While modern researchers scramble to create synthetic drugs to delay the onset of memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, a latent form of institutional dementia prevails: A purposeful forgetfulness and outright dismissal of ancient remedies for memory, stress and mood disorders.
Yet we find clear scientific evidence that some herbs, such as Bacopa, boost memory and cognition.
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| Bacopa monieri boosts memory |
Bacopa herb boosts memory
Bacopa monieri is an herbal medicine used for thousands of years in Ayurveda for a variety of mood-related, memory-related and cognitive-related disorders.
Now we find modern clinical research proves the effectiveness of Bacopa to boost memory, improve moods, increase multi-tasking, reduce stress and boost cognition in general.
Several recent studies have confirmed what Ayurvedic practitioners have known for thousands of years: That a special Ayurvedic herb increases memory and cognition, and may well treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers from the Medical College of Thailand’s Khon Kaen University conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled and randomized clinical study with 60 elderly adult volunteers with an average age of 63 years old. The researchers gave the adults either a placebo or an Ayurvedic herbal medicine called Brahmi – botanical name Bacopa monnieri – for three months.
Before and after the treatment period, the researchers tested the subjects’ memory accuracy, attention span, cognitive processing speed and reaction time. They also measured their brain cell cholinergic and monoaminergic functions – which related to neuron firing speeds. The subjects were also tested every four weeks during the treatment as well as four weeks after the end of the treatment.
The herbal medicine-treated group were given either 300 milligrams or 500 milligrams of a whole-herb extract of the Bacopa monnieri herb.
The groups given the Brahmi had significant improvement in cognitive function, including increased memory, greater attention spans and better reaction times.
The researchers also found that the Bacopa altered their cholinergic and monoaminergic activity. The researchers concluded that these results “suggest that Bacopa monnieri can improve attention, cognitive processing, and working memory partly via the suppression of AChE activity.”
Bacopa findings supported in other research
Another recent placebo-controlled clinical study of Brahmi was conducted by psychopharmacology researchers from Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology. The researchers gave 24 healthy adults either a placebo or standardized extracts of Bacopa monnieri. This study utilized two different dosages as well – 320 milligrams or 640 milligrams – but also conducted a crossover design. This means that the adults given the placebo were tested and then given the herbal medicine and those given the Brahmi were then given the placebo.
In this study, the 320 milligram-treated groups showed significant increases in cognition and memory during three different intervals of testing.
Bacopa boosts cognition in Portland
A 2008 clinical study from Portland’s National College of Natural Medicine – also a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study – had similar results. Here 54 adults with an average age of 73 years old took either a placebo or 300 milligrams of a Bacopa standardized extract for three months. The Bacopa-treated group had increased word recall, less anxiety, decreased average heart rate and cognitive increases. The researchers concluded:
“This study provides further evidence that B. monnieri has potential for safely enhancing cognitive performance in the aging.”
Laboratory and animal research has concluded similar findings, using Brahmi and its constituents. These have also found that Brahmi prevented neurological damage related to oxidative damage. In a study conducted by India’s National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, researchers concluded: “We infer that BM displays prophylactic effects against ACR induced oxidative damage and neurotoxicity with potential therapeutic application in human pathology associated with neuropathy.”
A recent clinical report has also found that 500 milligrams a day of Brahmi treatment can significantly improve schizophrenia symptoms. This finding comes from India’s Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute after an observed treatment with Bacopa on a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Bacopa Treats Alzheimer’s disease
In a laboratory study using human brain cells at the pharmacy college of Thailand’s Naresuan University, researchers duplicated the scenario of beta-amyloid-induced damage of Alzheimer’s disease among brain cells.
When the researchers treated the brain cells with tested Bacopa monnieri, the beta-amyloid-induced Alzheimer’s damage was halted. The researchers observed that, “Brahmi-treated neurons expressed lower level of reactive oxygen species suggesting that Brahmi restrained intracellular oxidative stress which in turn prolonged the lifespan of the culture neurons. Brahmi extract also exhibited both reducing and lipid peroxidation inhibitory activities.”
The results were convincing. In their paper, the researchers concluded:
“From this study, the mode of action of neuroprotective effects of Brahmi appeared to be the results of its antioxidant to suppress neuronal oxidative stress and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. Therefore, treating patients with Brahmi extract may be an alternative direction for ameliorating neurodegenerative disorders associated with the overwhelming oxidative stress as well as Alzheimer’s disease.”
