Increase your IQ with Bacopa Monniera

Traditional use of Bacopa monniera is extensive but one of its therapeutic benefits is tremendous. Its use in natural medicine as a nerve tonic, improves memory and mental functions. The mental enhancement benefits of Bacopa herb or extract are often noticed within a few hours or a few days depending on the dosage used and how sensitive you are to the herbs.

My clinical experience shows long and weak results when the herbs are used in form of pill or capsule. Liquid extract is the way I use it, gives me results within minutes

Effects of standardized extract of Bacopa Monniera on cognitive performance, anxiety and depression was done in elderly: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Study aims were to evaluate effect of Bacopa monniera whole plant standardized dry extract on cognitive function and affect and its safety and tolerability in health elderly study participants. The study was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial with a placebo run-in of 6 weeks and a treatment period of 12 weeks. Volunteers were recruited from the community to a clinic in Portland, Oregon by public notification. Fifty-four participants, 65 or older, without clinical signs of dementia, were recruited and randomized to standardized Bacopa monniera extract 300 mg/day or a similar placebo tablet given orally for 12 weeks. Controlling for baseline cognitive deficit using the Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration test, Bacopa participants had enhanced Auditory Verbal Learning Test delayed word recall memory scores relative to placebo. Strooop results were similarly significant, with the Bacopa group unchanged. CESD-10 depression scores, combined state plus trait anxiety scores, and heart rate decreased over time for the Bacopa group but increased for the placebo group. The dose was well tolerated with few adverse events, primarily stomach upset. This study provides further evidence that Bacopa standardized extract has potential for safely enhancing cognitive performance in the aging.

The mode of action of brain cell protective effects is due to the antioxidants that suppress neuronal oxidative stress and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activites. Treating patients with bacopa extract may be a way to treat neurodegenerative disorders associated with oxidative stress as well as perhaps Alzheimer’s disease.

Bacopa herb contains many compounds including bacapasaponins such as bacoside A, bacopaside II, bacopaside I, bacopaside X, bacopasaponin, bacopaside N2 and minor components bacopasaponin F, bacopasaponin E, bacopasede N1, bacopaside III, bacopaside IV and bacopasede V. The total saponin content in samples, plant materials and extracts vary from 5 to 22%. Dammarene-type triterpenoid saponins classified as pseudojujubogenin and jujubogenin glycosides are reported as some of active components in this plant.

Effects of alcoholic extract of Bacopa monnieri on cognitive function and neurodegerneration in animal model of Alzheimer’s disease induced by ethylcholine aziridinium ion (AF64A). Male Wistar rats were orally given the alcoholic extract of Bacopa monnierivia feeding needle for a period of 2 weeks before and 1 week after the intracerebroventicular administration of AF64A bilaterally. Rats were tested for spatial memory using Morris water maze test and the density of neurons and cholinergic neurons was determined using histological techniques 7 days after AF64A administration. Bacopa minnieri extract improved the escape latency time in Morris water maze test. Moreover, the reduction of neurons and cholinergic neuron densities were also mitigated. These findings suggest that Bacopa monnieri is a potential cognitive enhancer and neuronprotectant against Alzheimer’s disease.

There is a range of other herbs that work on restoration of cerebral cortex and generally are indicated in cases of motoneuron disease, mental retardation, ADD, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other diseases and symptoms affecting the central nervous system. The right herbs at the right doses have a very unique ability to cross blood/brain barrier and nourish causes of reactions and processes in the brain that have been malfunctioning.