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Brahmi (Bacopa Monnieri)

                                 www.bacopa-monnieri.us


                                     Brahmi is a perennial, creeping herb whose habitat includes wetlands
                                     and muddy shores. The leaves of this plant are succulent and relatively
                                     thick. Leaves are oblanceolate and are arranged oppositely on the
                                     stem. The flowers are small and white, with four or five petals. Its ability
                                     to grow in water makes it a popular aquarium plant. It can even grow in
                                     slightly brackish conditions. Propagation is often achieved through
                                     cuttings. It commonly grows in marshy areas throughout India, Nepal,
                                     Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and is also found in Florida,
                                     Hawaii and other southern states of the USA where it can be grown in
                                     damp conditions by the pond or bog garden.
                                     Brahmi is known botanicaly as Bacopa monnieri. Brahmi is a
                                     nervine tonic that enhances learning, academic performance and
                                     improves mental ability. It acts as an anti anxiety agent and is used in
                                     several mental disorders. It also calms restlessness in children.
                                     Brahmi significantly improves the cognitive ability including an
                                     accelerated rate of learning and enhanced memory. These effects are
                                     optimized after a 12 week period. Bacopa monnieri extract was
                                     found to reduce beta amyloid deposits in mice with Alzheimer's
                                     disease. Taken regularly, Brahmi might reduce the chances of
                                     developing AD.
                                     Brahmi is an Ayurvedic herb that has been used for several thousand
                                     years as a brain tonic, to enhance intellect, treat psychiatric illness,
                                     epilepsy, insomnia and as an anti stress adaptogenic herb. Evidence
                                     of cognitive activator activity from animal models of learning is positive
                                     and clinical studies have produced excellent and encouraging results.
                                     Brahmi has potent antioxidant activity, which appears to be a result of
                                     both direct free radical scavenging activity and increasing
                                     endogenous antioxidant systems in the brain and liver. Brahmi has a
                                     long history of use as a brain tonic. Results from scientific studies
                                     suggest that it may enhance memory and cognitive function and
                                     reduce anxiety with long-term use.



When will it start to work? Studies suggest that 12 weeks’ ( 3 months) continual use is required for benefits
on cognitive function to become apparent.
Are there any safety issues? Information from traditional sources suggests that brahmi is well tolerated at
the usual therapeutic doses.
 (Interact with us/ Send us any queries on facebook at facebook.com/brahmi.bacopa)


                                www.bacopa-monnieri.us
Brahmi in Alzheimer's disease management & prevention
There are number of research reports that confirm the beneficial properties of Brahmi in managing
Alzheimer's disease. Brahmi at best could slow down the degeneration of brain and improve cognition &
memory in patents. It is definitely worth a try. As a preventive treatment for Alzheimer's disease it could be
useful if Brahmi is taken on a regular basis. This is particularly helpful if someone's close blood relatives have
or had Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. In normal persons Brahmi does seem to improve
memory, mental alertness, intellectual capacity and overall professional & academic performance.



                                    The wikipedia information on Brahmi

Laboratory studies on rats indicate that extracts of the Brahmi plant improves memory capacity. Recent
studies suggest that Brahmi may improve intellectual activity. The sulfhydryl and polyphenol components of
Brahmi extract have also been shown to impact the oxidative stress cascade by scavenging reactive oxygen
species, inhibiting lipoxygenase activity and reducing divalent metals. This mechanism of action may explain
the effect of Brahmi extract in reducing beta amyloid deposits in mice with Alzheimer's disease. In a study
conducted on rats (J. Ethnopharmacol, 2009), a model was conducted where Alzheimer's disease is induced
to rats. The rats were afterwards given Brahmi extract to determine its effects against Alzheimer's disease.
The test showed that rats given a dose of up to 80 mg/kg of Brahmi extract had improved cognitive capability
and mitigated the further reduction of brain neurons. Brahmi could increase the quality of life of AD patients to
a very high degree though it remains to be seen if Brahmi could offer a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Taken
well in advance Brahmi might help prevent/delay Alzheimer's disease.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa_monnieri



