Spock’s Brain Power
Mood, mindset, energy state, stress levels, and more all contribute to our cognitive function at any given time. It is much more difficult to function optimally with a wandering, stressed, flimsy state of being vs. that of a present, easeful and grounded state.
Here are some tips and tricks and herbs to help minimize crimes of the mind:
- Set the scene. Utilize operating timeframes and plan for what you’d like to accomplish and in how long. Remove your cellphone or other distractions from your space.
- Get rooted in the now. Put your feet on the floor and take a few deep belly breaths. Speak productivity mantras ranging from “Productivity is about working smarter, and that is what I do” to “Just f*cking do what is in front of you”…whatever serves you best!. At this point, I also like taking a few drops of rosemary essential in my palms, rub them together, put them up to my face and breathe in while sitting up straight. Do your belly breaths here. Our olfactory hues are the quickest way to the brain and rosemary is a fantastic cognitive herb (more on that below).
- Time block. Having a mental plan is super helpful. Take 1 day a week to time block for the week or time block what you would like to accomplish within a given amount of time. Getting in habits such as this will put your brain into more of a flow state.
Herbs to highlight
Bacopa stimulates one of the neuropathways that stimulate new learning and is a great meditation herb. Bacopa encourages your mind and gives you clarity and skill.
Rosemary…ah special rosemary! The scholarly ancient greeks would wear crowns of rosemary signifying their appreciation of the effectiveness on our memory and take it to enhance sharp minds. Rosemary is a great tool to get you locked into your work since it is a nervine stimulant, good for depression, memory loss, and anxiety.
Gotu kola or centella asiatica is excellent in any memory formula (any of these herbs are for that matter!). It supports degeneration in general for both the mind (internally) and body tissues (externally). In Sri Lanka it is common knowledge that elephants, who have a reputation of a long life and a great memory, eat the plant. The locals follow their example, eating a few leaves a day.
Holy basil is an herbal ally that wears many hats. It is a nervine, antimicrobial anti-viral, neuroprotective, antispasmodic, antioxidant and more. It helps reduce stress and also improves cognitive-emotional balance. To really put it all out there, “Tulsi has also been shown to counter metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels, and psychological stress through positive effects on memory and cognitive function and through its anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties”: Cohen (2014).
Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms!
Medium-chains triglycerides
More commonly known as “MCTs”, are an energy source that will power your brain and are easy to digest. These are beneficial for people with gut or toxicity issues as well. They are easier to digest because they are smaller, they go straight to the liver and get converted to ketones almost immediately – making them good fuel for your brain. Bulletproof coffee is a drink consisting of brewed coffee, grass-fed unsalted butter and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) coconut oil. Bulletproof coffee is mostly popular with people following a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.
References:
- Mountain Rose Herbs. “Gotu Kola.” <https://mountainroseherbs.com/gotu-kola>
- M. Maurice Cohen. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2014 Oct-Dec; 5(4): 251–259.NCBI. Tulsi – Ocimum sanctum: A herb for all reasons
- C. Smaka. 2020. Food as Medicine: Fat Part 1 – What the Fff…at? The Skinny on Fat – Fat Literacy 101-Vital Health Empowerment through Knowledge
