“Your brain on plants”—a controversial idea, yet fascinating, I think. The phrase your-brain-on-plants made me wonder–what is the connection between food and the brain?
What happens in the brain, for instance, when you eat blueberries?
Does your brain register good feelings when you eat blueberries? We know that taste and mouthfeel have a lot to do with our favorite foods.
Considering that anything we eat—food or herbs—will either benefit or weaken a part of the body, can the herbs we ingest also be mentally stimulating? Or, can they be calming, pain-relieving, memory-enhancing? Are they beneficial to our brains in some way?
Blueberries have also been tested on different groups for their ability to improve memory!
All of the over 50 herbs profiled in Your Brain on Plants—a book about the best herbs for your brain—have multiple good effects on us. You can test this out by researching blueberries—a surprising addition in a book about herbs! You’ll see that many nutritionists extoll the virtues of blueberries with their deep blue-purple color. The color denotes the presence of anthocyanins and flavonoids—components of certain intensely-colored foods like berries and some vegetables. These chemical constituents help the body overcome oxidative stress. They are anti-oxidant in nature.
Blueberry & Chia Seed Jam from Your Kitchen
This combination of uncooked ingredients is a delicious way to enjoy blueberries as a topping for any breakfast starch or as one of the mains in your smoothie bowl. Make a small amount to test the proportions and tastes.
Mash about 1/2 cup of washed blueberries to a chunky consistency and see that the blueberries become juicy. Add a teaspoon of chia seeds and fresh squeezed lemon juice—from half a lemon. Mix to incorporate and allow to rest until chia seeds become bulky. Then add in homemade syrup. For the most natural taste, use 1 or 2 chopped dates or 1 teaspoon of date syrup. You can also use agave nectar. Taste and adjust to your liking.
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The authors say that even science is sometimes less than sure about how our bodies work.
Your Brain on Plants is written by two scientists–the plants curator and the pharmacognosist at a garden in the UK dedicated to growing and studying medicinal plants. Your Brain on Plants begins with sections on calming, memory, depression, insomnia and then moves to pain relievers, energizers, mind-altering plants and plants beneficial for wellness for a well-rounded examination of plants that influence our mental health.
The authors, Nicolette Perry and Elaine Perry, provide a concise format with an “about” section, the “history of use”, and what science says about the herb profiled. Therefore, you don’t feel an outsider to the herbal approach. And then in the profile you also have key ingredients and details on how to use the herb.
To get very specific about an herb’s effects, see the section “what the scientists say” for a paragraph called “in the lab”. There you can get a sense of the exact components studied and what effects they are responsible for in the brain.
With the authors’ guidance, you’ll get a sense of what can be expected from the herbs highlighted. Being an adult-level reader in the 21st century, articles you’ve been exposed to—even online—have given you a lot more knowledge than you thought. Yet their method takes the guess-work out using herbs for wellness. You don’t have to know the biology of your liver, for example, to enjoy accounts of how cultures have dealt with depression and insomnia.
Each chapter focuses on about 8 herbs—the ones most often cited in literature and studies to alleviate a common condition. In “Blue Busters” you can learn about St. John’s Wort, a very well-known and well-studied herb for depression. But there are also others for the blues, like Turmeric, Saffron, Black cohosh, Skullcap, Clary Sage, Chai Hu, and Rose.
See the website of Dilston Physic Garden (located near Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom) for images and articles about the plants that support brain health.
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