Bacopa monnieri
Brahmi
CautionOther names: Water hyssop, Herb of grace
A small Indian wetland herb known in Ayurveda as 'brahmi'.
A creeping perennial with succulent leaves and small white-to-pale-purple flowers; it grows in wetlands and along streams, and the aerial parts are used in Ayurvedic preparations.
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Plant type
- Aquatic perennial
What the safety levels mean (expand legend)
- Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
- Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
- Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
- Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
- Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
- High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
- Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.
Photograph on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
Plant habit
Safety — read before use
For this herb it is important to check warnings, mix-ups and cautions. Start with the Safety section.
Quick overview
A practical summary; details are in the sections below.
- Safety grade
- Caution details
- Scientific sources on the card
- Yes — sources are listed with claims Science section
- When and what to harvest
- Leaf — January–December
- Processing methods
Herbal infusion (tea), Capsules, Culinary use
All methods and recipes on the card- Topics and symptoms
Focus and attention, Meditation and mindfulness, Memory & mental freshness
Topics section, Symptoms overview
Identification and mix-ups
Creeping to prostrate perennial succulent herb in Plantaginaceae, about 20–30 cm, rooting at the nodes. Stems thin, fleshy, often partly submerged. Leaves opposite, small, fleshy, oblanceolate to oval-oblong, 1–2 cm, entire, waxy, non-aromatic. Flowers small, solitary, actinomorphic, white to pale purple, with 4–5 lobes.
Possible mix-ups and risks
Often confused with or loosely substituted by gotu kola (Centella asiatica), since both are sold under the name brahmi. Centella is not toxic but belongs to a different family (Apiaceae) and has rounded to reniform petiolate leaves in a rosette, clearly distinct from the small fleshy opposite leaves of Bacopa.
Similar herbs
No related herbs are linked yet.
Topics and symptoms
More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.
- Focus and attentionScientific· moderateTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
- Meditation and mindfulnessTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
- Memory & mental freshnessTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
Sources
Geographic occurrence
India
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Harvest
- LeafJanuary–December
year-round
Region: IndiaNotes: Aerial parts from actively growing creeping stems.
Storage
- Drying(Leaf)
Dried herb keeps a year in an airtight jar; the powder up to six months.
- Light:
- Out of light.
- Moisture:
- A water plant dries slowly — dry thoroughly or it moulds.
Processing methods on this herb card
Infusion or brief extraction in hot water; usually without long boiling.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Here, herbal tea is prepared as an infusion: pour freshly boiling water over dried herbs or a herbal blend and steep for at least 5 minutes. BfR gives this as a hygiene rule, not a medicinal dose. Follow the specific product instructions, including a longer steeping time when stated. This rule for herbal infusions is not a general preparation guide for true tea (Camellia sinensis). Temperature, steep time, and the herb-to-water ratio change both flavour and what dissolves into the liquid.
Compared with a decoction, heat exposure is shorter and gentler; tender leaves and flowers are often better as an infusion than with prolonged simmering. For each herb, always follow the plant card for suitable plant part, preparation, and safety notes — general rules never replace species-level judgement.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Filling capsules with dried herb or powder; home and industrial variants.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
A capsule is a container; it may hold plant powder or a dry extract. Equal fill weights do not mean equal constituent levels or effects. Filling capsules with powder at home is therefore not equivalent to a standardized extract.
The word "standardized" alone does not guarantee product quality. A product sold in capsules may differ from the preparation used in a study.
This page is a guide to processing forms, not a universal dosing procedure. For each herb, distinguish the plant part, powder and extract; the list below does not by itself establish suitability for home filling.
Traditional context for this method: no·Scientific context for this method: yes
Trials used standardised extracts (about 300 mg daily for 12 weeks); the commonest adverse effects were digestive — nausea, cramps, diarrhoea. The effect builds over weeks, not after a single dose.
Cooking, baking, seasoning as food — general category without therapeutic claims.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Culinary use covers herbs as ingredients in dishes, drinks, or spice mixes. This overview does not evaluate medicinal effects — only reminds you about species intent, allergies, and heat treatment where needed (e.g. some fruits or plant parts).
Combining with alcohol, sugar, or long cooking changes outcomes; verify culinary sources.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Traditional / spiritual use
Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.
The herb of Brahma — for those who learn the Vedas by heart
General
Traditional useFolk useHerbal loreThe name brahmi points to Brahma, the creator, and to brahman, the highest consciousness; in Ayurveda it belongs to the medhya rasayanas, agents 'for the intellect'. Tradition holds that students memorising Vedic texts took it. Beware the shared name: in parts of India 'brahmi' also means gotu kola (Centella asiatica), a botanically different plant. A record of tradition.
- Form:
- medhya rasayana: a herb named after Brahma
- Claim strength:
- Tradition
- Source note:
- Charaka Samhita (Chikitsa Sthana 1, medhya rasayana); Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, vol. II (Brahmi).
Scientific notes
Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.
How to read evidence strength and study type labels
Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.
Evidence strength
- Evidence level not specified
- The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
- Narrative / orientational literature
- Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
- Weak evidence
- Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
- Preliminary findings
- First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
- Moderate strength of evidence
- Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
- Stronger evidence
- Stronger design or consistency of results within the study's stated limits.
- Review article
- A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.
Study type
- Narrative / expert text
- Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
- In vitro study
- Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
- Animal study
- Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
- Observational study
- Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
- Clinical trial
- Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
- Randomised controlled trial
- Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
- Review study
- A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
- Systematic review
- Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
- Meta-analysis
- Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
- Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…)
- Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
- Expert monograph (herbal preparations)
- Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.
A meta-analysis of 9 RCTs (518 people) found improved speed of attention after 12 weeks of bacopa extract — shorter Trail B times and faster choice reaction time — versus placebo; no effect was shown on memory or other cognitive domains.
Moderate strength of evidenceMeta-analysisYear: 2014Limitations: Small trials, varied extracts and doses; only some assessed memory with the same tests; mostly healthy volunteers.
Kongkeaw C, Dilokthornsakul P, Thanarangsarit P, Limpeanchob N, Scholfield CN — Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extract
Images
The main photo is in the card header. More images will appear here when available.
Safety
What the warning types mean
The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.
- Internal use
- Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
- Interactions / medicines
- Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
- Raw plant parts
- Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
- Toxins and regulation
- Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
- Contact with the plant
- Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
- Allergy
- Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
- Harvesting and contamination
- Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.
No structured safety records yet.