Bacopa monnieri – also known as Brahmi – is an herb native to India, Asia, and South America. Its use dates back centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to help with numerous diseases, promote healthy longevity, and help avoid decline associated with aging.

Today Bacopa monnieri is recognized as a highly promising nootropic. Nootropics are nutritional substances that support a healthy brain and sharper cognitive function.

A growing body of research suggests that Bacopa monnieri is an effective memory booster and cognitive enhancer that could help protect your brain against aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Bacopa monnieri could be an excellent choice if you’re looking for an all-natural supplement that may help boost your brainpower, relieve stress, and help you recover some age-related memory loss.

 

How Does Bacopa Monnieri Work?

Bacopa monnieri promotes neural processing by enhancing the growth and proliferation of dendrites which are the branched nerve cell extensions along which cell to cell communication travels. Research shows taking Bacopa monnieri extract for six weeks induces structural changes in neurons that improve learning and memory.

Additionally, bacopasides, the active ingredient in Bacopa monnieri, have been shown to help stimulate nerve cell activity and make neuro synapses more receptive to impulses.

And finally, using Bacopa monnieri in supplements has been shown to significantly stimulate acetylcholine – the neurotransmitter most closely associated with brainpower. It’s believed that Bacopa inhibits cholinesterase, a brain chemical that breaks down acetylcholine. This action contributes to improved acetylcholine levels even further.

 

How Does Bacopa Monnieri Help Your Memory?

Studies show that Bacopa monnieri significantly improves memory for aging adults. A randomized, double-blind study involving seniors resulted in Bacopa significantly improving verbal learning, memory acquisition, and delayed recall as measured by the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT).

Another study that included people 65 years and older showing signs of dementia concluded that Bacopa users experienced significantly enhanced word recall and memory relative to the placebo group.

But Bacopa’s memory-enhancing ability doesn’t appear to be limited to people 65+. In a study involving adults between 40 and 65, Bacopa monnieri was shown to increase their ability to retain freshly learned information. Follow-up testing also showed that test subjects were able to remember the information they had learned.

In a six-week placebo-controlled clinical study that included a group of medical students, those who received Bacopa showed statistically significant improvement in all tests related to memory and cognitive function.

 

How does Bacopa Monnieri affect your Learning Ability?

Studies show that Bacopa monnieri amplifies cognitive processing, making learning new things faster and easier.

A study done on healthy adults noted substantial improvements in visual processing speed and rate of learning.

 

Where do you find Bacopa monnieri?

One of the best sources is Stonehenge Health’s Dynamic Brain. This supplement contains Bacopa monnieri and 40 additional clinically proven nootropic ingredients – including Huperzine A, Choline, DHA, Phosphatidylserine, and L-Tyrosinere, which help boost cell membrane structure, improve blood flow, and fight free radicals.

A daily dose of Dynamic Brain fully supports your brain health and promotes optimal cognitive function to help keep your memories intact, enables you to think more clearly, and boosts your mental energy too.

Sources:

1. Vollala, V. R., Upadhya, S. and Nayak, S. – Vollala, Venkata Ramana, Subramanya Upadhya, and Satheesha Nayak. 2011. “Enhancement Of Basolateral Amygdaloid Neuronal Dendritic Arborization Following Bacopa Monniera Extract Treatment In Adult Rats”. Clinics 66 (4): 663-671. doi:10.1590/s1807-59322011000400023.

2. Effects of a standardized Bacopa monnieri extract on cognitive performance, anxiety, and depression in the elderly: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial – PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21655763/

3. Effects of a standardized Bacopa monnieri extract on cognitive performance, anxiety, and depression in the elderly: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18611150/

4. Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial – PubMed pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20590480/