Brahmi (bacopa)
Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst.Plantaginaceae // aerial parts
Overview
Plant parts
aerial parts
Known constituents
bacosides
Research corpus coverage
Chemistry notes
- CHEMISTRY: Relevant reported constituents include bacosides; constituent presence alone does not establish clinical efficacy.
Uses & Evidence
Traditional / historical use
Documented traditional use — not a claim of established efficacy.
TRADITIONAL: Brahmi (bacopa) has been used for memory; cognition; anxiety; this records historical/traditional use and does not establish efficacy.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
Modern evidence
EVIDENCE: For the major use set (memory; cognition; anxiety), the evidence assessment is limited/mixed: Limited/mixed meta-analyses suggest possible memory benefits after chronic standardized extracts; trials are small.
MODERATE · systematic review/meta-analysis · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
Mixed findings, product heterogeneity, or indirect evidence are preserved in the detailed profile.
Preparation
Forms used traditionally
A listed form does not imply it suits every plant part, or that one preparation is interchangeable with another — see the plant’s own notes below.
PREPARATION: The medicinal material is aerial parts; traditional and modern forms include infusion/tea, tincture, powder/capsule, extract. No dose or potency is specified.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Preparation-specific evidence should not be generalized across extracts, teas, oils, or whole herb.
Safety
Additional safety notes (general, unstructured)
Free-text safety notes carried from their source — not broken out by species, route, or hazard type, and not equivalent to the structured records above. Each note names the kind of source it came from.
SAFETY: Major issues include GI upset; increased stool frequency; possible thyroid effects. Contraindications/cautions include Bradycardia, GI obstruction, thyroid disease caution.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
SAFETY: Clinically relevant interaction concerns include May interact with anticholinergic/cholinergic drugs, thyroid hormone and CYP substrates.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph · EMA European Union herbal monographs and list entries
Some interactions are theoretical or based on case reports/pharmacokinetics rather than outcome trials.
SAFETY: Pregnancy/lactation reference: Insufficient pregnancy/lactation evidence.
MODERATE · regulatory monograph or evidence synthesis · WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants
Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety.
Preparation × species risk matrix
Unknown means insufficient evidence was located — not that a form is safe.
Cats
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Dogs
- tinctureCaution
- concentrated extractUnknown
- essential oilUnknown
- glyceriteUnknown
- infused oilUnknown
- salveUnknown
- smoke/combustionUnknown
- tea/infusionUnknown
- whole herbUnknown
Identity
- Common-name collisionGotu kola
The regional name 'brahmi' is used for both Bacopa monnieri and Centella asiatica.
MODERATE · GBIF taxonomic backbone and Apothecary corpus identity note
Botanical synonym
Herpestis monnieria (L.) Kunth
Taxonomic identity note
- Brahmi (bacopa) is treated here as Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. in the family Plantaginaceae; recorded older names include Herpestis monnieria (L.) Kunth.
Sources
Research records are source-linked but may not yet be editorially reviewed.
WHO monograph
EMA monograph
- Plants of the World Online1 claim
botanical taxonomy database
authoritative taxonomic database plus curated corpus note