The herb that nearly got away

Everyone wishes they had a better brain. Now scientists have discovered that a new extract from an old herb can help us do just that, and more. Chaucer, in the Canterbury Tales, called it the ‘Parwynke’. The French called it the Sorcerers’ Violet, because it was used to drive out evil spirits. We call it the Periwinkle. But none of its former uses prepared scientist for what they were about to discover.
    Reviewing claims made by centuries of herbalists, Hungarian researchers decided to put the Periwinkle to the test. And they found that the Periwinkle had powers that even Culpepper had not suspected.

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First they focused on an extract of the herb that they called vincamine. As a result of that research, vincamine has been used to treat senile dementia around the world. But it has side effects. Later researchers narrowed their investigation down to an ingredient derived from vincamine, called vinpocetine. Vinpocetine, they found, has similar functions to vincamine, but without the side effects. It is also two to four times more potent than vincamine for improving cerebral circulation and memory.

Viagra® for the brain
Of course, one doesn’t need to have senile dementia to enjoy the benefits of vinpocetine.
We all lose our keys and wonder what we’ve come upstairs for. And we’d all like to be smarter. This is how Vinpocetine can help our brains:
• Enhances long-term and short-term memory
• Increases recall
• Improves blood flow in the brain
• Increases brain-cell energy function
• Improves glucose and oxygen usage in the brain

  Two of the greatest threats to our brain are not getting enough oxygen, and not getting enough blood flow, because it’s the blood that brings oxygen and glucose to the brain cells. Vinpocetine, researchers found, helps protect against both these threats. Ironically, it does this by acting in the same way on the brain as Viagra does on the genitals – by relaxing muscles that allow more blood flow.

Vinpocetine’s target is the brain, however, and (sadly!) has no effect on the genitals.

How does it work?
Vinpocetine also thins the blood and improves the flexibility of red blood cells so they can squeeze themselves into tight spaces. This helps the blood travel more easily through tiny capillaries to the farthest reaches of the brain. Without flexibility, cells can get stuck, forming a blood clot and blocking blood flow to the brain cells.
(For this reason, vinpocetine is an excellent herbal supplement to take after a stroke).
But one of the most extraordinary benefits of vinpocetine is its ability to enhance memory function. There have now been thousands of scientific studies of vinpocetine, showing that it is a powerful enhancer of both long and short-term memory.
And because it increases blood flow and oxygen, it is ideal for athletes who want to enhance their performance by increasing brain oxygenation, such as skiers, mountain climbers, and high-altitude hikers.
The big surprise, though, is that vinpocetine has been found to improve eyesight and hearing as well. There is evidence that it can help prevent or relieve tinnitus, and that it protects hearing against the effects of aging and noise pollution.
Even more significantly it seems to help improve age related macular decline, and makes eyesight sharper and more vivid, even in those with no significant loss of vision.