| |  | | Bacopa and Memory
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Marion
Posted on: February 22, 2003
Do you have any info on Bacopa being used for memory? This herb was brought to me attention through a report on national T.V.
Bacopa monnieri is a herb traditionally used in India as a nerve tonic to improve memory. Recently, clinical studies have provided some support for its traditional uses. For example, Singh and Dhawan in 1997 showed that an alcoholic extract of Bacopa improved memory function in rats, which the authors attribute to the chemical constituents, Bacoside A and B (also known as bacopasides). You can read the full Singh and Dhawan research report online at http://www.ijp-online.com/archives/1997/029/05/s0359-0365re.pdf. A search of Medline reveals that research on Bacopa’s effects on memory and dementia is a very active field currently.
It appears that Bacopa works by slowing the rate at which the body processes the neural transmitter chemical, acetylcholine. By slowing the rate of degradation of acetylcholine more is available to keep the nerves and brain functioning, and so memory improves.
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