3 Nootropics To Nourish Your Brain, Improve Your Memory & Bolster Creativity

What are these underrated players, you ask? We'll leave it to mbg vice president of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, and Milene Brownlow, Ph.D., a health scientist with a nutritional neuroscience focus, to explain. On this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, the duo discusses everything you need to know about nootropics—or compounds that promote brain health and cognitive function. Below, find a few of their favorite neuronutrients and neuroprotective botanicals: 

Specifically: "There are great studies on resveratrol and menopausal women," notes Brownlow. "It actually improves blood flow and some of the menopausal issues."* Proper blood flow is important for optimal brain health, as it provides brain cells with a constant supply of oxygen and glucose2, which they need to function optimally. 

What's more, that recent 2020 clinical trial used the same form and dose of resveratrol as mbg's brain health supplement brain guard+ (150 milligrams of fermentation-derived resveratrol known as Veri-Te™). 

Guarana is a small, round berry that's native to Brazil, and it's known for its energizing effects on the body and mind.* Not only do the seeds of this fruit contain caffeine naturally, but a 2019 scientific review in the journal Global Psychiatry found that guarana improved reaction time and accuracy of task performance in young, healthy adults.* Talk about an underrated superfruit. 

Great news: mbg's focus+ contains both powerhouse ingredients (along with four other clinically researched botanicals and bioactives to energize your cells, mind, and body).*

In another six-week clinical trial, daily intake of Zembrin® kanna extract significantly increased alpha1 and alpha2 brain frequencies during various cognitive tasks—and an uptick in these brain-wave frequencies is associated with greater calmness. "I personally take brain guard+, and I call it my 'zen zone,'" says Ferira. "The kanna is really driving that…it's helping you be resilient to things that might induce a little bit of anxiousness otherwise."* As we've said once before: This unique, adaptogenic plant really is Mother Nature's chill pill.* 

If you're interested in supporting your brain health from multiple angles, it's important to have these phytonutrients and botanicals on your radar. And sure, you might find some of them in foods and beverages, but if you want to be sure you're getting a clinically backed dose for daily brain benefits, high-quality supplements are the way to go—and mbg's brain guard+ and focus+ are quite the brain-supporting pair, if we do say so ourselves.* 

Enjoy this episode! And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music!