", that is 8.00% and 6.10%.[30] Two laboratory pages follow. Colmaric's HPLC page gives mesembrine at 6.6%. A page from Stellenbosch University's central analytical facility ("jc smuts building private bag x1 matieland 7602 south africa") gives 6.1% by LC-MS, with a caveat: "results are expressed as a relative concentration to the response of mesembrine".[30] So the summary carries Stellenbosch's number, not Colmaric's. Both are above the label's 3%.

Figure 7. The newest kanna certificate the company publishes, June 2020: above the label's claim on both pages, though the two pages disagree on the mesembrine figure, 6.10% against 6.6%. [30]

What is missing. The September 2026 certificate page lists lots by quarter, and its newest is from the first quarter of 2021. All the phenibut lots have been removed. The only kanna entry is MT55, whose newest lot is "kanna extract mt55 extract type coas 2020 4th quarter".[28] There is no certificate for MT165, XK6, the elixirs, the gum, the tablets or the capsules, all sold since 2024. The MT55 tin in 2026 still promises at least 3% mesembrine, "HPLC tested", and the product page sells "hplc tested kanna extract powder".[13] In February 2024 a buyer trying to find the current batch's numbers could not, and noted that "they still claim on there cover sticker that it has 5 alkoloids in it".[31]

Figure 8. September 2026: one kanna entry on the certificate page, for MT55. Opened, its newest lot is from late 2020. There is none for the stronger extracts, drinks, gum or tablets sold since. [28]

This site's lab-results section holds no independent test of a LiftMode product.

Regulatory and legal

FDA's position on phenibut. FDA's ingredient directory states: "phenibut is a substance that does not meet the statutory definition of a dietary ingredient".[32] LiftMode's phenibut pages described it as an ingredient of dietary supplements from 2013, and in September 2021 still said "it is said to support relaxation restful sleep and positive mood".[8][33]

The pages carried warnings. The same 2021 page said "phenibut can be addictive and can induce physical tolerance", warned of withdrawal, and said "the amount of phenibut consumed in one day should not exceed 2000mg".[33] Many sellers of the drug said much less.

Figure 9. September 2021, the month FDA was reviewing the site. The description FDA would quote sits above a red dosing caution. [33]

A consumer group's request. In September 2021 the Center for Science in the Public Interest asked FDA to act on phenibut sellers: "cspi is asking the fda to send warning letters to all 19 entities".[34] Its appendix gives a page to LiftMode, quoting a blog post the product page linked to, titled "can you use phenibut to cure a hangover", "accessed october 30 2020".[35]

Figure 10. September 2021: a consumer group's request that FDA act against phenibut sellers. This page of its appendix is LiftMode's. [35]

The warning letter. On 9 November 2021 FDA wrote to Synaptent LLC that it had "reviewed your website at the internet address www liftmode com in august to october 2021", and that "the claims on your website establish that the products are drugs".[36] The letter names 18 products. Phenibut comes first, for its description and for label graphics reading "boost your mood reduce your stress". The rest are ordinary supplements sold with disease claims, berberine for one ("it was once used as a treatment for diarrhea in diabetics") and dihydromyricetin for another ("dihydromyricetin is used for anti inflammatory anti hangover benefits").[36] FDA also found four supplement labels misbranded for incomplete serving sizes and net weights. It warned that "failure to adequately address this matter may result in legal action including without limitation seizure and injunction".[36]

Figure 11. 9 November 2021: FDA's warning letter to Synaptent LLC, the company behind LiftMode. The recipient block, which names two people, is cropped out. [36]

Figure 12. The letter's first examples are phenibut's. FDA also quotes the label graphic: "boost your mood reduce your stress". [36]

The response. Synaptent replied in a letter that states "the warning letter was received on november 9th 2021". It accepted the findings and promised that "corrections to the content on our site are ongoing and will be completed within the next 5 business days", and it asked "we respectfully request this response be posted on the agency" website.[3] FDA posted it. We found no later FDA action. LiftMode kept selling phenibut for twenty-one months after the reply.

Figure 13. The company's answer, which it asked FDA to publish: the claims would be removed or revised "within the next 5 business days". [3]

Courts. A CourtListener search on 2026-10-11 found no case naming Synaptent. Under "LiftMode" it found one federal docket: a miscellaneous matter in the Northern District of Illinois, 1:20-mc-00659, opened 2020-12-18 and captioned United States v. Google account liftmode@liftmode.com.[37] A caption of that form is used when the government asks a court for something concerning an account. It does not say what was sought, or why, or about whom. We found no criminal case naming the company or its website.

