Systematic Overview of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. Dominant Poly-Herbal Formulas in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Background: The Ayurvedic medicinal system employs a holistic approach to health, utilising the synergistic properties of organic resources. Research into the Ayurvedic herb Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. (B.monnieri) has reported improvements in cognitive outcomes in child and adult populations. The aim of current review is to systematically assess and critically summarize clinical trials investigating B.monnieri-dominant poly-herbal formulas and their effects on the cognition, memory, learning, and behaviour in children and adolescents. Methods: Key word searches were performed using PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, DHARA, and CINAHL for publications meeting inclusion criteria up to November 2017. There were no restrictions in study design. Effect sizes were calculated for all significant findings to allow for direct comparisons, and each study was evaluated on design quality. Cognitive and behavioural outcomes were grouped into validated constructs for cross-study comparison. Results: Nine trials met inclusion criteria. Five studies reported sufficient data for effect size analysis with most improvements reported in behavioural outcomes. True cognitive abilities and behavioural constructs were reviewed in six studies, with visual perception, impulsivity, and attention demonstrating the greatest improvements. The veracity of the evidence for the formulations reviewed is weakened by inconsistent statistical design and under-reporting of safety and tolerability data (44%). Conclusions: The current review extends research supporting B.monnieri as a cognitive enhancer and provides modest evidence for the use of B.monnieri in poly-herbal preparations for improving cognitive and behavioural outcomes in child and adolescent populations. Greater emphasis on statistical vigour and the reporting of tolerability data are essential for future trials to adequately document poly-herbal treatment efficacy.

Effect of cadmium, chromium, and lead on micropropagation and physio-biochemical parameters of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. cultured in vitro

“…Bacopa monnieri is a medically important plant (Kean et al 2017;Smith et al 2018) and is also a good heavy metal accumulator (Shukla et al 2007). Therefore, tissue culture (Sharma et al 2010;Kashyap et al 2018;Srivastava et al 2017;Dogan and Emsen 2018) and heavy metal (Mishra et al 2013;Dogan et al 2015;Jain et al 2017) studies with B. monnieri have been carried out by many researchers recently.…”

Effect of a Fibroin Enzymatic Hydrolysate on Memory Improvement: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study

“…Recent reviews of pharmacological agents did not find improvements or a lessening of decline in the mental function of normal persons or those with mild cognitive impairment, but they did find an increased incidence of serious side effects [ 25 , 28 ]. Other nutrients such as alpha glycerophosphocholine [ 33 ], aquaeporin [ 34 ], Bacopa monnieri extracts [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ], and DHA-rich phosphatidyl serine [ 39 ] have shown benefits for mental function in normal persons.…”

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“…Follow-up tests showed that the rate of learning was unaffected, suggesting that Brahmi decreases the rate of forgetting of newly acquired information 27 . Role of Bacopa monnieri as a cognitive enhancer and use of Bacopa monnieri in polyherbal preparation for improving cognitive and behavioral outcome on child and adolescent have been suggested 28 . Oral administration of Bacopa monnieri extract to Adult male Wistar rats for 60 days was found to be associated with enhanced learning dependent hippocampal long-term synaptic potentiation which plays a critical role in learning and memory 29 .…”