Conclusive evidence about Brahmi
The overriding conclusion of this peer-reviewed amalgam of research by different researchers using different methods is clear: The Ayurvedic herb, Bacopa monnieri, long held as a way to increase cognition, reduce anxiety and prevent dementia, does precisely that, along with potentially being one of the first known herbal treatments of Alzheimer’s disease. And all this research resulted in few if any adverse side effects – the primary being slight stomach upset noted in the Portland study.
While most pharmaceuticals contain one or maybe two active constituents, Bacopa contains dozens, including multiple bacopasaponins, bacopasides, bacosides, jujubogenin, pseudojujubogenin, donepezil, deprenyl and other phytochemicals. Pharmaceutical companies have begun isolating and testing some of these single constituents in hopes of developing a patentable drug. But how can the pharmaceutical industry improve upon this incredible combination of biochemicals produced by nature?
Boosting Multi-Tasking, Cognition and Reducing Stress Proven
New research from Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology has proven that Bacopa monnieri helps multitasking and stress reduction along with cognitive improvements.
The researchers, from Swinburne’s Center for Human Psychopharmacology, conducted a placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 17 healthy adult volunteers. They utilized what is called a cross-over design, meaning each of the subjects was tested on both the placebo and treatment doses separated by a washout period – a period of time enough to allow the system to be cleared.
The subjects were given multitasking framework testing, and then underwent the testing one and two hours after taking two different doses of the Bacopa or a placebo.
The subjects were also tested for moods and salivary cortisol levels – which will indicate levels of stress and/or anxiety – before and after the dosing of the Bacopa or placebo.
Each of the subjects underwent the multitasking framework testing separated by a week – called the washout period. The first week the subjects were given the test, then given the placebo, and then tested again a week later before and after being given 320 milligrams of a commercial extract of Bacopa called CDRI 08 – also labeled KeenMind®.
After another washout period of seven days, the subjects returned to receive 640 milligrams of the CDRI 08 – followed and proceeded by a round of multitasking framework testing.
The results of the study determined the subjects’ memory was enhanced by the Bacopa, but not with the placebo. The research also found the Bacopa elevated mood levels and reduced stress levels – indicated by the reduction of salivary cortisol levels. These also indicated adaptogenic effects of the Bacopa extract.
Bacopa’s Cognitive Benefits Confirmed in Another Recent Study
Some of the same researchers conducted a study of the same Bacopa extract a year earlier – in 2013 – using a similar protocol. This study was conducted on 24 healthy subjects. Again, a placebo, and 430 milligrams and 640 milligrams of the Bacopa extract were tested with washout periods in between. In this study, the testing consisted of a series of six repetitive cognitive demand tests – called a Cognitive Demand Battery.
This study found significantly improved cognitive performance following the Bacopa extract treatments among the subjects.
Memory Increased in Longer Bacopa Study
A 2008 study from Swinburne’s Brain Science Institute studied the cognitive effects of Bacopa following three months of Bacopa treatment. Here 62 healthy volunteers completed this double-blind, placebo-controlled study. They were given either a placebo or 150 milligrams of CDRI 08 twice a day – 300 milligrams per day.
The subjects were given the Cognitive Drug Research cognitive assessment system before and after the 90 day treatment period. This battery of tests measures reaction times, number ordering, word recall and recognition, picture recognition, and spatial and numeric working memories.
The researchers found that the Bacopa significantly improved working memory and spatial working memory. This includes accuracy and context memory recognition. The researchers also found that rapid visual information processing tasking was improved.
Another double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted on Bacopa in 2001. Similar results were found using 300 milligrams of Bacopa, tested after five weeks and twelve weeks of treatment. The researchers concluded in this earlier study:
“These findings suggest that B. monniera may improve higher order cognitive processes that are critically dependent on the input of information from our environment such as learning and memory.”
What is Bacopa?
Bacopa Monniera – also called Brahmi and Indian Pennywort – has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to boost moods, memory and related disorders. It has thus been used to relieve anxiety, stress, ADHD-related issues, epilepsy and memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and mental diseases.
Outside of these uses, Brahmi has been used for irritable bowels, inflammation including joints, backache, headaches and some menstruation symptoms.
The plant is a small shrub that grows in wet and tropical regions, including South and Central America. Year-round ponds in warm climates will often support Brahmi.
Bacopa has been found to contain numerous constituents, including triterpenoids such as bacopasides, bacosides, saponins such as bacopasaponin, and others such as brahmine, herpestine, D-mannitol, apigenin, hersaponin, cucurbitacins and plantainosides.
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