Scientific Name: Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell; synonyms: B. monniera (L.) Wettst., Gratiola monniera L., Herpestis monnieri Rothm., H. monniera Benth., H. monnieria (L.) HBK.1
Family: Scrophulariaceae (figwort or snapdragon family).
Other Common Names: Brahmi, mandukaparni, herb-of-grace, water hyssop, Indian pennywort, thyme-leafed gratiola.12
Bacopa is a creeping, diffusely branched, somewhat succulent herb, 10-30 cm long with numerous ascending branches. Leaves are sessile or short-petioled, obovate-oblong or decussate, 0.6-2.5 cm long and 0.2-1cm wide, fleshy and dotted with black specks. Flowers are white to pale blue or violet, solitary, borne in leaf axils on slender pedicels 0.6-3 2cm long; the glabrous calyx is divided to the base, sepals about 6 mm long, ovate or lanceolate, acute; the corolla c. 8 mm long has a broadly campanulate tube and nearly equal lobes, rounded with shining dots when fresh. Fruits (capsules) about 5 mm long, ovoid, acute, included in the persistent calyx; seeds c. 0.85 mm long, oblong, striate, pale.1
The whole plant is the source of the Ayurvedic drug Brahmi, usually dried and powdered. Modern scientific investigations usually employ an extract, product of maceration, often with methanol, followed by filtration and evaporation to dryness under vacuum.
Bacopa saponins are generally regarded as the main active constituents responsible for the scientifically supported therapeutic properties of B. monnieri `Bacoside A´, the plant’s putative bioactive component has been determined to be a mixture of saponins with bacoside A3, bacopaside II, jujubogenin isomer of bacopasaponin C and bacopasponin C, being the major constituents.3 `Bacoside B´ is also a mixture of saponins.
Bacosides administered to healthy males, either in single doses (20-300 mg) or multiple doses (100 and 200 mg) for 4 weeks, were well tolerated and devoid of adverse effects.15
While acute (300 mg) administration of an extract of Bacopa monnieri had no effect on cognitive function16, chronic administration (3 months) showed significant improvements in information processing, learning and memory consolidation in normal healthy subjects.17 These findings were essentially supported by a subsequent double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study, involving 76 subjects aged 40 to 65 years, which found improvements in storage and retention of new information, following 3 months of treatment with an identical extract and dose (2x150 mg daily) of B. monniera. However, follow-up tests showed that the rate of learning was unaffected, indicating that brahmi rather decreases the rate of forgetting of newly acquired information; tasks assessing attention, verbal and visual short-term memory and the retrieval of pre-experimental knowledge were likewise unaffected.18
Juvenile IQ/Intellectual Function
Bacopa has been reported to improve IQ scores in 10-13 year-old children “with average intelligence over a treatment period of 9 months.19 In another study with 40 children aged 6-8 years, a general improvement in intellectual function was noted, as compared to placebo; 350 mg of dried herb was administered thrice daily for 3 months.20
Anti-anxiety
An uncontrolled trial in 1980 treated 35 adult patients suffering from anxiety neurosis with 12g of dried plant daily for 4 weeks. Bacopa significantly reduced anxiety as well as improving mental performance, concentration and immediate memory. Also noted was a reduction in mental fatigue, a general feeling of well-being, as well as improved sleep quality, appetite and increased body weight. Side effects were minimal and not clinically important. An experimental study conducted in 1998 with a standardized extract also supported the anxiolytic potential of B. monniera.22
Epilepsy
One, uncontrolled, clinical study with 13 epileptic patients administered a defatted ethanolic extract of B. monniera over 2 to 5 months. Improvements were noted in the frequency of epileptic fits, complete inhibition occurring in 5 cases. Only one patient reported adverse effects, having experienced weakness, loss of concentration and dizziness.23
Another trial compared the defatted ethanolic extract with an aqueous extract in 24 patients suffering from grand mal epilepsy, as well as other diseases, with and without accompanying epilepsy; the other diseases included cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, behavioral disorders and schizophrenia.24 The aqueous extract reduced the frequency of seizures in 50% of cases, whereas the alcoholic extract alleviated seizures in 60% of cases and eliminated them in 2 patients over the 5-month treatment period. No effect was observed in the 2 schizophrenic patients. Oral daily doses were as follows: 64 mL of aqueous extract, equivalent to 50g fresh plant; 2-4 mg/kg of defatted ehanolic extract 1 mg equivalent to 200 mg fresh plant.
Traditionally, in Ayurveda, Brahmii is considered astringent, diuretic, laxative and a tonic for the heart and nerves; it is used to improve memory and intelligence, and to treat anemia, anorexia, arthritis, cough, dermatosis, diabetes, dropsy, dyspepsia, emaciation, fever and insanity. In other Indian traditional medicine systems, the drug is also used to treat anxiety, asthma, epilepsy and hoarseness, and as a potent nerve tonic, cardiotonic and diuretic.
The juice of the leaves is used in the treatment of bronchitis and diarrhea in children; a paste of leaves is applied externally in the treatment of arthritis.
Maharashtra tribes eat 5 leaves daily for 1 month to improve the speech of stutterers. Bhil women, in Rajasthan, apply the boiled leaves to the abdomen to relieve postnatal pains; yet other Bhils use the warmed leaves as a poultice to relieve swelling from beatings.1
Modern research has emphasized the application of Bacopa preparations in the treatment of anxiety disorders and memory/concentration/learning defects.
The dietary supplement information contained on this site has been compiled from published sources thought to be reliable, but it cannot be guaranteed. Efforts have been made to assure this information is accurate and current. However, some of this information may be purported or outdated due to ongoing research or discoveries. The authors, editors and publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences from applications of the information in this site and make no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the contents herein.
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