Memory
Until recently, accounts of herbs improving intelligence and memory were regarded as whimsies of folklore. Now we know better. Scientists are learning that herbs can help us think better. Researchers are also dispelling a few myths about memory loss and aging. Medical experts know that in older people, being run-down or tired can lead to confusion. And increased anxiety can contribute to problems by cluttering up memory channels. The primary cause of age-related memory problems, however, is arteriosclerosis (see chapter 23), which slows the flow of blood to the brain. And this is a problem because the brain requires 20 percent of the total oxygen carried in the blood to function properly. While it is true that you normally forget more things as you grow older, only about 10 percent of North Americans over 65 suffer from true senility or memory-loss disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The good news, according to Stanford University psychiatrist Jerome Yesavage, M.D., is that most memory loss resulting solely from age can be prevented. A study funded by the National Institute on Aging in which a group of people were charted for 28 years found that many showed no intellectual decline at all, even after they were well into their seventies. The researchers who conducted the study concluded that people turning 65 today are mentally sharper than those of previous generations, thanks to better nutrition and education.
This means that the odds are high that your mind will remain sharp as you grow older. And there are quite a few herbs to help ensure that it does. Clinical studies have shown that the four Gs—ginkgo, ginseng, Siberian ginseng and gotu kola—enhance mental abilities, including concentration, aptitude, behavior, alertness and even intelligence. And this seems especially true if you have experienced a decline in any of these.
In one study, proofreaders and radio telegraph workers, both of whom have stressful jobs that require close attention to detail, made fewer errors—only half as many as those who didn't take the herb—and had a quicker reaction time when they took Siberian ginseng or ginseng while working under pressure. They also managed to increase their reading speed and concentration.
In a Russian study in which people with senility or mental disorders due to atherosclerosis were given Siberian ginseng for one to three months, most participants experienced an improved memory and, as an added benefit, even felt stronger and more self-confident. In the ancient Chinese herbal known as the Pents'ao, ginseng is recommended for "benefiting the understanding."
In India, gotu kola has long been used as a brain tonic. There the herb is called brahmi, which is translated as "the highest order."
The best-known herb for improving memory is ginkgo. In dozens of studies done in Germany and France during the last decade, ginkgo helped elderly people feel more alert, attentive and sociable and less moody, generally after one or two months of taking it. It also improved their reaction time. One way ginkgo does this is by boosting the brain's ability to use oxygen.
Several scientific teams researching ginkgo in the mid-1990s found that this herb improves mental and even behavioral performance in the elderly better than a very popular drug for senility. And the herb produced no side effects and was not habit-forming. Ginkgo is good for long-term effects, but it is also fast-acting. When women took it only one hour before being given a battery of psychological and physiological tests, every woman improved her performance. In this 1984 study, researchers concluded that ginkgo has "a specific effect on the memory process."
I have even begun bringing a bottle of ginkgo to share with my students at the start of daylong herb classes. I pass around some more at the lunch break. Usually at least half the students say they can really tell the difference. And they tell me they feel even more alert when I combine it with some Siberian ginseng and ginseng. Over the years, quite a few of my students have attended college. They have relied on ginkgo, sometimes in combination with the other "brain herbs" (ginseng, Siberian ginseng and gotu kola), to help them get through. They dose up especially heavily with a dropperful or two of the tincture about an hour before an exam. All of these students, especially the older ones who are going back to school a second time, say that the herbs seem to help them think faster and more clearly.
Currently, research is under way to see if herbs might be used to help reverse or at least stop the progress of Alzheimer's disease, an increasingly common degenerative disorder in which memory and related aspects of cognition deteriorate over time. One of the herbs that researchers are most interested in is ginkgo. Another is the Chinese herb club moss, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine to promote circulation. In Alzheimer's disease, neurons are destroyed because of a defect in a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Chemist Alan Kozikowski, Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh, found that a derivative of club moss reduces the breakdown of acetylcholine. He found that the effect of this herb is three times stronger than that of drugs typically prescribed for Alzheimer's. It is hoped that herbs may offer part of the solution to this terrible disease.
Memory Tincture
1 teaspoon each tinctures of ginkgo leaves and Siberian ginseng root
½ teaspoon each tinctures of ginseng root and gotu kola leaves
Combine ingredients. Take half a dropperful a few times a day. Take extra tincture an hour or so before an exam or an important office meeting, or at any time you need extra focus.
