Health · Healthy aging
The Word Is Right There, Then It's Gone: The 10-Second Morning Habit People Over 60 Are Adding
Walking into a room and forgetting why. A name you know, gone at the worst moment. A plain look at the brain's memory messenger, what an old Ayurvedic herb has to do with it, and what the studies do and do not show.
Margaret, 68, remembers the moment. "My grandson asked me the name of the actor in our favorite movie. I could see his face. I knew it. And it just wasn't there."
It came back at three in the morning. "After that I started noticing it everywhere," she says. "Names, words, why I walked into the kitchen."
If this sounds familiar, you are in very large company, and most of it is part of how the brain changes with age, not a sign that something is wrong.
Your brain's memory messenger
Brain cells talk to each other with chemical messengers. One of the most important for memory and attention is acetylcholine. When you reach for a name or a word, acetylcholine is part of how the signal gets through.
With age, the brain makes a little less of it, and the connections between cells get a little slower. That is why the word is "on the tip of your tongue": it is there, but the path to it takes longer.
Sleep, exercise and time with people all help keep those paths in use. So does what you feed the brain.
The herb that has been studied for memory
Bacopa monnieri, called Brahmi in Ayurvedic tradition, has been used in India for centuries for memory. It is also one of the most studied herbs for memory in people.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in Psychopharmacology in 2001, healthy adults took bacopa every day for twelve weeks and, compared with placebo, forgot less of what they had learned on the tests used. The effect showed up after weeks, not days.
It was one study of bacopa on its own, and it does not mean bacopa prevents any disease. But it is the reason the herb keeps showing up in memory formulas.
A building block of every brain cell
Phosphatidylserine is a natural part of the membrane around every brain cell. In a placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition in 2010, older Japanese adults with everyday memory complaints took soy phosphatidylserine for six months and scored better on memory tests than the placebo group.
Two more ingredients often appear next to these. Lion's mane, a white mushroom from Japanese tradition, is studied for nerve growth factor; its human studies are few and small. Eucalyptus leaf compounds have been studied in the lab, not in people, for how they affect acetylcholine.
Putting it together: one dropper in the morning
There is a liquid formula that combines all four, bacopa, phosphatidylserine, lion's mane and eucalyptus, taken with a dropper each morning as the label directs. It takes about ten seconds. No pills to swallow.
It is not a treatment and it will not replace your doctor. The studies above ran for three to six months, so this only makes sense if you give it time. Results vary from person to person.
The formula: CogniClear Brain Health
CogniClear is a dietary supplement that supports memory, focus and mental clarity as part of a healthy routine.*
- Bacopa monnieri
- Phosphatidylserine
- Lion's mane mushroom
- Eucalyptus
- One dropper in the morning, 30 mL per bottle
See today's CogniClear prices →90-day money-back guarantee · Free US shipping
Where to get CogniClear
CogniClear is sold only through its official checkout. Most people choose three bottles: the bacopa study ran for twelve weeks.
3 bottles$99 total$33 per bottle · 3-month supply
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2 bottles$89 total$44.50 per bottle
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1 bottle$79 total1-month supply
Choose 1 bottleFree US shipping. Your order includes automatic refills every 28 days at your package price until you cancel; cancel anytime by e-mail. Express shipping and a protection add-on are optional at checkout: untick them to pay only your package price.
90-day money-back guarantee
If CogniClear is not right for you, e-mail support@usecogniclear.com within 90 days of your purchase with your order number and ask for a refund.
Questions readers ask
How do I take it?
With the dropper, once a day in the morning, as directed on the label.
Is this a treatment for memory loss or dementia?
No. CogniClear is a dietary supplement. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If memory problems are getting worse or getting in the way of daily life, see a doctor: several causes are treatable.
Is it safe with my medication?
Ask your doctor first, especially if you take medication for thyroid, blood pressure, depression or Alzheimer's disease, or a blood thinner.
How soon will I notice something?
Nobody can honestly promise a date. The studies ran for three to six months, and results vary. The 90-day guarantee gives you time to decide.
- Stough C. et al. The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology, 2001.
- Kato-Kataoka A. et al. Soybean-derived phosphatidylserine improves memory function of the elderly Japanese subjects with memory complaints. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, 2010.
- Mori K. et al. Improving effects of the mushroom Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus) on mild cognitive impairment: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research, 2009.