                    Swinburne University of Technology's Brain Sciences Institute
                           John Street, Hawthorn,Victoria, Australia 3122

Research & trials at Swinburne University of Technology's Brain Sciences Institute (funded by
Australian Government) established scientific validity of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri ) for the
prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia. Swinburne’s Professor Dr.Con Stough is the
director of the NICM Collaborative Center for Natural Medicines and Neurocognition, which is responsible for
a range of trials to improve the research behind alternative medicines. Other collaborators in the
neurocognition research are the University of Western Australia, Melbourne's Alfred Hospital and CDR
Australia. Two Brahmi trials have been done over 90 days with double-blind, randomized control techniques
using a special brahmi extract. The results have shown improvements in working memory, particularly spatial
memory accuracy.
According to Swinburne’s Professor Dr.Con Stough and Research Fellow with Alzheimer's
Australia Dr Maree Farrow "For thousands of years Ayurvedic practitioners in India have used an aquatic
plant known as brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) to enhance intelligence and mental functioning. Now, Western
medicine is examining the herb's potential to delay or treat dementia"
Dr Farrow says Alzheimer's Australia supports research into both pharmaceutical and natural treatments to
develop products that prove safe and effective. She says people with Alzheimer's and their families are
desperate for effective treatments. Despite claims on some products about the benefits of vitamin E and
Ginkgo biloba, she says clinical trials have not shown conclusive results in treating already established
Alzheimer's disease, although some research suggests these supplements may have a role in delaying its
onset. If we can treat cognitive decline in the early stages then we may be able to prevent or delay more
serious cognitive impairment. Intelligence does slow and decay over time as a natural part of the aging
process,” Professor Stough says. He says not every forgotten name or misplaced item is a sign of
Alzheimer's disease. As people age their brains shrink and become less efficient. It does take longer to
process new information and certain aspects of memory do fail. But Alzheimer's dementia is a specific
disease of the brain, although science has not yet determined the exact cause; most of what is known comes
from autopsy examinations of sufferers.
The findings include inflammation of the brain, deposits of beta amyloid, traces of heavy metals and
signs of oxidative stress. Professor Stough says research suggests that Brahmi’s mechanism of
action acts on all of these. It has an anti-inflammatory effect, is an antioxidant and collates and
removes heavy metals and beta amyloid. Professor Andrew Scholey, head of the BSI’s Herbal and
Nutritional Medicine Research Unit at Swinburne and who oversees many of the clinical trials, says that
historically the field has struggled to gain scientific credibility. However, Swinburne’s trials are performed to
standards that provide acceptance within the mainstream scientific community. Being able to capture the
therapeutic cognitive benefits of a product in healthy adults provides ‘proof of concept’ and provides a
gateway for full-blown clinical trials in other, less healthy populations. Two brahmi trials have been done
over 90 days with double-blind, randomized control techniques using a special brahmi extract.
The results have shown improvements in working memory, particularly spatial memory accuracy.
A 50-day trial of a particular pine bark extract supplement for men aged 50 to 65 years has also
shown improved speed in spatial working memory and immediate recognition tasks, along with a
trend towards lower systolic blood pressure.



                                Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia

This thesis investigated the efficacy and safety of Bacopa monnieri in improving memory in aging Australians
over the age of 55 years. A review of the literature showed that memory impairment and dementia are
increasingly prevalent in the current demographic climate of an ageing population. As well as the pathological
cognitive loss of neurodegenerative disease, many older persons are experiencing memory loss as part of
the physiological process of ageing.
Bacopa monnieri is a herbal medicine used since antiquity in the traditional Ayurvedic medical system of
India for its cognitive enhancing effects. A number of pre-clinical and clinical studies support this traditional
usage. Laboratory studies have demonstrated antioxidant and cholinergic actions in the brain as well as
improved memory and cognitive performance in animal models. Human trials of Bacopa have also
demonstrated improved memory performance.
This study's replicated findings of beneficial effects on human memory have promising implications for
Bacopa’s potential use in dementia. This is especially so, given its demonstrated antioxidant and cholinergic
actions, because dementia is associated with both oxidative damage and depletion of acetylcholine. The
side-effects observed in this study lend further weight to previous findings of a cholinergic effect of Bacopa.
Animal studies have demonstrated a cholinergic action, though more research is needed to further establish
a cholinergic effect for Bacopa in humans, and to identify other possible mechanisms of action as well. Given
that even modest postponement of dementia symptoms would have enormous benefits for
sufferers and for society, the identification of cognitive enhancing agents is an important pursuit.

