Best Herbs for Focus and Concentration
April 27, 2022
Staying focused can be a challenge these days. With so many things grabbing your attention, it's easy to lose concentration and waste precious time and energy. However, we can do several things to improve our focus and concentration significantly. This article will discuss our top tips for staying focused and share the best herbs for focus and concentration.
What Is Focus?
Let's go back to square one and start with the fundamental question of "what is focus?" Focus is a point of concentration or attention. So to be able to stay focused is to be able to keep with our point of concentration without wavering—to sustain our directed attention without getting distracted.
If you want to focus on writing an essay, you need to keep your attention on writing and not allow other things to take your attention away. So, in a way, focus is attention management. It is the ability to keep your attention concentrated on your desired point of concentration and to be able to avoid, ignore, or reject the things that may distract you from your task.
Staying focused is more challenging than ever nowadays. Our cultural addiction to social media has many of us routinely checking our phones for new things to entertain us. We can also lookup any information that we want at the touch of our fingertips. Furthermore, anyone can send us a message or give us a call and take our focus away from whatever we are doing.
As we discover, the age of information is also an age of distraction. So our productivity and mental health need to know how to direct our focus and stay focused on our tasks.
Let's discuss some of the best ways to improve your focus and concentration.
Essential Tips for Staying Focused
Create A Supportive Work Environment
One of the best ways to improve your focus is to create a work environment where you can minimize distractions. If you want to get some work done or focus on studying, find a designated place where you can limit distractions. Not only will minimizing distractions help, but if you have a dedicated career or study space, your body and brain will become accustomed to it and know that when you are in this space, it is time to focus.
Silence Your Phone
Turn off your phone or put it on airplane mode while focusing on your desired task. You will prevent random texts, phone calls, and notifications from taking your attention away from you by shutting off your phone. If you cannot turn your phone off, avoid answering unnecessary calls or texts or wait to respond at a better time. Just because someone calls you or texts you doesn't mean you need to answer right away! It is okay to get back to someone when it is better for you to do so.
Learn to Say No
Essential to staying focused is the ability to say no—to others and yourself. If you have an important task that you need to focus on, and someone asks you for something, say no (unless it is urgent or an emergency). You can tell them that you need to focus right now and tell them when you will be able to help them. It is equally important to say no to yourself. When you have the impulse to reach for your phone, tell yourself no, and keep your attention on the task at hand.
Make Notes
It can be helpful to keep a notebook nearby so that you can write down ideas or things that you want to look up later without having to stop what you are doing now. For example, if you're going to look up a dinner recipe but are supposed to be focusing on work, write down "look up a dinner recipe" in your notebook so you won't forget it and return to what you are doing.
Exercise
Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health. It is also one of the best ways to improve focus. Exercise improves blood flow, sharpens mental acuity, and gives you more energy to remain alert and focused.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
One of the best ways to improve your focus is by practicing mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on a single object, such as your breath, and returning your attention to that object whenever your mind wanders. This practice of mindful breathing trains your mind to stay focused and quickly notice when you've become distracted.
Diet & Lifestyle
Your diet and lifestyle play a massive role in your energy levels and mental acuity. If you have a poor diet or are not in good health, it can result in brain fog and fatigue, making concentration very difficult. By taking care of your body, you take care of your brain, and your ability to focus will improve.
Herbs
In addition to the tips mentioned above, several herbs can significantly help you improve your focus. Many of these herbs have other mental health benefits, such as improving memory, mood, and attention span. Below we'll cover the best natural herbs for focus and concentration.
Best Herbs for Focus and Concentration
The best herbs for focus and concentration are:
- Ginkgo biloba
- Water hyssop (Bacopa)
- Gotu kola
- Lion's mane
1. Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree, is a tree native to China. It is one of the oldest living tree species globally and has a long history of use in Traditional Chinese medicine.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ginkgo Biloba is used as a medicine for heart health, lung ailments, and brain function. In addition, Ginkgo Biloba helps to improve brain health, focus, and memory.
