Have you ever entered a room and forgotten why?
Or maybe you were talking with a friend and had a hard time finding a word or forgot what you were saying?
According to The BMJ, about 40% of people aged 65 or older experience age-related memory impairment.(1)
That’s about 16 million people in the United States alone.
If you’re one of these people who experience embarrassing mishaps because you forget your favorite neighbor's name or where you parked your car…
The good news is that a herb that's been around for thousands of years, used by generations in India, China, and Pakistan, can support a healthy mind.†
We’re talking about ashwagandha, also known as winter cherry and Indian ginseng — a superhero herb that can help flex your memory muscles.(2)†
So how can you use ashwagandha for normal memory and brain health?†
One of the important neurotransmitters for your brain is acetylcholine.
This neurotransmitter plays a huge role in many brain functions, such as memory, attention, and motivation.(3)
It is also responsible for the processing speed of your brain, much like the processing speed of your computer.
As you age, acetylcholine levels decline, affecting your cognitive function and memory.
When this happens, you may find yourself having difficulty creating and remembering memories.
It can also lead to confusion and delusion, which are common symptoms in people with chronic brain disorders.
Fortunately, ashwagandha helps support healthy levels of acetylcholine so your brain’s health is supported.(4) †
It works by stopping the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) that keeps acetylcholine from doing its job.†
Moreover, this Indian herb also supports nerve cell regeneration.†
In a study by researchers from Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Japan, ashwagandha helped support normal nerve cell regeneration and dendrite growth throughout the body and brain.(5) †
This keeps communication between nerve cells intact, which supports learning, behavior, and memory formation. †
If you’re planning to use ashwagandha, here are five benefits you can expect for your brain health and memory. †
5 Ashwagandha Benefits for Memory†
How about remembering specific details of events that happened years ago? Or being able to recognize the face of a relative or long-lost friend after months of not seeing each other?
Ashwagandha can support memory health. †
Below are the top five benefits of ashwagandha for the memory and mind.†
Supports Immediate and General Memory†
Remember how you sometimes walk into a room and forget why?
Well, ashwagandha can help support immediate memory when you need it. †
A study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements showed that individuals who took ashwagandha had supported immediate and general memory.(6)†
50 adults were given 300 mg of ashwagandha or a placebo twice daily for 8 weeks.
After 8 weeks, those who took the ashwagandha showed supported memory compared to the placebo group. It also supported their executive function, sustained attention, and information-processing speed.†
This goes to show that ashwagandha is a great herb if you want to support youthful memory and thinking as you age.†
It's like giving your brain a secret energy drink, minus the jitters.†
Supports Focus and Attention†
Can’t think clearly or focus well on tasks?
Chances are you may find it difficult to concentrate and make immediate decisions.
As a result, you may miss appointments and special events because you can’t focus.
Other people may also comment that you seem distracted.
The culprit? Stress.
You see, your emotions are connected to your focus. When you are excited, your body’s adrenaline levels surge.
Too much of this adrenaline rush can lead to stress and unease, resulting in an inability to concentrate.
It just seems like you’ve got so much going on, and you can’t focus on anything.
Fortunately, ashwagandha supports the brain’s executive function, which is responsible for normal attention, problem-solving, and task management. †
In a study published in Pharmacognosy Research, 20 healthy male participants who received 250 mg of ashwagandha twice daily for 14 days showed support in their cognitive and psychomotor abilities.(7)†
They showed healthy reaction times in results from simple reaction tests, including choice discrimination, digit symbol substitution, digit vigilance, and card-sorting tests compared to the placebo group.†
In other words, taking ashwagandha can help support your focus and attention for faster response times.†
Supports Information Processing Speed†
Need to process information quickly? †
Imagine having a brand new processor in your computer – that's akin to what ashwagandha can do for your brain.(9) †
You know you have slow processing speed when you need a lot of time to take in, make sense of, and respond to information.
This can create challenges for kids at school and adult work tasks, as well as in any social situation.