Bacopa monnieri is approved for over the counter sale in Australia, and is freely and widely available in retail
outlets. It is a well researched herb, with a long
history of traditional usage and has an excellent safety profile. One four week clinical trial to assess safety
demonstrated an absence of side effects. Thus, it
is unlikely that you will experience any adverse effects. It is recommended that the tablets be taken after food.
Research report on Brahmi - Bacopa Monnieri Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia




   Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of
                            Catania, v.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania,
                                                &
  Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples ‘Federico II’, via D. Montesano
                                  49, 80131, Naples (ITALY)
                                               By
     Alessandra Russo, Francesca Borrellib, Agata Campisia, Rosaria Acquavivaa, Giuseppina
                                   Racitia, Angelo Vanellaa

There is growing evidence that high concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), generated by activated astrocytes,
might be involved in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, ischemia and
epilepsy. It has recently been suggested that glial cells may produce NO under superoxide radical stimulation
by enzyme-independent mechanism. This suggests that also natural antioxidants may have therapeutical
relevance in neurodegenerative diseases. Studies of Bhattacharya et al. have evidenced that Bacopa
monniera (BM) (family Scrophulariaceae), an Ayurvedic medicinal plant clinically used for memory
enhancing, epilepsy, insomnia and as a mild sedative, is able to reduce the memory-dysfunction in rat
models of Alzheimer's disease, but the molecular mechanisms of this action are yet to be determined. In the
present study, we examined the effect of a methanolic extract of BM on toxicity induced by the nitric oxide
donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), in culture of purified rat astrocytes. Our results indicate
that, after 18 h of treatment, SNAP induced an increase in the production of reactive species, but did not
induce the rupture of cellular membrane. Conversely, this NO donor induced a fragmentation of genomic DNA
compared to control astrocytes. The extract of BM inhibited the formation of reactive species and DNA
damage in a dose dependent manner. This data supports the traditional use of BM and indicates
that this medicinal plant has a therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of neurological
diseases.
Click here for for the above research report page


                                www.bacopa-monnieri.us



                  Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Volume 9, Number 3 Year: 2006
                                           Authors:
   Leigh A. Holcomb: Central Texas Veterans Health Care System Neuropsychiatry Research
                                  Program, Temple, TX, USA
Angie R. Hitt: Department of Neurology, Texas A&M University System HSC College of Medicine,
                                       Temple, TX, USA
Keith A. Young: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University System
                              HSC College of Medicine, Temple, TX
Mark Riggs: Department of Research & Education, Scott and White Clinic, Texas A&M University
                      System HSC College of Medicine, Temple, TX, USA

Bacopa monniera extract reduces amyloid levels in PSAPP mice: PSAPP mice expressing the
"Swedish" amyloid precursor protein and M146L presenilin-1 mutations are a well-characterized model for
spontaneous amyloid plaque formation. Bacopa monniera has a long history of use in India as an anti-aging
and memory-enhancing ethnobotanical therapy. To evaluate the effect of Bacopa monniera extract (BME)
on beta-amyloid (Aß) pathology in PSAPP mice, two doses of BME (40 or 160 mg/kg/day) were
administered starting at 2 months of age for either 2 or 8 months. Our present data suggests that BME
lowers Aß 1-40 and 1-42 levels in cortex by as much as 60% , and reverses Y-maze performance and
open field hyperlocomotion behavioral changes present in PSAPP mice. The areas encompassed by Congo
Red-positive fibrillar amyloid deposits, however, were not altered by BME treatment. The data suggest that
BME has potential application in Alzheimer's disease therapeutics.

