Bacopa is a little-known herb that can improve memory and brain health
12/17/2018 / By Tracey Watson
Let’s face it: The hectic pace of modern life means we could all use a little extra help remembering the mountain of things we need to get through in any given day. And, as we get older, remembering where we put the keys and which day of the week we need to take the car in to be repaired gets harder and harder.
Fortunately, help is at hand. Bacopa monnieri, a nootropic herb that has been a staple of Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, could be just what you need to enhance your memory and protect your brain health as you get older.
What is bacopa? Also known as brahmi or water hyssop, this herb has an established history as a potent memory aid and general brain health enhancer. A creeping perennial plant native to India, Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, bacopa is such a potent memory aid that, as reported by Natural Health 365, shamans in India used it to enable them to memorize texts that were more than 900 pages long.
More recently, peer-reviewed studies have confirmed bacopa’s amazing memory and concentration enhancing abilities, as well as its beneficial effects on information recall, retention of knowledge and visual processing speed. It has also been found to improve emotional well-being, providing relief for depression and anxiety. And it has shown great promise as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Modern studies back up what Indian herbalists have known for thousands of years
U.S. and Australian studies found that after just three weeks of supplementation study participants were able to process information more quickly and retain it for longer.
Natural Health 365 reported:
A 1996 study presented at the International Brain Research Conference showed bacopa could cut the time required for learning a new task in half. A rigorous 2001 study involving a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled experiment out of Victoria, Australia showed subjects that took bacopa scored higher on cognitive processing tests after 12 weeks.
These results were substantiated by a study out of the University of Wollongong in Australia’s psychology department, which showed that taking bacopa increases both memory and recall substantially.
These findings were further substantiated by a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, which found that when seniors were given 300mg of bacopa daily, their cognitive functioning was better than that of others of their age who were not receiving the supplement. They demonstrated significant improvements in both attention span and the ability to process verbal information.
Natural News previously reported:
[A] similar study – conducted in 2012 by researchers at Khon Kaen University in Thailand – proved that participants who took bacopa for a 12-week period scored far better in mental processing tests than those who took the placebo.
The best way to reap the rewards of bacopa monnieri
Bacopa is quite inexpensive and is freely available at most health food stores. It can be purchased in tablet or capsule form, and some people enjoy drinking it as a tea. Experts advise taking 150mg three times a day, but nothing less than 225mg a day should be taken, and some people may find that they need to take up to three times as much to reap the benefits. (Related: Take bacopa every day to boost mental clarity.)
It is important to realize that bacopa – like most herbs – will not provide instant results. It can take up to three months for the effects of this amazing herb to really kick in, but be patient: The rewards in terms of cognitive functioning and memory enhancement will be well worth the wait!
Discover more of nature’s secrets at Nutrients.news.
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Tagged Under: adhd, aging, Anxiety, attention span, bacopa monnieri, cognitive function, depression, longevity, memory, mental health, Recall
