Eye Of Raw

Bacopa Monnieri, also known as Brahmi, is my newest and latest favorite herb. I use it every morning in my “Superfood Coffee” that I make and Im not sure how I went without it before. Being that I currently re-entered school to gain my BS in Psychology and am taking courses to become a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, I have a lot of studying to do in between the eight million other things I need to get done in a day.

Bacopa is an adaptonagentic neuro tonic that enhances your memory and your ability to learn and recall information. It is extremely beneficial for the brain, mental deficiency, learning new skill, anxiety, depression, stress, Alzheimer’s Disease and “ADHD”.  As you can see, this herb mostly affects the Hippocampus in the brain, stimulating it in order to build new neurons.

The brain works like this: When we go to learn a new task, neurons in certain parts of our brain become stimulated and they become stronger. When they become stronger and more powerful they connect with stronger neurons and also attach to weaker ones of the same area. However, when that same neuron is again stimulated, it strengthens that weaker neuron making it strong, and therefore building your ability at that particular skill.  Bacopa stimulates neurons in the hippocampus and allows your ability to learn and recall to grow. This is why this herb is especially good for children . A child’s brain is extremely plastic (plasticity is the brains ability to learn new things)  and do not have many weak neurons. When their brain is stimulated the appropriate neurons become stronger. The brain then gets rid of the ones that have little or no activity, and this is why it is easier for children to learn new tasks (such as foreign languages) than adults. Proving a child with this herb can help with neuronal stimulation allowing them to obtain more information and learn many new skills.

Clinical Research:

In a study of Neuropsychopharmacology Bacopa was tested to see the benefits of the herb on the brain. This study came to the findings that Bacopa decreases the rate of forgetfulness of newly acquired information, and an increase in verbal learning and memory consolidation.

In another study that was preformed, it was found that students who used bacopa retained more information than those who did not. Six months later the students were retested on this information and the ones still taking Bacopa were able to recall all of the information learned prior.

The Triterpenoid saponins and Bacosides of Bacopa are what enhance the nerve impulse transmission. It enhances kinase activity, neuronal synthesis, and the restoration and regeneration of synaptic activity. This is what makes Bacopa so nerve nourishing. It is stimulating and strengthening your neurons, creating optimal brain functioning.

It was also found that Bacopa had the ability to stimulate GABA, an amino acid that is found in the central nervous system and transfers nerve impulses. When GABA production is enhanced, improved memory, the ability to adapt to new conditions, and improved acquisition will be found.

Bacopa Vs. Depression:

A study has shown that this herb has the same effect as SSRI’s and MAOI’s in the fact that they block serotonin from reuptake back into the brain cell once it is released. (That’s how anti depressants work, the keep your brain flooded with serotonin) Bacopa was found to increase serotonin content.

As you can see this is an amazing herb. Try it for yourself and reap the benefits first hand!