Unlock Your Brain

Fuel your noggin with these mood-lifting, brain-boosting, focus-sharpening herbs for everyday use

- Lisa Turner

In the 2011 movie Limitless, the hero scaled the world’s highest mountains, made a fortune overnight, and got the girl—all by taking a simple pill. Now, dozens of nootropics—from pharmaceuticals such as Ritalin, Adderall, and modafinil, to legal but questionable compounds found on the Internet, including piracetam and adrafinil—promise enhanced mood and a smarter, faster brain. It sounds too good to be true, and it probably is. Though they’re legal and effective, chemical nootropics (called “smart drugs”) have side effects, including rapid heart rate, headaches, insomnia, and anxiety, and some have a high potential for tolerance, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms.

A better choice: herbal nootropics that enhance mood, sharpen concentration, and improve focus, without the side effects, tolerance, or withdrawal. They work by increasing circulation to the brain, altering the concentration of neurotransmitters, reducing brain inflammation, stimulating the formation of new brain cells, and protecting the brain from free-radical damage. Some of the best:

HUPERZINE A

Huperzine A is a highly purified and concentrated extract from the Chinese club moss plant, which has a long history of use in herbal and Chinese medicine. Huperzine A, the main active compound in the plant, is used to enhance memory and learning. It may also be effective in improving cognitive function and reducing brain inflammation after traumatic brain injury. Newer studies are finding a significant improvement of cognitive function, daily living activity, and overall symptoms in Alzheimer’s patients. Typical doses are 50–100 mcg, twice per day. Check with your doctor before using.

RHODIOLA ROSEA