Bacopa Monnieri is a nootropic that has been shown to boost memory and cognition, improve mood, and reduce stress. This article described what is it and how it used to increase mental capacity.
What is Bacopa Monnieri
Bacopa Monnieri has been used in eastern medicine for many many years. The herb reduces anxiety, clearing the users mind to experience improved cognitive function. Removing the stressor – in this case actual stress or anxiety – is remarkably effective at improving your ability to concentrate on the things that really matter.
The second principal benefit of Bacopa Monnieri is its enhancement of the user’s memory formation, and it is as effective on young people as it is old, making it a very effective nootropic.
It increases the growth of nerve endings, known as dendrites, which heighten the rate at which the nervous system communicates. To top it off, Bacopa Monnieri is an antioxidant, purging the brain of free radicals and toxins the likes of which ultimately reduce the lifespan of the organ they are attacking.
Where Does BM Come From?
Bacopa Monnieri is a creeping marsh plant from the Scrophulariaceae family. As for its origins as a medicine, it is yet another to have been discovered decades and centuries ago and used in Ayurvedic practice. Even back then it was touted for its neurological rejuvenation properties, memory improvement and stress management.
In India, water hyssop or Bacopa is often referred to as “Brahmi”. Named after the supreme god Brahma and it’s been seen in many ancient Ayurvedic texts for its nootropic benefits which include enhancing cognition abilities among others things like helping you memorize long passages of text with greater ease thanks this herb!
Why Use Bacopa Monnieri a Nootropic
Chronic stress and high levels of cortisol can damage your brain. Neuroscientists at the University Califorina found that chronic stresses triggers long-term change in brain structure and function, which may lead to mental disorders such as anxiety or depression.
Stress has been linked to a number of mental and physical problems, including increased depression risk. Chronic stress damages neural networks resulting in proteins being over-expressed which then damage neurons as well as cells constantly getting invaded by toxins that hijack their normal healthy function.
The oxidative damage done by free radicals can also hurt brain cells if left unchecked but this doesn’t need mentioning because we all know how important antioxidant nutrients such as those found naturally in blueberries are for preventing aging skin!
Chronic stress is a killer of brain cells.
The toxins and free radicals inside our heads are all killing the neurons that allow us to think, remember or make decisions efficiently during moments of high pressure!
Chronic stresses can have long term impacts on how we perform tasks at work as well as personal relationships because they reduce our memory capacity for both short-term storage (e.g., immediate recall) but also longer lasting mental notes which includes events that happened in our past.
The adaptogenic properties of Bacopa Monnieri mean it can help prevent stress from affecting your physical and mental health. It can act just like a modern day anti-depressant.
How Does Bacopa Monnieri Cognitive Function?
In the brain, Bacopa Monnieri extract interacts with the enzyme Tryptophan Hydroxylase (TPH2) and the serotonin transporter (SERT) to enhance memory formation.
Nerve endings, called dendrites, seem to grow more readily after a month of use, meaning to appreciate the full neurological benefit of the compound it is best used as a long term supplement (arbitrarily, 6 weeks and above).
Both the interaction with the serotonin system and the nerve growth proliferation appear to act positively on the memory improvement. The serotonin increase also has further implications related to anxiety alleviation, general mood level and treatment of depression.
Bacopa is an Adaptogen, which are compounds able to reduce physical and chemical effects of stress. During acute and chronic periods of stress, the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain drop quite significantly. After supplementation of Bacopa Monnieri, this depletion remarkably does not occur!
Neuroinflammation which can be associated with ageing is reduced, and there may even be evidence that Bacopa can be used as a therapeutic treatment for Azheimer’s. The anti-ageing effect is synonymous with this and the anti-toxic effect, where heavy metal toxicity has been shown to be mitigated with supplementation.
Through interaction with receptors (GABA) in the hippocampus, Bacopa has been shown to reduce the seizure frequency of epilepsy sufferers.
Researchers from Banaras Hindu University in India showed Bacopa Monnieri to be effective for anxiety as the benzodiazepine drug lorazepam. One of its side effects, memory loss, which can occur from even moderate dosages. Is not present with this natural nootropic!
Bacopa Monnieri Helps:
- Neurotransmitters are important for cognitive functions such as memory and thought. Bacopa affects levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is needed in order to produce these aspects on our brain’s operation system!
