Full Text (PDF)
Review Article

A Review on Brahmi (Bacopa Monnieri)

Aashish S Phadke

Author Information

Licence:

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.



Indian Journal of Ancient Medicine and Yoga 16(4):p 177-183, October - December 2023. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijamy.0974.6986.16423.2

How Cite This Article:

Phadke AS. A review on Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). Indian J Ancient Yoga. 2023;16(4):177–183.

Timeline

Received : April 29, 2023         Accepted : May 21, 2023          Published : June 30, 2023

Abstract

Brahmi is known to be for its Medhya Rasayana properties. One may also note various other properties than Medhya Rasayana while referring Brahmi in the classical Ayurvedic texts ranging from Samhitas to Nighantus. Surprisingly, when we refer modern pharmacological & Phytochemical studies of Brahmi (Bacopamonnieri), one may co-relate these activities. This paper is taking account of the various paryaya (synonyms), etymological derivations of some of them, regarding its Rasapanchaka (Ayurvedic Pharmacological aspects), its Dhoshaghnatva & Rogaghnatva. Paper will briefly discuss about its chemical constituents & pharmacological studies undertaken on plant.


References

  • 1.   Gogate VM. Dravyagunavidyana (Marathi). 1st ed. Pune: Continental Prakashan; 1982.
  • 2.   Phadke GA. Dravya-Guna-Shastram (Sanskrit). 1st ed. Mumbai: Shudhha Ayurved Pathyakram Samiti; 1960.
  • 3.   Williamson E, editor. Major herbs of Ayurveda. Ghaziabad: Dabur Research Foundation & Dabur Ayurved Limited; London: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier Science; 2002.
  • 4.   Ashalatha M, Shenoy LN. A critical review of Brahmi. IAMJ. 2016 Jan;4(2):141-152.
  • 5.   Agnivesa. Charaka Samhita. Sastri K, Chaturvedi G, editors. Varanasi: Chaukhamba Bharati Academy; 2004. p. 738.
  • 6.   Sushrutha. Sushrutha Samhita, with Nibandhasangraha commentary of Dalhanacharya and Nyayachandrika panjika of Gayadasacharya. Acharya JT, Acharya NR, editors. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Surbharati Prakashan; 2012. p. 824.
  • 7.   Bhavamisra. Bhavaprakasa Nighantu. Chunekar KC, Pandey GS, editors. Rev. ed. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Bharati Academy; 2010. p. 960.
  • 8.   Madanapala. Madanapalani ghantu. Krishnadasa G, editor. 1961. p. 296.
  • 9.   Kaiyadeva. Kaiyadeva Nighantu (Pathyapathya Vibhodhaka). Sharma PV, Sharma GP, editors. 1st ed. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 1979. p. 696.
  • 10.   Shodhala. Shodhala Nighantu. Pandey G, Dwivedi RR, editors. 1st ed. Varanasi: Chowkhambha Krishnadas Academy; 2009. p. 538.
  • 11.   Narahari P. Rajanighantu. Tripathi I, editor. Rev. ed. Varanasi: Chowkhambha Krishnadas Academy; 2010. p. 703.
  • 12.   Tripathi H. Dhanwantari Nighantu. Varanasi: Chowkhambha Krishnadas Academy; 2008. p. 294.
  • 13.   Sharma PV. Priya Nighantu (Padma commentary). Varanasi: Chaukhamba Surabharathi Prakashana; 2004. p. 275.
  • 14.   Vaidya B. Nighantu Adarsh. Vol. I & II. Varanasi: Chaukhamba Orientalia; 2013–2016.
  • 15.   Vaidya B. Some controversial drugs in Indian medicine. 3rd ed. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 2010. p. 571.
  • 16.   Ashwin KR, Jegannath S, et al. Pharmacological activity of Brahmi – A review. J Drug Des Discov Res. 1(1):4-11.
  • 17.   Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Vol. III. 1st ed. New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; 2001.
  • 18.   Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The Wealth of India: Raw Materials. New Delhi: NISCAIR Press; 2005.
  • 19.   Yoganarasimha SN. Medicinal plants of India. Vol. I. Bangalore: Interline Publishers; 2000. p. 644.
  • 20.   Sharma PC, Yelne MB, Dennis TJ. Database on medicinal plants used in Ayurveda. New Delhi: CCRAS Publications; 2001.
  • 21.   Bhattacharya SK, Kumar A, Ghosal S. Effect of Bacopa monnieri on animal models of Alzheimer's disease and perturbed central cholinergic markers of cognition in rats. In: Sankar DV, editor. Molecular aspects of Asian medicines. PJD Publications; 1999.
  • 22.   Sara SJ. Noradrenergic-cholinergic interaction: its possible role in memory dysfunction associated with senile dementia. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 1989;1:99-108.
  • 23.   Singh HK, Dhawan BN. Neuropsychopharmacological effects of the Ayurvedic nootropic Bacopa monniera Linn (Brahmi). Indian J Pharmacol. 1997;29:359-365.
  • 24.   Viji V, Helen A. Inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators: role of Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010;129(2):179-182.
