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Increasing Shen – How to Enhance Learning, Beat Depression, and Chill Out

Within Traditional Chinese Medicine lies a fundamental and unique concept, that of the Three Treasures. The Three Treasures lay at the foundation of how TCM works – build up your Jing energy for a long life and strong resilience; improve your Qi so as to have plenty of day to day energy; and enhance and build up your Shen energy, that faculty of mind that leads to wisdom, peace and tranquility.

We already discussed one of them, Jing, in some detail, but what I want to focus on today is Shen, that faculty of your higher mind. Shen can be defined in many ways, but is commonly described as being the seat of the higher mind, your spirit, consciousness, and the domain of thought, memory and emotion. To have strong Shen is to be mentally quick, happy, joyful, and content, and to not be forgetful, lethargic, depressed, angry or anxious.

What I find really interesting about things like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, the equivalent Indian system of healthcare, is how they are able to understand all the effects a substance is having on the body, without ever being able to isolate certain compounds or measure acute changes within a person’s biochemistry.

Luckily for us today, we are able to accomplish this and measure all the minutia within a substance and the subsequent changes occurring in our body. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

Reishi Mushroom

Reishi is the star of the show when it comes to Shen substances, and in fact is the number 1 ranked herb out of 365 medicinal substances within TCM. First described over 2,400 years ago, it was said of Reishi that “if eaten customarily, it makes your body light and young, lengthens your life and turns you into one like the immortal who never dies.”

Of red Reishi, it was said that “it is good for the Qi (functional activities) of the heart including mental activities, it tonifies the Spleen, increases wisdom, improves memory so that you won’t forget, long-term consumption will lighten your body, you will never become old, it lengthens years, it has spiritual power, and it develops Shen so that you become a ‘spirit-being’ like the immortals.”

That’s some lofty descriptions of a mushroom, I’d say.

So I dug deeper. On PubMed alone, there are 1,195 studies on Ganoderma Lucidum, and that’s just one strain of reishi mushroom. And while it has proven benefits on everything from the liver, to the immune system to allergies, we’re here to focus on its possible Shen-enhancing effects.

Reishi mushroom has BDNF- and NGF-like effects within the brain. Both BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and NGF (nerve-growth factor) promote the growth of new brain cells, enhance synaptic connections between existing neurons, and serve to protect neurons from damage. Both BDNF and NGF enhance learning and memory. Further, many studies show a link between low levels of BDNF and depression.

So from Reishi’s BDNF- and NGF-like effects alone, it’s able to help with depression, memory, and learning, as well as help prevent damage to the brain from stress, drugs or alcohol, and help ward off cognitive decline as we age. Not bad.

A simple hot-water extract of reishi exhibited anti-depressant effects in mice, as well as helped to prevent freezing up in the face of fear, and pretreatment of a hot water extract proved to be neuroprotective.

All in all, I’d say reishi mushroom fits the bill of a Shen-enhancing substance, and remember, this is all in addition to proven anti-cancer, anti-allergy, liver-protective and immune-enhancing benefits. I’ve used plenty of reishi products over the years – I suggest getting a liquid dual-extracted tincture, so that you get both the water- and the alcohol-soluble components, as they all have different functions in the body. You can also get a powdered extract that contains reishi mushroom spores – these spores have the same effects as the alcohol-soluble constituents, but are hundreds of times more potent.

When it comes to Reishi supplements, you really get what you pay for. Dragon Herbs carries some really interesting Reishi products, all of which are also concentrated to be even more potent –

they have a dual-extracted Purple Reishi, as the purple variety is said to have the most Shen energy;
a dual liquid extract of 22 different varieties of reishi, which I promise you can not find anywhere else;
a Wild Reishi dual-extracted tincture – this is cool because wild herbs are almost always more potent than those grown by humans, but are much more difficult to collect;
as well as an extremely potent bottle of Reishi Spore Oil – if anyone really likes my website, feel free to buy me some of this, as it is not cheap.

Count the Reishis — A Chinese painting honoring Reishi mushroom

Polygala

Polygala is another premier Shen-enhancing herb. It has sometimes traditionally been called the “Will Strengthener“, helping both spiritual practitioners and common folk alike increase their will power. What biological effects this herb would have to have upon the body to increase will power, alas, I do not know.

It’s also traditionally been said to be able to connect the sexual energy of the reproductive system with that of loving, altruistic energy of the heart. As such, polygala has been used as one of the premier Shen-enhancing herbs used throughout the ages. Does it hold up to Western scientific scrutiny?

