By Dr. Puja Shah
As a working mom, author, and yoga/meditation teacher, my energy and mind get pulled in many directions on a daily basis. Between students, book deadlines, social events, family gatherings, birthdays, school calendars and extra activities, it can be hard to remember it all.
On some days I’m not even sure how I do it.
Thank goodness for bacopa, one of my family’s favorite ancient medicinal herbs.
The revered herb Bacopa is super useful for mental fatigue. It supports concentration and memory, and is revered as a “smart brain herb” that awakens optimal mental functioning.
Bacopa is also a powerful neuro adaptogen, working to boost the brain and nervous system’s resistance to stress.
The scientific community has many examples of Bacopa’s power.
One such example is 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 an 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.
What happened when I started taking bacopa
Following the advice of my Ayurvedic practitioner, I started with one dose per day in the morning.
The first time I recall experiencing its effects was a few weeks later, when I found myself in a high stress multitasking moment. I was facing an editing deadline, a time crunch to pick up my kids, and various other technical issues; yet I didn’t feel the mental strain and tension I had sometimes felt in the past.
Instead, I concentrated on the outcomes I knew I had to create, and was able to move through my options with ease and calm. The bacopa was working for me, allowing me to slow down and find clear solutions.
Bacopa is now a staple in my household – and I hope you’ll consider adding it to your herb stack too, especially if you often find yourself stressed and overwhelmed by the demands of life.
