4 Natural Herbs for Brain Health, Memory, And Cognitive Function

Feeling a low on memory power and mental energy lately? Struggling with focus and staying on task?

We all have those days and moments where it feels like our brains hate us, especially in this modern-day where it feels impossible to stay sharp.

There are so many new elements and stressors hindering your cognitive function; constant social distractions demanding our attention, pollution frizzling our synapses and causing neurotoxicity, and trying to balance your work schedule with your life can all leave you unfocused and constantly distracted.

The rapid pace of life, hectic schedules, errands, excessive workload, and poor lifestyle choices are just a few of the many factors involved in poor brain health. Combine this with the fact that in today's always-connected world, diversions are just a click away. Distraction is literally at our fingertips. It is honestly no wonder so many of us have seen a cognitive decline and find focusing harder than ever.

Our brainpower is being pulled in so many different directions and our cognitive power is being stressed so much that our mental energy batteries are constantly fried, and our minds can’t help but wander off.

Unfortunately, this crisis is seriously dangerous for our success in life, as the power of concentration and the ability to focus our mental energy toward a task is critical for performing well at work as well as learning new things and achieving our goals.

Your brain is constantly working for you, helping you process, analyze, decide, and basically do everything – so it really needs you to support it.

To understand focus problems, many adults are now looking to ADD or ADHD as a cause. This has got more and more adults convinced that they need medication to help them increase their mental energy and increase concentration. The reality of this situation is that most adults aren’t suffering from a disorder that is causing their inability to focus and foggy brain. Truthfully, we need to start actively supporting our brain and cognitive function.

Luckily, there is an incredible natural approach you can take to increase your memory power and focus, and this is in the form of nootropics.

If you’ve ever watched the movie “Limitless”? Then you already know what a nootropic is, at least according to Hollywood. However, for those of you who decided to skip seeing Bradley Cooper being tortured by the power of his enhanced mental acuity in “Limitless”, then nootropics are also known as ‘smart drugs’ refer to natural, synthetic, and prescription substances that can boost brain performance.

We’ll be talking about natural nootropics in the form of herbs for brain health and herbs to increase memory power and brain function. If you want to learn more about nootropics, then we have a full article on this here.

Today, we’re going to be shining a light on 4 great herbal superstars that support cognition and overall brain health. These natural herbs for brain health are incredible nootropics that have actually been used throughout the ages for healing and are scientifically proven to help increase mental clarity, focus, and sharpen your mind.

Let’s look at the top herbs for memory and brain function:

1. Cacao Nibs

Everyone loves chocolate, it’s sweet, bitter, rich… and your love for chocolate might just be the thing you need to keep your brain waves firing away and focused. Now, of course, we’re not exactly talking about how your basic Hershey’s chocolate bar is going to boost your brainpower, but the properties of pure chocolate (cocoa and cacao) certainly can.

Cacao is the natural source of chocolate and one of our favorite nootropics.

Pure cocoa powder and cacao nibs are rich in antioxidants, mainly phytonutrients known as flavonols (a class of flavonoids).

These substances have been shown in many studies to have numerous beneficial effects on the brain. One main reason is that flavonols have been shown to improve blood flow to the brain. Due to cacao and cocoas flavonols content, consumption can increase blood flow in particular regions of the brain for up to 2 hours, which improves cognition functions, memory, and brain health.

Particularly cacao can also stimulate the release of certain neurotransmitters that results in brain-boosting memory improvement.

You can find your daily dose of cacao as part of our Chocolate Hustle adaptogenic tea, designed to support the brain naturally through a synergistic blend of yerba mate, bacopa, tulsi, mint, ashwagandha, and of course... cacao.

2. Yerba Mate

Yerba mate may not ‘technically’ be categorized as a nootropic, but it certainly acts like one, by having the ability to increase memory power, focus, mental energy, and improve cognitive function, thanks to its caffeine content and polyphenol content.

Since polyphenols are powerful antioxidants, they can protect the brain from oxidative stress, reducing the risk of dementia and memory loss. Furthermore, polyphenols have also been documented to promote general brain health.

