Herbs that provide a boost to energy safely

[Kitsune]

Is pretty much what I'm asking about...

To get more in depth, while Coke's (and the occasional Monster) are fine as wake up juice for me, a friend at work says that because of the medications she is taking caffeine doesn't work on her anymore... Even the super-powered energy drinks do nothing to keep her alert.

She asked me if I'd heard of any other natural energy boosters, and while I said no, I offered to look and tell her what I found, so long as they were "safe" herbs to take.

I've been having trouble finding herbs that fit the bill.

Do you guys know of anything that would work as a natural energy booster that wouldn't mess with her medicines?

[Dark Waters]

There was a trend a little while back of liquid B vitamins (forgot which ones) dripped under the tongue to give an energy boost.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Rhodiola Rosea. It's an adaptogen and provides great energy.

However, if she's lacking on energy every day, she's best to look into nutritional deficiencies. I recommend the all-powerful green smoothie. Considering what people spend on energy drinks and coffee, even a superfood smoothie without the greens is cheaper and a helluva lot better. Sustained energy throughout the day, no crashes, no addiction. 2tsp raw cacao, 2 tsp maca, 1-2 handfuls goji berries, 1tbsp spirulina, 1 tbsp chlorella, 1tsp coconut butter, 1tsp mesquite, blended in 4 cups rice milk with optional fruit and greens. Today I added 2 oranges and 3 giant handfuls of spinach. Yummiest thing ever. Tasted like those orange chocolates.

Anyway, I never have troubles with energy unless I'm seriously sleep-deprived. But really, she needs to look at fixing the underlying cause of her fatigue. Nutritional deficiency runs rampant regardless of income or country. Stress is another factor. Better to fix the cause then wear out her adrenals over time, deplete her immune system, and basically run herself into the ground.

[runewulf]

Agreed and B complex including 12 will help, but only if you take a natural or liquid that gives you 25 - 50,000 times the daily requirement. B can drastically affect your alertness and energy level becaus e among other things, it helps your body produce acetylcoline (sp?), which is basically what allows the electrical currents in your brain to fire properly (among other stuff). Think of it as keeping the little electrical connections between brain cells working properly. A B deficiency can cause, as you'd expect, a lack of energy, clarity, mental acuity and/or focus. B is water soluble, so those doses are safe. If your body doesn't need it all, you'll simply pass it without harm, hence wanting only liquid or all natural, no filler capsule (GNC is the best I have found consistently for this, much as I hate to say it).

After this whole lecture, I'll refer you back to what CHL said, nutrition is off somewhere, maybe slightly, maybe greatly. I would recommend both the above by CHL & B complex, but also a review of diet. Ensure enough greens, veggies and fruits, if possible locally grown (crazy topic so I'm avoiding it for the moment) as it's better for you. Also good protiens and enough carbs and fats, but those should be the lowest. Chances are, somethings gone missing in the diet or the meds she is on are stipping her system of something or several somethings. I'm the same way, energy drinks barely effect me at all and then only when in a dose that would have a cardiologist readying his ER for a valve replacement for about 5 mintues after you finish drinking, so these days I don't do more than coffee or tea most of the time, as it's a waste of money for me. That said, I know from experience based on all their bloody drug experiments on me for migraines over the years that certain drugs or drug combinations can leach other things out of your system. Hela, one of the reasons you get a bad hangover is the vitamin B being stripped from your system by the alcohol. If youre a hangover sufferer and want to avoid the worst or all of it, drink a large gatorage right before bed when you're drunk and a double to triple dose of B complex, preferably liquid. Repeat in the morning and as a rule, you'll have a much reduced recovery time, if any. Gatorade or powerade of for the dehydration and electrolyte loss, but the B is the real kicker.

Bon chance,
RuneWulf