Ginkgo biloba is one of the best natural herbs for memory and focus. Studies on ginkgo show that it enhances circulation and can improve blood circulation to the brain, providing the brain with more oxygen and nutrients to improve overall cognitive function.
Ginkgo biloba is also rich in antioxidants and contains high levels of flavonoids and terpenoids—compounds known for their potent antioxidant effects, helping to fight free radical build-up in the brain.
2. Water Hyssop
In Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine, two herbs have been referred to as "Brahmi" and have been used for thousands of years to enhance concentration and focus. Yogis used to consume these herbs to help their attention in meditation, and modern science has since confirmed the brain-boosting effects of these herbs.
One of these herbs is water hyssop, also commonly referred to as "bacopa." Water hyssop is a creeping perennial plant native to warm wetland environments over much of the world—including Asia, India, Australia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America. Studies on water hyssop show that it helps in enhancing brain development, concentration level, and attention span.
3. Gotu Kola
The other brain-boosting herb called "Brahmi" in Ayurveda is Gotu kola. Gotu kola, also known as Indian pennywort, is a perennial plant native to Asia and the South Pacific wetlands.
Gotu kola improves focus and concentration. Studies on Gotu kola have found that it improves overall cognition, memory, and mental acuity. It also is beneficial for protecting the brain from age-related cognitive decline.
4. Lion's Mane
Lion's mane is another excellent herb for focus and motivation, as it supports brain health and attention span and may also boost your mood. Lion's mane is an edible mushroom native to North America, Europe, and Asia.
Lion's mane has many incredible benefits to the brain and nervous system. This powerful mushroom improves the symptoms of various cognitive disorders. It even stimulates a process known as neurogenesis, how new neurons form in the brain. Lion's mane also repairs nerve damage and may assist in mood disorders like anxiety in depression.
Lion's mane has potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-boosting properties. This superfood mushroom also helps lower inflammation in the brain and protect the brain from free radical damage. As a result, it is an excellent herb for various brain-related uses, from improving focus and concentration to protecting the brain from neurological issues and cognitive decline.
Summary
The ability to stay focused is essential for managing tasks and responsibilities in daily life. But unfortunately, it is challenging to maintain our attention nowadays, living in a world of distractions.
To stay focused, we have to learn how to manage our minds, limit distractions, and improve our physical and mental health.
Focus is all about managing your attention and keeping focused on your desired point of concentration without getting distracted.
Some of the best ways to stay focused are to create an environment that supports your work. For example, turn your phone on silent while working, learn how to avoid giving in to distractions when you need to be focusing on a task, and take good care of your mind and body with practices like meditation, regular exercise, and healthy eating.
In addition to these fundamentals, you can use certain herbs to support and enhance your focus and attention. Some of the best herbs for improving focus and concentration are:
- Ginkgo biloba
- Water hyssop
- Gotu kola
- Lion's mane
These herbs may help enhance your focus to be more productive and get your work done more efficiently.
We created a unique formula for improving focus, memory, and overall brain health using some of these herbs, along with other synergistic herbs that help to enhance the effectiveness of the formula as a whole.
Our Ginkgo Biloba Brain Flow Tonic contains herbs that have many benefits for brain health and focus.†
This formula's high-quality active ingredient extracts are entirely water-soluble, so they're absorbed immediately in the bloodstream and not in the digestive tract. Plus, all of the herbs in this formula are at their peak potency levels when harvested. These harvesting practices ensure that the active ingredients are as potent and effective as possible. They are also 100% sustainable and wildcrafted and contain no pesticides, preservatives, chemical fillers, or genetically modified ingredients.
Knowing how to stay focused is essential for success in any endeavor, especially in the modern world with so many distractions. Using the tips and tools mentioned in this article, you can equip yourself to be more focused, productive, and efficient at whatever you set out to do.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6787147/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4536538/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3679190/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3116297/
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