The Best 3 Plants for Keeping Your Brain Young, According to Science

AddImage CREDIT: Getty Images As scientists learn more and more about the brain , your list of ways to keep yours healthy continues to grow. Adequate sleep, mental puzzles, losing weight or even just working on complex projects for your business all help. But common plants you can get at any grocery store or online can give you a cognitive edge, too. These are the top three you should experiment with. Sage Sage contains well over a hundred polyphenol compounds, as well as flavonoids, terpenoids and polysaccharides. These substances can have many positive effects on the brain, including serving as antidepressants and anti-inflammatories. Experts believe these compounds can protect against the accumulation of amyloid-β peptide, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Various species of sage also can inhibit the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, which can improve cognitive function. Sage also can influence neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is important for keeping neurons healthy and getting new neural connections to develop. Sage is a favorite cooking seasoning, such as on chicken or in stuffing. But you also can enjoy it as a tea, tincture or in capsules. Rosemary Rosemary stands as a symbol for remembrance for good reason. Researchers from Northumbria University, Newcastle looked at the effects of smelling rosemary essential oil. They found that it can increase your odds of remembering to do things in the future-;for example, fix that typo in your presentation when you get a moment later-;by 60 to 75 percent. People performing memory tasks in rooms with the scent of rosemary also did better on those tasks than those without the scent available. Researchers believe this might be because of compounds such as 1,8-cineole , which, like the compounds in sage, prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine. Inhalation is a good way […]

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