Humic Compounds for Brain Health: Miracle Grow for Your Brain

The most effective type of disease prevention is known as primary prevention. Prevention of an illness prior to its occurrence by leading a healthy lifestyle that is conducive to overall good health. While the definition may be simple, things become more complex when secondary prevention and tertiary prevention are added to the equation.

Brain health can be supported with a healthy diet that is balanced with healthy fatty acids, proteins, low sugars, vitamins, trace minerals and many pre-biotic agents. (1)

Though it may come as a surprise to many, gut health is directly connected to brain health. The connections are many, but some of the most prominent connections between the brain and the gut include:

• Gut probiotics lowering the inflammatory burden

• Nutrient absorption sends healthy nutrient levels to the brain

• Leaky gut directly influences nervous health and brain health

• Neurotransmitters play a huge role in gut health and some probiotics actively modulate neurotransmitters

The relationship between our probiotics and brain health does not stop there at all (4).

The brain, which accounts for 2% of the body’s weight, uses up to about 20% of the energy of the body. 

The high-powered organ uses up the energy created by mitochondria. Mitochondria are little battery-like organelles in the cells that make the energy currency used by every cell in the body. 

Science shows that they contain their own circular genetic material and can choose to divide independently of the nucleus of the cell. 

Evidence shows that mitochondria are very bacteria-like and may have been prokaryotic cell that signed a symbiosis contract with our own cells. 

The health of the hard-working, energy-producing mitochondria is highly associated with brain health and neurodegenerative disease.

Mitochondria are the orchestrators of the process of oxidative phosphorylation. 

As oxidative energy creators, they are significantly affected by nutrient profiles, toxic load and oxidative stress. (5, 6)

Antioxidants are shown to enhance both the energy transfer in the electron transport chain, as well as the efficiency of both energy creation as well as detoxification. (6)

Humus is a natural component of soil. Gardeners would know that adding peat moss to soil is a way to enhance nutrient content, but why?

Many assume that the breaking down of the moss provides the roots with “plant food”

While that in many ways is true the synergy is that of an ardent nature between soil microorganisms and the root system of plants. 

When plants come to the awareness that they are nearing the end of their lives, they concentrate all the nutrients in their roots. 

They push the nutrients out into the surrounding soil, but in order for the nutrients to be adequately absorbed by the surrounding root systems, small shuttles must facilitate the process.

Upon the breakdown and gradual decomposition of plant material soil microorganisms take the carbohydrate component of the nutrients in the soil and then use it for energy. 

In exchange, they produce humic compounds such as fulvic acid.

Fulvic acid is the smallest of the family and acts mainly as a shuttle that can bring nutrients in cells and push waste out of cells. (7)

Traditional cultures honoured the healing capacity of soil compounds. Shilajit for example, is a component of plant decay found usually in the Himalayas. Though referred to as tar or resin the glassy dark substance is actually the accumulation of humic compounds and unlike tar or resin is a water-soluble compound. (9)

Shilajit is used by traditional Ayurvedic medicine for more than 5000 years as an overall tonic used for digestive problems, and altitude sickness, to improve fatigue, to enhance sexual performance and to facilitate better healing. (9)

One limitation to Shilajit is that though natural in origin, unfortunately, many samples were found contaminated with heavy metals.

In such cases, including it in detoxification formulations almost does the exact opposite of what is needed as the contaminants gain deeper access into the cell. (10)