Figure 14. Sixteen years of LiftMode, from the company's formation to its kanna catalogue. Drawn by us. [7]

Still open

• What the 2020 Illinois matter concerned. Searched: CourtListener, by company and site name. Only the caption, number and date.
• Whether any kanna lot sold since 2021 was tested. Searched: the certificate page in 2024 and 2026, the product pages. No certificate newer than the first quarter of 2021.
• Import records. Searched: FDA warning letters and the web for an import alert or refusal naming Synaptent or LiftMode. None found.

Changes

• 2026-10-11: first written.

References

1. Closest brand to Liftmode? (2026-02-17) — r/phenibut — anecdotal report, not evidence
2. GLEIF Legal Entity Identifier record 5493006BY3PZ1XA7C809, Synaptent LLC (Illinois file 02950804, created 2010-03-24), read 2026-10-11 — Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation
3. Response letter from Synaptent LLC to FDA, posted 2022-02-15 — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
4. liftmode.com, About us, archived 2024-06-02 — Wayback Machine
5. Registry WHOIS for liftmode.com, read 2026-10-11 (created 2011-11-09, GoDaddy) — ICANN lookup
6. liftmode.com home page, archived 2013-03-10 — Wayback Machine
7. Wayback Machine capture index for liftmode.com, 20,000 addresses, read 2026-10-11 — Internet Archive
8. liftmode.com, Phenibut HCl (Crystal Granules) 100 grams, under Aphrodisiac, archived 2013-07-05 — Wayback Machine
9. liftmode.com, Sunifiram (DM-235) 2 grams, archived 2013-04-26 — Wayback Machine
10. liftmode.com, Product discontinuation (dated 2023-11-15), archived 2024-06-21 — Wayback Machine
11. Opening my last batch from Liftmode (2025-07-19) — r/phenibut — anecdotal report, not evidence
12. liftmode.com, Kanna Extract category, archived 2019-04-12 — Wayback Machine
13. liftmode.com, Kanna MT55 Extract Powder, archived 2026-10-01 — Wayback Machine
14. liftmode.com, Kanna XK6 Extract Powder, archived 2026-04-08 — Wayback Machine
15. liftmode.com, Kanna 3x MT165, archived 2026-09-06 — Wayback Machine
16. r/phenibut (6,972 posts, 327 name LiftMode) and r/Kanna (4,904 posts, 198 name LiftMode), every post 2024-01-01 to 2026-10-11 in the local archive — Arctic Shift — anecdotal report, not evidence
17. Liftmode... (2026-08-06) — r/phenibut — anecdotal report, not evidence
18. Is lift mode and healing herbal still the best around (2026-08-25) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
19. Liftmode (2024-03-14) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
20. LiftMode Website Not Working? (2024-07-10) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
21. liftmode trustable? (2024-03-15) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
22. Avoid Liftmode (2024-07-22) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
23. Problems with shipping from lift mode (2024-07-21) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
24. Do not buy kanna from liftmode (2025-12-15) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
25. What happened to Liftmode? (2026-04-30) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
26. Liftmode (2026-06-02) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
27. Warning to all Kanna users. (2024-03-21) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
28. liftmode.com, Certificates of Analysis, archived 2026-09-06 — Wayback Machine
29. LiftMode certificate of analysis, Phenibut HCl powder, lot 20200414, with Colmaric Analyticals report of 2020-06-06 (archived 2021-01-21) — LiftMode (file on its site)
30. LiftMode certificate of analysis, Kanna Extract (MT55), lot 06052017810420, tested 2020-06-06, with Colmaric Analyticals and Stellenbosch University LC-MS pages (archived 2020-10-30) — LiftMode (file on its site)
31. LiftMode current batch (2024-02-18) — r/Kanna — anecdotal report, not evidence
32. Phenibut in Dietary Supplements (dietary supplement ingredient directory) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
33. liftmode.com, Phenibut HCl (Powder) 40 grams, archived 2021-09-25 — Wayback Machine
34. FDA urged to crack down on marketers of illegal drug phenibut in supplements and other products (updated 2021-09-21) — Center for Science in the Public Interest
35. Phenibut enforcement request letter, appendices (PDF created 2021-09-22), page 8: LiftMode — Center for Science in the Public Interest
36. Warning Letter FY22-HAFE6-WL-01 to Synaptent, LLC, MARCS-CMS 610683, 2021-11-09 — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
37. CourtListener search for "Synaptent", "LiftMode" and "Lift Mode", dockets and opinions, run 2026-10-11 (one docket: United States v. Google account liftmode@liftmode.com, N.D. Ill. 1:20-mc-00659, filed 2020-12-18) — Free Law Project