2 Ways Bacopa Helps Your Brain

In this article, we are going to show you 2 ways that Bacopa Helps Your Brain.  It is an ancient plant called Bacopa Monnieri and they have been using it in India for thousands of years.  It is part of the Indian traditional medicinal philosophy called Ayurveda.

                Ayurveda focuses on determining your individual constitution and then choosing a diet, medications, and supplements that will work with your own unique biological needs.  They call it “Brahmi” in India and they have considered it one of the best natural herbs and treatments.

                Bacopa’s benefits are mainly regarding its ability to help your memory and your cognition.  Cognition is the process of thinking, and how you think and how well you think.  If you have cognitive problems (especially common as we age), you may notice that you have a brain fog and are easily confused or forgetful.  

                Forgetfulness can be especially debilitating to older people and is one of the common first warning signs that an elderly person suffering age-related cognitive decline.

                You can see that it’s important to keep your cognitive health in the front of your mind when you are selecting herbs, supplements, diet, and medications to support you as you get older.  Turning towards natural solutions that have been around for many thousands of years is an easy way to improve your cognitive faculties safely.

                Enter Bacopa.  Bacopa is extremely beneficial for your brain, and it helps it in more than 2 ways, but we are going to focus on the way that it helps your brain in 2 ways.

                The first way that Bacopa helps your brain is that it contains active ingredients which have been studied.  Some of its active ingredients are Bacosides A and B.  These bacosides have been studied and they actually repair neurons.  Neurons are your nerve cells in your brain and they communicate with one another and transmit information throughout your body.

                Bacosides A and B can repair damaged neurons, and they can also protect them.  This is called a neuroprotective mechanism of action.  Many of the neurons inside your brain can become damaged or faulty as the effects of age related cognitive decline.  Bacosides A and B can also help the communication between neurons be more efficient.  The connection between neurons is called a synapse.

                The second way that Bacopa helps your brain is that it can help your brain with neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitters do what they sound like they do:  they help transmit messages between your neurons.  The two neurotransmitters that Bacopa works to enhance are serotonin and acetylcholine.

                Serotonin is the neurotransmitter associated with positive mood. Bacopa increases levels of serotonin and also work at the receptor sites in the brain for serotonin.  Acetylcholine is technically just an organic chemical that acts like a functional neurotransmitter.  It works at the motor neurons in the nervous system to help you move your muscles but also communicates with other neurons.  Acetylcholine is found in large amounts in the parts of the brain that help you learn and make memories and is one of the neurotransmitters that declines as people age, and neurodegeneration then occurs.

                Bacopa keeps the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine from working.  If there is no enzyme to break down the levels of acetylcholine in the brain, more acetylcholine is available to keep transmitting messages throughout the body.

                With more messages being communicated in the parts of the brain that work with memory and learning, your cognitive functions will improve as the communication will make it easier for your brain to function.

                With the special functions of the Bacosides acting as a neuroprotective agent and enhancing the communication between neurons, and the ability of Bacopa to keep acetylcholine from breaking down, it’s clear that these 2 ways Bacopa works means better cognitive health for your brain.