Focus & Memory

There are many herbs that have been used traditionally for millennia to improve focus, cognition and memory retention – many of which are also now thoroughly studied for these benefits. Herbs can support brain health in many different ways, including by enhancing circulation and vascular function, by increasing uptake of glucose and/or oxygen within brain tissues, by altering the amount, release or activity of neurotransmitters (including acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that’s a primary driver of learning and memory), and/or by protecting neurons and brain tissue (and even in some instances supporting the regeneration of the tissues).

There are many herbs that can support memory, focus and cognition, like rosemary, gotu kola and ginkgo, key ingredients of Zen Maitri’s Focus Tea, Focus Supplements and href="https://www.zenmaitri.com/products/focus-tincture"> Focus Tincture. In addition to using such herbs, it is important to also adopt some nutritional and lifestyle changes to support brain health. Eating a wide diversity of vegetables (particularly leafy greens), fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds– making sure you are eating lots of healthy fats and sources of omega 3 in particular (as supplements and/or in flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds or fatty fish) –, and limiting intake of refined sugar, highly processed foods and red meat is generally considered to slow age-related cognitive decline. Consistently implementing these habits would also help moderate chronic inflammation, which is one of the major drivers in not just neurodegenerative disease but many other chronic illnesses as well.

Stable blood glucose levels are hugely important for brain health, so it is key to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range. Limiting consumption of added sugars is a crucial first step here, since elevated blood glucose can lead to rebound hypoglycemia and the development of insulin resistance. Likewise, avoid foods that are high in simple carbohydrates and low in fibre and other nutrients. But balanced blood sugar is as much about what you do eat as what you avoid: prioritising whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, and a moderate amount of whole fruits will help build a diet that’s high in fibre and nutrients while minimising blood sugar peaks and crashes. Finally, incorporating sources of healthy fats and protein, particularly from plant sources, into meals or snacks throughout the day can keep you feeling satiated and contribute to stable blood sugar levels.

Physical exercise is also key: it promotes neural plasticity, increases brain volume, improves cerebral circulation, improves the metabolism of glucose and oxygen, and alters neurotransmitter levels. Numerous studies have found that exercise enhances memory, attention, and executive function, slows cognitive decline with ageing, and decreases risk of dementia. This isn’t only related to ageing, since exercise improves brain function throughout life; as just one example, physically active children have been found to outperform their sedentary counterparts on cognitive skills tests.

There are many herbs that can help with memory, focus and cognition. Three key examples that are often prescribed for these purposes are ginkgo, rosemary and gotu kola. All three are key ingredients of Zen Maitri’s Focus Tea, Focus Supplements and Focus Tincture.

Ginkgo improves cerebral circulation and cognition. It can even be used for mild forms of dementia, including the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The mechanisms by which ginkgo improves cognition are not entirely understood, but they are believed to be linked to the herb’s ability to improve blood circulation to the brain, to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and to its effects on neurotransmitters. Many clinical studies have clearly shown that ginkgo can improve mental performance in healthy volunteers and geriatric patients where this was impaired.

Rosemary is another fantastic brain tonic. It improves blood flow to the brain, which also improves the flow of oxygen and nutrition to the tissues, and eases any inflammation and tension. This means that it is helpful to alleviate headaches and also to improve focus and concentration. The herb has a long history of traditional use for these purposes, documented over the centuries in key herbal books such as M. Gerard’s herbal (1636) and Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653). Modern clinical trials have confirmed this long tradition. For example, a randomised clinical study showed that inhaling rosemary leaf oil for 3 minutes can lead to improved alertness, in this instance measured by a decrease in frontal alpha and beta power shown in electro-encephalographic recordings. Participants also reported feeling more relaxed and alert. They were faster at mathematical computations compared with baseline values. You can drink rosemary as a herbal tea, as part of a tincture blend, or apply it topically to the skin (for instance an oil, balm, gel or cream in which fresh or dried rosemary has been infused, or one to which rosemary essential oil has been added). Zen Maitri’s Headease balm contains rosemary essential oil — it is one of the key ingredients that make it helpful to relieve headaches and improve concentration. You can also benefit from rosemary’s properties by diffusing its essential oil: rosemary essential oil is a core ingredient of our Focus essential oil diffuser blend.

And last but certainly not least, gotu kola or centella has been prized in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for millennia for a wide range of benefits, including improving microcirculation, enhancing cognitive function and easing anxiety. These benefits are increasingly supported by modern scientific studies. The herb’s neuroprotective activities were explored in experimental, in-vitro studies, with promising results that merit further clinical studies. It seems that gotu kola enhances the body’s own antioxidant protective mechanisms, thereby protecting the brain from any damage. Other experimental studies suggest that gotu kola not only protects the brain from degeneration, but that it also helps the tissues to regenerate where damage may have occurred. In one study, a gotu kola extract was administered to rats for 18 days and led to quicker functional recovery and tissue regeneration compared to controls.