Click here for for the above research report page



                                www.bacopa-monnieri.us

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Bacopa Monnieri The Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Food

  • 1. Brahmi (Bacopa Monnieri) www.bacopa-monnieri.us Brahmi is a perennial, creeping herb whose habitat includes wetlands and muddy shores. The leaves of this plant are succulent and relatively thick. Leaves are oblanceolate and are arranged oppositely on the stem. The flowers are small and white, with four or five petals. Its ability to grow in water makes it a popular aquarium plant. It can even grow in slightly brackish conditions. Propagation is often achieved through cuttings. It commonly grows in marshy areas throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and is also found in Florida, Hawaii and other southern states of the USA where it can be grown in damp conditions by the pond or bog garden. Brahmi is known botanicaly as Bacopa monnieri. Brahmi is a nervine tonic that enhances learning, academic performance and improves mental ability. It acts as an anti anxiety agent and is used in several mental disorders. It also calms restlessness in children. Brahmi significantly improves the cognitive ability including an accelerated rate of learning and enhanced memory. These effects are optimized after a 12 week period. Bacopa monnieri extract was found to reduce beta amyloid deposits in mice with Alzheimer's disease. Taken regularly, Brahmi might reduce the chances of developing AD. Brahmi is an Ayurvedic herb that has been used for several thousand years as a brain tonic, to enhance intellect, treat psychiatric illness, epilepsy, insomnia and as an anti stress adaptogenic herb. Evidence of cognitive activator activity from animal models of learning is positive and clinical studies have produced excellent and encouraging results. Brahmi has potent antioxidant activity, which appears to be a result of both direct free radical scavenging activity and increasing endogenous antioxidant systems in the brain and liver. Brahmi has a long history of use as a brain tonic. Results from scientific studies suggest that it may enhance memory and cognitive function and reduce anxiety with long-term use. When will it start to work? Studies suggest that 12 weeks’ ( 3 months) continual use is required for benefits on cognitive function to become apparent. Are there any safety issues? Information from traditional sources suggests that brahmi is well tolerated at the usual therapeutic doses. (Interact with us/ Send us any queries on facebook at facebook.com/brahmi.bacopa) www.bacopa-monnieri.us
  • 2. Brahmi in Alzheimer's disease management & prevention There are number of research reports that confirm the beneficial properties of Brahmi in managing Alzheimer's disease. Brahmi at best could slow down the degeneration of brain and improve cognition & memory in patents. It is definitely worth a try. As a preventive treatment for Alzheimer's disease it could be useful if Brahmi is taken on a regular basis. This is particularly helpful if someone's close blood relatives have or had Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. In normal persons Brahmi does seem to improve memory, mental alertness, intellectual capacity and overall professional & academic performance. The wikipedia information on Brahmi Laboratory studies on rats indicate that extracts of the Brahmi plant improves memory capacity. Recent studies suggest that Brahmi may improve intellectual activity. The sulfhydryl and polyphenol components of Brahmi extract have also been shown to impact the oxidative stress cascade by scavenging reactive oxygen species, inhibiting lipoxygenase activity and reducing divalent metals. This mechanism of action may explain the effect of Brahmi extract in reducing beta amyloid deposits in mice with Alzheimer's disease. In a study conducted on rats (J. Ethnopharmacol, 2009), a model was conducted where Alzheimer's disease is induced to rats. The rats were afterwards given Brahmi extract to determine its effects against Alzheimer's disease. The test showed that rats given a dose of up to 80 mg/kg of Brahmi extract had improved cognitive capability and mitigated the further reduction of brain neurons. Brahmi could increase the quality of life of AD patients to a very high degree though it remains to be seen if Brahmi could offer a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Taken well in advance Brahmi might help prevent/delay Alzheimer's disease. