There are several herbs and nutritional supplements that can help to enhance your memory, concentration and cognitive performance and get your brain ready for mentally demanding tasks. Whatever your situation, whether it’s studying for an exam or preparing a report or presentation for work, it usually means a period of high stress, anxiety and fatigue, which not only deplete your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness, but also impact on your ability to effectively prepare yourself.

The brain boosters

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) has long-standing roots in herbal medicine with the first medical uses of ginkgo traced back to 2800 BCE through traditional Chinese medicine. Ginkgo enhances peripheral circulation and promotes normal blood flow and circulation to the brain, thereby increasing mental alertness and clarity and improving attention. Studies have shown that ginkgo is able to produce a significant improvement in memory and abstract reasoning as well as increase cognitive processing speed. A double-blind clinical study showed that large doses of ginkgo extract can enhance performance on memory tests and increase the speed of information retrieval from short-term memory.

The combination of ginkgo with Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) can also pack a mighty punch and get your brain cells firing. Results from a recent clinical trial showed that a combination of Korean ginseng and ginkgo significantly enhanced mental performance. The 14-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial studied the cognitive effects of the herbal combination in 256 healthy volunteers between the ages of 38 and 66 years. Trial participants performed a battery of tests and it was shown that those receiving the ginseng and ginkgo combination demonstrated statistically significant improvements in cognitive function compared with the placebo group.

Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri) is a herb used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine to relieve nervous exhaustion due to stress. In addition to its use in the relief of mild anxiety, it also helps to improve both short- and long-term memory. Clinical trials have confirmed its ability to enhance mental alertness and optimise concentration and learning ability.

In a well-designed trial of 12 weeks duration, bacopa significantly improved early information processing and enhanced verbal learning and memory consolidation while significantly reducing anxiety. In another trial, bacopa demonstrated a significant effect in assisting with the retention of new information.

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) has also been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine. It not only improves mental function and enhances learning and memory but is a brain and nervous system restorative that helps to alleviate anxiety and bolster the body’s ability to cope with stress.

Cacao is the unprocessed cocoa bean from the plant Theobroma cacao. It was first discovered by the Mayans when they used the bean from the cacao tree as an ingredient in their favourite drink, xocolatl, which was revered for its ability to make them feel awake, alert and strong. The raw, unprocessed cacao powder with its restorative and mood-enhancing qualities quickly gained a reputation as food vital for health that could help build resistance and fight fatigue.

In order to manufacture the modern-day cocoa powder, the cacao bean is processed and the powder is alkalised to make it easier to mix into your hot chocolates and other recipes. This manufacturing process, however, reduces its total flavonoid content, thereby lowering its antioxidant potential.

In 2007, a study was undertaken at Northumbria University on the effects of cocoa flavonols on cognitive performance, anxiety and mental fatigue. It was found that the consumption of drinks rich in cocoa flavanols was able to significantly improve cognitive performance during a mentally demanding series of tests designed to measure cognition.

 

“The drink rich in cocoa flavanols significantly improved aspects of cognitive performance and levels of fatigue during this mentally demanding task,” said Crystal Haskell from the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre at Northumbria University. To heighten your mental clarity, add some raw, unprocessed cacao powder to a smoothie or chew on a few cacao nibs before you sit down to study.

Rosemary leaf is said in ancient writings to stimulate the mind, memory and senses. Rosemary essential oil is a great tonic for the central nervous system, strengthening mental clarity and improving memory. Results from a randomised, controlled trial on the inhalation of rosemary oil by volunteers showed lower anxiety scores, with volunteers feeling more relaxed and alert and being faster (but not more accurate) at mathematical calculations. To help you focus and think more clearly, add some drops of rosemary essential oil to your oil burner while you study.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) has been used as a medicinal treatment for several millennia for the amelioration of age-associated memory loss. Animal studies have shown that sage enhances memory retention. In 2005, a double-blind placebo-controlled human study demonstrated that sage led to improved mood and cognitive performance with increased ratings of mood, reduced levels of anxiety and increased alertness, calmness and contentedness.

