Curated by  Salugea

The memory? A “genetic affair” that you either have or don’t have. How many times have you heard this phrase? Let’s start immediately with the good news:  memory is not only linked to genes, on the contrary . It is a tool, a kind of muscle that can be trained and consequently improved. Obviously, as in all workouts, the difference is in the tools you use. 

So here are the three main tools that you must always keep in mind to improve your memory:

>  Memory techniques

>  Power supply

>  Integration

How to improve memory: the 3 most effective techniques 

Like any self-respecting workout, you need to  start from the basics and learn the right techniques  and above all know the tool you have in your hands well.

Memory is not made for remembering single names, infinite passwords or where we left our car keys…  Memory is designed to work in context  and this is where the first memory technique starts.

Immerse yourself in nature
It was Professor Berman of the University of Michigan who demonstrated that  contact with nature can greatly increase our memory .

Berman had asked one part of his students to walk in the woods while the other to stroll through the streets of the city. Later he subjected the boys to a memory test and the results left no doubt. Those who had walked in the woods had a 20% better result than the other students .

How to bring these results back into our daily life? Since it is difficult with today’s rhythms to always be immersed in nature, you just need to look at the landscapes or lift your head from the books to rest your eyes and mind while looking at a beautiful landscape . 

Repeating aloud
Of all the techniques for  remembering things,  it is the most famous and perhaps the most discredited with respect to its potential. When you read “repeat aloud” it is easy to imagine yourself as parrots repeating all the words they have read just before. Here is the first mistake . Repetition aloud is an effective technique but it must be done in the right way.

Repeating the whole text is not productive neither for memory nor for learning. Only the key concepts of the paragraph / chapter you are studying need to be repeated aloud ; in this way you will make them emerge from the rest of the material studied, memorizing them better.

Remember to recall your body
Are you also one of those people who, in order to try to  increase concentration  and promote learning, sit motionless in a chair and stay still until the concepts decide (finally) to enter the memory? 

We have another good news for you:  to improve your memory you have to move!  This is what emerges from a study by Prof Straube which highlighted that  people who involve the body during their study learn first and remember more later .

In particular, in the study, the researchers assigned the task of learning words. The boys who gesticulated while studying were able to remember, weeks later, twice as many words as their more “steadfast” companions.

Diet

“We are what we eat” as the German philosopher Feuerbach said. And what we eat also affects our memory , we add! By now the link between what we eat and what we are is increasingly evident and memory is certainly no exception. 

Like every organ of our body  , our memory is also greedy for vitamins and mineral salts  that we can find in fruit and vegetables (always remember to prefer the seasonal one). Even among these, however, there are “memory samples”. Let’s see what are the 5 foods to prefer to improve memory:

Walnuts : their shape already makes us think of the brain and in fact walnuts are real mines of nutrients for the memory. They contain B vitamins, in particular B6 which is able to reduce homocysteine ​​in the blood, a molecule that when it accumulates leads to increased cholesterol and cognitive deterioration. 

Eggs : they are very rich in choline, a very important substance for improving memory and guaranteeing their health over time. Choline is a co-enzyme that is able to protect the heart and blood vessels and especially the nervous system, including the brain. Research has also shown that choline is useful in Alzheimer’s and senile dementia. 

Blue fish and Salmon : They are also rich in choline and contain Omega 3, which in addition to protecting the nervous system are a valid help against high cholesterol.

Dark Chocolate : Chocolate lovers will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as they read this food in the top 5 memory foods. Well, science has also shown that dark chocolate (attention we are talking about a real dark chocolate!) Is very rich in flavonoids and substances capable of stimulating attention and concentration!

Broccoli and Cauliflower : less loved than chocolate but just as important! Broccoli is rich in vitamin C, B12 (very important for pregnant women), vitamin K and choline, which we have now come to know and appreciate.

Integration according to Mother Nature

Last item but not least. When you ask yourself “how to improve memory”  integration is as important  as techniques and nutrition.

