Herbs to Help in Focusing & Concentration

To improve your ability to focus and concentrate, several herbs have been shown to be beneficial. Herbs have been used in traditional medicine for centuries as natural brain enhancers. Additionally, these brain-boosting herbs have the added benefit of adaptogenic properties that improve overall health. Herbs are sold as teas, powders, tinctures and in pill or capsule form.

Rhodiola

• Rhodiola is also known as rhodiola rosea, rose root, arctic root and golden root. According to "The New Healing Herbs" book, the root of the perennial herb is used to improve cognitive ability. Research has shown rhodiola improves mental acuity in test-taking. Using animals in maze studies, rhodiola increased both learning speed and memory. Rhodiola has also been used by people in cold areas of the world for its adaptogenic properties, which includes eliminating mental fatigue.

Ginseng

• There are two forms of ginseng. The Korean, Chinese and Japanese type is known as panax ginseng. The American type is known as panax quinquefolius. The roots of the herb improve alertness, mental function and the powers of concentration, and help boost metabolism. According to "The New Healing Herbs," Danish researchers found ginseng to improve abstract thinking and reaction time. Italian research found ginseng to greatly improve reaction time, attention span and the ability to complete mental arithmetic.

Ginkgo

• Ginkgo is also known as gingko biloba and maidenhair tree. First appearing about 200 million years ago, Ginkgo is the oldest tree on earth, with individual trees surviving for nearly 1,000 years. A study conducted in the United States in 1997 showed that ginkgo not only slowed mental deterioration in patients with Alzheimer's disease, there were cases where ginkgo also improved cognitive abilities, according to "The New Healing Herbs" book. Additionally, extracts from the leaves enhance oxygen utilization to the brain, and provide quick short-term boosts that aid concentration, reports The Conscious Life website.

Ashwagandha

• Ashwagandha (Withania Somniferna), is also known as Indian ginseng, dunal and winter cherry. Native to India, roots of the herb have been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for at least 3,000 years. According to The Conscious Life, ashwagandha may have beneficial effects on the neurotransmitters that process memory.

Gotu Kola

• Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica) is also known as Indian pennywort, water pennywort, sheep rot, marsh penny and hydrocotyle. Gotu kola has a long reputation as a brain enhancer. In ancient Ayurvedic medicine, gotu kola was used to improve memory, concentration, and to increase mental energy levels and mental clarity.

Bacopa

• In Ayurvedic medicine, bacopa (bacopa monnieri) is known as the herb that can make you smarter. Traditional medicine used bacopa to improve memory, learning and concentration. Studies have shown bacopa to improve the speed of learning, along with other measures of mental functioning. Bacopa's brain-boosting benefits have been confirmed by modern research due to its compounds known as bacosides. Bacosides have antioxidants that appear to particularly benefit the parts of the brain involved in reasoning and memory.