Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Genus:	Bacopa
Species:	B. monnieri

Bacopa monnieri (waterhyssop, brahmi, thyme-leafed gratiola, water hyssop) is a perennial, creeping herb whose habitat includes wetlands and muddy shores. Brahmi is also the name given to Centella asiatica, particularly in North India, and Kerala where it is also identified in Malayalam as muttil (മുത്തിള്‍) or kodakan. This identification of brāhmī as C. asiatica has been in use for long in northern India, as Hēmādri’s Commentary on Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayaṃ (Āyuṛvēdarasāyanaṃ) treats maṇḍūkapaṛṇī (C. asiatica) as a synonym of brahmi, although that may be a case of mistaken identification that was introduced during the 16th century.

Brahmi been used by Indian Ayurvedic medical practitioners for almost 3000 years. The earliest chronicled mention of Brahmi is in several ancient Ayurvedic treatises including the Caraka Samhita (6th century A.D.), in which it is recommended in formulations for the management of a range of mental conditions including anxiety, poor cognition and lack of concentration, and the Bravprakash Var-Prakarana (16th century A.D.).

Description

Bacopa monnieri in Hyderabad, India.

The leaves of this plant are succulent and relatively thick. Leaves are oblanceolate and are arranged oppositely on the stem. The flowers are small and white, with four or five petals. Its ability to grow in water makes it a popular aquarium plant. It can even grow in slightly brackish conditions. Propagation is often achieved through cuttings.

Ecology

It commonly grows in marshy areas throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and is also found in Florida, Hawaii and other southern states of the USA where it can be grown in damp conditions by the pond or bog garden.

Traditional uses

It has been used in traditional Ayurvedic treatment for epilepsy and asthma. It is also used in Ayurveda for ulcers, tumors, ascities, enlarged spleen, indigestion, inflammations, leprosy, anemia, and biliousness. This plant can be grown even as hydroponics using almost simple water.

Chemical constituents

Bacopa monnieri has many chemical constituents including alkaloids (brahmine and herpestine), saponins (d-mannitol and hersaponin, acid A, and monnierin), flavonoids (luteolin and apigenin). It also contains significant amounts of betulic acid, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, and bacopasaponins (bacosides A, bacosides B, bacopaside II, bacopaside I, bacopaside X, bacopasaponin C, bacopaside N2). The minor components include bacopasaponin F, bacopasaponin E, bacopaside N1, bacopaside III, bacopaside IV, and bacopaside V).

Pharmacology of chemical constituents

In rats, bacosides A enhance antioxidant defenses, increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity.Laboratory studies on rats indicate that extracts of the plant improve memory capacity. Some studies in mice suggest that ingestion of Bacopa for a 12 week period can significantly improve cognitive ability by accelerating the rate of learning and enhanced memory.The sulfhydryl and polyphenol components of Bacopa monnieri extract have also been shown to impact the oxidative stress cascade by scavenging reactive oxygen species, inhibiting lipoxygenase activity and reducing divalent metals.This mechanism of action may explain the effect of Bacopa monniera extract in reducing beta amyloid deposits in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. B. monnieri has a demonstrated ability to reverse diazepam-induced amnesia in the Morris water maze test. The mechanism of this action is unknown. In some trials, bacopacide extract did not restore or enhance memory formation, but improved retention. In others, including a randomized clinical trial of 98 healthy older people (over 55 years), Bacopa significantly improved memory acquisition and retention. A 2012 systematic review found some evidence to suggest that Bacopa improves memory free recall, but there was a lack of evidence for enhancement of other cognitive abilities.

Brahmi may regulate antibody production by augmenting both Th1 and Th2 cytokine production.It may also cause a lower heart rate, and increase secretions in the stomach, intestines, and urinary tract. The increase in secretions may irritate ulcers and urinary tract obstructions.

No safety studies have been performed on brahmi’s use in humans. When a preparation of the plant was evaluated for safety and tolerability it showed no adverse effects but there were some reports of mild gastrointestinal symptoms.

However, participants in a 2001 double-blind study published in Psycho pharmacology experienced side effects including nausea, weakness and dry mouth while taking brahmi, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Brahmi could potentially cause elevated thyroid-hormone levels and decreased sperm counts. Therefore, taking brahmi should be avoided if you have a thyroid condition or are taking thyroid replacement therapies and other medications that affect thyroid function.

Aqueous extract of Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) has been reported to reversibly suppress spermatogenesis and fertility in male mice with at a dose of 250 mg/kg body weight/day for 28 and 56 days(equivalent to 1.54 g/day for a 76kg male, when properly controlling for animal to human conversions ) Parameters of motility, viability, morphology, and number of spermatozoa in cauda epididymidis returned to baseline 56 days after treatment cessation.

The plant is known by many names in many international languages, including:

• ബ്രഹ്മി in Malayalam
• நீர்ப்பிரமி (Niirpirami)/ Valaarai in Tamil
• ผักมิ  (Phak mi), พรมมิ (Phrommi) in Thai
• Lunuwila in Sinhalese (Sri Lanka)
• ae’ ae’ in Hawaiian (Hawaii)
• Rau Đắng in Vietnamese
• פְּשֵטָה שרועה (“psheta sru’a”) in Hebrew\

• conclusions
• Brahmi is a plant that has been used in traditional Indian medicine (Ayurveda). Be careful not to confuse brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) with gotu kola and other natural medicines that are also sometimes called brahmi.Brahmi is used for Alzheimer’s disease, improving memory, anxiety, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), allergic conditions, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a general tonic to fight stress.People also take brahmi to treat backache, hoarseness, mental illness, epilepsy, joint pain, and sexual performance problems in both men and women. It is also sometimes used as a “water pill.”

• Brahmi Benefits

  Brahmi is considered a nootropic agent, which is the term given to a drug that improves mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration. Brahmi has been used in ayurvedic medicine and in traditional treatments for a number of disorders, particularly those involving anxiety, intellect, and poor memory.

  Recent major scientific reviews of the plant suggest that it has prominent action on the central nervous system, where it improves understanding, memory, intellect, and speech, and corrects aberrations of emotions, mood, and personality in an individual. Based on the results of human clinical trials, the nootropic effects of Brahmi are thought to manifest after chronic dosing (i.e. 12 weeks) rather than acute (i.e. single day). Studies in humans have shown that chronic administration of Brahmi results in improvements in working memory, visual information processing, learning rate and anxiety.

  In India, Brahmi is currently recognized as being effective in the treatment of mental illness and epilepsy. In certain parts of India, Brahmi is believed to be an aphrodisiac; in Sri Lanka, under the name of Loonooweella, Brahmi is prescribed for fevers; in the Philippines, it is used as a diuretic^.

• How does it work?

  Brahmi might increase certain brain chemicals that are involved in thinking, learning, and memory. Some research suggests that it might also protect brain cells from chemicals involved in Alzheimer’s disease.