If you want to be a little smarter, increase the amount of magnesium in your diet.

The nutrient is one of the most vital for healthy brain functioning, something that becomes increasingly important as we get older.

High magnesium levels in your body can improve cognitive abilities and memory, and can stop the brain from deteriorating as we age, a new study confirms.

Beijing University recently tested magnesium levels on laboratory rats to see how their brain functioning improved. The rats given a high-magnesium diet displayed improved cognitive abilities compared with rats fed a standard diet, which is usually thought to contain sufficient magnesium for our body’s needs.

Aside from supplements, magnesium can be found in spices, nuts, in coffee and tea, and in green leafy vegetables, such as spinach.

(Source: Neuron, 2010; 65: 165-77).

From Linn:

The herb Valerian is also a very high source of Magnesium, but make sure  it has been dried for at least 12 months prior to use or it may cause nightmares. Best sourced from a herbalist making their own extracts and so knows the Valerian is correctly aged.

Almonds are also a good source of Magnesium

The flower essence Isopogon, taught in Level 1 Australian Bush Flower Essences Workshop and the combination Cognis, can also be of assistance.

That cup of coffee in the morning may be one of the healthiest ways to start the day, new research suggests.

Coffee lowers chronic inflammation and can even raise our level of the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. It may also have a protective effect against type II diabetes.

Researchers, who have been looking at the benefits of coffee drinking, have discovered that the drink contains several nutrients, such as calcium, and hundreds of biologically-active compounds, such as polyphenols, which aid good health.

(Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010; doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28548).