
There are many compounds and active constituents which actions and effects on memory, among others, is still not very well known or understood. For example, a significant improvement in cognitive functions and an enhanced working memory was reported on women receiving Ginger (Zingiber officinale) extract. It seems that oxidative stress plays a very important role on stress-induced cognitive impairment, something that apparently can be reduced by certain plants as Ginger (Zingiber officinale).
But Ginger is not the only plant that plays a role in what refers to the enhancement of cognitive functions, and more precisely memory. A study performed by Lee Fruson [6], an undergraduate student at the University of Calgary, shows how other dietary factors, namely the intake of dietary flavonoids, may also affect memory and cognition.
Lee Fruson, Sarah Dalesman and Ken Lukowiak, authors of the study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, focused on a particular type of flavonoids, the epicatechin (epi), found in cocoa, green tea and red wine, all those ones known to exert already many other beneficial properties in our bodies. Image: Snail by Lina under Creative Common license (CC BY 2.0).
THEOBROMA CACAO
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Theobroma
Common name: Cacao, cocoa.