One 2009 study concluded that treatment with polygala led to improved memory and learning, and even ameliorated some of the deleterious effects of the amnesia-producing drug scopolamine. The authors noted that “the expression of BDNF was also greatly enhanced in the hippocampus.”

A 2014 study found strong anti-depressant effects, noting that the main constituent studied, Yuanzhi-1, had a stronger affinity to dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine receptors in the brain than a commonly prescribed pharmaceutical anti-depressant. This means it improves depression through 3 distinct pathways more effectively than a drug approved by the FDA, without side effects.

Do you often have trouble finding motivation to get things done, even if they are activities that should excite you? Another 2014 study found that polygala administration not only had “rapid-onset anti-depressant” effects, but also that it helped reverse anhedonia, the scientific term for having a lack of motivation for, and lack of pleasure in, common every day activities.

Polygala is neuroprotective; enhances memory; attenuates beta-amyloid plaque build up (one of the main factors in Alzheimer’s disease) and promotes neurite growth; and also improves synaptic transmission, or the ability of cells within the brain to communicate effectively.

Polygala is a bit harder to find than reishi mushroom, but don’t despair – Dragon Herbs offers a very nice product I’ve used in the past called Will Power. Polygala is the main herb used, but the product also has a number of other Shen-enhancing herbs.

If you’re looking for straight polygala, you can buy 100 grams of a 5:1 extract here, which is the product I’m currently using. I gotta say, things have been looking bright since I started taking it.

In conclusion, it seems those ancient Chinese sages were on to something when it comes to “Shen” substances that improve emotions and enhance the intellect. There are plenty of other Shen herbs out there as well – pearl and dragon bone, which have Shen-grounding effects, albizzia flower, which is one of the most uplifting herbs I’ve ever used, spirit poria, and more – I’ll try to have more info up soon about some of these herbs.

For now, get your hands on some reishi and polygala, and let me know what you think in the comments below. And don’t forget to contact me if you’re interested in learning how to take a multi-targeted approach to beating depression and anxiety, or how to enhance learning, memory and mental acuity.

5 Simple Tips to Stay Trim During the Holidays

Let’s admit it – the holidays are a terrible time for weight loss, between all the parties, the rich dinners and the holiday treats.

Lucky for you, there are some simple strategies you can use to help keep some of the extra pounds off this holiday season.

1. Workout before a big meal or party

Do you ever feel guilty after eating a ton of junk food at a holiday party, or after a big holiday meal? The truth is, you don’t have to. In fact, strategic gorging on food, even somewhat unhealthy food, can help you build muscle and lose weight.

The best way to do this is by eating healthy during the rest of the week, and when the day of the party arrives, make sure to get a strenuous workout in right before the party. This makes muscle tissue more sensitive to the hormone insulin, while simultaneously making fat cells less sensitive to insulin. This means that the food you consume immediately after a strenuous workout is preferentially used to build and repair muscle tissue, and less likely to be stored away as fat.

Bonus tip – consume a casein protein shake with chia seeds right after the workout and prior to the party. Casein is a type of protein that is very slow digesting, helping to curb hunger. Chia seeds absorb moisture and expand in the stomach, also helping to create a feeling of fullness. The net result is less food consumed at the party without feeling like you’re depriving yourself. If you’re a vegan or sensitive to dairy products, use a quality hemp protein powder.

2. Drink Smart

Choose your holiday libations wisely. The higher in sugar your alcoholic drink is, the more likely you are to put on the weight.

Worst offenders – spiked eggnog, beer, sweet wines and sugary mixed drinks.

White Russians are unadvisable as well. — White Russians would be unadvisable as well.

Middle of the road – Dry white and red wines, and low sugar cocktails (think a martini)

Best bets – clear liquors with soda water and a lime/lemon. Think a vodka and soda, gin and soda, etc. Straight liquors, liquors on the rocks, as well as watered down liquors are great options too, such as a bourbon and water or a bourbon neat.

Bonus Tip – Use a good antioxidant to help prevent hangovers. My favorites for this purpose are astaxanthin and CoQ-10, 4 mg and 400 mg per every 2-3 drinks, respectively. Both of these are powerful antioxidants that make it to the brain to help mitigate some of the damage caused by alcohol consumption.

You can also use L-Theanine at the end of the night to speed up the rate the body breaks down alcohol, and promote a deeper sleep. And remember to hydrate!