Stress-busters

The period around exams or specific work performances is usually fraught with tension and the stress can exert physical and psychological effects on both your body and mind. Adaptogens are a class of herbs that improve mental and physical performance, increase resistance to stress, boost vitality and enhance immune function. Adaptogens can help with brain function by modulating levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and reducing stress on the adrenal glands.

Withania (Withania somnifera) is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine as an adaptogenic tonic to help strengthen and enliven the body. One of its traditional uses is for nervous exhaustion and debility associated with stress. It is a fantastic tonic for disease prevention and stimulates the immune system by increasing white blood-cell count.

Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) enhances immunity and combats mental fatigue, increasing attention span, memory and work productivity. Research also indicates its ability to offset declines in work performance, sleep difficulties, poor appetite, irritability and hypertension, and prevent headaches and fatigue from developing after intense intellectual strain.

Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) increases both vitality and immune function. It is Siberian ginseng’s ability to improve mental performance while minimising the effects of stress caused by severe workloads that will ensure you gain the most from your study.

Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis) first gained recognition as an adaptogen in the official medicine of the USSR in the early 1960s, principally as a result of the large number of pharmacological and clinical studies carried out by Russian scientists in the preceding two decades. Schisandra increases mental performance and working capacity and has a stress-protective effect.

The anxiety factor

Feelings of anxiety are usually experienced by most people on some level before an exam or performance test. Sometimes, however, these feelings can spiral out of control and can have a negative impact on preparation. If you are feeling anxious and overwhelmed about the amount of study required for you to get on top of your subject, these feelings of anxiety can get in the way of actually learning your material. You can become so caught up in the worry and stress of how you’re going to be ready in time and whether you will do well that your ability to learn new information and recall it when needed is compromised.

 

Getting in the habit of practising a short daily meditation or relaxation exercise can help you keep your nerves under control. Meditation helps to reduce anxiety levels by training the brain to be more present-focused and spending less time anticipating future negative events. There are also natural supplements you can use to keep your anxiety under control.

(Hypericum perforatum) is an excellent herb that can help combat anxiety and pre-exam nerves and provide extra nervous system support. It has a significant mood-elevating effect, which allows your brain to function better. Its anti-depressant and nervine tonic activity can help with mild to moderate depression and reduce feelings of anxiety, nervousness and restlessness. St John’s wort interacts with a number of pharmaceutical drugs as well as the oral contraceptive pill, so check with your naturopath before taking this herb.

Magnesium supplementation helps to reduce psychological and physical symptoms of stress. Under conditions of mental or physical stress, magnesium is released from your blood cells, enters the blood plasma and is then excreted into the urine. Chronic stress depletes your body of magnesium. The more stressed you are, the greater the loss of magnesium. When your magnesium levels are low, you become more reactive to stress and these stressful situations cause a greater amount of adrenalin to be released. Higher adrenalin levels then cause a greater loss of magnesium from cells. Supplementing with magnesium breaks this vicious cycle by raising blood magnesium levels and buffering the response to stress, thereby building your resistance.

Nourish your brain

Improved brain function can also be achieved by ensuring you receive the nutrients required for good brain operation.

B vitamins play an essential role in brain function. In combination with folic acid, vitamins B6 and vitamin B12 help manufacture and release chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters. The nervous system relies on neurotransmitters to communicate messages within the brain, such as those that regulate mood, hunger and sleep. Vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 also help to maintain normal mood and provide relief from the effects of mild anxiety and nervous tension. Research shows that vitamin B12 may also decrease the blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which decreases brain function. Studies have also shown that folic acid (vitamin B9) supplementation improves performance on tests that measure information processing speed and memory.

Fish oil is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for a healthy brain. Many studies show the consumption of fish oil is associated with a marked increase in brain function. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and is the main constituent of cell membranes in the brain. DHA helps to improve memory, increase brain function and delay the effects of ageing on cognitive processes. DHA is important in the development of cellular membranes and the protection of nerve cells. The inclusion of plentiful DHA in the diet has been shown to improve learning ability, whereas deficiencies of DHA are associated with deficits in learning.

Antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, coenzyme Q10 and alpha-lipoic acid help protect your brain cells from free-radical damage and provide a broad spectrum of antioxidant defence for neurological tissue.

