Corneliu Giurgea was a Romanian scientist who studied the brain and how it ages. In 1972, he came up with the concept of "nootropics." Nootropics can be defined by the following rules:

• They should enhance learning and memory.
• They should enhance the resistance of learned behaviors and memories to the point of disruption.
• They should protect the brain against various physical or chemical injuries.
• They should increase the efficacy of the tonic cortical and subcortical control mechanisms.
• They should lack the usual pharmacology of other psychotropic drugs (e.g., sedation, motor stimulation), possess very few side effects, and have extremely low levels of toxicity.

Fortunately, tea has always had a good reputation for helping the brain function better. It is the low dosage of the amino acid l-theanine combined with caffeine that stimulates and relaxes the brain. Matcha teas have the highest levels of both of these naturally occurring substances. In addition, there are several herbal teas that have developed a reputation for helping with the gray matter between your ears.