For example, kids may struggle to learn the fundamentals of reading, writing, and counting numbers.
Some people may have difficulty working on tasks because they easily forget details.
Moreover, people who have slow processing speed have a hard time interacting with others.
They may find themselves standing silently for a few seconds before they can respond to a conversation, and they have a hard time explaining things.
However, you don’t have to worry.
Slow processing speed isn’t about how intelligent a person is. Even the brightest people can still process information more slowly than others.
The good news is that taking ashwagandha can help support your healthy data processing speed.†
In a study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, 50 adults who were given 300 mg of ashwagandha for 8 weeks showed supported information processing speed compared to the placebo group.(10)†
The ashwagandha treatment group was reported to have supported immediate and general memory, specifically for logical memory, faces, verbal paired associates, and family pictures.†
In a nutshell, ashwagandha can support memory and information processing speed.†
Support Stress Response for Healthy Memory†
Everyone knows that stress is a memory zapper.
When you're stressed, it's tough to recall even the simplest things, like where you put your keys.
Well, ashwagandha could come to the rescue, possibly supporting a healthy stress response. †
In a study published in the Journal of Cureus, ashwagandha helped support the mediators of stress, including cortisol, heat shock proteins, and stress-activated c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK-1).(11)†
It also keeps the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in balance – a system in the body that regulates stress response.†
In fact, in another study conducted by Indian researchers, among 58 participants who were given 250 or 600 mg of ashwagandha extract or a placebo consistently for 8 weeks, the non-placebo group maintained comparably healthy levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.(12) †
They also slept well and showed healthy cognitive function. †
This means that ashwagandha acts as an important support for your neurons.†
May Support Mental Health Function†
Ashwagandha can also help support mental health. †
In a study in the Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, researchers discovered that people who had symptoms of low mood who took 1000 mg of ashwagandha for 12 weeks had a healthy mood supported.(13)†
It works by maintaining healthy levels of GABA and serotonin, two of the neurotransmitters that help regulate mood and unease.†
Therefore, if you want to support healthy memory and mental health, ashwagandha may be your answer. †
Bottom Line: Does Ashwagandha Support Memory?†
Ashwagandha is your brain's best buddy.
Whether it's gearing up for rapid recall, staying sharp as a tack during long meetings, or just supporting a healthy stress response, ashwagandha has a basket full of benefits that could support your cerebrum.†
Just imagine being able to recall old memories like when you were in high school or remember the exact names of your professors from back in college.
Ashwagandha is definitely a food (or rather, herb) for thought that can help you grow old sharp. †
However, before you buy any ashwagandha products on the market, remember this:
Many ashwagandha products are not standardized, which can lead to lower efficacy and safety.
The best ashwagandha supplements are standardized. This ensures consistent levels of active ingredients in each serving.
Ashwagandha by Seeking Health contains pure ashwagandha root powder.
Pure extract is standardized to a 5% minimum of the active compound, withanolides, so that each capsule provides consistent, powerful support for your memory and brain function. †
Our ashwagandha supplements are vegan-friendly capsules that contain over 400 mg of ashwagandha root extract to support feelings of calm and stress resilience, as well as help keep your mind and memory healthy.†
Therefore, if you’re looking to keep your brain healthy and your memory sharp as a tack in your 30s and beyond†…
Or if you're seeking to support healthy cortisol and stress levels, a positive mood, balanced hormones, and normal inflammatory responses†…
You can try ashwagandha by Seeking Health – the pure and safe ashwagandha supplements to support healthy stress levels and brain health. †
What are you waiting for? Head to Seeking Health to grab your ashwagandha supplement today.
Shop with Seeking Health today!
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1123445
- https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/ratings/ashwagandha
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24568-acetylcholine-ach
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16950584/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1576076/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28471731/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24497737/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23326093/
- https://www.understood.org/en/articles/processing-speed-what-you-need-to-know
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31742775/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6979308/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6979308/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31046033/
‡ These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.