Up until recently, anyone who wanted to buy Bacopa Monnieri could only do so from pushcart herb vendors in small villages throughout Southeast Asia.
This vine-like plant, native to wetlands in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, has been used as a folk medicine remedy for centuries.
It also figures prominently in Ayurveda, through which it is known by the name “Brahmi” (“herb of grace”).
Bacopa, brewed into a tea or applied to the skin, was known to provide strong relaxation benefits for mind and body, soothing anxiety and calming inflammation. It was widely used for a broad range of symptoms ranging from upset stomach to panic attack.
Today, we know more about how this herb works with natural brain chemistry to produce stress relief, while improving focus and memory. Is Bacopa safe and legal to purchase in the U.S.? Here are all the facts you need to know about modern forms of this Indian herb, where to buy Bacopa, and the best way to consume it.



- Increases communication between neurons
- Supports memory, focus & cognition
- Reduces anxiety & stress
Bacopa Monnieri and the FDA
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The U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is responsible for overseeing all safety issues which concern products which are sold and consumed.
This covers medication of all kinds, as well as food items. The FDA has not given Bacopa Monnieri its highest general safety rating, known as GRAS (generally regarded as safe).
In fact, Bacopa products (including extracts and teas) are still listed in the FDA’s Poisonous Plant Database. This almanac catalogs all plant-life which could be toxic to humans if eaten.
However, this doesn’t mean that Bacopa is considered poisonous. The Database only describes the possibly toxic properties of all plants. Consumed in extreme doses, Bacopa could present toxicity issues.
But Bacopa has been classified as acceptable for use as a dietary supplement (within certain dosage guidelines), in the FDA’s Dietary Supplement and Health Act of 1994. So, you can buy Bacopa knowing that the marketing, purchase, and consumption of it is considered safe when it is used as dietary supplement.
How Bacopa Monnieri Pills Works
Bacopa Monnieri extract contains active ingredients known as bacosides which are responsible for many of its cognitive effects. These compounds work in at least two critical ways.
First, they support levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These two chemicals are the key neurotransmitters relating to mood. The term “mood” encompasses emotion, energy level, and reaction to external stimulus.
Serotonin is known to generate feelings of peacefulness and euphoric pleasure. Dopamine is tied to sharp energy rushes, and delivers the sense of ambition and drive.
In ample amounts, these two chemicals can make it easier to address stress and problems throughout the day. They create the sense of very clear thoughts. Management of dopamine and serotonin is actually a chief concern of many supplements for mental wellbeing.
Bacopa also addresses stress by increasing levels of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), the body’s inhibitory mechanism for limiting the over-firing of nerves under stressful conditions.
Finally, Bacopa has analgesic properties which can relieve small aches and pains, such as headaches. The overall effect of the herb is soothing relief for any conditions in the body which are stressed or inflamed. Thoughts clear, energy rises, and muscles relax.
Taken in moderate doses, or as a part of a larger nootropic stack like Alpha Brain, Bacopa provides that rare combination of mental focus and anti-anxiety relaxation.
Does Bacopa Monnieri Have Dangerous Side Effects?
As discussed above, Bacopa could have some toxicity issues if taken in very high quantities. A traditional dosage, used safely for centuries in India, is approximately 300 mg per day. At many times that dosage, users might feel stomach upset, drops in blood pressure, and excessive sedation.
The most common way of consuming the herb, via a tea, delivers dosages far below this amount. It would actually be physically challenging to drink enough Bacopa tea to experience and overdose. But likewise, the effects of this herb are not very strong at “tea” doses.
In fact, it is generally recognized that true Bacopa benefits do not kick in for until the herb has been consumed regularly for many months. In order to achieve this, you would have to buy Bacopa in large bulk amounts and take it daily for quite some time before true cognitive benefits began.
Buy Bacopa Monnieri as a Part of a Stack
The best answer is to buy Bacopa Monnieri as a part of a nootropic stack with other ingredients that amplify the benefits.
We often see Bacopa paired with Huperzine A, another natural supplement which releases Nerve Growth Factor in the brain. There is a harmonic synergy between the two compounds which boosts overall mental focus, while regulating stress moods.
For this reason, the two are combined in Alpha Brain, the most popular nootropic stack product on the market. Alpha Brain, combines several well-known cognitive enhancement nootropics into a proven formula which can dramatically improve concentration and mental energy.
The Bacopa that is used in this supplement is at a safe daily dose, and its benefits are accelerated by the presence of other key Alpha Brain ingredients.
And if you still have reservations about using herbal remedies because of (however remote) toxicity problems, there are indeed many safe supplements on the market which can create the same benefits without risk.
These supplements, often synthesized in a lab, can be engineered to interact quite precisely with the body’s biochemistry to produce very specific effects, without toxins. In these cases, the products created through chemistry are actually safer and preferable to plants which grow from the earth.
One product which will deliver similar benefits as when you buy Bacopa Monnieri supplements is Noopept. This neuropeptide is often prescribed for ADHD patients because of its dual ability to generate clear thoughts while keeping mood bright.
Noopept is not an amphetamine and does not create dangerous spikes in dopamine, as prescription drugs like Ritalin and Adderall do. Instead, Noopept is part of a class of potent, targeted mental enhancement supplements which safely generate focus by increasing acetylcholine activity and interfacing with AMPA receptors in the brain.
This next generation of brain boosters builds on the good intentions of ancient herbal remedies like Bacopa, and brings their benefits into the modern world.
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- Gubbannavar JS, Chandola HM, Harisha CR, Khanpara K, Shukla VJ. A comparative pharmacognostical and preliminary physico-chemical analysis of stem and leaf of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennel and Bacopa floribunda (R.BR.) Wettst. Ayu. 2013
- Jansen RL, Brogan B, Whitworth AJ, Okello EJ. Effects of five Ayurvedic herbs on locomotor behaviour in a Drosophila melanogaster Parkinson's disease model. Phytother Res. 2014
- Shinomol GK, Mythri RB, Srinivas Bharath MM, Muralidhara. Bacopa monnieri extract offsets rotenone-induced cytotoxicity in dopaminergic cells and oxidative impairments in mice brain. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2012
- Kalyani MI, Lingaraju SM, Salimath BP. A pro-apoptotic 15-kDa protein from Bacopa monnieri activates caspase-3 and downregulates Bcl-2 gene expression in mouse mammary carcinoma cells. J Nat Med. 2013
Article last updated on: April 27th, 2018 by Nootriment
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