Brain-Boosting Herbs | Short

Hi, this is Rita Hogan and welcome to the Dogs are Individuals podcast. I'm a clinical canine herbalist and I've been practicing for over 20 years. This podcast is all about your dog.

Through an herbal lens.

So let's get to it and dive right in.

Hey, everyone, welcome back to another short shorty.

Short, short. This is Reid Hogan and we are.

Talking about cognition in our short today. This is going to be a more of a, you know, kind of bl out informational session so that you can think about your own cognition. And this applies to humans as well, right? This applies to humans as well. I want to thank Green Juju for sponsoring our little shorts because without them I wouldn't be here. And they have some new formulas out and I've tried them all. So we have freeze dried bay lease blend with cleavers.

Okay.

Cleavers, one of my favorite herbs. So proud of them for putting cleavers in there. And then we have freeze dried golden blend with bee pollen. Bee pollen is just a big superfood and it has so many vitamins and minerals. I love that. So a great topper there. And then the freeze dried vitality blend.

Okay.

That has fruits and vegetables. It has raspberries, purple carrots, and purple cabbage. It's a purple blend. They have frozen versions of the vitality as well. Absolutely love that. And so check them out. I'll be carrying the new freeze dried versions in my store by the middle of February. So. Excited? Excited. Okay, let's get into cognition. Okay, let's get into cognition. Just want to tell you a little bit about some things that you might have to take notes or come back and take notes or. I think that. I think my podcast has notes. I'm not positive. I think it does. And if it doesn't, we'll figure out how to get some notes on there. So herbs for cognition.

Okay.

So I was on a podcast yesterday talking about this and I thought. I don't think I talked about cognition on my podcast. So let's do a short. So ginkgo bibola. Okay. It is an antioxidant, which oxidative stress is huge for cognition. We want to bring down oxidative stress. It supports blood flow to the brain. I like to use the phytoembryonic therapy of this remedy. It has less side effects. It's gentler. It's gentler. So you can use the tincture or a capsule, but I like to use the phytoembryonic therapy and you can use it for almost every dog. It's pretty neutral. I have had pretty good success with it in clinic. So there's that. And then the next one is a plant that I love and that is gotu kola. Gotu kola, Gotu kola. I would say it definitely enhances cognitive function.

Okay.

It increases it, but it also promotes relaxation in the body and it supports brain health. It brings down tension, it helps with connective tissues. It's a little on the cooling side.

Okay.

It's a little on the cooling side and it's really a great one to try firsthand. You can use it as a infusion, you can use it as a tincture, you can use it as a powdered supplement. In fact, it works really good in powdered form. And then you have Bacopa. That is a plant that's I would say neuroprotective. It helps protect the nervous system in the brain neurons in general. It helps with memory. And yes, our dogs have memory. It helps with cognitive function. I like to use it in a formula and I know that myco dog has a good mushroom formula with Bacopa in it. It can be stimulating. So when you use Bacopa, use it like in a formula or by itself. But don't add anything else so that you know how your dog reacts to it.

Okay.

That's all I'm saying. It can be stimulating. And then we have things like ashwagandha. Ashwagandha reduces stress. It's an antioxidant, it is neuroprotective, it supports the nervous system. These are all good things that help with brain health. It is warming, it's good for cool dogs. And another warming remedy that's good for brain cognition is curcumin. It's another antioxidant. It's anti inflammatory. You don't need large amounts of it.

Okay.

Our sponsor Green Juju has a lovely turmeric that you can buy from their company. I absolutely love it. And then we have things like rosemary. Rosemary is an antioxidant. It helps with circulation in the brain. It helps with brain function. You can use it dried, you can use it fresh. You can use it as a tincture, you can use it as a glycerate. Love, love, love it. You can have your dog self select the essential oil. Do not use that essential oil if your dog has had seizures. And don't use that essential oil internally ever.

Okay?

Just self selecting, taking the cap off and letting them take a whiff.

Decaffeinated green tea.

Decaffeinated green tea contains L theanine and that promotes relaxation.

Okay?

It promotes relaxation like the gotu kola. But it also, when it relaxes the brain, it helps the brain focus and it's an antioxidant. So green tea on your dog's food. Good choice. Lion's mane mushroom. It's neuroprotective. It can actually help regenerate neurons. It supports brain health. It supports the nervous system. It's awesome. You don't need a lot for its effects and other things, like things that your dogs can eat. Coconut oil, okay? Coconut oil. We just brought in the cocoa therapy into our little canine herbalist store. But coconut. Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides.

Okay.

