Bacopa
Bacopa, also called bacopa monniera or water hyssop, is a low growing creeping herbal plant that has small purple flowers, many branches and tiny oblong shaped leaves. Bacopa monniera is a member of the Scrophulariaceae plant family, and grows in wet areas like marshes and even at high altitudes, so long as shallow water is present. Most cultivated bacopa monniera is grown in India for use in Ayurvedic healing.
Known in Ayurvedic medicine as a "brahmi," bacopa monniera is often used as an aquarium plant due to its love of water and its lovely blossoms. Bacopa monniera can also be found growing wild in China, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. Wild bacopa has also been known to grow in Florida marshes and other wet areas in the southern part of North America.
Active Constituents of Bacopa Monniera
The many health benefits of bacopa can be ascribed to the multitude of active constituents present in the plant. While these effects have been noted for thousands of years in Ayurvedic practice, modern science has now researched and discovered the various sources of bacopa monniera's properties. The list below reveals a few of the most effective active constituents found in bacopa.
- Alkaloids, brahmine and herpestine. These amino acid derivatives often function as a means to maintain healthy pain management.
- Saponins such as d-mannitol, herpsaponin, acid A and monnierin. Saponins help promote healthy cholesterol levels and have been proven to promote a positive inflammatory response.
- Water-soluble flavanoids (luteolin and apigenin) have antioxidant properties that help clean harmful molecules from the bloodstream.
- Bacosides A. Helps maintain proper balance within cells by blocking excess lipids (fats) from entering the cell membrane.
- Beta-sitosterol. This waxy substance resembles cholesterol, but works to maintain healthy cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.
Bacopa as an Antioxidant
Antioxidants such as those found in bacopa monniera work to inhibit the build-up of lipids in blood vessels by preventing the fats from oxidizing. Bacopa prevents fats from oxidizing by removing free radicals (unattached pieces of molecules) from attaching to fat molecules.
By removing these free radicals, fat molecules cannot bind together to create the long chains that clog arteries and blood vessels. This keeps these pathways clear so that the heart can more easily maintain normal blood pressure.
Bacopa and Increased Brain Function in Children
Bacopa monniera has been administered to infants in the form of brahmi tea for centuries in the belief that the tea will increase the children's cognitive powers. Clinical testing comparing normal children who took bacopa against normal children who took placebos showed that the children given bacopa improved their performance maze-solving more so than the control group after the 3 month trial.
Bacopa and Improved Cognitive Function in Adults
For centuries, bacopa monniera has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a brain tonic to maintain healthy cognitive functioning. In more modern times, these effects have been attributed to saponin and bacosides working to enhance the transmission of nerve impulses in the brain. The cell membrane guarding effects of bacosides have also been purported to restore damaged cell walls to allow for nerve impulse reconnection.
Clinical trials using bacopa on adults have shown that bacopa's cognitive enhancing properties are only gained after medium term use. One double blind study showed no increased cognitive effects between subjects who received bacopa only once and those who did not receive bacopa. However, when bacopa was administered during a 3 month long clinical trail revealed reportedly significant improvements in the mental functioning of the adults in the bacopa group over the placebo group.
Bacopa Dosages
Ayurvedic practitioners recommend that bacopa monniera be taken in capsule form. Each capsule should contain a 50 percent bacopa extract. The capsules should contain no more than 500 mg each.
Take one 500 mg capsule up to 2 times daily for optimal cognitive enhancing effects. Remember that bacopa should be taken for about 3 months to see the full benefits of this brain tonic. You may wish to adjust your dosage once you have been taking bacopa for the initial three-month period.
Drug and Herbal Interactions with Bacopa
Bacopa has not been shown to have direct negative interactions with other herbal or chemical medications. Caution is urged when taking sedatives, however, since some people experience a slight sedative effect when taking bacopa. This is especially true during the initial three-month adjustment period before you are sure exactly how bacopa will affect your cognitive functioning.
Some small studies have also shown that bacopa may help in reducing the toxicity of withdrawal from morphine based medications. While these reports remain unproven, there is some evidence that bacopa may aid in morphine withdrawal symptoms. These effects have, so far, only been observed in animal trials featuring morphine-addicted rats.
Supercritical Organic Bacopa
At Tattva's Herbs, bacopa capsules are created using only organic processes. To obtain the finest bacopa extract, hundreds of pounds of raw herb are used to extract about 1 pound of extract. This ensures a pure, full spectrum product that retains its organic properties.
Unlike other refining processes, we do not use any chemicals in the extraction process. Instead, environmentally safe carbon dioxide (just like that used to put bubbles into sparking water) is used. The result is a pure, unsullied extract.