What Kinds of Energy-Generating Herbs Are There?
Some herbs act on our bodies to generate more energy. The effects of different herbal supplements vary: Some give our bodies a shot of energy but make us jittery, others claim to make us more mentally focused, while others help increase our energy by making our metabolism more efficient. Your choice of herbs to use for energy depends on what you need the energy for and how you react to these herbs.
Herbs With Alkaloids
A popular form of energy comes from herbal stimulants that contain alkaloids. According to an article by C. Leigh Broadhurst, Ph.D., on the website herbcompanion.com, herbs with alkaloids are commonly taken when users want a quick burst of energy, like right before a workout, or to wake themselves up in the morning for work or school.
Specific herbs in this family have varying effects, from the caffeine buzz you get from coffee and guarana, to the slightly more intense effect of ephedrine from ephedra, to the straight-out high you get from coca leaves, which contain cocaine.
Besides that spurt of energy, these herbs are also often used to control weight by increasing energy as well as suppressing the appetite.
Downside of Alkaloids
While herbs with alkaloids give your body the spurt of energy it needs, oftentimes the user pays for that spurt with increased fatigue when the herbs wear off. Energy levels can drop quite dramatically when the effect wears off, leaving users far more tired than before they took the herb.
Other effects may be uncomfortable: increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, cloudy thinking, jitters, aggression and elevated stress.
Also, users can become habituated, even addicted to these herbs, causing them to use progressively more of the herbs to get the same effect until the body cannot tolerate the increased levels of these alkaloids and begins to shut down.
Herbs to Enhance Performance
Other herbs do not by themselves give you energy but enhance your metabolic and mental processes. For example, varieties of ginseng have been proven to fight fatigue and keep you thinking clearly, while the schizandra root is known to increase endurance. People who need long-term energy, like students preparing for an exam, could use these herbs to prolong the levels of energy they do have without sacrificing the clarity of their thoughts.
Unlike herbs with alkaloids, performance-enhancing herbs do not show deleterious effects with long-term use. However, anyone with allergies to herbs like ginseng or schizandra should use caution.
Combinations
Many formulations of both kinds of herbs have been popular on the market for years. They come in the form of energy drinks, capsules and tablets.
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