- Cognition. Bacopa has antioxidant effects which enhances cognitive function, and it prevents the formation of arterial plaque that can lead to heart attack or stroke in elderly adults who are at risk for these diseases due to their age alone!
- Anxiety and stress can be a difficult to manage for many people. Bacopa has been shown in studies of animals, humans with anxiety disorders or who experienced stressful events such as combat may find relief through supplementation with this herb – it appears to not only reduce symptoms but also regulate serotonin levels which improves mood regulation!
Are There Other Benefits of Bacopa Monnieri Besides Increasing Mental Capacity?
While Bacopa has an impressive repertoire as a nootropic; being a memory enhancer, anxiety reducer and neuroprotective agent. However, there are even more strings to this herb’s bow. It has been used to treat:
- inflammation
- fever
- depression
- learning disorders
- cough
- toxic poisoning
- blood disorders
- epileptic seizure frequency
It has even been administered to children for its brain boosting power!
What is the Correct Dosage of Bacopa Monnieri
In general, the recommended dosage should be taken once per day with meals but some people find it works better on occasion than others because every body’s chemistry is different!
The 45% Bacoside contains more bioactive ingredients than 20%, so this may explain why there are differences in how effective these supplements can be when taken regularly over time versus short periods of use.
What are the Side Effects of Bacopa Monnieri
Side effects are rare and unlikely you do not take more than the recommended dosage. Incases of overdose stomach and fatigue have been noted.
How Does Taking Bacopa Monnieri Make You Feel
Some people report that Bacopa has a pronounced anti-anxiety effect within 2 – 4 days of supplementing with it; however, the benefits aren’t felt immediately.
Some studies have shown some improvement in information processing speed and learning/memory after 5 weeks on average (5), but no one knows for sure what will happen if you take them long term!
While some neurohackers say they have experienced the effects and benefits of Bacopa Monnieri sooner than 4 weeks. Others report long-lasting benefits even after stopping nootropic supplementation. Some users note an increased sense of calmness while thinking quicker or better memory retention when taking this nootropic drug regularly for several months at a time in their quest to become more focused on life goals!
Bacopa Monnieri Conclusion
For the fact that it is an Ayurvedic herb, Bacopa Monnieri has been used in extensive clinical trials, with overwhelmingly positive results. Ingredients like this do no usually garner so much attention from the scientific community, and certainly don’t normally yield as much funding for said research.
It should be an encouraging indicator, for people considering its use as a supplement, that it has so much solid scientific backing.
In addition to the more obvious nootropic benefits there are interesting avenues of research underway using Bacopa. The epilepsy seizure frequency reduction alone is an exciting development and one which must give many people some hope, especially considering the lack of side effects that many synthesized drugs can have.
Bacopa Monnnieri is included in the best nootropic products, though it can be improved further when Uridine or CDP-choline (citicoline) – which converts to Uridine anyway – is also included as they are synergistic together.
Clinical Research – What Does the Science Say
Here are a few topics connected to the usage and data.
Using Bacopa Monnieri as a Nootropic
The study participants who took Bacopa Monnieri extract had significant improvement in mental abilities. The double-blind placebo controlled experiment was conducted by Swinburne University, Australia which proves this particular herb can improve your memory skills and ability to process visual information.
Using as a Reducer for Stress
Reducing stress is arguably what BM is most well know for. Recent research at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia identified BM’s ability to reduce stress in laboratory conditions.
In this double-blind, placebo controlled study 17 healthy volunteers were given 320 mg or 640 mg of Bacopa extract. The results showed significant mood improvement as well as decreased levels of cortisol!
It also demonstrated how the herb can work its way through your system and regulate hormones involved in stress responses without any negative side effects usually associated with medication.
Can Bacopa Monnieri Help You Live Longer
One way to avoid Alzheimer’s Disease? Avoiding aluminum! A recent study on aluminium found that long-term exposure to aluminium can lead to an increased risk, which is 60%.
So check your underarm deodorant label and see if this ingredient makes it onto Bacopa Monnieri: It’s been shown in research as a protector against toxins harmful for the brain including those pesky metals like zinc or iron. And you don’t want any buildup between neurons or inside them, because damage there will likely affect things such as memory function.