And also in this field we have the best, plants and mushrooms made available to us by Mother Nature for millennia. Let’s see immediately what they are:

>  Bacopa Monnieri : among all it is THE friend plant of memory. It improves concentration, strengthens memory and calms the mind. In a nutshell it’s all you are looking for when you want a memory supplement. Still doubtful? Let’s let the science do the talking.

One of the first research on the properties of Bacopa Monnieri was carried out in Thailand. Scientists had 518 people take bacopa plant extracts for just 12 weeks. At the end they subjected them to memory and learning tests. The results? All of them improved both the ability to concentrate and the speed of learning new concepts.

In another study carried out by a group of researchers at Nizam’s Institute Of Medical Sciences, it showed how bacopa monnieri extracts are able to strengthen memory . The researchers took a sample of 60 students enrolled in the medical course. They divided them into two groups – quite randomly – the first group took 150 mg of bacopa monnieri extract twice a day for 6 weeks; the second group, on the other hand, a placebo. The result? The first group of students, during a learning test, showed a marked improvement in cognitive performance related to memorization, the second did not.

>  Schisandra : The fruits of this plant are mainly used, small red berries defined as the “berries of the five flavors” because when we taste them they feel sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy at the same time. 

Beyond its distinctive flavor, there is another reason why schisandra is in the spotlight of researchers. Its high quantity of lignans , vitamins C and E is able to promote concentration, coordination and memory, without however having the side effects (nervousness, agitation, insomnia) of other stimulating and tonic-nervine remedies.

>  Reishi : it is a well-known mushroom in traditional Chinese medicine and so important that it takes the name of “mushroom of immortality”. Its properties are innumerable, there are at least 150, and among these one of the most important is its action on the nervous system: it improves resistance to stress, freeing us from tiredness and weakness.

>  Rhodiola : Of all the plants it is perhaps the most famous. It too has a thousand-year history and has been used for centuries for its tonic and adaptogenic properties. Studies have shown that Rhodiola is able to improve learning, attention, memory, and at the same time act on the nervous system by giving calm and tranquility, fundamental aspects to face positively every day.

>  Centella: what does a plant do for the circulation between plants for memory? Think about it, the brain is an organ and like all our organs it needs oxygen and nutrients to be able to work at its best. Centella is used for this, to improve blood circulation that reaches the brain ensuring greater oxygenation and the arrival of all useful substances.

Are you already worrying about how much you will spend to get all these plants? Or are you thinking which one to give more importance? Here’s the latest good news for you. You don’t have to choose!

You can find all the best plants for memory that you have just read already combined in a single supplement in the form of titrated dry extracts, the noblest form in which you can find the ingredients of a supplement, because it guarantees the high presence of active ingredients .

Memosan by Salugea  is the supplement designed to improve and support everyone’s cognitive functions . From students, to office workers and professionals to the elderly.

In Memosan, the best plants to improve memory have been carefully balanced to ensure optimal support of the intellectual abilities, mental clarity, memory and alertness that are increasingly required today in various work and personal areas.

Remember that the titrated dry extracts are the only ones that allow us to guarantee the certain presence of the active ingredient of the plant and consequently its real effectiveness. You will find dry extracts titled with this abbreviation: “es tit”. Get smart and start reading the labels! 

SOURCES: 

Berman M. Jonides J. Kaplan S. 2008 The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature , 19 issue: 12, page (s): 1207-1212

Straube B1 ,  Green A ,  Weis S ,  Chatterjee A ,  Kircher T. 2009 Memory effects of speech and gesture binding: cortical and hippocampal activation in relation to subsequent memory performance. 21 (4): 821-36. doi: 10.1162 / jocn.2009.21053.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2014; 151 (1): 528-35. doi: 10.1016 / j.jep.2013.11.008. Epub 2013 Nov 16.  Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extract.  Kongkeaw C, Dilokthornsakul P, Thanarangsarit P, Limpeanchob N, Norman Scholfield C.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016; 2016: 4103423. Epub 2016 Oct 10.  Efficacy of Standardized Extract of Bacopa monnieri (Bacognize®) on Cognitive Functions of Medical Students: A Six-Week, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Kumar N, Abichandani LG, Thawani V, Gharpure KJ, Naidu MU, Venkat Ramana G.