Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri – ‘Brain herb’ is what I call this valuable memory saver or the Ayurvedic name is Brahmi.

I use this herb frequently with patients that suffer from ‘brain fog’ or concentration problems.

I grow it in my garden and it seems to grow very well and spreads easily. The flowers and leaves can be used in a tea or as a tincture. For stronger doses I like to use it in tablet form.

When I am preparing for conferences and speaking I make sure I take therapeutic dosages to make sure I remember my lectures well.

As well as cognition enhancing actions, Bacopa is a great nervine tonic and as an anxiolytic for anxiety and may reduce mild convulsions and epilepsy.

I find this herb exceptional in treating those with Lyme disease and chronic illnesses such as mould illness, chronic fatigue, Insomnia, ADHD and Alzheimer’s or dementia patients.

It has a thyroid stimulating effect so helpful for those with hypothyroid symptoms.

On recent study concluded “Bacopa inhibits the release of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) from microglial cells and inhibits enzymes associated with inflammation in the brain. Thus, Bacopa can limit inflammation in the CNS, and offers a promising source of novel therapeutics for the treatment of many CNS disorders” (Nemetchek et al, Feb 2017)

Studies: There are over 900 studies on Bacopa on Pubmed.

Experiments on animals strongly indicate the value of Brahmi as a promising agent in AD and other forms of cognitive impairment. (Chaudhari et al, May 2017)

References:

Chaudhari et al, (Ann Neurosci. 2017 May; 24(2): 111–122.

Published online 2017 May 12. doi: 10.1159/000475900)

Nemetchek et al, Feb 2017 J Ethnopharmacol. 2017 Feb 2; 197: 92–100.

Published online 2016 Jul 26. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.07.073