3. Keep your stress levels down

I personally find holiday shopping to be the bane of my existence. Holiday shopping can be pretty stressful, and unfortunately all that extra stress leads to weight gain.

Excess stress makes you gain weight due to a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol has many necessary functions within the body – however, when your body releases cortisol in excess in response to stress, your body begins to store extra fat, especially around the midsection.

Good thing there are a few ways to help keep excess cortisol in check.

Ashwagandha – Ashwagandha is one of the best ways to reduce stress and lower cortisol, and it’s easy as just popping a few pills. This 2012 study showed that

“Ashwagandha root extract exhibited a significant reduction in scores on all the stress-assessment scales on Day 60, relative to the placebo group. The serum cortisol levels were substantially reduced in the Ashwagandha group, relative to the placebo group.”

Ashwagandha also increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps protect brain cells, helps the brain make new connections between neurons (leading to faster learning and better memory retention), and is also a potent anti-depressant. Add to this the fact ashwagandha improves thyroid functioning, which is one of the main endocrine glands in charge of your metabolism, and is an aphrodisiac, and you have one hell of an herb. This patented, full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha is only $14.

Yoga has been proven time and again to be a very effective way to reduce stress. This study shows that it was more effective than medication in both reducing cortisol and in its antidepressant effects – and it’s free.

Phosphatidylserine is another natural supplement that is proven to reduce cortisol, though is a bit more expensive than ashwagandha.

4. Don’t eat or drink 2-3 hours before bed time

Did you know that you can burn fat while you sleep? Keep your dinner light, low in carbs and make sure to have it 2-3 hours before your normal bedtime.

Leptin is a hunger-suppressing, fat-burning hormone that is naturally released sometime around sunset. However, leptin won’t be released if there is insulin in the bloodstream, and insulin is released in response to food intake, especially carbs. This is why dinner should be light, early and low in carbs, to make sure insulin has cleared the bloodstream in time for leptin to be released.

Insulin also hampers the release of another fat-burning hormone called adiponectin, released soon after sunset. Then around midnight, leptin enters a region of the brain that signals for the body to start burning fat for energy and to increase thyroid output – but only if insulin hasn’t been hanging around.

Bonus tip – keep breakfast low in carbs too. Cortisol is highest in the morning, which acts like a natural caffeine to help us wake up. But don’t forget that cortisol is also a powerful fat-storing hormone as well.

Because cortisol increases fat storage, it’s best to make your breakfast low in carbs, instead having a healthy mix of protein, low-carb, high-fiber veggies/fruits, and with a small to moderate amount of fat.

Think an omelet with onions, mushrooms and peppers, a smoothie with berries, chia seeds, protein powder and unsweetened almond milk, or even a breakfast salad.

5. Lose weight with just 4 minutes per day

Anything that promises weight loss within such a short period of time is usually a massive red flag that it’s a complete marketing gimmick. For once, this appears to not be the case.

Tabata training is method of high intensity interval training (HIIT) that is completed in just four minutes.

How can only a four minute workout improve fitness and help you lose weight? To sum it up in one sentence – It’s a bitch.

Tabata involves eight rounds of 20 seconds of all-out effort exercise with 10 seconds rest. The key word here is all-out effort – if at the end of the eight rounds you feel you could do more, you weren’t going hard enough.

What would this look like in the gym? Hop on a stationary bike, and spend a few minutes getting warmed up. After five minutes or so, go all-out sprinting on the bike for 20 seconds. Then pedal lightly for 10 seconds, followed by another all-out sprint for 20 seconds, and then 10 seconds of light pedaling. That’s one minute, and two rounds.

At this point, if you’re new to this type of training, take a minute’s rest. Then do another two rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, followed by another minute’s rest. Complete only 8 rounds, for a total of four minutes of active exercise.

If you’re in really good shape or have already been doing this protocol for a few weeks, feel free to try to go the whole four minutes without any minute long breaks.
As you can tell from the graph above from the original study, the group that did 6 weeks of hour long endurance training hardly improved in anaerobic capacity, while the Tabata interval training group improved drastically – with only 4 minutes of active work each day.

I don’t suggest Tabata training to be your only method of exercise, but during the busy holiday season, it’s a great way to squeeze in a workout when you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

Looking for other ways to lose weight?

Contact me.

Cistanche – One of the Most Versatile Jing Herbs in all of TCM

Which would you rather have? More beautiful skin, more energy, better cognitive abilities or (drum roll please) a stronger libido?