Which is an excellent source of energy for the brain. And you don't need a lot. You can just use a small amount. I highly recommend coco therapy for coconut oil. I love that. I love their coconut oil. They've been in the coconut oil business for a long time. And those ladies are lovely. Omega 3 fatty acids, very, very important.

Okay?

And if you don't know if your dog is good on omega 3 fatty acids, you can use the omegaquant D and test their fatty acids, which I'm, you know, I'm a big tester. I like to test to see where my dogs are at. Other mushrooms that are good for cognition is like reishi mushroom. Reishi mushroom is slightly warming, but it reduces inflammation. It's an antioxidant. It modulates the immune system. So it gives the immune system what it needs to function for your individual dog. And it helps. It's an adaptogen. It's mild adaptogen, and it can help your dog manage stress. Next up is Cordyceps. Cordyceps is stimulating.

Okay?

You're going to be purchasing Cordyceps militarius because if someone's telling you that you're purchasing Cordyceps sinensis, they're most likely lying because it's super hard to acquire and it's extremely expensive. So the cultivated version of Cordyceps is Cordyceps militarius. If someone tells you you're getting the sinensis, ask them how they are acquiring it. And ask them information.

Okay.

Because it comes out. It comes out of the, of a caterpillar, basically.

Okay?

So that's very, very hard to produce and weird, but very, very hard to produce. So check your, your Latin names on the cordyceps that you are getting. But it's very stimulating. It helps oxidative stress. It helps, like oxygen levels, how the body uses oxygen, which is very important for brain health. So it's a Super antioxidant. It definitely, definitely supports the immune system. And again, it's quite stimulating and it's very warming. So make sure your dog is a cool dog when they use cordyceps unless it's in a very cooling formula. Maitake mushroom, which is cooling, it supports brain function, it supports improving the circulation to the brain. So it definitely like if your dog is warm to hot, can't use rosemary, can't use cordyceps, is intolerant of it. Maitake is a good alternative. It helps reduce inflammation because it's an anti inflammatory and it's great for brain health. And then turkey tail is an antioxidant, a super antioxidant that supports brain health and pretty much overall, I would say overall functioning in your pet. So that's a good choice too. One thing that another mushroom I really like is oyster mushroom King oyster mushroom and because it's a super antioxidant, but it also contains compounds that enhance blood flow circulation and reduce oxidative stress in the brain. So that has been scientifically proven and, and oyster mushrooms are often overlooked. So we love them. And they are a good source of ergothioneine, which really is a longevity component of certain mushrooms. Okay, so that, you know, is a little rundown of what can be used herbally and mushroomly. Is mushroomly a word? Probably not, but herbaly and mushroomly for dogs. Now food, we did mention omega 3 fatty acids. Okay, so fish, wild caught fish, salmon, sardines, mackerel.

Okay.

Also if you feed your dog fish oil, make sure that it is clean, you know, cleansed of heavy metals. Nordic Naturals has a good fish oil if you're into fish oil. Also freshly ground flaxseed is good as well, but it needs to be freshly ground. And you know, anything that has flavonoids. Now green Juju's red blend that I talked about and anything orange, they've got a lot of orange blends as well. Are very high in flavonoids, so they can help protect the brain and oxidative stress. You want high flavonoids in your dog's diet and in your diet. Blueberries are a great source of flavonoids. Pumpkin seeds are very good for supporting brain health. And they also are anti parasitic. They're high in zinc and magnesium and reduce anxiety. So you can ground them up and put a little sprinkle in your dog's food. And then we have pasture rates. Eggs really high in choline. That's a neurotransmitter, supportive substance. And helps with brain function. I mentioned coconut oil, organic green leafy vegetables, spinach, kale, parsley, chard, collard greens, things like that. Love those. They're really high in antioxidants and high in vitamin C and K and all of those support brain health. Bone broth. Bone broth is awesome for the gut. It's high in amino acids, it's high in collagen, and all of those benefit brain and immune health. Okay, so oh, one last honorable mention is beets. Beets are good. They're cooling, they improve circulation and they are antioxidant and they help with brain function. So I did want to mention beets.

Okay.

And then small amounts of ferments can help with brain function. And I think that's about it for the long list of things that can help you with cognitive function.

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To you in our next episode.

The content of this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for veterinary care. This podcast doesn't constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, talk to your doctor, veterinarian or healthcare provider first before starting anything new.

And that includes herbs.

I'm not a doctor and I don't treat disease or persistent prescribe anything. I'm a traditional herbalist providing herbal support education only regarding any products I may suggest. The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information is presented here on the Podcast is not meant as a substitute or alternative to information from your vet. Please consult your veterinary professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any production.