Foods to Aid Concentration & Focus

A variety of foods can be incorporated into the daily diet that are reputed to be nootropic. These foods have been used for millennia in India, China and Siberia. The foods have only recently become widely available in North America. Unlike drugs, most foods used to improve concentration and focus must be consumed on a regular basis for several weeks before they begin to be effective.

Rhodiola Rosea

• Although rhodiola typically is included in the list of foods considered to be adaptogenic, or generally health-promoting, it has distinct effects on the nervous system. Its constituent rosiridin is an aglycon of rosiridol, an oxygenated metabolite of geraniol. Incidentally, geraniol is a common ingredient in over-the-counter stimulants in New Zealand. Rosiridin is a known MAOa and MAOb inhibitor, which may be the source of its concentration-enhancing properties. Unlike many of the other foods on this list, the addition of rhodiola to the diet produces immediate improvements in concentration.

Qian Ceng Ta

• Qian ceng ta also is known as Chinese club moss. It is one of the best-researched plants for the treatment of age-related cognitive decline. It contains Huperzine A, which is being researched as a treatment for cognitive deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Regular consumption of qian ceng ta is believed to progressively inhibit the enzyme acetylchoninasterase, increasing concentration.

Eleuthero

• Eleutherococcus senticosus is occasionally referred to as Siberian ginseng due to its similar health-promoting qualities. The incorporation of eleuthero into the diet has traditionally been recommended for people suffering from high degrees of stress and tension or who are recovering from serious illness. The constituents in eleuthero that are believed to be pharmacologically active are its leutherosides and hormone-mimicking lipophilic triterpenoid saponins.

Ashwagandha

• Ashwagandha, or Withania somnifera, is widely used in India as a restorative tonic for the body, mind and nerves. When a person is depleted as a result of disease or overwork, it is recommended that they incorporate ashwagandha powder into their daily diet. Ashwagandha has an abundance of pharmacologically active alkaloids and steroidal lactones, many of which cross the blood-brain barrier. It is not considered to be addictive.