Origin

Bacopa monnieri, also known as navelwort, is a creeping plant with highly fragrant white and light blue flowers. It is originally native to South Asia, especially India, Vietnam and Nepal. It grows up to an altitude of about 1400 m, especially in swampy areas. It has been used in Ayurveda for over 3000 years and is referred to as a "remedy for the mind". It is also called “Brahmi” after the Indian god Brahma. It is used in Ayurveda as an anti-stress and brain tonic medicinal plant. In Hinduism, infants were traditionally anointed with it to "open the door to intelligence". It belongs to the same plant family as ginkgo and is considered an excellent nerve tonic.

In terms of alternative medicine, Brahmi is also an adaptogenic plant. Adaptogenic plants have attracted particular interest from scientists in recent years because of their ability to adapt to environmental factors. That is, they take away what there is too much of and fill in what is lacking. This means that the idea behind using these plants is that they could also contribute to this self-regulation in the human organism.

Benefit and mode of action

In Ayurveda, Brahmi is used to calm the Vata and Kapha doshas. It is classified as "rasayana"; these are plants that, according to Ayurvedic understanding, rejuvenate intellect and memory.

The saponins (above all bacoside A and bacoside B), which are present to a large extent in the plant, are mainly responsible for the properties attributed to the bacopa. Saponins protect plants from fungal attack. Due to their complex structure, saponins can trigger very different pharmacological effects that have not yet been fully clarified. Among other things, cholesterol-lowering, antibiotic, blood pressure-increasing and immune-modulating effects are known. (Source: https://flexikon.doccheck.com/de/Saponin)

A study by the School of Health and Human Sciences in New South Wales/Australia with 136 elderly subjects suffering from memory problems who took Brahmi showed an improvement after a twelve-week test phase: https:// pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20590480/

A double-blind study by the Neuropsychology Laboratory at the University of Victoria/Australia found that after twelve weeks of taking Brahmi, there was a significant improvement in the ability to comprehend, learn and remember (short - and long-term memory): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11498727/

A study by the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland also examined the effects of brahmi on older people - with the result that the cognitive performance of the test subjects improved: https://pubmed. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18611150/

A study from 1998 is devoted to brahmi as an anxiolytic, i.e. as a means of reducing pathological or excessive anxiety and was able to prove its effectiveness in animal experiments: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/23195757/

The following 2014 study demonstrated that a standardized Bacopa monnieri extract was effective in reducing the symptoms of ADHD in children and was also well tolerated by children: https://pubmed.ncbi .nlm.nih.gov/24682000/

A study from 2018 found that in vitro, i.e. in a test tube, the bacosides contained in brahmi were able to inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/30037060/

In an in vitro study published in 2013, Brahmi extract was able to inhibit the growth of tumor cells: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22467255/

This 2012 study examines the effect of brahmi on colchicine-induced dementia in animal experiments; the results suggest the therapeutic potential of brahmi in the treatment of Alzheimer's-induced cognitive decline: https://pubmedncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22700087/

A good overview of clinical studies on Bacopa monnieri can also be found here.

How do you find your ideal product?

Brahmi is a high quality product that can be available fully vegan. If this is important to you, look for a "vegan" seal when making your choice. You are best off with authentic source material from India and yet a high standard of quality and purity. You can find this information on the packaging below the eco-seal (where does the starting material come from) and of course by the organic seal.

Legal consumer information

German and European case law wants to protect consumers from supposedly misleading claims. The statements made here refer to the original Ayurvedic and TCM texts. This knowledge, which has been handed down for thousands of years, is based on experiences that are passed on from generation to generation. It should not be claimed that the products described here have any effect in the sense of western medicine. All products are dietary supplements; they are not medicines and have no medicinal effect. If you are ill and need medical care, please contact your doctor or pharmacist

.