Modern stress and hectic schedules make many people exhausted and looking for ways to feel more energetic and alert. While getting enough sleep, eating nutritious food, maintaining a healthy body weight and taking care of yourself are the most important factors to feeling good, certain supplements, including herbal ones, have been shown to boost energy and cognitive health. In this article, we at
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Keep in mind that many herbs for energy can interact with commonly prescribed medications and cause other side effects, so it's important to check with your doctor before adding them to your diet.
Here are the top 5 herbs that research shows can help boost energy levels.
Ginseng is a popular herbal supplement well known for its energy boosting properties. It has also been shown to stimulate brain function, making it among the most sought-after herbs for energy, improving sports and mental performance.
In a number of human studies, ginseng supplementation has been shown to improve physical performance in sedentary and active people. This herb for energy successfully fights off even the strongest fatigue.
Keep in mind that ginseng use comes with potential side effects including insomnia, increased heart rate and blood pressure. Additionally, this herb can interfere with common medications, such as those used to treat diabetes, depression, and heart disease. Therefore, it is necessary to always consult your doctor before taking it.
Research has shown that salvia, also known as sage, can have impressive cognitive effects in adults. It is high in many powerful plant compounds, including luteolin, rosmarinic acid, camphor, quercetin, and apigenin, which not only give it its impressive medicinal properties, but also rank it among the most powerful herbs for energy.
When used as a supplement, sage has been shown to improve mood, attention, memory, and word recall in healthy younger and older people.
Interestingly, sage acts as a potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor. This enzyme which breaks down acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. The latter plays an important role in brain function, including memory, attention and motivation.
Guarana is commonly used as an ingredient in energy drinks and supplements due to its stimulant effects. This energy herb contains a range of chemicals, including caffeine, saponins and tannins, which are thought to provide beneficial effects on brain function
According to a number of studies, supplementing with guarana extract alone or in combination with other nutrients in doses ranging from 37.5-300 milligrams can help boost attention, alertness and memory performance.
Although guarana, like other herbs for energy, is considered safe, supplementing with it can lead to side effects such as increased heart rate and anxiety when taken in high doses.
Rhodiola rosea has been used for centuries in traditional medicine systems around the world to improve memory, alertness and stamina. That's why the plant with the interesting name ranks on our list of herbs for energy. Roseate has been shown to reduce mental fatigue, boost brain function and mood, and increase athletes' performance when performing physical activity.
This herb may be especially helpful for people who experience burnout, which is defined as "emotional, motivational, and physical exhaustion resulting from chronic occupational stress" According to a 12-week study in 118 people who suffered from burnout, supplementation with 400 milligrams of an extract of this herb for energy per day was found to significantly improve feelings of exhaustion, impaired concentration, and lack of joy compared to the study participants' baseline.
A number of studies have suggested that this herb, which has been used as an Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times, has powerful beneficial effects on brain function. An 8-week study in 50 people showed that supplementation with 600 milligrams of ashwagandha root extract per day significantly improved memory, attention, and information processing compared to placebo.
A review including five studies found that supplementation with ashwagandha was well tolerated and resulted in improved performance on cognitive tasks, attention and reaction time.
Research suggests that ashwagandha may have a beneficial effect on cellular energy production and be a useful tool for improving athletic performance.