If you answered all of the above, Cistanche is the herb for you.

I’ve been wanting to do a post on Cistanche for a while now. Cistanche is considered a Jing-enhancing substance within Traditional Chinese Medicine. To enhance Jing means to delay aging, improve fertility, enhance cognition, boost the immune system and optimize hormones – you can read more about Jing here. It’s considered a Yang Jing herb, which means it’s energizing and increases drive and motivation.

Studies are starting to back up the traditional claims of Cistanche being a Jing-enhancing herb. Cistanche is hepatoprotective, analgesic and anti-inflammatory, and possesses anti-fatigue effects.

This study found that Cistanche increased sperm count and sperm motility by up to 2.7-fold and 1.4-fold, respectively. “The serum level of progesterone and testosterone in rats was also increased by CTE administration (p < 0.05)… Our results suggest that the increase in sex hormone levels could be mediated by the induction of testicular steroidogenic enzymes.” This is great news for men whose hormone levels are dropping or for those who are looking to have children.

Cistanche may even promote the growth of hair and prevent baldness.

Then there’s the study Cistanches Herba enhances learning and memory by inducing nerve growth factor. It concludes that cistanche “also stimulated NGF secretion in the cortex and hippocampus of the mouse brain at 5 and 20mg/kg/day (3 days, p.o.). Furthermore, CHE increased neuronal cell differentiation, neurite length, and synapse formation in the mouse hippocampus. CHE significantly enhanced learning and memory.. These results suggest that CHE is useful for improving memory function via its action in upregulating NGF.” This translates to a boost in memory and enhanced learning, and I’m not sure I know anyone who wouldn’t want to be smarter and quicker on their feet.

In this study they concluded that “Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed that serum containing Herba Cistanches or Herba Epimedii increased the expression of nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in injured MES23.5 cells… These findings indicate that Chinese medicines used to tonify the kidney can protect nerve cells by regulating the expression of apoptosis-related factors and neuro-trophic factors in MES23.5 cells.” Again, it’s like steroids for your brain.

What’s interesting is that in the above mentioned study, cistanche and epimedium, two Jing-boosting herbs, increased neurotrophic factors to a substantial degree, even more so than selegiline, a pharmaceutical marketed for cognitive decline. These two herbs are used traditionally for this exact purpose. You can buy quality epimedium here. Fair warning – it’s a very potent aphrodisiac.

This single herb not only delays fatigue and enhances fertility but also enhances memory, learning and improves cognitive function, giving it nootropic properties.

Finally, two companies joined forces with Peking University to study Cistanche, with many interesting results. They found that cistanche increases the body’s production of SOD (one of our most powerful endogenous antioxidants), inhibits hylauronidase and elastase thereby improving the plumpness and appearance of the skin, prevents photo-aging of the skin, increases amounts of neurotransmitters, improves learning and memory, is an aphrodisiac and more.

I can only agree with the above statements in terms of Cistanche’s subjective effects. It’s awesome that I only need one herb to improve mental performance, improve skin quality, increase energy and improve my mood. I don’t mind the uptick in libido either.

I’ve been using Jing Herbs’ Cistanche to good effect in my daily “Jing Drink”, though I’ll probably be trying Dragon Herb’s Desert Cistanche Drops soon.

Quick and Dirty Tips

My latest blog post is taking a while, so here are four quick tips to read in the meantime. Enjoy!

1. Coconut oil for weight loss, improved cognition, and boosted immunity – While coconut oil has definitely started to verge on becoming a fad, there are quite a few reasons to add it to your diet.

In place of other fats, coconut oil may aid weight-loss – 60% of the fat found in coconut oil are medium chain triglycerides, or MCTs. These shorter fatty acids bypass normal digestion and are absorbed straight into the bloodstream through the liver, where the body preferentially burns them as energy instead of storing them away as body fat.

The MCTs in coconut oil are readily converted to ketones, small molecules that the body can use for energy, just like it would for sugar. This provides an immediate supply of energy not only for muscles, but for the brain as well. While normal folk may enjoy a nice boost of clear headed energy from coconut oil, it’s especially important for those with Alzheimer’s disease, during which brain cells can become resistant to burning glucose, leading researchers to believe that some forms of Alzheimer’s disease to be a type of diabetes. However, these glucose-resistant brain cells have no problem utilizing ketones as a fuel source.

