No matter how far we get from our ancestors, we have to acknowledge the fact that they have a huge impact on our lives. Even with modern technology, we are finding more often than not, our less advanced ancestors knew what they were doing. When it comes to health, this is even more apparent in countries like India and China with a long history of natural medicines.

In the Ayurvedic Indian teachings, there is far more to learn than simply the herbs and remedies of nature. Yet, today many of these herbs are considered nootropics or “smart drugs” that not only have thousands of years of history, but also scientific backing as well.

Because of the popularity of many nootropic herbs from Ayurvedic medicine, the research laboratories and scientists have put considerable time into determining whether these options are good choices. The evidence is in and the answer is clear.

Nootropic Herbs Proven to Work

There are many different herbal remedies within the Ayurvedic realm, but it is important to consider how many of them actually are researched and useful for the brain. Here is a list of some of the more popular nootropics with evidence regarding their efficacy.

Bacopa monnieri – this is by far one of the most popular and famous nootropic herbs from Ayurvedic medicine. It is nothing more than an herbal remedy that comes straight from the leaves of the plant itself. Kids in India are still going out and finding the leaves in order to improve their cognitive abilities. Recent studies show it is a great tool to reduce anxiety and improve mental performance.

Ashwagandha – another drug of Ayurvedic medicine, this option is potent as an adaptogen that helps the body handle stressful situations. It might be chronic stress that it helps the most and recent NCBI studies show that this is the case. If you are trying to improve cognitive function this is one of the two most well-researched Ayurvedic options to try.

Shilajit – while it is less well-researched than the other two, this is a great nootropic from Ayurvedic tradition that has a lot of standing and potential. The fulvic acid is the main bioactive ingredient that helps shilajit maintain its power. There are studies regarding the high anti-oxidant enzyme profile as well as how it can be useful for testosterone. Up to 23.5% increase in this hormone was found in infertile men.

Getting Started

The great thing about nootropics that stem from Ayurvedic tradition is that they are all natural. These herbal remedies should come with less problems and less of a concern than prescription drugs or synthetic options because they are earth grown nutrients.

Keeping a healthy dose in mind will prevent you from running into any short or long-term negative effects, but it is important to make sure that you stick to a natural herb when you are first starting out.

There are many theories about having adequate brain health, but it is important to make sure that you are able to do the right habits rather than relying solely on nootropics and smart drugs. For some people, meditation is a great way to improve brain health in the short and long term. While this is true, sometimes just by waking up earlier in the morning can do a lot of good for the brain. This is because of evolutionary reasons that we will discuss in the following article.

In the morning hours when the sun rises, your body clock is most ready to take advantage of the day. Your body is built on millions of years of evolution and most of that time was spent awake and asleep based on the sun’s cycle. When the sun rose, people woke up. When the sun set, people went to sleep. Getting to sleep earlier and waking up earlier can be very profound for your brain because it is more used to this type of early scenario.

It can also be helpful because there are fewer distractions that can cause you distress. A lot of people who are trying to improve their brain health are doing so in order to get better workflow or just feel like they are more productive. If this is the case for you, there is nothing better than waking up in the morning to work when nobody else is trying to get ahold of you. This frees you up to do what Cal Newport calls “Deep Work” in his new book.

Whenever you wake up in the morning, just know that you are getting a major jump on the day and there are a number of different advantages for doing this. Even though it is not something that most people consider, give it a try and see what happens!

Most people who are looking to use smart drugs are trying to find ways that they can stimulate their brain into action. Even though motivation is caused by many factors, sometimes it is a chemical reaction from nootropics that can be the edge that you need. Indeed, even when you are motivated by some other thing (such as psychology, inspiration etc), it is still coming from chemical reactions going on in your brain.

With that said, it is easy to see how certain nootropics can be important for building your ability to be motivated and stay focused on the task at hand.

Different Nootropics for Stimulation

The main family of nootropics that many people get started with are called racetams. These drugs are useful for memory formation and preventing neurological decline, but many people also use them for stimulation. The analogs that are primarily made to be more potent are especially useful. Things like aniracetam and oxiracetam are the first generation of potent drugs in this family. Aniracetam capsules are often used not only as a nootropic but for anxiety relief too.

Now you can find other popular stimulating nootropics like pramiracetam and phenylpiracetam, which is considered the most stimulating. Most people who get into phenylpiracetam don’t realize that they are able to leverage this drug for a great boost of motivation for their work.

In fact, phenylpiracetam is so strong it has even been banned by the Olympic committee for athletes who are training for the competition. While they have much more strict rules than you or I might have, they are still not allowed to take the drug, which shows you just how powerful it really is! A lot of people who are facing a difficult work situation will opt for something like phenylpiracetam to get the edge. If you haven’t already started using one of the racetam nootropics, it is a good idea to start at least with piracetam and work your way up.

One of the most important nutrients to prevent from getting sick is vitamin C. This is usually what people consider as the number one nutrient needed to prevent disease and illness. While it is an important antioxidant nutrient, it definitely gets over hyped for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the fruit companies that are trying to get you to eat more oranges and drink more orange juice have a vested interest in more consumption!

In reality, there are other foods, such as sweet potatoes, that have just as much vitamin C as the oranges. You’ll find more and more than people who are trying to avoid ill health can benefit from a variety of other practices besides just getting enough vitamin C. These include things like eating less sugar, removing gluten from your diet, among many others. If you are overloading vitamin C, it is possible to reverse or stop a certain disease (such as common cold), but this is not often the case.

For those who are focused on achieving an disease-free existence, the truth is that vitamin C comes from many different foods. As we mentioned, sweet potatoes and even regular potatoes are full of vitamin C. Some fruits like bananas and strawberries have a lot of vitamin C. The berry options are usually better because they have less sugar and more nutritional value. Whichever you choose, it is a good idea to eat fruits in moderation if you are trying to lose weight or maintain a certain level of fat.

It is important to get enough vitamin C, but do not think that you must go out and buy certain products in order to stay healthy. Part of the vitamin C ruse is that it has become part of our common perception that oranges are associated with this vitamin. Without trying to sound too conspiracy-theorist, it is serving the interests of those who are profit.