Holy basil is one of the most commonly used herbs in Ayurvedic medicine. This flowering plant is sacred to Hindus, and is used not only as a medicinal herb but in worship as well. Often referred to by Hindus as the “Elixir of Life” and the “Queen of Herbs,” this beneficial and powerful plant has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years.

Health Benefits of Holy Basil

Holy basil is an adaptogen. This means that the herb has the power to increase vitality and generally rejuvenate the body. Adaptogens are also often referred to as tonics, which are used primarily in medicine to maintain a general wellness and balance. Adaptogens work more by keeping the body healthy, than curing an illness that is already present.

Holy basil has positive effects on both the mind and the body. It is used to enhance natural homeostatic balance to the receptors in the brain to prevent stress to the physiological systems and helps the mind have the capacity to cope with challenging situations that can normally induce significant levels of stress. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine to help provide nutrients to the brain that are necessary for assistance with meditation and spiritual enlightenment.

Holy basil is a strong antioxidant that provides protection from free radicals that can damage the body. It neutralizes biochemicals that can lead to degenerative diseases and cancer. It increases the absorption of healthy nutrients from foods by enhancing the digestive system and promotes healthy liver function.

Holy basil is a powerful anti-inflammatory that reduces inflammation, and it is beneficial to your cardiovascular system as it helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It helps to moderate blood sugar levels which makes it a powerful treatment for those with diabetes. It provides staminate, reduces and prevents fevers, enhances the bodies ability to process proteins, has anti-aging effects and much, much more. In fact, there are very few things that Holy basil is not beneficial for in our bodies.

Taking a Holy Basil Supplement

Holy basil can be found in a variety of dosages. Some recommend taking one dosage per day while others feel a single dosage a day will suffice. The most important thing to consider when taking a Holy basil supplement is the quality of the product to ensure that you reap the most benefits from the herb. Products such as Holy Basil Extract by Source Naturals provide an adequate dosage of the herb in just one serving per day.

Holy basil is a relatively safe herbal supplement with very few side effects being reported by those taking the medication. However, as with most herbal supplements it should only be used for brief periods of time with small breaks in between uses and should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. It should also not be used prior to any surgical procedures you may be having, as it may pose a risk of excessive bleeding during surgery.

Ginkgo biloba has become quite popular thanks to the benefits it provides for healthy brain and memory function. In today’s hustle and bustle life, many people find themselves forgetful and suffering from memory problems, leading them to seek out a natural memory booster that improves brain function.

Gikgo Biloba and Brain Function

Clinical studies have shown that ginkgo biloba shows a great deal of promise at helping to promote healthy brain function which helps to improve our memory capabilities. Many of the research performed on patients that take a ginkgo supplement have also shown that the herb can also provide invaluable support for Alzheimer’s patients by helping to reduce many of the symptoms associated with the disease.

Ginkgo has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine as ancient healers realized that the herb helped to assist those patients that had difficulties with memory increase and higher thought. The reason that ginkgo is such a great treatment for memory concerns and brain function, is because it helps to improve capillary circulation which helps to provide better blood circulation to the brain to increase it’s ability to function properly.

Other Health Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba

Though ginkgo is most often taken for helping to improve brain and memory function, this multi-purpose herb also helps to provide a variety of other health benefits as well. Ginkgo has been found to interfere with platelet activating factor, a process that researchers have linked to possibly cause conditions like hearing disorders, heart disease, asthma and psoriasis.

Ginkgo biloba is also a strong antioxidant that helps to prevent damage caused by free radicals to our tissues and organs. It also helps to raise oxygen levels in the body which is not only great for all of our organs, but also adds to it’s ability to improve brain function as the brain requires a large amount of the body’s oxygen.

Taking a Ginkgo Biloba Supplement

Adding a supplement of ginkgo biloba to your diet can help in a number of ways. Even if you only add gingko to your diet for just it’s memory aiding abilities, the rest of your body will also appreciate the benefits that it will experience from the herbs healing properties.

A ginkgo biloba supplement should be made with natural and organic herbs that contains no unnatural additives, like the Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract tablets made by Solgar. You can also purchase herbal supplements that contain ginkgo along with a blend of other beneficial nutrients that will promote good brain health like the Ginkgo-Bacopa Quick Thinking capsules that are made by Rainbow Light.

When it comes to protecting your brain and memory skills there are few things that compare on the scale of importance. Ensuring that you are protected and continue to stay cognitive into your golden years is by far one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Alzheimer’s weights heavy on the minds of almost every aging individual I know, and taking that little extra step to help prevent it is well worth the two seconds it will take to swallow a supplement. While we don’t know exactly what it is that causes the heart breaking disease researchers have suggested that keeping the brain and memory healthy through out life is definitely helpful in preventing it.

Taking a supplement to protect, or enrich, your brain and memory function is great for everyone, and can help with that midday lack of concentration, or forgetting to get the milk at the grocery store. There are several reasons that the brain doesn’t function at top capacity, but the good news is there are some proven supplements to correct these common causes of forgetfulness and sluggishness. Let discuss the top three…

Of course the first and obviously most popular brain and memory function supplement is Ginkgo.

Ginkgo has proven itself time and time again to improve brain function, and memory. This completely all natural supplement helps open the vessels that are meant to carry oxygen rich blood to the brain, as well as breaks up those sometimes sticky platelets that can slow the flow to a thick crawl. These claims are not someone’s random rants and theories, they have actually been proven in several clinical studies to be effective.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine is the acetylated version of carnitine, it performs similar functions as regular L-Carnitine, which is improving heart and blood vessle health and improving cognative function. But, Acetyl-L-Carnitine’s major point of distinction is that it crosses the “blood-brain barrier” more readily, thereby eliciting neurological (brain and cognitive) benefits more efficiently and effectively than other forms of carnitine.

L-alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine or GPC has shown in clinical research to helps support higher brain function, mental acuity, and the release of human growth hormone. Research suggests that it is more bioavailable than other forms of choline for the maintenance of learning and memory.

These three brain and memory function supplements are simply the tip of the ice burg, there are many more. However, I felt it important to note that we also have children’s formulas to aid in the battle against attention deficit disorder. These herbs and vitamins are great at improving cognitive skills and attention span in adults, and now we are realizing that they can help treat this common problem in children without all the horrible side effects of the pharmaceutical drugs. This supplement works by naturally increasing a completely normal, and naturally occurring, substance in the brain called DMAE. This substance has been shown to help enhance mental concentration. You know how your mom always told you to eat a good breakfast to get your brain going in the morning, this works on the same principals just 10 times stronger.