The moderate amount of caffeine that yerba mate also contains, also enhances your brain by stimulating the production of the “feel-good” hormone dopamine, which will help make a task more enjoyable.

As well as caffeine, mate carries substances like theophylline, psychostimulant, and theobromine, providing a unique stimulating effect, dramatically improving cognitive performance, and contributing to alertness, focus, and memory.

Yep, drinking a little yerba mate regularly is clearly great for your noggin! Click here if you want to learn more about the scientific breakdown of yerba mates’ health benefits and chemical makeup.

3. Bacopa

Research suggests that Bacopa can help enhance brain function and fight the effects of free radical damage to the brain. Bacopa contains polyphenolic compounds known as bacosides that have been shown to have powerful anti-depressant and memory enhancing effects. Its ability is so powerful that it has even been suggested that Bacopa may be used as a treatment for Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other age-related mental illnesses.

One recent study of 76 healthy adults of the age range of 40–65 years old, showed a positive effect of Bacopa on the retention of new information – but this doesn’t just mean Bacopa is helpful for the 40+ crowd!

The intake of Bacopa has been shown to also be beneficial for younger people by helping give them an edge in tasks involving memory and learning, such as studying for an exam, writing a research paper, or analyzing data. In addition to memory, taking Bacopa is also believed to also help you absorb information faster – basically, Bacopa is definitely for you, if you want to increase your productivity!

If you’re curious about all the powerful effects of Bacopa on the body, click here to read more.

4. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is an herb that is well known for its amazing healing properties, but one surprising benefit is how this herb can boost mental energy and focus. Ashwagandha is a nootropic that has been shown to incredibly promote mental focus and support healthy brain function.

With our modern society rapidly seeing an increase in a heavy toll environmental stressors are playing on our brain health, the positive effects of Ashwagandha optionally offer protection against environmental neurotoxins and enhancement of memory.

Ashwagandha has an amazingly powerful antioxidant effect, shown to boost the response of immune cells to foreign bodies in the bloodstream. Since free radical damage has been linked to diseases like epilepsy, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, it’s possible that ashwagandha could be used to help treat or prevent those diseases.

Taking ashwagandha definitely isn’t the mystical Fountain of Youth, but it certainly can help with a variety of physical and cognitive challenges and improve your overall well-being. Learn more about this powerful nootropic and herb here.

Enjoy these natural herbs for brain health and to increase memory power!

Now is the time to start focusing and enjoying the mental energy to get your task done productivity, so you have more mental space for the things you love! These natural herbs are incredibly powerful for your brain power and luckily all come with a pleasant taste and aroma. You can enjoy them as a tea or flavoring.

For the best way to consume tea for maximum focus and energy, we recommend you try a powerful blend of roasted yerba mate tea with hints of chocolate and mint, combined with adaptogenic super-herbs to support your brain naturally, called Chocolate Hustle tea. This unique elixir is designed to heighten your focus, energy, and clarity. Click here to check out Wise Ape Chocolate Hustle tea blend.

And if you want to enhance your Chocolate Hustle tea even more then come learn a few ways to enhance the brain-boosting benefits of this tea blend over at on our article: Nootropic Stack With Adaptogenic Tea.

Other supportive strategies for combatting mental fatigue and maintaining cognitive function include healthy lifestyle habits such as physical exercise, getting restful sleep, meditation, and a healthy diet. These are all positive habits that when combined with these natural herbs for memory and brain function, will create a powerful and strong elastic neural connection to boost energy and focus.

What is your favorite brain-boosting herb and nootropic?

Let us know by tagging us on Instagram @WiseApeCo and use the hashtag #WiseApeTribe and we’ll share it!

If you’re worried that your mental difficulties might go beyond just unhealthy lifestyle choices and lack of brain-boosting support, please do consult with a professional, for help.

This informative article is written, by Sophia McKenzie. Sophia is head content creator and writer, for several premium websites, where her expertise lies in health, nutrition, and wellness. Her content focuses on providing and sharing doable solutions to help people truly thrive and live their happiest, healthiest, fulfilled lives.