“Rosemary is for remembrance”, said Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Rosemary has been used to support memory retention for millenia, and this use has been thoroughly documented over the centuries in key herbal books such as M. Gerard’s herbal (1636) and Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653). In the 17th century, Culpeper said that it helps “all cold diseases of the head and brain, as the giddiness or swimmings therein, drowsiness or dullness of the mind and senses…”, adding that “it helps a weak memory, and quickens the senses''. In her A Modern Herbal (1931), Maud Grieve said that “the Ancients were well acquainted with the shrub, which had a reputation for strengthening the memory”, and she reports that Sir Thomas More described it as “the herb sacred to remembrance”. Modern science is now increasingly confirming this traditional indication. Rosemary is a key ingredient in our Focus tea, tincture, supplements and essential oil diffuser blend, notably to improve memory, concentration and alertness – as well as in our Headease Balm to ease headaches (as rosemary essential oil).

Our Focus Supplements are the ultimate herbal ally for focus, concentration, memory and learning. These capsules contain a potent blend of herbs that increase blood flow and circulation to the brain and help resolve potential underlying issues that might be making it hard for you to focus, like stress, lack of sleep and anxiety. They contain ginkgo, gotu kola, Shankhpushpi, tulsi, Brahmi and rosemary – all potent herbs that improve microvascular circulation in the brain, support better nutrition and oxygenation, ease inflammation, tension and headaches, protect and regenerate brain tissues and reduce stress and anxiety.

“Brain fog” is not a medical condition in itself; it is an expression often used to describe how we feel when we feel forgetful, when we lack mental clarity; when our thinking is sluggish, fuzzy, and not sharp. We can all experience this from time to time, and this feeling can be intensified by certain medications, hormonal changes, lack of sleep, stress or overwork.

Ginkgo, rosemary and gotu kola can help dissipate brain fog, promote mental clarity, alertness and concentration, ease fatigue and stress and support memory retention. All three of these herbs are included in Zen Maitri’s Focus Tea, Focus Supplements and Focus Tincture.

To minimise brain fog, it is also helpful to ensure you have enough sleep, that you are physically active, that your stress levels are under check and that you have a healthy diet, with a diversity of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds for optimal sources of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

There are many herbs that can help with memory, focus and cognition. Three key examples that are often prescribed for these purposes are ginkgo, rosemary and gotu kola. All three are key ingredients of Zen Maitri’s Focus Tea, Focus Supplements and Focus Tincture.

In addition to using such herbs, it is important to also adopt some nutritional and lifestyle changes to support brain health. Eating a wide diversity of vegetables (particularly leafy greens), fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds– making sure you are eating lots of healthy fats and sources of omega 3 in particular (as supplements and/or in flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds or fatty fish) –, and limiting intake of refined sugar, highly processed foods and red meat is generally considered to slow age-related cognitive decline. Consistently implementing such habits would also help moderate chronic inflammation, which is one of the major drivers in not just neurodegenerative disease but many other chronic illnesses as well.

Stable blood glucose levels are hugely important for brain health, so it is key to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range. Limiting consumption of added sugars is a crucial first step here, since elevated blood glucose can lead to rebound hypoglycemia and the development of insulin resistance. Likewise, avoid foods that are high in simple carbohydrates and low in fibre and other nutrients. But balanced blood sugar is as much about what you do eat as what you avoid: prioritising whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, and a moderate amount of whole fruits will help build a diet that’s high in fibre and nutrients while minimising blood sugar peaks and crashes. Finally, incorporating sources of healthy fats and protein, particularly from plant sources, into meals or snacks throughout the day can keep you feeling satiated and contribute to stable blood sugar levels.

Physical exercise is also key: it promotes neural plasticity, increases brain volume, improves cerebral circulation, improves metabolism of glucose and oxygen, and alters neurotransmitter levels. Numerous studies have found that exercise enhances memory, attention, and executive function, slows cognitive decline with ageing, and decreases risk of dementia. This isn’t only related to ageing, since exercise improves brain function throughout life; as just one example, physically active children have been found to outperform their sedentary counterparts on cognitive skills tests.

To further support your cognitive function with help from natural herbs, you can consider using our Focus Tea, Focus Supplements and Focus Tincture, for example, or our Lion’s Mane Supplements. These products have been expertly and specifically designed to promote alertness, concentration, memory retention and to support cognitive function – among other benefits. They leverage the benefits of well-studied herbs and mushrooms that act in a variety of ways to promote better microvascular circulation in the brain, thus leading to better oxygenation and nutrition for your brain, protect nervous system tissues from damage and even possibly to help them to regenerate where damage may have occurred (like Lion’s mane and gotu kola).

Creating the right environment to study and work is key to being comfortable and productive. If you are studying or working from home a lot of the time, it’s important to choose a quiet, relaxing, well-lit space, if possible with minimal interruptions. This can be a desk in your bedroom, a comfortable chair in the kitchen or if possible a separate room.

