Bacopa Monnieri is a nootropic herb that is known for its benefits as an anxiolytic. It is highly ranked in Ayurvedic remedies, and is incredibly powerful when it comes to combating anxiety.
Bacopa Monnieri extract has even been shown to work better than traditional approaches to reducing anxiety because it increases cognition and alertness rather than reducing it [1]. Bacopa benefits people across a wide age range, and has been shown to increase memory as well as improve mood.
How Does Bacopa Monnieri Work?
The anti-anxiety effects of Bacopa are still being researched, but can be attributed to a combination of saponins in the herb and its ability to increase serotonin. Saponins are chemical compounds that are part of a plant’s immune system. When they are consumed by humans, they can have effects like anxiety reduction and improved mood [2]. The supplement helps to improve neural communication by helping nerve cells send out signals. Basically, it helps your brain to have better control over its reactions, which helps to manage stress and anxiety faster.
Because Bacopa also causes an increase in serotonin production, it results in a surge of “feel-good” hormones that aid in anxiety reduction. Bacopa Monnieri is a great option as an anxiolytic nootropic, and a powerful one at that, because it affects the mental condition and can improve not only mood, but memory and performance as well.
Bacopa Monnieri Benefits
While Bacopa Monnieri is powerful as an anxiolytic, it truly is most effective because it is neither a stimulant nor a depressant. While other supplements for anxiety may cause drowsiness or overstimulation, Bacopa does neither of these.
It will improve cognitive function rather than impairing it for the sake of reducing stress. While Bacopa can act as a mental sedative, it won’t cause tiredness and will instead focus the mind.
Bacopa Monnieri is also an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage and preventing their breakdown. This is just an added perk to the supplement that can effectively reduce anxiety without causing other negative mental side effects.
Bacopa Monnieri Dosage
Dosage will largely depend on the extract of Bacosides. For example, a formulation of 20% Bacosides will call for 750mg once per day. Dosage will also depend on the individual’s levels of stress an anxiety. The supplement can be taken at any time since it won’t cause drowsiness or overstimulation meaning it won’t interfere with your sleep cycle.
The Bacopa supplement is best taken with food, and can be easily worked into a daily routine by having it with a meal. In a very short time, adding this supplement every day can help reduce anxiety as well as provide more mental focus and an improved memory.
Sources
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23195757
- http://phoenixhealth.me/Botanical%20medicine/Bacopa%20for%20the%20Brain.pdf
