Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)*

As its name suggests, motherwort, or “mother’s herb” has a long history of traditional use for treatment of women’s health issues including Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and menopausal anxiety. In addition to its action as a nervine, it affects the levels of calcium needed for muscular contractions, thus serving to reduce menstrual cramps and other spasmodic muscle conditions (24).

Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri)*

Known as Brahmi in Ayurvedic medicine, bacopa has been shown in several clinical studies to be nootropic (improve cognitive functions), especially in the areas of new information retention (25) and the speed at which visual information is processed (26). Studies in elderly patients showed significant improvement in cognitive performance as measured by several standardized test methods (7). In vivo studies demonstrated that bacopa reduced beta-amyloid deposits in an Alzheimer’s Disease model (16).

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)*

Blue vervain has been shown to be neuroprotective as it slows certain amino acid cleavage activities that occur at the onset of dementia illnesses. It provides protection against beta-amyloid deposits and therefore protects against neuronal loss (15)

Oat (Avena sativa)

For just a few days out of the entire growing season, the oat seed is filled with white “milk” that is high in saponins, flavonoids, and Vitamins B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), D and E. This is the stage at which the oat is harvested for use in Tension Re-Leaf™. If not harvested and left to dry, the oat becomes a food source such as oatmeal containing soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol and triglycerides. Oats have traditionally been excluded from diets for patients with Celiac Disease, as there is a small amount of gluten in the grain. However, numerous clinical studies have shown that oats, either fresh or dried, are well-tolerated by most Celiac patients and that the gluten does not cause changes in symptomology or laboratory results in children or adults, even after long-term consumption (27, 28, 29) .

Polygala (Polygala tenuifolia)

This herb is known as Yuan Zhi in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that polygala improves stress-induced memory impairment and decreases the types of neuronal damage that occurs prior to the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease, perhaps by inhibiting the secretion of amyloid beta-protein (30, 31, 32). This data supports the long history of the use of this herb in Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine as an anti-dementia treatment.

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