Supplement
Nootropic herb with bacosides enhancing cholinergic signaling and neuroprotection.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Superscript reference numbers link to the Sources bibliography.
Composite Rating
Blends evidence depth, community direction, safety friction, and completeness.
Evidence Intensity
83/100
High depth from human/RCT/meta counts
Community Direction
-2
Mixed / Neutral • confidence Moderate
Safety Friction
100/100
High signal from adverse/interaction markers
Data Completeness
100%
Studies 24 • mentions 13 • links 59
Not medical advice. This product is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.
FDA disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Results may vary. Not intended for use by pregnant or nursing women, individuals under 18, or those with known medical conditions without physician consultation.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
Goal alignment: Cognitive, Brain Health, Stress Resilience.[129,157,259, etc.]
Dose guide: Human-study daily dose: 150 mg-300 mg/day (moderate-confidence extraction from PubMed abstracts)..[129,157,259, etc.]
Category
Nootropic
Evidence Tier
ROBUST
Daily Guide
Human-study daily dose: 150 mg-300 mg/day (moderate-confidence extraction from PubMed abstracts).
Clinical Depth
Humans: 45 • RCTs: 11 • Meta: 0
Cohort / Real-World
Cohort signals: 0
Safety Markers
Adverse signals: 128 • Interactions: 69
Freshness, trend, and study timeline for this item
Status
Trend
→ Stable evidence base
Depth
101 total studies · 4 recent
Timeline
Animal-only studies
229
In vitro / tissue
148
Safety adverse signals
128
Total indexed
101
Interaction signals
69
Human studies
45
Weighted direction score: -2 (Mixed / Neutral)
≥2 meta-analyses OR (≥5 RCTs AND ≥25 human studies).
Animal-only studies
229
In vitro / tissue
148
Safety adverse signals
128
Total indexed
101
Interaction signals
69
Human studies
45
Randomized trials
11
Meta-analyses
0
Distribution of evidence by study design strength
Evidence Strength: High
Composite of study volume, RCTs, and meta-analyses
PMID 38512715 • 2024 Nov
Neurocognitive effects a combined polyphenolic-rich herbal extract in healthy middle-aged adults - a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Nutritional neuroscience
Open PubMedPMID 31736428 • 2021 Nov
Acute effects of combined Bacopa, American ginseng and whole coffee fruit on working memory and cerebral haemodynamic response of the prefrontal cortex: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Nutritional neuroscience
Open PubMedPMID 36501109 • 2022 Nov 29
Investigating the Effects of a Multinutrient Supplement on Cognition, Mood and Biochemical Markers in Middle-Aged Adults with 'Optimal' and 'Sub-Optimal' Diets: A Randomized Double Blind Placebo Controlled Trial.
Nutrients
Open PubMedPMID 34978226 • 2023
Plant-derived nootropics and human cognition: A systematic review.
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
Open PubMedPMID 33650944 • 2022 Aug
Modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by plants and phytonutrients: a systematic review of human trials.
Nutritional neuroscience
Open PubMedPMID 41091332 • 2025 Dec
The Effects of a Bacopa monnieri Extract (Bacumen(®)) on Cognition, Stress, and Fatigue in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Clinical drug investigation
Open PubMedPMID 31182153 • 2019 Jun 10
Efficacy of Cognition Support Formula® on cognitive function in older adults with subjective cognitive impairment: a protocol for a 26-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Trials
Open PubMedPMID 23788517 • 2014 Apr
An acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study of 320 mg and 640 mg doses of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI 08) on multitasking stress reactivity and mood.
Phytotherapy research : PTR
Open PubMedPMID 40362791 • 2025 Apr 28
Efficiency of Different Supplements in Alleviating Symptoms of ADHD with or Without the Use of Stimulants: A Systematic Review.
Nutrients
Open PubMedPMID 37592293 • 2023 Aug 17
A systematic review of the safety and efficacy on cognitive function of herbal and nutritional medicines in older adults with and without subjective cognitive impairment.
Systematic reviews
Open PubMedPMID 34370563 • 2021 Nov
Dietary Supplement Ingredients for Optimizing Cognitive Performance Among Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review.
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
Open PubMedPMID 29188854 • 2017
Short-Term Impact of a Combined Nutraceutical on Cognitive Function, Perceived Stress and Depression in Young Elderly with Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot, Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.
The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease
Open PubMedPMID 22747190 • 2012 Jul
The cognitive-enhancing effects of Bacopa monnieri: a systematic review of randomized, controlled human clinical trials.
Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
Open PubMedPMID 33375429 • 2020 Dec 27
Improvement of Executive Function after Short-Term Administration of an Antioxidants Mix Containing Bacopa, Lycopene, Astaxanthin and Vitamin B12: The BLAtwelve Study.
Nutrients
Open PubMedPMID 22390677 • 2012 Mar 6
A randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of Pycnogenol and Bacopa CDRI08 herbal medicines on cognitive, cardiovascular, and biochemical functioning in cognitively healthy elderly people: the Australian Research Council Longevity Intervention (ARCLI) study protocol (ANZCTR12611000487910).
