Brahmi Herb Information

Botanical Name : Bacopa Monnieri

English/Common Name : Thyme-Leafed Gratiola

Ayurvedic Name : Brahmi

Family : Scrophulariaceae

Habitat and Botany : Brahmi is a small creeping herb commonly found growing in marshy areas throughout India. It grows readily in damp areas.

Constituents : Alkaloids, Brahmains & Herpestine; and a Sapinin "Hersaponin". Alkaloids resemble strychnine in therapeutic action but are less toxic.

Ayurvedic Study of Uses

The entire plant constitutes well-known drug Brahmi. The drug is stringent, bitter and cooling and reportedly improves the intellect. It is used in Ayurveda for the treatment of asthma, hoarseness, insanity and epilepsy and is also potent nerve tonic, Cardiotonic, Aperient and Diuretic. It is reported to improve the intellect, and acts as anti-anxiety agent. It also clams restlessness in children and is used in several mental disorders.

Brahmi has been administered at religious institutions to help students enhance their memory for learning ancient, religious hymns. Direct Cardiotonic, Ranquilizer and sedative, improves process of learning, Restores memory, enhances power of speech and imagination, diuretic and Nervine tonic, anti stress, for nervous and mental strain, use in insanity, Epilepsy, Hysteria, Aesthenia, nervous break down. Taking Brahmi can assist you in feeling a greater sense of well being during period of restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, cloudiness of thought, overactive mind. It is also used as a blood cleanser and is considered helpful.

For any inflammations, chronic skin diseases, high fevers and hair loss. Some say it assists with the control of blood pressure. In 1951, the central Drug research institute of India (CDRI), Indias premier research institute, Began research on it and found in 1963, they subsequently identified two active molecules confirmed that the Bacosides improved memory and enhance learning by increasing the protein Kinase activity and new protein synthesis. The CDRI presented their findings to the worlds scientific community at a series of International Brain Research Conferences held between 1986 and 1996 in China, Germany, France, USA, Canada and Australia. Clinical trials on human volunteers that began in 1993 in India have not found any adverse effects. Concentrated extract of Brahmi containing the active molecules Bacoside A & B. Bacoside A assists in the release of Nitric oxide, that causes the relaxation of the aorta and veins and allows blood to flow more smoothly though the body. Bacoside B is a protein that nourishes the brain cells.

Other References : The following is the third party literature of typical interest from the October 1998 issue of nutrition science news.

Antioxidants that Entertain the Brain

By Robert M. Hackman, Ph.D.

Feed your head! No, thats not Grace Slick singing the famous 1960s song. It is now a vital message about brain health especially relevant to the aging baby boomers who grew up listening to her music. This message is also important for seniors and anyone seeking to keep a sharp and focused mind. Feeding your head with "mind food" may be an easy and logical choice to help prevent age and illness-related declines in memory, mental clarity and concentration.

Do your customers ever complain about feeling scatterbrained? Perhaps it is simply mental overload in our fast-paced, multitasking world. But maybe part of the problem is a decline in the health and vitality of their brain cells. As people age, brain cells lose their elasticity and functional ability because of free radicals, which are harmful molecules that can damage all types of body cells. One Medical research points to accumulated free radical damage as a biochemical basis for part of the mental deterioration associated with aging. With such understanding also come new insights about antioxidants and herbs that may help prevent or stop brain-function decline.

Oxygen and the Brain : The brain and central nervous system are among the most active body tissues. Nerve cells require oxygen to meet high energy production and demands, indeed, the brain comprises only 5 percent of body weight but 20 percent of oxygen consumption, more than any other body tissue on a weight basis. Oxygen-rich blood is sent from the lungs to the brain via cerebral arteries, which are blood vessels on each side of the neck. The cerebral arteries are open and flexible in youth, enabling the easy transport of blood. But as the body ages, the cerebral arteries become more rigid and may also clog with fatty deposits, resulting in less blood transported to the brain and a consequent decline in mental performance.

Oxygen, however, also provokes harmful free radical formation in nerve cells that in turn causes nerve-cell membranes to scar and harden. In more severe situations, these declines may progress to Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, Schizophrenia, or Tardive Dyskinesia, a central nervous system disorder.

As with any chronic disease, the optimal approach is to reduce risk factors by developing a preventive lifestyle as early as possible. New evidence also suggests that Alzheimers disease progression may be slowed, even reversed, by taking an aggressive antioxidant approach to reduce or prevent free radical buildup.

Antioxidants and Brain Function : Most readers of this magazine know about the classic vitamin antioxidants, vitamins C, E and beta-carotene. Certain minerals such as zinc and selenium are also involved in antioxidant protection, serving as essential cofactors in the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes within the body. But what evidence exists to suggest that antioxidant protection translates into better mental performance?

A 22-year study of 442 randomly selected Swiss residents between the ages of 65 and 94 at the end of the study indicates a significant relationship between mental performance and high levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene in the blood. The antioxidant vitamins C, E and beta-carotene were measured in current blood samples, and these same antioxidants were also measured in frozen blood samples from the same people collected 22 years previously. Seniors with the highest blood levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene scored highest on a variety of memory tests. Those who had high blood levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene when the study began and who had maintained the high levels scored significantly higher on memory tests than those whose antioxidant levels had declined during the 22-year period. also, those whose antioxidant levels were high 22 years ago were much more likely to have retained high levels.

