The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects

• Published in: Psychopharmacologia 2001-08, Vol.156 (4), p.481-484
• Main Authors: STOUGH, C, LLOYD, J, CLARKE, J, DOWNEY, L. A, HUTCHISON, C. W, RODGERS, T, NATHAN, P. J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Bacopa; Biological and medical sciences; Blindness; Chronic effects; Cognition - drug effects; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive ability; Double-Blind Method; Female; General pharmacology; Human subjects; Humans; Information processing; Learning - drug effects; Learning - physiology; Male; Measuring techniques; Medical sciences; Medicine, Ayurvedic; Memory; Memory - drug effects; Memory - physiology; Mental task performance; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Placebos; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Psychology; Visual discrimination learning
• ISSN: 0033-3158; 1432-2072
• DOI: 10.1007/s002130100815

Extracts of Bacopa monniera have been reported to exert cognitive enhancing effects in animals. However, the effects on human cognition are inconclusive. The current study examined the chronic effects of an extract of B. monniera (Keenmind) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. The study was a double-blind placebo-controlled independent-group design in which subjects were randomly allocated to one of two treatment conditions, B. monniera (300 mg) or placebo. Neuropsychological testing was conducted pre-(baseline) and at 5 and 12 weeks post drug administration. B. monniera significantly improved speed of visual information processing measured by the IT task, learning rate and memory consolidation measured by the AVLT (P