Brain fog is a common experience of women in perimenopause.¹ Many women notice it in some form: forgetting why they walked into a room, losing the thread mid-conversation, or feeling like straightforward thinking suddenly takes real effort.² Researchers increasingly treat this as a physiological shift, not a personal failing.¹ The Menopause Co's guide to how menopause affects the brain goes deeper into why it happens.

Focus is formulated with seven ingredients, each chosen for a specific job in supporting mental concentration, clarity and short-term memory. Here's what's actually in the capsule, ingredient by ingredient. If you want to explore the wider world of natural nootropics beyond Focus specifically, The Menopause Co's piece on combating brain fog with nootropics is a good companion read.

Schisandra chinensis: the traditional anchor herb

Schisandra chinensis is the ingredient The Menopause Co leads with in Focus, at 60 mg per capsule, a 25:1 extract equal to 1.5 g of the dried fruit. In traditional Chinese medicine, schisandra has been used for centuries as a general tonic for mental clarity and stamina, and that reputation is part of what drew modern researchers to look into it for stress and cognitive fatigue.³

A randomised, placebo-controlled trial in postmenopausal women found that 12 weeks of schisandra extract improved muscle strength and lowered resting lactate, a marker researchers associate with fatigue.⁴ It wasn't a cognition trial, and research on a single ingredient isn't the same as research on Focus itself, but it's one of the few studies of schisandra conducted in postmenopausal women.

Schisandra is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to help reduce mental fatigue and enhance cognitive performance. Like most adaptogens, it tends to work quietly over weeks rather than announce itself on day one.

Bacopa monnieri: for memory that holds under pressure

Bacopa monnieri, at 75 mg per capsule, a 40:1 extract equal to 3 g of the dried plant, is the ingredient with the deepest research base in Focus. A 2022 review of multiple clinical trials on standardised bacopa extracts found a consistent pattern of improved memory, attention and processing speed.⁵

In Focus, bacopa works alongside six other ingredients as part of the daily dose. Focus may support mental focus and short-term memory, and bacopa is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to help relieve symptoms of mild anxiety, without the jitteriness some other cognitive ingredients bring.

Ginkgo biloba: sharper mental focus

Ginkgo biloba leaf is the biggest single ingredient in Focus by weight, at 120 mg, a 50:1 extract equal to 6 g of dried leaf. It's also the most studied cognitive herb in the blend, with a long-standing reputation in Western herbal medicine, where it is traditionally used to help promote healthy blood circulation.

One practical note worth knowing: ginkgo can interact with blood-thinning medication.⁶ If you are taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication (e.g. warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel), consult your healthcare professional before use.

Ginger and green tea: the circulation and clarity support

Two smaller-dose ingredients round out this side of the formula. Ginger root contributes 50 mg, a 20:1 extract equal to 1 g of the dried root. Ginger is traditionally used in Western herbal medicine as a digestive tonic, which is the role it plays here.

Green tea leaf adds 83.333 mg, an 18:1 extract equal to 1.5 g dried, valued here for its antioxidant content and traditionally used in Chinese medicine to enhance mental alertness, rather than included for any meaningful caffeine hit. The amount is small enough that it's not something caffeine-sensitive women need to plan their day around.

Choline and inositol: the brain's raw materials

The last two ingredients in Focus aren't traditional herbs. They're nutrients your brain uses directly. Choline bitartrate provides 121.566 mg, equal to 50 mg of elemental choline, a building block your brain uses to help support the neurotransmitters involved in memory and communication between brain cells.⁷

Inositol adds another 50 mg, a compound your body already makes in small amounts and that may support brain health. Neither ingredient is flashy, but they're the steady, foundational nutrients that help the more attention-grabbing herbs in the formula do their job.

The exact dose, who it suits, and what to pair it with

Focus is taken once a day, one capsule, which means the seven ingredients above work as a combined dose rather than seven separate hits.

Ingredient	Amount	Dry equivalent
Schisandra chinensis fruit	60 mg	1.5 g
Bacopa monnieri whole plant	75 mg	3 g
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) root	50 mg	1 g
Ginkgo biloba leaf	120 mg	6 g
Green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaf	83.333 mg	1.5 g
Choline bitartrate	121.566 mg (50 mg choline)	not applicable
Inositol	50 mg	not applicable

It suits women who notice the cognitive side of menopause specifically, like losing a word mid-sentence, re-reading the same email twice, or feeling like concentration takes more effort than it used to. 

Like most of The Menopause Co's blends, Focus isn't a fast fix. The Menopause Co's piece on when you'll see results from menopause supplements is worth reading for a realistic sense of the timeline. In the meantime, a few things help alongside it: regular movement to keep blood flowing to the brain, giving your mind something to work on with reading, puzzles or learning something new, and treating sleep as close to non-negotiable, since poor sleep undoes a lot of what any capsule can do. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE.

This article is general information only and isn't a substitute for personalised medical advice. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.