Further evidence associating antioxidants with brain function comes from animal studies. Old rats given antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, showed significantly greater performance on memory tests compared with non supplemented rats of the same age.

Tocotrienol antioxidants from palm oil were recently found to be more powerful than the Alpha-Tochopherol form of vitamin E in protecting brain cells from free radical damage. The in vitro tests found that Gamma-Tocotrienol was the most protective of the tocotrienol fractions.

In addition to antioxidant vitamins, antioxidant enzymes also protect cells. These enzymes are made by the body and often require trace elements to fulfill their function. For example, the antioxidant enzyme Uperoxide dismutase (SOD) requires zinc, copper and manganese for activation. SOD is particularly effective in neutralizing free radicals generated from oxygen metabolism, and this enzyme may be important in helping protect brain cells, Getting 15-25 mg of zinc per day is the best way to ensure good SOD production. Since copper and manganese are also involved in SOD production, ensure and daily intake of 1-2 mg of copper and 3-5 mg of manganese.

Although it does not necessarily represent a cause-and-effect relationship, SOD levels in cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord) were significantly lower among 33 people with dementia, particularly Alzheimers disease, compared to 13 people with epilepsy, 12 people with Parkinsons disease and 58 healthy people. Epilepsy and Parkinsons disease are not forms of dementia and are not thought to be free radical related. While all are diseases, only Alzheimers disease is an age-related dementia disorder.

While classic vitamin antioxidants such as vitamins, C, E and Beta-carotene are widely known, the next big breakthrough will be recognition of herbal antioxidants that have much greater potency than these three. Certain plants and seeds produce antioxidants that help protect them from the harsh effects of sunlight and oxygen, and it is this natural chemical defense system that confers power to botanical antioxidants. For example, Quercetin and Luteolin, two plant Flavonoids, were recently found to have eight times the antioxidant protection power of vitamin C when tested in human lymphocytes.

The next antioxidant breakthrough will be the recognition of potent herbal antioxidants. Brahmi has been shown to improve short and long-term memory. When rats were trained to run a particular maze pattern and then given Brahmi, they were able to run the maze correctly more often than those receiving a placebo in both the long and short-term tests. A number of compounds have been identified in Brahmi, including antioxidant Terpenoids and Bacosides.

Recently, an alcohol extract of Brahmi was shown to neutralize free radicals in brain tissue. Compounds in Brahmi bind to brain cell receptors to provide antioxidant protection. The alcohol fraction worked in a manner similar to that of vitamin E, while a hexane extract of Brahmi appeared devoid of the antioxidant activity. These findings underscore the need to use standardized extracts in these products. Standardized Brahmi extract can contain as much as 50 percent Bacopa Saponins, the level reportedly contained in products currently marketed in India.

Safety : Clinical trials on human volunteers that began in 1993 in India have not found any adverse effects. The herb is safe for use by healthy people of all ages. In India, Brahmi tea is given to infants starting in their first month of the life to encourage optimal mental development. Brahmi, like Gingko, is also used by adults who seek better mental functioning.

Dosage

It is advisable to take Brahmi for at least three months for significant effect and thereafter adjust the dose to suit the individual. It is wise to treat the brain like a muscle - use or lose it. Regular, stimulating mental activities keep the brain sharp, just as a vigorous workout helps keep muscles fit and performing optimally. The brain is susceptible to dehydration, so drink plenty of clean, pure fluids as part of any brain nutrition program. Nutritional supplements that provide a mixture of vitamins and mineral as well as herbs such as Brahmi may prove efficacious to a brain power plan. Give any supplement program enough time to work before evaluation its effects: Based on the metabolic rate of brain cells, the benefits may not be noticed for at least 90 days.

References

Perrig WJ, et al. The relation between antioxidants and memory performance in the old and very old. J. Am Geriatr Soc 1997; 45:718-24.

Lohr JB, Browning JA. Free radical involvement in Neuropsychiatric Illnesses. Psychopharmacol Bull 1995; 31: 159-65.

009; Socci DJ, et al. Chronic antioxidant treatment improves the cognitive performance of aged rats. Brain Res 1995; 693:88-94.

Kamat JP, et al. Tocotrienols from palm oil as potent inhibitors of lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation in rat brain mitochondria. Neurosci Lett 1995; 195:179-82.

De Deyn PP, et al. Superoxide dismutase activity in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with dementia and some other neurological disorders. Alzheimer Dis. Assoc disord 1998; 12:26-32.

Noroozi M, et al. Effects of flavonoids and vitamin C on oxidative DNA damage to human lymphocytes. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;67:1210-8.

Singh HK, Dhawan BN. Effect of Bacopa monniera Linn. (Grahmi) extract on avoidance responses in the rat. J. Ethnopharmacol 1982;5:205-14

Tripathi YB, et al. Bacopa monniera Linn. as an antioxidant: Mechanism of action.

Caution: According to Ayurveda, herbs are taken in combination with other herbs to neutralize the toxicity of one herb with the opposing effect of the other or to enhance the particular effect of one herb with the help of other.

"These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."