Regrow brain cells lost to stress – Dr. Al Sears

Copied this from an email I received from Dr. Sears.

If you’re like most people, you probably think of stress as an emotional problem – something that makes you feel tense, anxious, and tired.

But the truth is, chronic stress doesn’t just make you feel bad…

It literally rewires your brain.

Stress shrinks your hippocampus. But adaptogen herbs can repair your brain – and stop anxiety in its tracks.

One of the main casualties is the hippocampus.

This small, walnut-shaped area of your brain is responsible for learning, short- and long-term memory, and emotional control.

Under normal conditions, your hippocampus can grow new neurons throughout life – a process called neurogenesis.

But when you are under constant stress, this growth grinds to a halt.

Let me show you what I mean…

When you’re feeling stressed, your adrenal glands flood your system with cortisol, the main stress hormone. Short bursts of cortisol are fine. They help you respond to danger.

But when cortisol levels stay high for too long, they become toxic to the brain.

Cortisol kills hippocampal brain cells in three ways:

First, it cuts off blood flow. Chronic stress constricts blood vessels and starves your hippocampus of oxygen and glucose – your brain’s lifeblood.

Second, it shuts down neurogenesis. Elevated cortisol tells your brain to stop making new neurons. Without fresh growth, your hippocampus starts to weaken and waste away.

Finally, it triggers inflammation. The same stress hormones that keep you “alert” also activate microglial cells – your brain’s immune defense system. And when these cells go rogue, they destroy healthy brain tissue.

MRI scans have shown that people under chronic stress – including caregivers and combat veterans – have smaller hippocampi than healthy controls.

Specifically, a study published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience found that stress can shrink your hippocampus by up to 15%.1

And a smaller hippocampus means worse memory – and a higher risk of depression, Alzheimer’s, and accelerated brain aging.

But here’s the part the medical establishment rarely tells you:

This shrinkage is reversible.

Your hippocampus can grow back – once you remove stress.

At the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine, I don’t use Big Pharma’s dangerous drugs to treat anxiety. The answer isn’t squashing your body’s natural stress responses. The answer is to teach your body to?adapt?to stress naturally and healthily.

And to do that, I use a special class of herbs called?adaptogens.

Stop Stress and Repair Your Hippocampus

Unlike Big Pharma’s anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, adaptogens train your body to adapt to the stress that comes at you.

But these special plant “prescriptions” also help repair your hippocampus…

Rhodiola rosea. Rhodiola boosts your brain’s supply of BDNF – brain-derived neurotrophic factor – the key protein that keeps your brain young and flexible.

BDNF sparks the growth of new brain cells and helps the hippocampus rebuild connections damaged by cortisol.

Studies show Rhodiola also reduces excess cortisol, improves memory, and protects neurons from oxidative stress. In one Swedish study, people under chronic stress took Rhodiola or a placebo. The Rhodiola group had lower cortisol levels and far less burnout.2

You can find rhodiola either in tea or supplements. But make sure you get a formula with enough of the herb’s active compounds. Look for an extract standardized to contain at least 3% rosavins and 1% salidroside. That’s the same ratio found in the natural root.

I recommend taking 250 mg daily on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning, because rhodiola stimulates your brain.

Tribulus terrestris. Most people think of Tribulus as a testosterone booster, but it’s also a powerful protector of your brain – especially your hippocampus.

Tribulus helps calm your adrenal glands and brings runaway cortisol back into balance, so your hippocampus stays strong and your mood steady.

Like Rhodiola, it boosts BDNF, helping your brain grow new neurons and reconnect old ones after stress or trauma.

In a recent study, animals given Tribulus stayed calm and kept healthy hippocampal tissue even under chemical stress – proof that this humble herb defends your brain from anxiety and damage.3

I recommend taking 500 mg per day.

Centella asiatica. When your brain is under chronic stress, cortisol rises, anxiety takes over, and your hippocampus begins to shrink. But Centella asiatica, or gotu kola, stops that spiral. It doesn’t sedate you like a drug – it heals the brain circuits that make anxiety possible in two ways…

First, it balances the brain-adrenal connection that drives cortisol production. When this is stable, your body stops pumping out stress hormones unnecessarily. According to a large study, supplementing with centella asiatica significantly reduced anxiety, stress, and depression.4

Then, it rebuilds your hippocampus from the inside out. You see, Centella asiatica increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF).

These compounds help your hippocampus regrow new neurons and repair damaged ones. Over time, that means stronger memory, sharper focus, and emotional stability.

I recommend taking 10 to 20 mg of gotu kola extract daily.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

References:

Weniger G, et al. “Reduced amygdala and hippocampus size in trauma-exposed women with borderline personality disorder and without posttraumatic stress disorder.” J Psychiatry Neurosci . 2009 Sep;34(5):383–388.

Olsson EM et al. “A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of the standardised extract shr-5 of the roots of Rhodiola rosea in the treatment of subjects with stress-related fatigue.” Planta Med. 2009 Feb;75(2):105-12.

Bouabdallah S, et al. “Anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of tribulus terrestris ethanolic extract in scopolamine-induced amnesia in zebrafish: supported by molecular docking investigation targeting monoamine oxidase A.” Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2024 Sep 13;17(9):1208.

Jana U, et al. “A clinical study on the management of generalized anxiety disorder with Centella asiatica.” Nepal Med Coll J. 2010 Mar;12(1):8-11.