Nutrition journal
Open PubMedPMID 32236999 • 2020 Sep
Bacopa monnieri as augmentation therapy in the treatment of anhedonia, preclinical and clinical evaluation.
Phytotherapy research : PTR
Open PubMedPMID 32078787 • 2020 Mar 3
New Nutraceutical Combination Reduces Blood Pressure and Improves Exercise Capacity in Hypertensive Patients Via a Nitric Oxide-Dependent Mechanism.
Journal of the American Heart Association
Open PubMedPMID 16729760 • 2006
[Efficiency of includes of bioactive substances in diet of patient with hepatic encephalopathy].
Voprosy pitaniia
Open PubMedPMID 24915396 • 2015
Potential herbs and herbal nutraceuticals: food applications and their interactions with food components.
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
Open PubMedPMID 23043278 • 2013 Mar
Cognitive effects of two nutraceuticals Ginseng and Bacopa benchmarked against modafinil: a review and comparison of effect sizes.
British journal of clinical pharmacology
Open PubMedPMID 30671903 • 2019 Feb
Phytochemicals for Improving Aspects of Cognitive Function and Psychological State Potentially Relevant to Sports Performance.
Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
Open PubMedPMID 34315377 • 2021
The Safety and Efficacy of Botanicals with Nootropic Effects.
Current neuropharmacology
Open PubMedPMID 30604025 • 2019 Apr
Bacopa monnieri prevents colchicine-induced dementia by anti-inflammatory action.
Metabolic brain disease
Open PubMedPMID 33436817 • 2021 Jan 12
The effectiveness of Bacopa monnieri (Linn.) Wettst. as a nootropic, neuroprotective, or antidepressant supplement: analysis of the available clinical data.
Scientific reports
Open PubMedBenefit reports: 6
Adverse reports: 6
No-effect reports: 0
Mixed reports: 1
Unclear reports: 0
Signal confidence: 0.47
Benefits
Adverse
No Effect
Patience required — benefits compound over months. Best with fat for absorption. | Step2: User reports show a high adverse-rate signal at usable volume; downgrade recommendation priority.
Reddit evidence: 8 mentions (confidence 0.47) across Biohackers, Supplements, HubermanLab.
Amazon signal: 0 products scanned (confidence 0.00).
GNC signal: 0 products scanned (confidence 0.00) [BLOCKED].
PerimeterX / captcha block encountered.
Use adverse/interactions PubMed signal counts for screening; perform clinician review before high-dose or multi-drug stack use.
Human-study daily dose signal: 150 mg-300 mg/day (confidence MEDIUM).
Extracted from 3 dosing mentions across 2 PubMed studies (mg/day).
Imported legacy community score: 8.0/10 (heuristic mapping confidence 0.92).
Legacy community note: Highly respected nootropic. Users consistently report improved memory after 2-3 months. GI side effects are the main complaint. Fat-soluble bacosides require fat for absorption.
Sentiment Score
0.020096000000000003/100
Benefit Mentions
Adverse Mentions
Best Responders
No responder profile recorded.
post • r/Biohackers • unclear
Stacking Bacopa, Ginkgo, Lion’s Mane & Rhodiola: why so little effect?
Open mentionpost • r/Supplements • adverse
Experiencing Side Effects After Starting Bacopa Monnieri – Demotivation, Headaches, and Vivid Dreams I started taking Bacopa Monnieri about 2 weeks ago (500 mg, Bacosides >20%). During the first few days, everything felt fine. But by the s…
Open mentionpost • r/HubermanLab • mixed
Supplements: Bacopa monnieri I grow my own bacopa monnieri plant at my home. I started growing it as a hobby. I crush the leaves and take it along with ghee and honey. I have tried taking it for a couple of weeks now. I have noticed that i…
Open mentionpost • r/Biohackers • unclear
Bacopa monnieri/Brahmi - How long did it take for you to notice any effects? And which ones? I'm currently taking a break from panax ginseng which I have been taking for many years, and I'm switching it up with bacopa monnieri. curious abo…
Open mentionpost • r/HubermanLab • unclear
Bacopa effects on dopamine I got this from chatgpt.i was researching about brahmi's effects on dopamine: One of its key mechanisms of action is its influence on dopamine and other neurotransmitter systems in the brain. Here's a detailed ex…
Open mentionpost • r/Supplements • unclear
Anyone used folius labs Bacopa. Drop review
Open mentionpost • r/Supplements • adverse
Here what happen if you have ADHD and hyperfocus on supplements 5 months ago I was just using Creatine and D3+K2. After with time I started searching a lot about supplements and everytime I had an issue I bought a new one. I had stressful …
Open mentionpost • r/Supplements • benefit
No. 1 supplement for low energy levels? I'm tired all day Every single morning my phone alarm is ringing from 5:30 to 6:45 am and I barely getting out of bed. I'm tired all day and I need a 1 hour nap at least after work no matter how much…
Open mentioncomment • r/Supplements • unclear
The two times I tried bacopa both made me demotivated and bed bound. Try dropping the dose or stop.
