What do the states mean?+
- Solid: well studied, and it works.
- Half-there: the science is still forming.
- A ghost: almost no real studies.
- Hollow: well studied, and it does not work.
- A cord: the pair itself has been tested together.
- Air: nobody has ever tested this pair.
The full scoring method: How we score
Bacopa benefits: where the science stands
For memory and focus: not settled yet.
Memory and focus are what most people take Bacopa monnieri for, and the best studies disagree: four found it helps, three found no effect. As of August 2026, the verdicts on this page rest on evidence from 13 trials, drawn from the strongest research among the 34 papers on PubMed that mention Bacopa monnieri. Every claim is checked below.
34 papers on PubMed · evidence from 13 trials
Claim by claim
- Memory and focusThe science is still forming. The best studies disagree.
- Energy and fatigueThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- MoodAlmost no real studies. What exists leans positive.
- Stress and anxietyThe science is still forming. The best studies disagree.
Pairs people ask about
The eight sources we read
- 2012Meta-analysis · pools 6 trials · benefit for memory and focussource
- 2014Crossover trial · 17 people · benefit for memory and focus; benefit for mood; benefit for stress and anxietysource
- 2021Meta-analysis · no clear effect on memory and focussource
- 2022Meta-analysis · no clear effect on stress and anxietysource
- 2023Meta-analysis · benefit for memory and focussource
- 2023Meta-analysis · no clear effect on memory and focussource
- 2025Meta-analysis · benefit for memory and focussource
- 2025Randomized trial · 101 people · benefit for energy and fatigue; no clear effect on memory and focus; benefit for stress and anxietysource
Chosen as the strongest evidence out of 34 papers on PubMed. Every row links to its paper.
Fair questions
Does Bacopa monnieri work?+
For memory and focus, it is not settled. The best studies disagree.
Is Bacopa monnieri safe?+
No caution is recorded on this page. That is not a safety guarantee; the studies we read were not safety trials.
Why only 8 sources, when PubMed lists 34?+
The 34 is every paper that mentions Bacopa monnieri in any way: animal studies, blood measurements, papers where it is a side note. The strongest sources are combined reviews, and each one already gathers every trial its authors could find. Our 8 cover 13 trials between them, and every one is linked above. Both counts are measured, not estimated.