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2003-02-02 05:00:00
Ivanhoe Broadcast News
The herb called Bacopa monniera,
or brahmi, is a plant that grows in marshy areas throughout India. It
is regularly used in Ayurvedic medicine, the holistic system of
healing that evolved from ancient India some 3,000 to 5,000 years
ago.
The dietary
supplement form of bacopa isn't commonly used in the United States,
but the same variety of plant is used in aquariums as a decorative
water plant.
Bacopa promotes
brain function and mental clarity, supports memory and concentration,
and reduces stress-related anxiety.
The bacopa plant
contains two components that help boost memory. The first component
has two parts called bacosides A and B. These bacosides help assist
learning, understanding, retention and the ability to remember new
tasks.
Regular intake
of the bacosides help to boost the activity of the protein kinase,
which is involved in the production of new brain cells connected to
learning and memory. These bacosides also help to repair damaged
neurons by boosting kinase. As a result, damaged brain cell activity
is restored, leading to better brain and memory function.
Researchers from
Oregon
Health & Science University and the National
College of Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) are studying
the bacopa dietary supplement to test its impact, if any, on the
memory of seniors.
"In prior
clinical trials, bacopa has been shown to assist in memory and
learning enhancement in younger patient populations.
"However,
it has not been studied in the elderly," said Carlo Calabrese,
N.D., M.P.H., research professor at NCNM, and a clinical assistant
professor of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine.
To test the
influence of bacopa on people older than 65, researchers gave half of
the 50 participants 300 mg of bacopa daily for a 12-week period and
the other a placebo.
Researchers are
testing bacopa's effect by giving the participants verbal tests to
evaluate short-term memory and other tests to measure attention, the
ability to ignore irrelevant information, and reaction time.
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