Condition
Cognitive decline & memory
Age-related changes in memory, attention, and thinking speed — ranging from normal forgetfulness to mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
See a clinician
Some causes of cognitive decline & memory need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:
- Rapidly progressive decline over days to weeks (rather than years) — can signal a treatable or urgent cause.
- Getting lost in familiar places, or being unable to manage money, medications, or daily tasks safely.
- Marked personality or behaviour change — new apathy, disinhibition, paranoia, or hallucinations.
- Sudden weakness, numbness, vision loss, facial droop, or trouble speaking — treat as possible stroke; call emergency services.
- Memory change with treatable contributors (thyroid problems, B12 deficiency, depression, sleep apnoea, medication effects) deserves a clinician's workup.
What may help
Remedies studied for cognitive decline & memory, ranked by strength of evidence.
- C Asian ginseng herb
Cochrane found no convincing cognitive benefit; a 2024 meta-analysis found at most a small memory-specific effect and nothing for overall cognition, attention, or executive function.
- C Bacopa monnieri herb
May modestly improve memory free recall and speed of attention after ~12 weeks of daily use; trials are small and short, with little effect in other cognitive domains.
- D Ginkgo biloba herb
The large GEM trial found no reduction in dementia (and if anything the wrong direction), and Cochrane judged its effect on existing dementia 'inconsistent and unreliable'.
Much of what protects thinking long-term is unglamorous — sleep, exercise, blood-pressure control, hearing care, social and mental activity. Supplements have a poor track record here: the honest picture below is one modest signal (bacopa) and a well-studied disappointment (ginkgo).