Blog Post

Cognitive Support Herbs for Back-to-School Season

Seasonal transitions are always a bit tricky for the human body. There are new temperatures to get used to, daylight/nighttime schedules to learn, and allergies to boot! We could all use a little extra support any time of the year, but that’s especially true during times of seasonal transition. Luckily, medicinal herbs exist everywhere, dotting our landscapes as gentle reminders from nature that they’re here and ready to help. Walking outside, no matter where you live, you can see medicinal plants dwelling in the cracks and the open spaces, wherever they can find a home. Some of these herbs are considered “nootropic.” This means they may be able to help with things like memory, focus, and mental clarity. They work in many ways to boost brain health by:

• Improving Blood Flow: Increasing blood flow to the brain can help enhance oxygen and improve nutrient absorption, which can benefit cognitive performance. Ginkgo biloba is a well-known herb that helps with blood flow. 
• Supporting Neurotransmitter Levels: This is crucial for mood, focus, and memory. For example, Rhodiola rosea has been used in clinical herbalism and home remedies to help balance neurotransmitters and protect serotonin and dopamine levels.
• Reducing Oxidative Stress: Oxidative stress can damage neurons and impair cognitive function. Antioxidant-rich foods and herbs can help protect cells against oxidative stress and, therefore, protect brain health.  An excellent herb for antioxidant protection is Bacopa monnieri!
• Enhancing Neuroplasticity: Some herbs may support neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to change its structure and function in response to stimuli). This could improve learning and memory by creating new synaptic connectivity. Panax ginseng has been shown to support cognitive flexibility.

Reducing Stress and Anxiety: Chronic stress can negatively impact cognitive function. Herbs with adaptogenic properties, like Holy Basil (read more about Holy Basil from our previous blog) or Ashwagandha, can be helpful since they help the body better manage stress, which may indirectly improve cognitive performance.

Nootropic recipes to try in honor of back-to-school season:

Lemon Love Berry Mocktail - Recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs

Makes about 1 cup herb-infused syrup, enough for four 8-10 oz. drinks.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar or honey, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped organic rosebuds or rose petals (Chop or grind before measuring. Don’t turn into powder.)
• 2 1/2 tsp. organic gotu kola
• 1 1/2 tsp. organic lemon balm
• 1 tsp. organic Schisandra Berries, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp. organic bilberries or dried blueberries, coarsely chopped
• Sparkling water
• Fresh lemons
• Fresh berries for garnish, optional

Directions

• Combine water, sugar, and herbs in a pot over low heat. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar, for 10 minutes. Keep heat at about 180°F. Don’t boil.
• Take off the heat, put on a lid, and set aside for 10 minutes. 
• Strain through cheesecloth to remove herbs.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to thoroughly chill. Store this low-sugar simple syrup in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• When ready to make mocktails, fill an 8-10 oz. tumbler with ice.
• Pour about 1/4 cup chilled herbal simple syrup over the ice.
• Top off the glass with sparkling water.
• Cut a lemon in half. Squeeze one half on top and gently stir in.
• Cut the remaining lemon half into slices. Garnish with a lemon slice and optional berries.

Paleo Ashwagandha Chocolate Chai Bites - Recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs

Makes 14 to 18 bites (depending on size)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup organic tahini
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. organic almond butter (or nut butter of your choice)
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. raw, local honey
• 1/4 cup fair trade, organic dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. organic ashwagandha powder
• 2 Tbsp. organic cacao powder (plus more as needed)
• 2 Tbsp. organic hemp seeds
• 1 tsp. organic cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp. organic ginger powder
• 1 tsp. organic cardamom powder
• 1 tsp. organic nutmeg powder
• 1/2 tsp. organic vanilla extract (optional)

Toppings:

• Organic hemp seeds
• Organic coconut flakes

Directions: 

• Add tahini, almond butter, and honey into a medium bowl and mix until smooth.
• Add herb powders and mix until well combined.
• Mix in vanilla extract and hemp seeds.
• Mix in chopped chocolate.
• Add more cacao powder, a little at a time, until the dough is thick enough to hold shape.
• Once the dough is thick enough and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl, roll into 1-inch balls.
• Coat with coconut flakes or hemp seeds and enjoy!

Minty Brain Tonic Tea

This recipe helps support healthy brain function by boosting nervous system and cardiovascular system benefits. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons spearmint (Mentha spicata) leaf
• 1 tablespoon holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) leaf
• 2 teaspoons sage (Salvia officinalis) leaf

Directions

• Bring water to a boil in a kettle or pot.
• While the water is heating, place your herbs in a pint-sized glass canning jar.
• As soon as your water comes to a boil, remove it from heat. When it stops boiling, pour hot water over the herbs.
• Cover the jar with a lid to prevent volatile oils from escaping with the steam.
• Steep for 5-20 minutes. The longer you let it steep, the stronger it will taste! 
• Filter the herbs using a tea strainer into another clean pint-sized glass canning jar. Press down on the herb(s) with a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. 
• Sweeten as desired and drink 1-2 cups about 30 minutes before a more mentally taxing activity for best results. 