  • 25.   Channa S, Dar A, Anjum S, Yaqoob M. Anti-inflammatory activity of Bacopa monniera in rodents. J Ethnopharmacol. 2006;104(1-2):286-289.
  • 26.   Viji V, Helen A. Inhibition of lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenase-2 enzymes by extracts isolated from Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008;118(2):305-311.
  • 27.   Shanmugasundaram ER, Akbar GK, Shanmugasundaram KR. Brahmighritham, an Ayurvedic herbal formula for the control of epilepsy. J Ethnopharmacol. 1991;33:269-276.
  • 28.   Shanker G, Singh HK. Anxiolytic profile of standardized Brahmi extract. Indian J Pharmacol. 2000;32:152.
  • 29.   Singh HK, Shanker G, Patnaik GK. Neuropharmacological and anti-stress effects of bacosides: a memory enhancer. Indian J Pharmacol. 1996;28:47.
  • 30.   Vohora D, Pal SN, Pillai KK. Protection from phenytoin-induced cognitive deficit by Bacopa monnieri, a reputed nootropic plant. J Ethnopharmacol. 2000;71:383-390.
  • 31.   Tripathi YB, Chaurasia S, Tripathi E, Upadhyay A, Dubey GP. Bacopa monniera Linn. as an antioxidant: mechanism of action. Indian J Exp Biol. 1996;34:523-526.
  • 32.   Bhattacharya SK, Bhattacharya A, Kumar A, Ghosal S. Antioxidant activity of Bacopa monniera in rat frontal cortex, striatum and hippocampus. Phytother Res. 2000;14:174-179.
  • 33.   Pawar R, Gopalakrishnan C, Bhutani KK. Dammarane triterpene saponin from Bacopa monniera as the superoxide inhibitor in polymorphonuclear cells. Planta Med. 2001;67:752-754.
  • 34.   Colasanti M, Suzuki H. The dual personality of NO. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2000;21:249-252.
  • 35.   Russo A, et al. Nitric oxide-related toxicity in cultured astrocytes: effect of Bacopa monniera. Life Sci. 2003;73:1517-1526.
  • 36.   Rai D, Bhatia G, Palit G, Pal R. Adaptogenic effect of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi). Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2003;75:823-830.
  • 37.   Bhattacharya SK, Ghosal S. Anxiolytic activity of a standardized extract of Bacopa monnieri: an experimental study. Phytomedicine. 1998;5:77-82.
  • 38.   Singh HK, et al. Drugs affecting learning and memory. In: Lectures in Neurobiology. Vol 1. Wiley Eastern; 1992. p. 189-207.
  • 39.   Sairam K, Dorababu M, Goel RK, Bhattacharya SK. Antidepressant activity of standardized extract of Bacopa monniera in experimental models of depression in rats. Phytomedicine. 2002;9:207-211.
  • 40.   Dar A, Channa S. Bronchodilatatory and cardiovascular effects of an ethanol extract of Bacopa monniera in anaesthetized rats. Phytomedicine. 1997;4:319-323.
  • 41.   Nadkarni KM. Indian Materia Medica. Columbia, MO: South Asia Books; 1988. p. 624-625.
  • 42.   Dar A, Channa S. Calcium antagonistic activity of Bacopa monniera on vascular and intestinal smooth muscles of rabbit and guinea-pig. J Ethnopharmacol. 1999;66:167-174.
  • 43.   Sharma R, Chaturvedi C, Tewari PV. Efficacy of Bacopa monnieri in revitalizing intellectual functions in children. J Res Edu Indian Med. 1987;Jan-June:1-12.
  • 44.   Negi KS, et al. Clinical evaluation of memory enhancing properties of Memory Plus in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Indian J Psychiatry. 2000;42(Suppl).
  • 45.   Samiulla DS, Prashanth D, Amit A. Mast cell stabilising activity of Bacopa monnieri. Fitoterapia. 2001;72:284-285.
  • 46.   Phadke AS. A review on Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). Indian J Ancient Med Yoga. 2023;16(4):177-183.

Data Sharing Statement

There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.

Funding

This research received no funding.

Author Contributions

Whether all authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.

Ethics Declaration

This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.


About this article


Cite this article

Phadke AS. A review on Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). Indian J Ancient Yoga. 2023;16(4):177–183.


Licence:

Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.



Received Accepted Published
April 29, 2023 May 21, 2023 June 30, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijamy.0974.6986.16423.2

Keywords

PrakruthiDactylographyFingerprint patternRidge density

Article Level Metrics

Last Updated

Monday 13 July 2026, 13:46:02 (IST)


2185

Accesses

7
603
00

Citations


NA
NA
NA

Download citation


Article Keywords


Keyword Highlighting

Highlight selected keywords in the article text.


Timeline


Received April 29, 2023
Accepted May 21, 2023
Published June 30, 2023

licence


Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.



Access this article



Share