This Is Your Brain on Botanicals
In an age where science is king, remedies rooted in ancient healing traditions can often get dismissed as “woo-woo” or ineffective. But it’s time we kick that conception to the curb! It’s no accident that herbal wisdom has stood the test of time. In fact, with herbal remedies from Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine dating back thousands of years, modern science is only now catching up to why that may be.
The answer? Many bioactive compounds in traditionally revered botanicals interact with our bodies in ways that parallel modern medicine! Meaning herbalism and neuroscience are not at odds with each other; they’re synergistic.
This is why Radiant Mood®, our formula for all-natural mental health support, sits squarely at the intersection of both. We leveraged the knowledge of ancient herbal wisdom and modern science for mind-body benefits you truly can feel. Here’s why.
Neuroscience 101
The seven natural mood enhancers in Radiant Mood all impact the chemical messengers in your brain known as neurotransmitters. In a general sense, the bioactive compounds of these natural mood enhancers increase or decrease the activity of your neurotransmitters, which influence how you feel on an emotional, mental, and physical level.
When it comes to mood-based benefits, we’re largely talking about an increase in serotonin levels or an increase in dopamine (those classic “feel-good” chemicals), as well as the neurotransmitters GABA and glutamate (which help regulate the brain’s overall level of activation).
Meet the Natural Mood Enhancers
Each botanical ingredient in Radiant Mood is a SuperPure® herbal extract with standardized amounts of science-backed, bioactive compounds that interact with the brain.
So, let’s get into it. This is what your brain looks (and feels) like on botanicals:
Saffron Extract
The stigma of the saffron flower is traditionally used in Eastern medicine for mood imbalances. The stigmas contain a range of bioactive compounds, but most notable are crocins and safranal.
Crocins are understood to help prevent the reuptake of dopamine in the neuronal synapse, which due to dopamine’s influence on motivation and feelings of pleasure, helps promote an uplifted mood. Additionally, safranal has been shown to increase serotonin which helps foster a positive mood, as well as act on GABA receptors to help calm neuronal activation and promote restful sleep patterns.
Lavender Extract
While you can feel the therapeutic properties of lavender with one sniff of its beautiful blooms, the benefits don’t stop with aromatherapy.
Ingestible extracts of the L. angustifolia species, which is rich in bioactive compounds of linalool and linalyl acetate, have shown the ability to help ease restless thoughts and support restorative sleep. How? Linalool helps moderate the activity of glutamate. By helping to regulate the influence of this excitatory neurotransmitter, it's easier for the body and mind to sink to a sense of ease.
Gardenia Fruit Extract
Similar to saffron, crocins are the bioactive powerhouse of gardenia. And seeing as crocins are thought to increase dopamine levels in the brain, it’s no wonder that gardenia is revered for its ability to help foster a healthy, uplifted mood.
Lemon Balm Leaf Extract
A classic adaptogen, lemon balm leaf helps balance hormone levels to promote a healthy stress response and is used in traditional healing practices to help ease feelings of anxiousness.
With most clinical research focusing on the relationship between GABA and lemon balm, its bioactive compound called rosmarinic acid has been found to be a primary agent in increasing GABA levels in the brain. As a calming neurotransmitter, this interaction largely contributes to the stress relief benefits lemon balm is known for.
Magnolia Bark Extract
The calming benefits of magnolia bark are indicated by its ability to increase GABA and balance glutamate. Translation? It helps enhance the calming, balancing effects of GABA and moderate the excitatory effects of glutamate, contributing to a deep sense of calm.
Magnolia bark’s main bioactive compound of honokiols has shown efficacy in reducing perceived stress and occasional feelings of anxiousness with a standardized dose of about 11.25mg. To harness these same benefits, we concentrated the magnolia bark extract in Radiant Mood to contain 20mg of honokiol per serving.
Rose Flower Extract
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, rose petals are known to move and open a heart that’s feeling emotionally or spiritually closed off, helping to release the “stuck” energy. A wonderful nervine with mood-enhancing benefits, rose flower is brimming with beneficial compounds known as polyphenols.
Albizia Bark & Flower Extracts
Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years to help support a healthy mood, more modern studies have only recently caught up to understanding the way this “tree of happiness” impacts the brain.
Albizia’s primary bioactive compound of triterpenoid saponins largely supports the body’s natural balance between the sympathetic nervous system (aka “fight, flight, or freeze”) and the parasympathetic nervous system (aka “rest, digest, and restore”), as well as acting on serotonin receptors in the brain to help foster an increase in serotonin.
