Help with concentration.

[boop]

Hello im jono.

first post...

Im just wondering if anyone knew about plants that helped with concentration, either short term or long term. I dont know if this is normal but usually in the daytime its harder for me to concentrate for any length of time when reading books, information etc. I find it much easier to concentrate at night time for some reason. Anyway if theres anything out there that can help, thatd be sweet.

thanks

[nabraxas]

ginkgo biloba & brahmi are said to be useful.

if you are really interested the books Smart Drugs & Nutrients & Smart Drugs II both by Ward Dean (M.D.) & John Morgenthaler, are a must read.

a good overview ov these books is given here,-- a sample quote

(the authors) provide updates from Smart Drugs (1) on piracetam, acetyl-l-carnitine, vasopressin, and several vitamin therapies. Smart Drugs II offers profiles of agents such as l-deprenyl, melatonin, pregnenolone, DHEA and ondansetron (Zofran). There is also a provocative question-and-answer section; a discussion of product sources; and a guide to further reading.

p.s: welcome to the forum

Edited August 13, 2006 by nabraxas

[boop]

Thanks, ive done a bit of reading on both species. From what ive read about injestion, the Brahmi is better just eating the raw leaves. Would this be the right way to go, or should i go for finding some sort of extract to put into tea?

Also about the Ginkgo biloba, would it be practical to grow my own plants, harvest and make my own tea. Or is easier to just order Ginkgo tablets?

thanks.

[nabraxas]

easier to just order Ginkgo tablets i'd imagine. but i guess that takes the fun out ov things

[Stonehenge]

Piracetam is good for some people but it's not a plant.

[foolsbreath]

Bacopa monnieri (brahmi) is good, Ive grown it for years, easy to grow and fast, very bitter eating fresh leaves. I use dried leaves ina smoking mix or a little with a tea

[planthelper]

catha edulis or ephedra spp.

[-bijanto-]

Both Centella asiatica and Bacopa monnieri in this case have similar properties and in trade they are found in the markets as brahmi.

I've used to combining 2-3 fresh gotu kola leaves with rice or fried chips, taste good. It really has improved my memory. I've read it somewhere but I don't remember anymore what chemicals are in the leaves.

Here's the picture of my gotu kola plant:

Edited August 15, 2006 by -bijanto-

[boop]

Cool, thanks for the info. Sorry if this has been already explained thousands of times before.

I had a look around a few nursery's in Toowoomba (im getting out very soon), and nothing. I wasnt really expecting to find anything. Im going to be coming down brissie way next weekend and if you guys know of any nursery's that may stock these plants id like to know where to find them.

Im also looking for a few other plants such as Patchouli, and a few tea plants. Which is another question i have, do nursery's ever sell Jasminum sambac, or maybe camellia sinensis? Or is there some issue with tea company's?

Khat also sounds very interesting...

thanks.

Edited August 16, 2006 by boop

[SaBReT00tH]

Someone mentioned smoking brahmi, I enjoy smoking Gotu Kola. May be placebo but it feels very mysterious when I inhale and like I can feel it's psychic properties. Again may be placebo but I believe if I take gotu kola, brahmi and gingko for several weeks (maybe around 8 weeks) 2 times per day it has enabled approximately 2-3 seconds of occasional precognitive ability, for weeks after, I shit you not. I enjoy drinking gotu kola and gingko teas 2 weeks before exams, but beware, too much will cause over-photo sensitivity meaning any kind of daylight will be very bright and you'll be squinting a lot more temporarily. Brahmi is so frigging bitter that I believe the only way to consume it is in raw form, barely chewing so as to avoid the foul bitter flavour (followed by a long skull of water or other chaser liquid) or by buying the extracted form of brahmi [usually Brahmi complex which includes added Gingkosides] from supermarkets (but that is very expensive $20 for maybe 3 weeks supply or so).

Edited August 15, 2006 by SaBReT00tH

[-bijanto-]

I think gotu kola (pennywort) should work in long term. Here are two recipes from "The Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon, Periplus Editions" that I copy from "Plant Detective Website":

Plant Detective "Gotu Kola" Page

I've found the fresh gotu kola drink that I make from actual leaves taste good. Just need water, sugar, blend and (optionally) strain. The colour of very fresh drink is attractive bright green but will soon turn into unappealing dark green if you let it sit for say half an hour or so.

Asian (esp. Vietnamese) restaurants/groceries usually stock some canned gotu kola drink (rau ma). I havent tried the canned version but some ppl said the canned version is shit, it isn't going to taste as fresh/nutritious as if made from scratch.

Jono, I think Herbalistic is selling some patchouli plants:

http://www.herbalistics.com.au/shop/produc...products_id=163]Herbalistic's Patchouli Page[/url]

I do have Tea plant, unfortunatelly I'm in Indonesia and your customs wouldn't allow import.

[teonanacatl]

i use brahmi ginko tabs for uni and they are worth it, i used to eat the brahmi from my garden but that involved growing 5 foam boxes chockers full cos of the dose per day, fresh was best. I did notice that i gotmore memory effects from the tabs also high photosensitivity but that goes away within a week or two of not taking it. I was previously doing 2 tabs per day but now i do one will up it around exams. Gotu kola focuses me after eating a leaf, clears mental confustion.