How "WKUP GT" herbal mix boosts focus and thinking post-lunch

Jim Crocker
19th February, 2024

Image Source: Natural Science News, 2024

Have you ever felt that post-lunch slump where your brain feels a bit foggy, and concentrating on your work seems like a Herculean task? Well, researchers are always on the lookout for safe and effective ways to help us maintain our cognitive sharpness throughout the day. Recently, a team of scientists decided to investigate a low-caffeine beverage concocted from a mix of carob, guarana, green tea, and elderberry extracts—dubbed "WKUP GT"—to see if it could give our attention and cognitive functions a little boost after lunch. The study was set up as a pilot trial—a sort of scientific taste test, if you will. Thirty folks rolled up their sleeves to participate in this rigorous experiment, all with the goal of finding out whether this "WKUP GT" could actually make a difference in staying mentally on the ball. Now, picture this: each participant gets to sip on five different beverages across different days. The drinks are handed out randomly, and include a placebo (that's the scientific term for a fake treatment that should have no effect), "WKUP GT" at single, double, or triple doses, and another drink simply labeled "caffeine" to act as a familiar standard since we already know caffeine can perk up the brain. The researchers had a clever trick up their sleeves—they used a well-respected set of computerized brain games known as the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, or CANTAB for short, to objectively measure how the drinks affected various mental functions. These tests are kind of like the Olympics of cognition, with each game testing different brain skills like memory, attention, and problem-solving. Participants played these brain games twice after munching on their lunch: once after half an hour and then again after two hours. A bit like checking in to see if the cognitive cogs were turning more smoothly or if they were still stuck in the post-lunch daze. So, what happened? Let's spill the beans—or should I say, the tea leaves? It turned out that knocking back either "caffeine" or "WKUP GT" did indeed sharpen up certain aspects of thinking. The ability to process information quickly, a handy skill when trying to absorb a lot of data rapidly, got a significant boost in those who had consumed "WKUP GT" single and double doses and the caffeine drink, especially two hours after lunch. Meanwhile, the "WKUP GT" triple went the extra mile, even giving memory a leg up. It's worth mentioning that multitasking—juggling different tasks at the same time without getting your mental wires crossed—also got a lift from the "WKUP GT" double dose after 30 minutes and from both the "WKUP GT" triple dose and "caffeine" after two hours. Now, I bet you're wondering, what about the side effects? After all, anything that wakes up the brain could potentially send the heart racing too. Well, here's the good news: "WKUP GT" seemed to keep its promise of being low caffeine. It didn't send blood pressure soaring, which sometimes happens with regular caffeinated drinks. In summary, the results are pretty intriguing. "WKUP GT" appears to not only nudge our attention, memory, psychomotor (that's a fancy term for coordination of movement and thought), and executive functions (complex skills like flexible thinking and self-control) in the right direction after lunch but also does this in a way that's gentle on the heart. These findings are pretty promising, especially for those of us seeking alternatives to the jittery highs and lows often associated with our beloved coffee. Still, it's early days, and more research is needed before we can say for sure that "WKUP GT" is the new go-to brain tonic. But who knows? With further study, this peppy potion might just become a staple for warding off the infamous food comas and keeping us sharp throughout the day. So the next time you're feeling a bit sluggish after lunch, there might just be a new brew on the block to help you get back in the game.

Herbs Nutrition Mental Health

References

Main Study

1) Effects of the active botanical blend "WKUP GT" on attention and cognitive functions after lunch in healthy volunteers.

Published 17th February, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1002/hup.2895

References

Main Study

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