Helpful Herbs For Add

With ADD, or Attention Deficit Disorder, becoming more and more of an apparent epidemic, the question must be asked are there any herbs for ADD, any natural treatments we can give to kids instead of starting them on powerful prescription drugs at an early age? It's a question worth asking. ADD and ADHD are often treated with powerful drugs, drugs like Ritalin, which is basically the same as the street drug speed. Do you really want to be giving your child that powerful of a prescription before their body or mind is even fully developed? Luckily for me, I grew up in the age just before prescription drugs were widely given by doctors. As an early High school kid, I had so much energy that I often couldn't sleep at night, and would lay awake in bed for hours, sometimes all night. But instead of turning to drugs, I figured out natural ways to treat my overabundance of energy and inability to focus. There are some ideas below.

From what is known about ADD, it seems like a combination of two things. The first is an overabundance of energy. The second is an inability to focus. When you combine those two things, you get a bad pairing. In order to effectively battle ADD naturally, you most likely will have to treat both root causes. Unfortunately for the first root cause, an excess of energy can generally only be treated by one thing: less sugar, more exercise. When I finally got fed up with laying awake in bed all night, I finally just started exercising. I discovered that if I would exercise pretty strenuously a couple hours before bedtime, I would be able to sleep easy that night. Try exercise. It won't just curb the energy levels. Scientific study has shown that exercise releases positive chemicals in the brain, chemicals like serotonin that help us feel healthy and happy. Exercise is a component in healthy brain chemistry. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if a child has too much energy and has trouble focusing, they probably shouldn't be eating as much sugar, especially at breakfast. Try eating high protein breakfasts.

There are many different herbs and herbal supplements that are known for helping increase brain function and focus. Below are some examples along with what they do in the body.

1. Ginkgo Biloba. Ginkgo Biloba has been shown to have amazing mental enhancement properties. Studies have shown it to stimulate concentration, increase memory functions, and facilitate general higher brain function. This is a great place to start in the realm of herbs for ADD.

2. Tea. Many teas have combinations of herbs and spices that seem to help sooth the body and mind. Teas such as Chamomile and a variety of green teas help to release things like stress and tension, and they boost an overall sense of serenity. Try giving your child a cup of Chamomile tea in the morning with your high protein breakfast. There are many positive testimonials about Chamomile having great results.

3. Vitamin B Complex. Though this is not an herb, vitamin B complex has the 6 various forms of vitamin B that are each helpful in brain function.

4. Omega 3 Fatty Acid. This supplement is an amazing brain enhancer. It does a wide variety of things. Not only does it sensitize the brain to positive hormones like serotonin and dopamine, it also aids in the communication of brain cells, thereby helping retain higher brain function. A correlation has been shown between consuming Omega 3s and a reduction in chronic depression.