Wherever it is, make sure the space stays organised, and that all of the materials you need are easy to find. To bring an extra bit of herbal inspiration, we recommend diffusing some carefully-chosen essential oils to bring calm and harmony and boost your concentration. We’ve seen above how lavender can help, especially if stress is getting in the way — but there are a few other great options too. Rosemary essential oil, as mentioned above, is also brilliant to help improve circulation in the brain, promote concentration and memory retention — and it has an invigorating and warming scent. It is complemented in Zen Maitri’s Focus essential oil blend by two citrus essential oils: bergamot and grapefruit, that make it even more uplifting and energising.

Lion's mane is a powerful mushroom that is scientifically proven to improve focus, memory, cognitive function, and to protect the brain and the nervous system. It’s been used in Eastern Medicine for millennia, and over the past years and decades there has been an impressive range of promising research on the mushroom, showing that it effectively protects neurons, enhances cognition and supports the nervous system in quite unique ways. Several studies show that it can help uplift mood, that it improves memory and concentration, and even that it can ease symptoms associated with depression and with degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

One of the ways that Lion's mane achieves its protective and regenerative effects is by stimulating your body to naturally produce two compounds: nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These substances are essential in creating new cells and strengthening the ones you already have. They keep your brain resilient against stress and ageing.

In addition to these effects on the brain, studies show that Lion’s mane also helps modulate inflammation, balances cholesterol levels, stimulates digestion, eases ulcers and acidity, reduces the risk of cancer, and boosts the immune system.

This mushroom grows throughout Asia and in other parts of the world in white, globular fruits with long, shaggy tendrils that look like a white lion’s mane. It has a very long history of culinary and medicinal use.

Zen Maitri’s Lion’s Mane Supplements contain concentrated Lion's Mane extract to provide you with a convenient way to bring the potency of these mushrooms into your daily routine. These plant-based capsules contain 100% lion’s mane inside, with no other ingredients, and they are entirely suitable for vegans. You can take two of these capsules per day, with water, with breakfast for example.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related cognitive complaints are increasingly common. The condition often persists into adulthood. For both children and adults, coexisting mental health conditions are common, including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, behaviour, or conduct disorders. People who have been diagnosed with ADHD are often prescribed allopathic medication, which is often effective but comes with a host of potential side effects. These medications can be addictive, habit-forming, may cause circulatory and cardiac problems, and create new or worsened psychosis. Natural approaches, on the other hand, tend to be safer and promote overall wellbeing, but are generally not as fast acting and easy.

There are many herbs that can provide support for ADHD – especially combined with some diet and lifestyle advice. In particular, it is important to exercise: numerous studies show that exercise improves cognition in all ages, including attentiveness and school performance for children with ADHD. In one study, children with ADHD who partook in intense physical activity – in the form of a relay race – followed by cognitive and attentive tests performed just as well as children who did not have ADHD and approximately 30% better than children with ADHD who did not exercise. Sleep is also key: a host of studies ­­link sleep deprivation and sleep disorders to reduced cognitive performance for children, college students, and adults with or without ADHD. Good sleep hygiene, reduced screen time, limiting stimulants and late meals, and bedtime herbal support such as skullcap, passionflower, skullcap, lemon balm or valerian (familiar herbs in our Deep Sleep Collection!) may also be useful for children and adults. Eating a healthy diet is also critical – specifically limiting sugar, eliminating food additives (especially dyes), addressing food sensitivities, and increasing omega 3 fatty acids. A 2015 review of 52 studies on various dietary interventions for ADHD confirmed that elimination diets and fish oil were the most promising.

The herbs included in our Focus Tea, Focus Supplements and Focus Tincture can also be great allies to help you navigate ADHD. These herbs support cognition, memory and the nervous system, particularly by supporting microvascular circulation to the brain, which helps bring oxygen and nutrition to the tissues and eases inflammation.

Those with ADHD can also benefit from adaptogenic herbs (which help the body adapt to stress by modulating the endocrine and nervous systems) – like Ashwagandha – and nervine herbs, which nourish and support a healthy nervous system. You will find both nervines and adaptogens in our Balance Collection (containing a herbal tea, a herbal tincture and herbal supplements), which was expertly crafted by our team of medical herbalists to promote calm, reduce anxiety, and to promote resilience to physical and emotional stress. To find the best approach to your own (or your child’s) individual case, taking into consideration your specific systems and your medical history, we would strongly recommend booking a consultation with a medical herbalist.

Ashwagandha can be helpful for ADHD, as it is an adaptogen, meaning that it enhances the resilience of the body’s systems to stress, by supporting the endocrine and nervous systems and bringing them into balance. It is both energising and calming, depending on what is needed, so it can be a great ally to those that have issues staying concentrated or calming their hyperactivity. It can reduce stress and anxiety. Research has shown ashwagandha to improve reaction time in children with ADHD within an Ayurvedic approach.

Our Ashwagandha capsules provide a handy way to take in all of the benefits from this wonderful herb, in concentrated capsules with 100% ashwagandha root powder, made by drying the root of the plant and then reducing it into a powder. Two capsules provide you with 1,100 mg of pure ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root powder. There are no preservatives, thickeners, fillers – no other ingredients. It comes in a plant-based capsule, so it is entirely suitable for vegans. You can take two capsules per day, with water, after dinner for example, or as recommended by your herbalist.