Biological Description
Brahmi is a perennial herb. Its other names Water Hyssop and Bacopa are more common in use. The botanical name of this creeping water herb is Bacopa monnieri from family Scrophulariaceae. Its other not so popular names are Herpestris monnieria, Lysimachia monnieri and Moniera euneifolia. Bacopa leaves are little, thick and green. Its small flowers are white, with several petals.
Growing
The herb is very popular to those who have aquarium, as it perfectly grows in water. Commonly it grows in waters, watery lands (especially near ponds) and muddy shores. You can find Brahmi in southern states of the USA, India, China, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka.
Parts Used
The tops of the plant are used in herbal medicine.
Market
It can be found on the market mainly as an extract in form of tablets and as oil. It is also available as an ingredient in other products. Brahmi is sold as a juice and in dried form.
Action
Brahmi is a well known neurotonic (its most popular health benefit used by herbalists) and memory enhancer. Bacopa improves learning skills, thinking process (makes it clearer and faster, thus more effective), stimulates actions in brain, improves concentration. Its another popular property – Bacopa is an effective antioxidant, the herb has been traditionally used for curing epilepsy, as well as depression and anxiety. It helps to reduce the nervousness and stress. As an antioxidant it keeps you from aging in a way (as Bacopa removes free radical molecules). Using Brahmi in these properties give people new energy and make them feel younger than they are. Moreover, it strengthens the immune system.
Health Benefits
Health benefits of Brahmi are numerous. As it is a neurotonic, it is very good during the time of stress in work (meeting the deadlines) or during the time when learning capability and mental alertness is highly needed – as in exam period in students or other stress in everyday life. In India the plant was used for newborns as long ago they believed it would open their minds to intelligence and wisdom.
As an antioxidant, it effectively calms the nerves, gives rest and helps to sleep well (you’ll forget about the insomnia), moreover it promotes thinking and freshness in mind, so you won’t feel tired and exhausted. The most common result after taking Brahmi in medical purposes reported: it helps to feel renewed and refreshed. It enhances the feeling of peace and satisfaction of life. Bacopa is highly used in children, in case of restlessness and hyperactivity, as it is safe.
It can be used during cold and cough. It reduced fever, normalizes the body temperature and reduces the joint paint.
Some believes that Brahmi stimulates not only the brain function, but nail growth and skin growth (that makes it very beneficial to different skin conditions). In these cases it is used mainly in form of oil (mixture of different oil with Brahmi oil) topically.
One more its effective usage – to reduce pain during menstrual periods (as well as to treat various menstrual disorders).
It is very good for singers as it promotes good voice sounding.
There is some evidence, that women who take birth control pills or estrogen replacement therapy should avoid Bacopa, as an interaction is not clearly investigated.