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How to improve brain health with ginkgo and brahmi

How to improve brain health with ginkgo and brahmi

by Jacinta Horan in Wellness Blog

As we age, the need to care of our brain health increases. Some of the changes we go through as our brain health declines include becoming slower in finding the right words and recalling names; having problems with multitasking; and a decrease in the ability to pay attention (1).

Fortunately, a number of lifestyle and health changes have been proven to help bolster brain health. These include physical and mental exercise, as well as good nutrition. Certain nutrients like ginkgo and brahmi also support brain function and mental alertness.

How to improve brain health

Here are some tips on how to improve brain health:

Mental stimulation

Like most other muscles in your body, regularly flexing and exercising, or in this case, stimulating your brain, can help maintain its health. Mental stimulation forms new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells, developing neurological "plasticity" and building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge against future cell loss (2).

Physical exercise

Regular physical activity reduces inflammation and the risk of insulin resistance. It also stimulates the release of growth factors—chemicals in the brain that affect the health of neurons, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells (3).

Exercise also improves your mood, sleep quality, stress reduction and mild anxiety. The release of endorphines during exercise is also why you can associate a feeling of good mood after a quality workout (3).

Maintaining basic health parameters

Monitoring the following health parameters can help keep your brain strong:

  1. Blood pressure - Keep your blood pressure within normal values by staying lean, exercising regularly, limiting your alcohol to two drinks a day, reducing stress, and maintaining a healthy diet.
  2. Blood sugar levels - Diabetes is a condition where your body isn't able to effectively regulate blood sugar levels with the naturally-produced hormone insulin. It is recognised as a risk factor for psychological ailments (6).
  3. Improve your cholesterol - High levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol are associated with an increased the risk of psychological ailments (4).

However, achieving this through our daily diet alone can easier said than done. With the current market filled with a range of brain health supplements, it is also increasingly difficult to make an informed choice.

Fortunately, Vitable Australia's customisable vitamin packs have you covered. Vitable only uses high quality plant extracts, made using gentle solvents. The extraction is made to ensure that the supplement resembles the composition of the natural plant.

Ginkgo and brahmi as brain health supplements

The brain herb ginkgo and brahmi have been traditionally used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine to support and enhance brain health.

Wondering how to improve brain health with ginkgo and brahmi? Let's take a look at their benefits:

Supports cognitive function (5)

This combination can help improve focus, as ginkgo has been shown to help with selective attention. Individuals with memory disorders were also found to display significant improvements in cognitive function after taking ginkgo (5). On the other hand, brahmi was seen to promote information processing and higher learning rate.

Supports memory and mental recall (5)

Ginkgo and brahmi can also improve memory and cognitive processing. Other studies have found that ginkgo improves memory compared to a placebo, with some suggesting that consistent ginkgo intake can help improve long term memory for both verbal and non-verbal material (5). Brahmi also plays a role in antioxidant activities in parts of the brain that are essential to memory, such as the frontal cortex and hippocampus (5).

The high dosage combination of 3,000 mg for both herbs in our Ginkgo and Brahmi blend makes it a powerful formula to enhance memory and recall in everyday life.

Do you want to have personal vitamins that cater to your brain health needs? Consider Vitable Australia! We offer a vitamin subscription box where you can create vitamin packs tailor-made for you. For your convenience, we also have a vitamin delivery service!

Find out more about other supplements that can support brain health:

Zinc | Iron | Astaxanthin | Ashwagandha | Magnesium | B complex | Acetyl L-carnitine | Vitamin C | Vitamin B12 | Ginkgo Brahmi | Fish oil | Vegan Omega

*Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional. Vitamin and/or mineral supplements should not replace a balanced diet.

References:

