Boost your brain power: herbs to improve your memory and mental acuity - The Herbalist

Vegetarian Times, March, 1996 by Kathi Keville

Research currently is underway to see if ginkgo can delay mental deterioration in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and dozens of studies done in Germany and France during the last decade have found that ginkgo helped people 60 and older feel more alert, attentive, sociable and less moody after just one to two months. In fact, studies have found that ginkgo improved mental and behavioral performance in the elderly as well as such drugs as Hydergine, a prescription medication for treating senility that is the world's fifth most widely prescribed drug. (Fortschritte der Medizin 1990, vol. 108).

Another study conducted in France took a group of 80 elderly people whose reasoning ability, mental perception and memory had suddenly taken a sharp decline (Psychology Medical, 1986, vol. 19). One group of subjects took gingko, and the other group received a placebo. After three months, the gingko group per formed four times better than the placebo group on mental aptitude tests. The most dramatic improvements were seen in immediate short-term memory, attention span, and how quickly they perceived and responded to information. A study on young, healthy subjects (Therapiewoche, 1986, vol. 36) determined the reason for these effects. Electroencephalograph tests conducted an hour after subjects were given ginkgo extract showed an increase in the strength of both beta and alpha waves, the brain waves associated with, respectively, normal consciousness and wakeful relaxation; this effect lasted more than four hours.

Gingko is best known for long-term effects, but in increased doses it can also be quick-acting. For example, a study of healthy young women found that subjects who took 600 milligrams of ginkgo extract one hour before performing challenging memorization tests scored significantly higher than when they didn't take anything (International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1984, vol. 4: 889-93).

Panax ginseng (Panax ginseng or Panax quinquefolius) is another favorite brain herb, though its mechanism of action is different from ginkgo's. According to research done at the Institute of Materia Medica at the Chinese Academy of Medical Science, an herb research institute in Beijing, Panax ginseng contains compounds called ginsenosides that increase the brain's neurotransmitter activity as well as its synthesis of protein, which is necessary for a variety of functions.

Having a quick brain is good for more than just improved memory. The reference book Korean Ginseng Studies tells of a 37-year-old pianist whose performance was suffering because he couldn't concentrate and was tired all the time. Researchers gave him Panax ginseng for several months and a placebo for several more months. During the period he took ginseng, it helped so much that the researchers found the audience applause increased by 12 percent; there was no increase when he took the placebo. This was an unusual way to gauge the success of an herb, but it certainly makes its point!

In a more conventional study, Swedish researchers at the 1974 International Ginseng Symposium--a gathering sponsored by researchers and businesses interested in promoting ginseng--reported that college students who took two capsules of Panax ginseng a day experienced improved concentration and better test scores than a control group. Several clinical ginseng studies have been done on proofreaders and radio telegraph workers, whose stressful jobs demand accuracy and quick responses. When they took Panax ginseng, they had faster responses, made half as many mistakes, and increased their reading speed and concentration.