Bacopa monnieri, known in ancient Indian tradition as Brahmi, is an herb with a history stretching back thousands of years. Revered in classical Ayurvedic texts for its cognitive benefits, it is now the subject of modern clinical research.
Today, as stress and cognitive demands rise—with “brain fog” becoming a common complaint in our fast-paced, digital world—the search for reliable support is more urgent than ever.
Amidst the growing market for brain performance supplements, Bacopa stands out.
Bacopa Benefits
Many know it just as “Bacopa”. It’s popular in stress-supportive supplements and the growing field of nootropics or “smart drug” supplements.
Bacopa benefits include helping the brain learn, remember, focus, and process information more effectively
. It also supports stress managementand has been shown to lower cortisol levels.
The most well-known active compounds in Bacopa are “bacosides” (triterpenoid saponins). These groups of compounds support brain function and reduce stress, among other Bacopa benefits for the body.
Bacopa may support acetylcholine function in the body, a neurotransmitter implicated in mental focus and attention. The active components also have antioxidant properties. (1; 2). Antioxidant benefits are wide-reaching, particularly in support for inflammation and protecting vulnerable tissues, such as the fragile blood vessel networks in the brain that support brain activity.
Other reported mechanisms of action of Bacopa may include promoting blood flow to brain regions involved in cognition, helping the brain modulate dopamine and serotonin, and possibly reducing plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Dopamine and acetylcholine support mental focus, learning, and concentration. Serotonin is linked with anxiety and mood.
The herb may also have general liver and nerve-protective properties (3).
I love it when 2000+-year-old traditions are supported by modern science.
There are many studies that show that Bacopa monnieri can help people with brain performance, learning, memory, anxiety, ADD/ADHD symptoms, mood, and the reduction of cortisol levels.
The specific CDRI-08 strain of Bacopa is supported by six recent, placebo-controlled, human clinical trials.
A small double-blind placebo-controlled trial was done with 55-70-year-old men who had reported memory loss. The groups received 12 weeks of treatment, followed by 4 weeks off, taking a placebo at 125mg twice daily (250mg total).
Bacopa Benefits Backed by Human Clinical Trials (CDRI-08 Strain)
Clinical Trial 1:
Improvements occurred as early as 4 weeks and lasted through all 16 weeks, including the 4 weeks of placebo following the 12 weeks of active treatment. The authors reported significant improvements in several cognitive and learning outcomes.
Findings were found in a range of brain performance tests – specifically mental control, a number of memory tests, and a learning exercise (4).
Clinical Trial 2:
A 2nd randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial with 46 participants demonstrated benefits in visual processing, learning rate, memory consolidation, and anxiety as early as 5 weeks, with effects more pronounced at 12 weeks at a dose of 300mg (5).
Clinical Trial 3:
A 90-day randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial with 62 individuals taking 150mg of Bacopa twice a day. Working memory and visual processing improved significantly in the treatment group compared to the placebo (6)
Clinical Trial 4:
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial using 320mg and 640mg of Bacopa reported improved multitasking performance. While both treatments saw improvements in sustained cognitive performance, 640mg was just as beneficial as 320mg. Although a separate trial discussed next showed benefit at 640mg.
Clinical Trial 5:
A small 17-person study evaluated the effects of the CDRI-08 Bacopa strain on learning, cortisol levels, mood, and anxiety. Groups were separated into placebo, 320mg, and 640mg in equal 4-capsule increments.
Findings suggest early adaptogenic, stress-supportive, and nootropic benefits from Bacopa monnieri CDRI-08 supplementation.
Significant improvements were reported over the 1 to 2 hours, notably at 2 hours for the cortisol level:
Clinical Trial 6:
A double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 76 older adults aged 40-65 years old. Findings indicate better retention of learned information with 300mg CDRI-08 than with placebo at 1 month and 3 months.
Interestingly, the benefits were sustained for up to 6 weeks without supplementation following the trial (8).
Bacopa Extract Benefits in Children
A systematic review identified 5 studies that met the inclusion criteria and involved children aged 4-18. The combined results demonstrated improvements in criteria related to language, behavior, memory, and ADD/ADHD (9).
When writing, working, or when I feel extra stress, I take 1-2 capsules of Equazen Acumen by SFI Health to take advantage of the clinically supported benefits of the CDRI-08 strain of Bacopa.