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa_monnieri Swinburne University of Technology's Brain Sciences Institute John Street, Hawthorn,Victoria, Australia 3122 Research & trials at Swinburne University of Technology's Brain Sciences Institute (funded by Australian Government) established scientific validity of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri ) for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia. Swinburne’s Professor Dr.Con Stough is the director of the NICM Collaborative Center for Natural Medicines and Neurocognition, which is responsible for a range of trials to improve the research behind alternative medicines. Other collaborators in the neurocognition research are the University of Western Australia, Melbourne's Alfred Hospital and CDR Australia. Two Brahmi trials have been done over 90 days with double-blind, randomized control techniques using a special brahmi extract. The results have shown improvements in working memory, particularly spatial memory accuracy. According to Swinburne’s Professor Dr.Con Stough and Research Fellow with Alzheimer's Australia Dr Maree Farrow "For thousands of years Ayurvedic practitioners in India have used an aquatic plant known as brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) to enhance intelligence and mental functioning. Now, Western medicine is examining the herb's potential to delay or treat dementia" Dr Farrow says Alzheimer's Australia supports research into both pharmaceutical and natural treatments to develop products that prove safe and effective. She says people with Alzheimer's and their families are desperate for effective treatments. Despite claims on some products about the benefits of vitamin E and Ginkgo biloba, she says clinical trials have not shown conclusive results in treating already established Alzheimer's disease, although some research suggests these supplements may have a role in delaying its onset. If we can treat cognitive decline in the early stages then we may be able to prevent or delay more serious cognitive impairment. Intelligence does slow and decay over time as a natural part of the aging process,” Professor Stough says. He says not every forgotten name or misplaced item is a sign of Alzheimer's disease. As people age their brains shrink and become less efficient. It does take longer to process new information and certain aspects of memory do fail. But Alzheimer's dementia is a specific disease of the brain, although science has not yet determined the exact cause; most of what is known comes from autopsy examinations of sufferers. The findings include inflammation of the brain, deposits of beta amyloid, traces of heavy metals and signs of oxidative stress. Professor Stough says research suggests that Brahmi’s mechanism of action acts on all of these. It has an anti-inflammatory effect, is an antioxidant and collates and removes heavy metals and beta amyloid. Professor Andrew Scholey, head of the BSI’s Herbal and Nutritional Medicine Research Unit at Swinburne and who oversees many of the clinical trials, says that historically the field has struggled to gain scientific credibility. However, Swinburne’s trials are performed to standards that provide acceptance within the mainstream scientific community. Being able to capture the therapeutic cognitive benefits of a product in healthy adults provides ‘proof of concept’ and provides a gateway for full-blown clinical trials in other, less healthy populations. Two brahmi trials have been done
  • 3. over 90 days with double-blind, randomized control techniques using a special brahmi extract. The results have shown improvements in working memory, particularly spatial memory accuracy. A 50-day trial of a particular pine bark extract supplement for men aged 50 to 65 years has also shown improved speed in spatial working memory and immediate recognition tasks, along with a trend towards lower systolic blood pressure. Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia This thesis investigated the efficacy and safety of Bacopa monnieri in improving memory in aging Australians over the age of 55 years. A review of the literature showed that memory impairment and dementia are increasingly prevalent in the current demographic climate of an ageing population. As well as the pathological cognitive loss of neurodegenerative disease, many older persons are experiencing memory loss as part of the physiological process of ageing. Bacopa monnieri is a herbal medicine used since antiquity in the traditional Ayurvedic medical system of India for its cognitive enhancing effects. A number of pre-clinical and clinical studies support this traditional usage. Laboratory studies have demonstrated antioxidant and cholinergic actions in the brain as well as improved memory and cognitive performance in animal models. Human trials of Bacopa have also demonstrated improved memory performance. This study's replicated findings of beneficial effects on human memory have promising implications for Bacopa’s