Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Research

Plants that Improve Cognition

Gayan Perera

(Lorca et al., 2022)

Ginkgo

Bacopa

Ashwagandha

Caffeine

Flavonoids

According to the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, human cognition can be divided into six domains; perceptual-motor function, language, learning and memory, social cognition, complex attention, and executive function.

Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine use various plant-derived nootropics (PDN) to enhance cognitive performance.

Lorca et al., 2022, a systematic review of 256 human trials and systematic reviews investigated which PDNs are supported by scientific studies conducted in humans and for what specific domains of cognition?

Summary of Benefits

  • Ginkgo – perceptual-motor function improvement, improved attention
  • Bacopa – language, learning and memory improvements, improved attention
  • Ashwagandha – improving social cognition (i.e., anxiety and stress ), improved attention
  • Caffeine – attention and executive functions
  • Flavonoids – executive function

Reference:

Lorca C, Mulet M, Arévalo-Caro C, Sanchez MÁ, Perez A, Perrino M, Bach-Faig A, Aguilar-Martínez A, Vilella E, Gallart-Palau X, Serra A. Plant-derived nootropics and human cognition: A systematic review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2022 Jan