Open mentioncomment • r/Supplements • adverse
Try 250mg. I gave up with it after my two attempts. There is Synapsa bacopa which didn't give me anhedonia. Instead it gave me gut cramps so I binned that as well.
Open mentionamazon
Amazon search for Bacopa Monnieri
Rating: n/a | Reviews: n/a
Open productEvidence Sources
Community Sources
META_ANALYSIS • 2014 • Adults
9 RCTs with 518 healthy adults.
Outcome: Bacopa significantly improved attention (speed of attention +17%), cognitive processing, and free recall memory after 12+ weeks; no acute effects.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourceRCT • 2010 • Adults
98 healthy adults ≥55 years over 12 weeks.
Outcome: 300 mg/day CDRI 08 significantly improved logical memory, paired associates, and delayed recall vs placebo.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourceRCT • 2008 • Adults
54 elderly volunteers over 12 weeks.
Outcome: 300 mg/day improved attention, cognitive processing, and working memory; reduced anxiety (STAI) and depression (CES-D) scores.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • Humans + preclinical triage
Counts aggregated from automated literature sweep and tiering rules.
Outcome: Tier HIGH; humans 45, RCTs 11, meta-analyses 0.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2024 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 38512715 from Nutritional neuroscience.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2021 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 31736428 from Nutritional neuroscience.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2022 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 36501109 from Nutrients.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2023 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 34978226 from Critical reviews in food science and nutrition.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2022 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 33650944 from Nutritional neuroscience.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2025 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 41091332 from Clinical drug investigation.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2019 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 31182153 from Trials.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2014 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 23788517 from Phytotherapy research : PTR.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2025 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 40362791 from Nutrients.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2023 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 37592293 from Systematic reviews.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2021 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 34370563 from Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.).
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2017 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 29188854 from The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2012 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 22747190 from Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.).
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2020 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 33375429 from Nutrients.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2012 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 22390677 from Nutrition journal.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2020 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 32236999 from Phytotherapy research : PTR.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2020 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 32078787 from Journal of the American Heart Association.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2006 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 16729760 from Voprosy pitaniia.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2015 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 24915396 from Critical reviews in food science and nutrition.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2013 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 23043278 from British journal of clinical pharmacology.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2019 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 30671903 from Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.).
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2021 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 34315377 from Current neuropharmacology.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2019 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 30604025 from Metabolic brain disease.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2021 • Human evidence curation set
PMID 33436817 from Scientific reports.
Outcome: See linked PubMed abstract for methods and outcomes.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2019 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 30889210 from PloS one.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.8/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2021 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 34245808 from Neurochemistry international.
Outcome: Study design: NARRATIVE_REVIEW. Quality score: 4.7/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2022 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 35043757 from Current topics in medicinal chemistry.
Outcome: Study design: NARRATIVE_REVIEW. Quality score: 4.7/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2020 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 33170159 from Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis.
Outcome: Study design: NARRATIVE_REVIEW. Quality score: 4.7/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2018 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 29289576 from Pharmacological research.
Outcome: Study design: NARRATIVE_REVIEW. Quality score: 4.6/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2025 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 40871615 from Nutrients.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.6/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2009 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 19056485 from Free radical biology & medicine.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.6/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2013 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 23033963 from Fundamental & clinical pharmacology.
Outcome: Study design: NARRATIVE_REVIEW. Quality score: 4.5/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2006 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 17128592 from Ceska a Slovenska farmacie : casopis Ceske farmaceuticke spolecnosti a Slovenske farmaceuticke spolecnosti.
Outcome: Study design: NARRATIVE_REVIEW. Quality score: 4.5/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2013 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 23455743 from La Clinica terapeutica.
Outcome: Study design: NARRATIVE_REVIEW. Quality score: 4.5/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2019 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 30611275 from Nutrition journal.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.5/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2021 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 34593090 from The Senior care pharmacist.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.2/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2014 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 24606795 from Current pharmaceutical design.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.1/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2016 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 27692172 from Medical hypotheses.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.1/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2018 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 30659561 from Psychiatria polska.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.1/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2018 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 29982171 from Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.1/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourcePUBMED • 2008 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 17940877 from Neurochemical research.
Outcome: Study design: OTHER. Quality score: 4.0/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourceMECHANISTIC • 2023 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 36416249 from Muscle & nerve.
Outcome: Study design: CASE_REPORT. Quality score: 3.8/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourceMECHANISTIC • 2022 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 35765109 from Journal of medical case reports.
Outcome: Study design: CASE_REPORT. Quality score: 3.7/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourceANIMAL • 2013 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 23972243 from Journal of acupuncture and meridian studies.
Outcome: Study design: ANIMAL. Quality score: 3.0/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open sourceIN_VITRO • 2014 • PubMed indexed study
PMID 24452710 from Food & function.
Outcome: Study design: IN_VITRO. Quality score: 2.6/10.[1688,1723,1797, etc.]
Open source