potential use in dementia. This is especially so, given its demonstrated antioxidant and cholinergic actions, because dementia is associated with both oxidative damage and depletion of acetylcholine. The side-effects observed in this study lend further weight to previous findings of a cholinergic effect of Bacopa. Animal studies have demonstrated a cholinergic action, though more research is needed to further establish a cholinergic effect for Bacopa in humans, and to identify other possible mechanisms of action as well. Given that even modest postponement of dementia symptoms would have enormous benefits for sufferers and for society, the identification of cognitive enhancing agents is an important pursuit. Bacopa monnieri is approved for over the counter sale in Australia, and is freely and widely available in retail outlets. It is a well researched herb, with a long history of traditional usage and has an excellent safety profile. One four week clinical trial to assess safety demonstrated an absence of side effects. Thus, it is unlikely that you will experience any adverse effects. It is recommended that the tablets be taken after food. Research report on Brahmi - Bacopa Monnieri Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Catania, v.le A. Doria 6, 95125, Catania, & Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples ‘Federico II’, via D. Montesano 49, 80131, Naples (ITALY) By Alessandra Russo, Francesca Borrellib, Agata Campisia, Rosaria Acquavivaa, Giuseppina Racitia, Angelo Vanellaa There is growing evidence that high concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), generated by activated astrocytes, might be involved in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, ischemia and epilepsy. It has recently been suggested that glial cells may produce NO under superoxide radical stimulation by enzyme-independent mechanism. This suggests that also natural antioxidants may have therapeutical relevance in neurodegenerative diseases. Studies of Bhattacharya et al. have evidenced that Bacopa monniera (BM) (family Scrophulariaceae), an Ayurvedic medicinal plant clinically used for memory enhancing, epilepsy, insomnia and as a mild sedative, is able to reduce the memory-dysfunction in rat models of Alzheimer's disease, but the molecular mechanisms of this action are yet to be determined. In the present study, we examined the effect of a methanolic extract of BM on toxicity induced by the nitric oxide donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), in culture of purified rat astrocytes. Our results indicate that, after 18 h of treatment, SNAP induced an increase in the production of reactive species, but did not induce the rupture of cellular membrane. Conversely, this NO donor induced a fragmentation of genomic DNA compared to control astrocytes. The extract of BM inhibited the formation of reactive species and DNA damage in a dose dependent manner. This data supports the traditional use of BM and indicates that this medicinal plant has a therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of neurological diseases.
  • 4. Click here for for the above research report page www.bacopa-monnieri.us Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Volume 9, Number 3 Year: 2006 Authors: Leigh A. Holcomb: Central Texas Veterans Health Care System Neuropsychiatry Research Program, Temple, TX, USA Angie R. Hitt: Department of Neurology, Texas A&M University System HSC College of Medicine, Temple, TX, USA Keith A. Young: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University System HSC College of Medicine, Temple, TX Mark Riggs: Department of Research & Education, Scott and White Clinic, Texas A&M University System HSC College of Medicine, Temple, TX, USA Bacopa monniera extract reduces amyloid levels in PSAPP mice: PSAPP mice expressing the "Swedish" amyloid precursor protein and M146L presenilin-1 mutations are a well-characterized model for spontaneous amyloid plaque formation. Bacopa monniera has a long history of use in India as an anti-aging and memory-enhancing ethnobotanical therapy. To evaluate the effect of Bacopa monniera extract (BME) on beta-amyloid (Aß) pathology in PSAPP mice, two doses of BME (40 or 160 mg/kg/day) were administered starting at 2 months of age for either 2 or 8 months. Our present data suggests that BME lowers Aß 1-40 and 1-42 levels in cortex by as much as 60% , and reverses Y-maze performance and open field hyperlocomotion behavioral changes present in PSAPP mice. The areas encompassed by Congo Red-positive fibrillar amyloid deposits, however, were not altered by BME treatment. The data suggest that BME has potential application in Alzheimer's disease therapeutics. Click here for for the above research report page www.bacopa-monnieri.us