Finally, coconut oil is nature’s richest source of lauric acid, comprising nearly 50% of it by weight. Inside the body, lauric acid is converted to monolaurin, a powerful little compound with antiviral, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal and anti fungal properties, with many infections being unable to develop a resistance to it. Coconut oil also contains capric and caprylic acids, two more anti-fungal compounds.

My suggestion? Spend 20 bucks on a few months supply of coconut oil and use it in place of other fat sources. Concentrated MCT oil is also available.

2. Avoid Carbs in the Morning – Cortisol, a catabolic, fat-storing hormone, is highest in the morning.

This is actually a good thing, as it acts as a natural caffeine, waking you up and preparing you for the day. But because cortisol increases fat storage, it’s best to make your breakfast low in carbs, instead having a healthy mix of protein, low-carb, high-fiber veggies/fruits, with a small to moderate amount of fat.

Think an omelet with onions, mushrooms and peppers, a smoothie with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, chia seeds, protein powder and unsweetened almond milk, or even a breakfast salad.

3. Keep cortisol low to reduce stress, lower body fat and have more energy – Let’s get some things straight about cortisol – it is an absolutely essential hormone, responsible for proper energy levels, feelings of alertness, and even helps regulate blood sugar. The problem, as with all things health related, is the balance of cortisol. Too little and you’ll be plagued with fatigue; too much, and you’ll be constantly stressed, unable to put on muscle and unable to prevent fat gain, the dreaded skinny-fat.

Fortunately, as long as you haven’t dug yourself into adrenal fatigue, there are easy ways to lower cortisol to keep it right in that optimum range.

According to this study, yoga is an easy and effective intervention to reduce cortisol to a normal range –

The findings support that yoga may act at the level of the hypothalamus by its ‘anti-stress’ effects (reducing the cortisol), to bring about relief in depression.

Further, considering the fact yoga results in an almost 30% increase in GABA, our main calming neurotransmitter, you’re getting a one-two punch in reducing stress levels.

One of my most favorite herbs, ashwagandha, has a strong cortisol-lowering effect as well. According to a 2008 study, ashwagandha “significantly improved scores on a standardized measurement of stress intensity… Moreover, at the end of the study period subjects that received 500 mg of ashwagandha daily had cortisol levels nearly 30% lower than subjects who took a placebo, and their DHEA-s levels were significantly higher as well.”

DHEA is a mood-boosting, muscle-building, fat-reducing hormone that starts to decline each year starting in the early 30s, at roughly 2% a year. Any increase you can get in DHEA is a good thing.

You can also use phosphotidylserine, a phospholipid naturally present in milk and soybeans. This study states –

Pretreatment with both 50 and 75 mg BC-PS (phosphatidylserine) significantly blunted the ACTH and cortisol responses to physical stress.

You can buy 120 capsules at 100 mg each here.

4. Meditation lengthens life, improves cognitive processing speed, improves neuroplasticity, and delays the aging of the brain.

It’s incredible how certain single activities have such a multitude of benefits – exercise, yoga, looking before you cross the road. You can now officially add meditation to that list.

Meditation protects telomeres, which are the end caps on your DNA. Longer telomeres are positively associated with prolonged life, meaning anything that protects telomeres will likely lengthen your life. Meditation prevents the shortening of telomeres, thus likely lengthening your life.

Recent research at UCLA shows that meditation helps not only strengthen connections between existing neurons, but increases something called gyrification. This is the amount and thickness of folds in the pre-frontal cortex – more folds, more surface area, and an increase in memory and information processing speed.

As the study states, “there seems to be a positive correlation between cortical gyrification and intelligence (Luders et al., 2008)”, meaning an increase in gyrification (through meditation or other means) should increase intelligence as well.

A 2009 study concludes that,

meditation may reduce stress-induced cortisol secretion and this could have neuroprotective effects potentially via elevating levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)… In one cross-sectional study, meditation practitioners were found to have a lower age-related decline in thickness of specific cortical regions.

This means two things. First, because of a decrease in cortisol and an increase in BDNF, meditation is neuroprotective, protecting the brain against damage and stress, while at the same time increasing neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to form new connections between existing neurons.

Second, meditation prevents the age-related decline in grey matter, literally preventing the aging of the brain.

Not to mention meditation lowers stress, boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces pain and leads to a general increase in happiness and quality of living. Stay tuned for future articles on meditation and yoga, I’ll be getting pretty in depth with these topics.

Interested in how to utilize these concepts to get the most out of life? Contact me for a free initial consultation.