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Bacopa
Bacopa or monniera is herb commonly found in marshy areas in Asia and    southern states in the USA. Traditionally, it has been used to improve brain function including memory, to a lesser extent to reduce anxiety, to treat epilepsy, and as an antioxidant. Modern research has shown the presence of several active chemicals like the alkaloids monnierin, brahmine, bacosides and phytosterols. Some human and animal studies that support these uses are listed below:

COGNITIVE EFFECTS:
Significant improvement in verbal learning, memory consolidation and speed of early information processing after 12-weeks of taking Bacopa has been seen in healthy adults in a randomized controlled trial, possibly due to its action on cholinergic nerves and in another study it was shown to reduce the rate of forgetting of newly acquired information in humans. In experimental epilepsy and oxygen damage, Bacopa showed a neuroprotective role by modifying specific gene expression

EFFECTS ON LEARNING:
In children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, lasting effects on improvement in logical memory, sentence repetition and paired-associate learning has been shown even after the end of a 12-week treatment period with Bacopa.

ANXIOLYTIC EFFECTS:
The chemical bacoside A extracted from Bacopa has been shown to have anxiolytic effects comparable to Lorazepam, but in contrast to Lorazepam had memory enhancing effects in an experimental study in rats. Improvements in levels of anxiety, mental fatigue and immediate memory sensory span have been shown in a 1-month treatment with B. monnieri in a limited clinical trial in patients diagnosed with anxiety neurosis

SAFETY PROFILE:
Generally accepted as a safe herb, there are no reports of toxicity for this herb for up to 500mg/Kg body weight in rats.

HERB-DRUG INTERACTIONS:
May interact with Calcium blockers, thyroid drugs, phenytoin, and other drugs or herbs that affect P450 enzyme activity.

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