Do you use your brain? A lot or just a little?
Well, I hope you said a lot :) because that's the truth...
...I also hope you take care of that precious and complex organ.
That's what we are covering this week: Herbs for Cognitive Function.
(Our most popular) Bacopa is back in stock (finally!), so we wanted to show our appreciation for certain herbs that act as nootropics and give you a chance to up your mental gymnastics game.
The current products that are discounted 15% until the end of Monday include:
Bacopa
Gotu Kola
Lion's Mane
Mucuna
Rhodiola
Schisandra
Head to the site and get yours this weekend before stock is depleted.
Coupon Code: BRAINHERBS
Today, we are going to talk about two of these herbs briefly.
Mucuna
Mucuna is one of the best herbs for helping balance dopamine levels. Because of this, it has some definite mental effects, though some of it's positive mental results stem from other brain activity.
One study concluded that, "...These results suggest that the neuroprotective and neurorestorative effect of Mucuna pruriens may be related to its antioxidant activity independent of the symptomatic effect." This study has found that mucuna was able to chelate iron, effectively allowing the body to detox the body of too much iron in system (1).
Bree (from way back in 2014), found out that Mucuna had a great effect on her mental prowess.
With these herbs, I feel better overall. Physically, these herbs give me more energy and stamina, but in a way caffeine can’t provide. There is no jittery feeling, no elevated heart rate, and no crash afterward. Mentally, there is much more focus and clarity in simple tasks and my memory during more complicated and multi-tasking events was much better. Emotionally, I feel lifted. I see things from a more positive lense and am able to handle stressful events with a much calmer demeanor. The best way I can put it is I overall feel as if I’ve had the best night’s rest of my life. I feel very refreshed, balanced, and well.
On top of the mental effects, Mucuna has been found to be great for hormonal support as well, working through the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis in both men and women (2).
Gotu Kola
Both Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda have ‘tonifying’ herbs, that is, herbs that have a tonic effect on particular organs. The term ‘tonic’ implies a herb or formula that uses a multifaceted approach to making an organ healthier and work better, toning the organ much as working out will tone muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Most tend to be the organs in our torso so it is rare indeed to have a herb that works to produce a well-rounded, higher functioning brain.
Gotu Kola has had much scientific work undertaken to show how it improves the mind. A study done with it isolated 45 unique compounds from the plant and found, "The most effective fraction (of compounds) showed robust induction in neurite outgrowth and neurofilament expression."
They found that two of the more active compounds in this regard were those named asiatic and madecassic acids.
Their, "...results support the use of a combination of asiatic acid and madecassic acid as an effective means to intervene neurodegenerative diseases in which neurotrophin deficiency is involved (3)."
Neurotrophins are a family of proteins that induce the survival, development, and function of neurons. They belong to a class of growth factors, secreted proteins that are capable of signaling particular cells to survive, differentiate or grow.
Gotu Kola will literally revitalize your brain if it has suffered from a lack of care. I recommend taking a bag of this one at least on a semi-regular basis to help the brain age gracefully (or not at all...). Combining Gotu Kola with the learning of new skills will keep your mind sharp well into your 90's and beyond.
Guaranteed.
Just kidding, I'm not gonna guarantee that one! If it doesn't work out that you make it to 90 and are still forgetful, you won't remember to ask for your money back anyway. Scandalous I know. ;)
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