Herbal remedies to combat low attention spans and ADD/ADHD have been on the market for decades, albeit not always in their current form.
Herbal Supplements for ADD
Herbal supplements for ADD have been around for generations, but only recently has these supplements’ effectiveness in dealing with ADD been discovered. That is why you will see many products that claim to be a safe, natural alternative to drugs like Ritalin. Many of them work on similar active ingredients and principles. It is true that you can use natural remedies for your child’s ADD, but you should know exactly what you are giving your child before you invest in a herbal supplement.
Attention Deficit Disorder (or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as it is now more commonly known) is a disorder affecting both children and adults that impedes their ability to focus on a single task or idea for a time span that has been determined to be ‘average’. This can result from many different causes, but it is now known that a deficiency in nor-epinephrine, a messenger chemical in the brain, is one of the prime culprits.
Herbal supplements for ADD seek to boost the body’s own production of this hormone. There are a number of different supplements on the market that claim to be able to do this, or to produce effects that heighten concentration, mental acuity or memory. Here’s a rundown of the most commonly known products.
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo biloba (also known as the Maidenhead tree) is a fascinating plant in its own rights, having no known close relation to any living tree on earth biologically. It has been used in food and traditional medicine for thousands of years. Recent clinical trials have shown that regular doses of ginkgo biloba to be highly effective in preventing the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact it remains one of the only substances on earth known to be able to do this.
In the short term it has (reported) positive effects on memory and retention, and general concentration and cognitive capacity.
Hyoscyamus
Hyoscyamus is one of a family of naturally-occurring supplements for ADD that has been proven in recent clinical trials to alleviate restlessness and over-excited behavior in children. It has enjoyed great success in the years since this trial’s results were published, as more and more families in America look for an alternative to Ritalin to control hyperactive or attention-deficit children. Unlike Ritalin, it has few of the mood-altering effects that have made this drug so notorious.
One or both of the above ingredients should be included in any supplements for ADD. There are, of course, many other herbs and plants available that are reputed to have attention-increasing properties, but the above two are the most widely proven. All ingredients which include these will include many other ingredients known for their ability to combat conditions like ADD, but as a safe bet it is probably most worthwhile to go for a supplement containing one or more of these compounds.