Maximize Your Memory with This Ancient Herb - Wakunaga of America
ginkgo biloba tree

KyoLife

Maximize Your Memory with This Ancient Herb

Maintaining your memory isn't just about remembering where you put your car keys.

Building brain health now can help later in life when you’re more susceptible to memory loss and cognitive decline. Fortunately, you can cut your risk of developing brain fade and age-related cognitive conditions with a ginkgo biloba supplement and a few smart lifestyle hacks.

What Is Ginkgo Biloba?

One of the oldest living tree species, ginkgo biloba has a wide variety of health benefits. It’s been used for centuries to treat conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to headaches and sexual dysfunction. But perhaps its biggest claim to fame is its effect on memory and cognition. Numerous studies suggest that ginkgo biloba can improve blood flow to the brain, executive function, and memory.1

Ginkgo Biloba Supplements for Brain Health

While incorporating a ginkgo biloba supplement into your daily routine can have a big impact on your pursuit of better brain health, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to improving cognition. That’s why it’s important to choose a supplement tailored to fit your specific needs.

Kyolic Brain Focus. Choosing a supplement with highly concentrated pure ginkgo biloba extract is a good place to start for brain support. This herbal extract works to modify blood flow and stimulate cerebral blood circulation, leading to enhanced focus and attention.2 What’s more, preliminary research shows that ginkgo biloba enhances spatial working memory, recognition, and short- and long-term recall.3

Kyolic Brain Memory. This brain-enhancing supplement pairs ginkgo biloba with Aged Garlic Extract (AGE). Not only effective for cardiovascular health, AGE possesses powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may improve memory. AGE also contains compounds that modulate neurotransmitter function in the regions of the brain associated with cognitive and memory deficits. Plus, these compounds scavenge free radicals to decrease the oxidative stress and may have a positive impact on spatial learning and memory performance.4

Kyolic Neuro-Logic. Designed by a board-certified neurologist, this brain-specific supplement combines ginkgo biloba and AGE with vital nutrients that have been clinically shown to support strong memory and cognition. These include vitamin B12, low levels of which have been associated with smaller brain volume;5 choline, a micronutrient that helps maintain the structural and functional integrity of cell membranes;6 and folic acid, which can protect learning and memory by preventing oxidative stress.7

Better Brain Health Hacks

Even though a high-quality supplement for brain health can give you a much needed cognitive lift, it isn’t the only thing you should focus on in your brain-enhancing regimen. Your lifestyle also has a direct effect on your risk of developing cognitive decline.8

Make intelligent food choices. The foods you eat play a substantial role in maintaining brain health. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet is chock full of saturated fats and refined sugars, which can have a negative impact on memory and cognition.9 On the other hand, consuming high amounts of vegetables, fruits, plant proteins, monounsaturated fats, whole grains, and fish—while staying away from red meat, refined grains, and sweets—has been linked to less cognitive decline.10

Work it out. Evidence indicates that physical activity benefits brain function as well as cardiovascular health.11 Aerobic exercise, in particular, has been shown to boost episodic memory performance in adults 55 and older.12 Aerobic exercise includes most anything that gets your heart pumping like biking, jogging, pickleball, or swimming. Even a night out dancing can benefit brain health.

Catch those zzzz’s. A good night’s sleep doesn’t just allow you to refresh and recharge for a new day; sleep is a critical factor in healthy cognition and memory. Before learning something new, sleep helps prepare your brain for memory formation. After learning, sleep helps save that new information in the structure of the brain so you’re more likely to remember it. However, just one night of sleep deprivation considerably diminishes the ability to commit new experiences to memory.13 Strive to get seven to nine hours of quality shut-eye every night to improve memory retention.

Play some brain games. What could be better than improving brain health with a few fun games? Brain-training programs are an entertaining way to help prevent cognitive decline. According to a recent meta-analysis, playing computerized cognitive games improves cognitive function in unimpaired seniors aged 60 and up. In the study, researchers noticed statistically significant improvements in processing speed, working memory, executive function, and verbal memory.14 Check out a site like www.lumosity.com for a variety of brain-trainers to keep your mind sharp.

Investing in the health of your brain now can have a significant impact on memory and cognition later in life. By incorporating a ginkgo biloba supplement with healthy lifestyle habits, you will set yourself up for better brain health today and well into your golden years.


References

  1. Barbalho SM. Ginkgo biloba in the aging process: a narrative review. Antioxidants. 2022; 11(3):525.
  2. Singh SK. Neuroprotective and antioxidant effect of ginkgo biloba extract against AD and other neurological disorders. Neurotherapeutics. 2019;16:666–74.
  3. Tomova T. An experimental study on phytochemical composition and memory enhancing effect of Ginkgo biloba seed extract. Folia Medica. 2021;63(2):203–12.
  4. Sripanidkulchai B. Benefits of aged garlic extract on Alzheimer’s disease: possible mechanisms of action (Review). Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine. 2020;19(2):1560–64.
  5. Çebi M. The association between vitamin B12 and plasma homocysteine levels with episodic memory and the volume of memory related brain structures in middle-aged individuals: a retrospective correlational study. Brain Structure and Function. 2022;227:2103–9.
  6. Bekdash RA. Neuroprotective effects of choline and other methyl donors. Nutrients. 2019;11(12):2995.
  7. Amirahmadi S. Folic acid attenuated learning and memory impairment via inhibition of oxidative damage and acetylcholinesterase activity in hypothyroid rats. Metabolism and Brain Disease. 2021;36:2393–2403.
  8. Baranowski BJ. Healthy brain, healthy life: a review of diet and exercise interventions to promote brain health and reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 45(10):1055–65.
  9. Abbott KN. The effect of high fat, high sugar, and combined high fat-high sugar diets on spatial learning and memory in rodents: A meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2019;107:399–421.
  10. Ekstrand B. Brain foods – the role of diet in brain performance and health. Nutrition Reviews. 2021;79(6):693–708.
  11. Voss MW. Exercise and hippocampal memory systems. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 2019;23(4):318–33.
  12. Aghjayan SL. Aerobic exercise improves episodic memory in late adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Communications in Medicine. 2022;2(15).
  13. Walker MP. Cognitive consequences of sleep and sleep loss. Sleep Medicine. 2008;9(1):S29–S34.

This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.