It's important to note that while some people find nootropic herbs helpful, scientific evidence can vary, and their effects can differ from person to person. Always consider consulting a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen.

SEPTEMBER:  Adaptogenic Herbs to Support Seasonal Transitions

Though the heat of summer is still sitting on us like a heavy quilt, the cooler and darker days of autumn are waiting just one calendar page or so ahead of us. This seasonal transition time is really taxing on our bodies, physically and energetically. Luckily, the earth has provided a few tools and treats all around us, some in our own backyards! Of the many wonderful medicinal herbs that are readily studied and used in nature-based care regimens, adaptogenic herbs are really having their moment. Adaptogenic means it helps support the body’s ability to deal with stress—whether that stress is from anxiety, fatigue, trauma, infection, etc. In order to ease the transition between the dog days of summer and the cooler and crisper days of autumn, it’s important to focus on herbs that help nourish and stabilize the nervous system. Many herbs can be considered adaptogenic. 

Some of my favorites are: 

1. Milky Oats (Avena sativa) - Oats are considered nervine, meaning they help calm the nervous system and allow you to operate from the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest) rather than the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Nervine herbs can be used as a tonic, meaning they can be used daily to help gently encourage your nervous system to shift out of a sympathetic state and allow your parasympathetic system to take the lead. Oats are best harvested before they harden or when they’re still “milky.” They help restore balance to the nervous system so you can embrace the seasonal transition calmly and gently. 
2. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) - Though we’ve already had a few chilly-ish days under our belts (some mornings were even in the mid-50s!), the growing number of cold days can cause our bodies to tighten up and wait for the impact of colder temperatures. This causes our circulatory systems to become stagnant and congested. Ginger can warm the body and stimulate blood movement to break up and prevent any stagnation, allowing you to embrace the colder temps. 
3. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) - Lemon balm is equal parts soothing and uplifting. As a nervine with gentle sedative qualities, it can also be used daily. It helps alleviate physical tension, anxiety, insomnia, and other symptoms of stress. These attributes can be all the more beneficial during a time of seasonal transition when your body may struggle to find its right rhythm.
4. Holy Basil/Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) - Our bodies naturally transition to a higher stress state as the weather gets colder, and the daylight hours get shorter; it’s part of our circannual rhythms. Using gentle adaptogenic herbs, like tulsi, regularly can help your body respond properly to the stress of the seasonal transition, and, like milky oats, can help coax your body into more of a “rest & digest” state. 
5. Mullein (Verbascum densiflorum) - Autumn winds tend to be colder and more irritating to our lungs. This is why we often develop more inflammation and illnesses throughout the fall and into the winter. Mullein is one of the most beneficial herbs when it comes to lung health. It’s both mucilaginous, so it helps soothe throat sorness as well as acts as an expectorant, so it helps resolve mucous. Energetically, the lungs help process the grief that turns to anger. Likewise, mullein has been used as folk medicine for centuries to help process grief and anger. Autumn is the perfect time to do the introspective work, letting go of grief, anger, and resentments that no longer serve you.

Herbal Recipes to Help Support Your Seasonal Transition:

1. Easy Ginger Gargle Recipe - Recipe from Herbal Academy

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger rhizome (or 1 teaspoon dried and cut ginger rhizome)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon raw honey or manuka honey

Directions

• If using fresh ginger rhizome, first wash the rhizome then mince or thinly slice it.
• Add the ginger and water to a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and strain the ginger from the tea into a heat-safe container.
• Stir in the honey until dissolved.
• Allow the mixture to cool until warm. Use as a throat gargle as needed. The gargle will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

       2. Ginger Juice Tea - Recipe from Herbal Academy

Fresh ginger juice tea is a potent antiviral and is often one of the first herbs we turn to when a viral infection seems imminent. The chopped or grated rhizome can also be used if juicing isn’t possible. 

Ingredients

• 1 large ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome
• 1½ cups water
• 1-3 tsp raw honey
• ⅛ tsp cayenne (Capsicum annuum) pepper
• Squeeze of lime (optional)

Directions

• Select four thumb-sized pieces of ginger rhizome.
• Using a juicer, process the ginger and capture the juice—the goal is to get ¼ cup of juice.
• Save the fibrous ginger material.
• Bring water to a boil.
• To make the ginger tea, combine ¼ ginger juice with just-off-the boil water, then add the honey, lime, and cayenne. Stir thoroughly.
• Drink 4-6 cups of ginger juice tea per day during acute infection. Store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before making a fresh batch.
• If you don’t have a juicer, you can chop or grate the ginger finely and infuse in just-off-the-boil water for 2-4 hours, covered, and then proceed to add the rest of the ingredients. You can also use this method to prepare the fibrous ginger material left over from juicing.

      3. Lemon Balm Pesto - Recipe from Chestnut School of Herbs

Ingredients

• 3 cups packed fresh and tender lemon balm leaves (Melissa officinalis)
• 1 cup shelled roasted and salted pistachios
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3-5 cloves garlic - Adjust to your liking.
• 1-3 pinches sea salt - Adjust to your liking.

Directions

• Add all ingredients except the salt to a food processor and blend until uniform.
• Taste and add salt to your preference.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to six months.