7 Super Brain Boosters

Maybe you find yourself trying to remember why you needed to go to the grocery store. Or wondering where you parked the car after a movie. Or questioning whether or not you’ve already fed the dog. If so, it might be time to consider adding some of these brain-enhancing herbs to your supplement routine.

- By Jill Schildhouse

“Taking care of our brains is one of the most important things we can do for our bodies, yet, strangely, the brain is often neglected,” says alternative health expert Peter Bedard MA, CHt, author of Convergence Healing. “We diet and exercise because we like the way we look when we’re fit, but we do very little to support the most important organ in our bodies.”

Many natural remedies have been shown to support brain health through improved cognition, memory, and alertness. Some of them have been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda and/or traditional Chinese medicine. Here are seven of our favorite natural brain boosters:

Ashwagandha.

This herb may be a mouthful to say, but it’s the “go-to” choice for many Ayurvedic healers. “If you’re feeling overworked, overwhelmed, or simply burned out from burning the candle at both ends, this herb might help,” says Bedard. “It has been traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to rejuvenate and enhance brain function and even prevent the deterioration of brain cells.”

A 2017 study concluded that, “Ashwagandha may be effective in enhancing both immediate and general memory in people with mild cognitive impairment, as well as improving executive function, attention, and information processing speed.”