ESCOP monographs The Scientific Foundation for Herbal Medicinal Products. Online series. Bacopae monnieri herba (Bacopa). Exeter: ESCOP; 2025.

Bacopa (Bacopae monnieri herba)

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst.

Published 2025

Format: PDF

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Summary

The herbal monograph selects and summarises scientific studies and textbooks regarding efficacy, dosage and safety to support the therapeutic uses of bacopa.

This herbal drug, by definition, consists of the dried aerial parts of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst.

Studies with its characteristic constituents, dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins, mainly represented by bacopasaponins including bacosides A and B. Other constituents are phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoids and alkaloids.

The therapeutic indications for adults are decreased mental and physical capacities such as forgetfulness, cognitive aging, mental fatigue, as well as temporary anxiety. The therapeutic indications for children and adolescents, decreased learning retention, distractibility and reduced attention. In traditional Ayurvedic medicine is used to improve brain function in cases of cognitive impairment, to enhance memory, support longevity and relieve anxiety. Administration of bacopa addresses posology; its duration of use; special warnings in pregnancy and lactation; undesirable effects and overdose.

In vitro and ex vivo experiments with bacopa demonstrated effects on cell proliferation, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory effects, cardiovascular protection and antioxidant activities. In vivo experiments with ginseng or its extracts demonstrated neuroprotection, attenuation of memory impairment/anti-amnesic effects, learning- and memory-enhancing abilities, modulation of antioxidant enzymes, effects on stress, anxiety and depression models, adaptogenic activity, effects on induced experimental schizophrenia, effects on epilepsy, cardiovascular and cardioprotective activities, and hepatoprotective activity Pharmacological studies in humans concern effects on cognitive and mood effects, tests for retention of new information for the delayed recall of word pairs, attention and memory-enhancing properties, as well as adaptogenic effects and stress reactivity.

Controlled clinical studies with bacopa in adults demonstrated effects on cognitive functions, age-associated memory impairment, attention, verbal memory and learning ability, dementia, anhedonia, Alzheimer’s Disease, anxiety neurosis and emotional well-being. Clinical studies with bacopa in postmenopausal women evidenced improvements in sleep abnormality, lethargy and night sweats parameters, decrease of serum triglyceride and very low-density lipoproteins level, and significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and in heart rate. Controlled clinical studies with bacopa in children confirmed the efficacy in revitalising the mental capacities, in the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and in intellect and memory.

Pharmacokinetics of different bacosides and extracts were assessed in animals and humans.

Preclinical safety data for bacopa were assessed in toxicity studies. Safety data were assessed in human studies.

The selection of literature cited in the monograph is aimed at bringing together relevant information about the possible physiological roles of bacopa and its major constituents.

Keywords

• Bacopae monnieri herba

• Bacopa

• Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst

• CNS disorders

• Mental or physical exhaustion

• Cognitive impairment

• Fatigue

• Decreased mental and physical capacities