 

Alpha-lipoic acid is sometimes referred to as the “universal antioxidant”. Antioxidants are depleted as they attack free radicals, but alpha-lipoic acid can help regenerate these other antioxidants and make them active again. Because alpha-lipoic acid can pass easily into the brain, it has protective effects on brain and nerve tissue.

 

Acetyl L-carnitine is also found in the brain. It increases blood flow in the brain and helps prevent the deterioration of the brain during stress. It also helps the ageing brain to function better. One of its important functions is to synthesise the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, which helps with memory by increasing activity of the mitochondria in brain cells. Acetylcholine is essential for the ability to think, reason and recall information from the storage site of the brain. Along with alpha-lipoic acid, l-carnitine helps to promote a strong memory and nervous system.

Phosphatidylserine is found in lecithin and is a member of a class of chemical compounds known as phospholipids. Phosphatidylserine is present in every cell in the body, but the largest amounts are found in brain cells, where it’s responsible for protecting the integrity of cell membranes. It also enhances your brain’s production of acetylcholine. Clinical studies have shown the ability of phosphatidylserine to increase lucidity and rate of learning and improve cognitive neural function and memory.

Sleep and exercise

Getting enough sleep is essential for your brain to function properly and is very important for both learning and memory. If you don’t get enough sleep you won’t be as efficient at learning new information and recalling that information from memory when needed. Ensuring you get sufficient sleep in the period leading up to the exam will help you both function better in your exams and receive better results.

The exam period can be a time when you are prone to stress and illness. It is often a time when exercise is put on the back burner to cope with the demands of study. However, the maintenance of a moderate exercise regime is crucial to ensure you cope better with stress, to keep your immune system strong and to prevent you from becoming run-down and vulnerable to illness.

Food for thought

To ensure healthy brain function, avoid foods that contain food additives and trans fats and that are high in sugar. Food additives have been shown to increase hyperactivity in children and decrease concentration spans. Processed foods usually contain a lot of “empty calories”; that is, they do not help build healthy bodies or brains. For a healthy brain, favour whole foods rich in nutrients.

Fresh fruit and vegetables provide the brain with essential nutrients and antioxidants to help nourish and maintain brain-cell growth. Include antioxidant-rich foods in your diet, such as spirulina, turmeric, blueberries and green tea. Walnuts and brazil nuts are also excellent brain foods as they are high in protein and contain omega-3 fatty acids that are critical to a healthy brain.

Boosting your brain power and enhancing cognitive performance while you study for your exam or prepare your major work project can help you to learn your subject matter effectively, retain that information and recall it when the big day arrives. Keeping anxiety at bay and maintaining a strong immune system are also important to ensure you prepare well and perform at your best.

Consult with your naturopath for the herbs and supplements best suited for you and for further information on the correct dose, drug interactions and contraindications.

Exam anxiety

In the period leading up to an exam, most people experience pre-exam nerves. If you need to find a sense of inner calm, the following flower essences may be of use.

Bach Flowers

Rescue Remedy: Helps reduce fear and nervousness in demanding and stressful situations. Great for acute feelings of stress and anxiety.

Hornbeam: For mental weariness and overwork, difficulties facing the day and the tendency to procrastination.
Mimulus: For fear of known things, such as exams and public speaking. Olive: For exhaustion of body and mind after a long period of strain. White Chestnut: For persistent, worrying thoughts with difficulty concentrating. Gentian: For discouragement, doubt and despondency. Helps to bring the realisation that no matter what the results there is no such thing as failure when you are doing your best.

Australian Bush Flowers

Cognis Essence: Provides clarity and focus when studying and during exams. Macrocarpa: For feeling worn out. Brings renewed enthusiasm, endurance and inner strength. Sundew: Helps you to stay focused in the present and avoid procrastination. Bush Fuscia: Assists with problem-solving and helps you trust your own gut feelings. Brings clarity and helps with integration of information. Isopogon: Enables the retrieval of long-forgotten information. Paw Paw: For the assimilation and integration of new ideas and information.

Saskia Brown is a naturopath and health writer who is based in Sydney and specialises in asthma and allergies. E: saskia@saskiabrown.com, W: www.saskiabrown.com