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Bacopa Monnieri
Memory booster, cognitive function, inflammation
Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri) is an herb native to India that has been used traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine to enhance memory, learning and concentration and also to treat anxiety, heart problems, digestive disorders, asthma, and bronchitis. Most of the research on bacopa has been done in animals, but new studies on humans have also been done. Recently it showed to be an effective mediator on cox, lox and tnf-alpha.
Bacopa and memory studies
An interesting study on bacopa's effect on memory was a small, double-blind, placebo-controlled 12-week trial conducted in Australia with 46 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60, divided into two groups. The volunteers in one group were given 300 milligrams of bacopa daily, and the others received a placebo. Prior to the study, the researchers tested all the volunteers to assess their verbal learning abilities, memory and speed of information processing. The tests were repeated five and 12 weeks after the study began. The researchers noted a significant improvement among the volunteers in the bacopa group compared to those in the placebo group.
A review article of some 38 scientific studies of bacopa was published in the March, 2004, issue of the journal Alternative Medicine Review, and noted two small studies that demonstrated an improvement in cognitive function in children as a result of taking bacopa. A single small-scale human study also found a decrease in anxiety symptoms among patients treated with bacopa.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Jul 23;118(2):305-11. Epub 2008 Apr 24.
Inhibition of lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenase-2 enzymes by extracts isolated from Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst.
Viji V, Helen A.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 581, India.
AIM OF THE STUDY: Bacopa monniera Linn is described in the Ayurvedic Materia Medica, as a therapeutically useful herb for the treatment of inflammation. In the current study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extract of Bacopa monniera (BME). For some experiments EtOAc and bacoside fractions were prepared from BME. The effect of these extracts in modulating key mediators of inflammation was evaluated.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, rat mononuclear cells and human whole blood assay were employed as in vivo and in vitro models.
RESULTS: In carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, BME brought about 82% edema inhibition at a dose of 100mg/kg i.p. when compared to indomethacin (INDO) (3mg/kg) that showed 70% edema inhibition. BME also significantly inhibited 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), 15-LOX and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activities in rat monocytes in vivo. Among the fractions tested in vitro, EtOAc fraction possessed significant 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity with IC(50) value of 30 microg/ml compared to butylated hydroxyl toluene (IC(50) = 13 microg/ml). This fraction also exerted significant hydroxyl radical scavenging activity with IC(50) value of 25 microg/ml in comparison with quercetin (IC(50) = 5 microg/ml). Inhibitory effects of EtOAc and bacoside fractions on LOX and COX activities in Ca-A23187 stimulated rat mononuclear cells were also assessed. 5-LOX IC(50) values were 25 microg/ml for EtOAc, 68 microg/ml for bacosides and 2 microg/ml for nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) where as COX-2 IC(50) values were 1.32 microg/ml for EtOAc, 1.19 microg/ml for bacoside fraction and 0.23 microg/ml for indomethacin. EtOAc and bacoside fractions also brought about significant decrease in TNF-alpha release ex vivo.
CONCLUSION: Bacopa monniera possesses anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of COX and LOX and downregulation of TNF-alpha.
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