Aquatic Plants Native to Asia and Australia
Namrita Lall in Aquatic Plants, 2020
This species has several uses, both medicinal and as a food source. The leaves of B. monnieri can be prepared in a few ways including the raw form used in salads, the cooked form as a vegetable, or additive in soups and pickling. It is popular in the ancient practice of Ayurveda. It is particularly well-known for its effect on the nervous system to improve memory and intellect (Russo and Borrelli 2005). This plant has been reported for the treatment of neuralgia and epilepsy (Kapoor 2017). It is also used as a sedative and vasoconstrictor. Bacopa monnieri is an herb which has been used as a brain tonic and is recommended to lower anxiety and boost cognition (Russo and Borrelli 2005). It has been reported to treat cognitive disorders and lack of concentration. It has also been used as an anti-inflammatory agent for asthma, bronchitis, and rheumatism (Channa et al. 2006).
Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Therapeutic Profile of Bacopa monnieri
Dilip Ghosh, Pulok K. Mukherjee in Natural Medicines, 2019
The scientific research on Bacopa monnieri suggests the huge biological potential of this plant. Many pharmacological studies using standardised extracts have been conducted and demonstrated significant anti-stress, anti-amnesic, neuroprotective, antiepileptic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, hepatoprotective, analgesic, gastroprotective, cardioprotective and cognitive enhancing properties. Bacopa monnieri has multiple modes of action on the brain that may impact human cognition in an acute manner and also serve to ameliorate cognitive decline when consumed over longer periods. A battery of well-validated and sensitive neuropsychological tests have shown that the CDRI 08 extract of Bacopa monnieri shows promise as a cognitive enhancer across a range of ages, as evidenced from its robust acute and chronic nootropic effects exemplified as improvement in information processing and decision-making time, reduction in anxiety and a significant decrease in the rate of forgetting newly acquired information. There is mounting evidence for the utility of Bacopa monnieri in improving cognitive functioning in healthy humans, as well as in patients with different memory disorders. Standardised Bacopa monnieri preparations are well tolerated and becoming more widely used throughout the world by practitioners of complementary medicine for the treatment of mental ailments.
Whole Medical Systems
Hilary McClafferty in Integrative Pediatrics, 2017
One area of study that has shown some promise is in ADHD where the use of Bacopa monnieri has been investigated. Bacopa has a long history of use in Ayurvedic practice for improving memory and intellect, and to treat anxiety. In vivo animal studies have shown positive benefit for learning and memory. Bacosides A and B are thought to be the active compounds and have been associated with anxiolytic effects, beta-amyloid scavenging, and modulation of acetylcholine levels. Single-extract studies of bacopa, particularly (Central Drug Research Institute) CDRI 08, which is standardized to not less than 55% bacosides, have been associated with improvement in ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents in some studies (Dave et al. 2014), although randomized placebo-controlled trials using CDRI 08 are needed to further establish efficacy and optimal dosing (Kean et al. 2015).
Glioblastoma: The Weed of the Brain
Published in Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, 2022
Anna Roberts, Mark Roughley, Caroline Wilkinson
Researcher, Tejas Athni, explores the potential of the Bacopa Monnieri plant to reduce the spread of Glioblastoma due to its anti-cancer property, Bacoside A (Athni, 2017). Before considering the Bacopa Monnieri as an anti-cancer treatment, the plant was previously used within Ayurvedic medicine1. The plant was considered an ancient herbal remedy to improve memory retention, thinking and cognitive skills, which attests to the plant’s neurological capabilities. By understanding the medicinal nature of plants, we may be able to understand more about their effect on disease and the body. Merging botany and medicine in a transdisciplinary framework could facilitate novel treatments and ways of engaging with translational/scientific research; through knowledge exchange across disciplines; as discussed in the paper ‘Transdisciplinary approaches enhance the production of translational knowledge’ by, (Ciesielski et al. 2017).
The Evolving Roles of Bacopa monnieri as Potential Anti-Cancer Agent: A Review
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2021
Sudeepa Ghosh, Rahmat Khanam, Avik Acharya Chowdhury
Bacopa monnieri is an important medicinal plant with many biologically active constituents which are capable of acting against different types of cancer. Originally, rendering its outstanding effects on various neurological disorders, this plant gained interests of scientists for further research areas. The constituents purified from the plant leaf extract evidenced to have specific efficacy against different cancer cell types which ultimately leads to cell death by modulating specific signaling pathways, arresting at specific stage of cell cycle or by simply delivering cytotoxicity even by activating autophagic pathway in a way that remains nontoxic toward the normal cells (Fig. 2). Moreover, neuroblastoma, colon cancer, prostate cancer all these deadly diseases are documented to be sensitive toward Bacopa. These studies undeniably have opened up a new horizon in medicinal research with the application of a medicinal plant.
Direct and indirect evidences of BDNF and NGF as key modulators in depression: role of antidepressants treatment
Published in International Journal of Neuroscience, 2019
Amal Chandra Mondal, Mahino Fatima
The BDNF might provide protection to stress-induced neuronal damages leading to therapeutic recovery from depression. Thus, BDNF probably is the downstream target molecule, which then acts as an executioner as a natural AD, which may also be released upon rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). Our contention may be supported by the fact that chronic administration of ADs increased the expression of BDNF mRNA in the limbic structure [78,79]. ADs possibly modify signaling pathways and improve depressive symptoms, help to overcome challenging conditions and contribute to the neuronal plasticity to cope and adapt to stressful situations. This may be supported by the fact that ADs appear to increase tyrosine autophosphorylation of TrkB receptors [80], activate phospholipase-C-γ [81] signaling and subsequent phosphorylation of CREB [33,82]. Chronic administration of Bacopa monnieri, a herbal neuroprotectant increases BDNF protein and mRNA expressions in the brain of rats [83]. These data help to understand the effect of ADs in promoting TrkB activation. Subsequently, a number of studies reported that the expression of BDNF decreased upon exposure to acute as well as chronic stress [84] suggesting the possibility that BDNF might be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. In conclusion, ADs may have a potential impact on activity-dependent plasticity, which is compromised in depression. Antidepressants may promote neuroprotective pathways and render them more responsive to preserve cell functionality and overcome cellular resiliency.
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