  1. National Institute on Ageing. How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking. Published on https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-aging-brain-affects-thinking. Accessed on Dec 2, 2021.
  2. Harvard Health Publishing. Regular Exercise Changes the Brain to Improve Memory Thinking Skills. Published April 9, 2014 on https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110. Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  3. Harvard Health Pubishing. 12 Ways to Keep Your Brain Young. Published on https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/12-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young. Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  4. Vitable. Gingko and Brahmi. Published n.d. on https://www.get.vitable.com.au/products/ginkgo-brahmi. Accessed Dec 2, 2021.
  5. Vitable.Gingko and Brahmi. Vitable. Published n.d. on https://research.get.vitable.com.au/ginkgo-brahmi. Accessed Dec 19, 2021.
  6. Healthdirect. Diabetes. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/diabetes . Accessed Jan 28, 2021
Tags: Brain Health Gingko & Brahmi
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Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/biotin Office of Dietary Supplements. (2017, December 8). Biotin - Health Professional Fact Sheet. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/ Guo, Emily L, and Rajani Katta. “Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use.” Dermatology practical & conceptual vol. 7,1 1-10. 31 Jan. 2017, doi:10.5826/dpc.0701a01 Yelich A, Jenkins H, Holt S, Miller R. Biotin for Hair Loss: Teasing Out the Evidence. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2024 Aug;17(8):56-61. PMID: 39148962; PMCID: PMC11324195. Patel DP, Swink SM, Castelo-Soccio L. A Review of the Use of Biotin for Hair Loss. Skin Appendage Disord. 2017;3(3):166-169. doi:10.1159/000462981  Yang JC, Jacobs JP, Hwang M, Sabui S, Liang F, Said HM, Skupsky J. Biotin Deficiency Induces Intestinal Dysbiosis Associated with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease-like Phenotype. Nutrients. 2023 Jan 4;15(2):264. doi: 10.3390/nu15020264

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They can also improve cognitive functions, which is a critical component of dealing with daily stress. Each of us has our own set of stresses to manage in the “new normal”. Systematic review of our mental makeup, stress stimulants in our environment and our approach to deal with them, should be in place. The challenge of dealing with stressors can be made easier with personalised vitamins or a vitamin subscription from Vitable Australia. Supplements may improve stress management. Curate a vitamin pack tailor fit to you to help cope with stress today. Getting your vitamin subscription in Australia can provide a host of other health benefits too. And we'll have these custom supplements delivered right to you!Find out more about other areas that the above supplements can help you with:Ashwagandha | Magnesium | B complex | Calcium plus | Vitamin B12 | Ginkgo and Brahmi*Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional. Vitamin and/or mineral supplements should not replace a balanced diet.References:1. MedlinePlus. Stress and your Health. MedlinePlus. Published on 2021 September 1 on https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003211.htm. Accessed 2021 September 3.2. Cleveland Clinic. What is Ashwagandha? Cleveland Clinic. Published on 2021 May 5 on https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-ashwagandha/. Accessed 2021 September 3.3. Lopresti, Smith, Malvi, & Kodgule. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Published 2019 September on https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2019/09130/an_investigation_into_the_stress_relieving_and.67.aspx. Accessed 2021 September 3. 4. Galland L. Magnesium, stress and neuropsychiatric disorders. Magnes Trace Elem. Published 1991-1992 on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1844561/ . Accessed 2021 September 3.5. Seelig, M. S. Consequences of magnesium deficiency on the enhancement of stress reactions; preventive and therapeutic implications (a review). J Am Coll Nutr. Published 1994 Oct on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7836621/ . Accessed 2021 September 3.6. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for magnesium. EFSA J. Published 2015 on https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4186. Accessed 2021 September 3.7. Pickering, Mazur, Trousselard, Bienkowski, Yaltsewa, Amessou, Noah & Pouteau. Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited. Nutrients. Published 2020 November 8 on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761127/. Accessed 2021 September 3.8. Benton, D. To establish the parameters of optimal nutrition do we need to consider psychological in addition to physiological parameters? Mol Nutr Food Res. Published 2012 October 5 on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23038656/. Accessed 2021 September 3.9. Stough, Simpson, Lomas, McPhee, Billings, Myers, Oliver, & Downey. Reducing occupational stress with a B-vitamin focussed intervention: a randomized clinical trial: study protocol. Nutr J. Published 2014 December 22 on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4290459/ .10. Fazelian, et al. Effect of Vitamin D Supplement on Mood Status and Inflammation in Vitamin D Deficient Type 2 Diabetic Women with Anxiety: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Int J Prev Med. Published 2019 February 12 on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6390422/. Accessed 2021 September 3.11. Hall-Flavin. Vitamin B-12 and depression: are they related? Mayo Clinic. Published 2018 June 1 on https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/vitamin-b12-and-depression/faq-20058077 . Accessed 2021 September 3.12. Alsmadi, et al. The effect of Ginkgo biloba and psycho-education on stress, anxiety and fatigue among refugees. Singapore Healthcare. Published 2017 June 27 on https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2010105817716184. Accessed 2021 September 3.13. Iacopo Chiodini, Alfredo Scillitani. Role of cortisol hypersecretion in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. NCBI. Published on 2008 June on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18710063/. Accessed 2021 September 19.14. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037. July 2021.15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557845/. Mar 2021.

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