Ayurveda
BrahmiBacopa monnieri (also spelled monniera)
Mainly a memory herb; its gut record is one 1989 trial of a bael-plus-brahmi formula in 169 IBS patients, and stomach upset is its usual side effect.
- Botanical name
- Bacopa monnieri (also spelled monniera)
- Part used
- whole plant (aerial parts)
- Also called
- Sanskrit Brahmi, Sarasvati; Hindi Brahmi, Jalnim; Water hyssop, Bacopa, Centella asiatica (gotu kola) is sometimes sold as brahmi in North India
- Used in
- Ayurveda
- Taken for
- Loose stools and diarrhea, Stress and the gut
- Sold as
- dried herb powder (churna), capsules, tablets, standardized extract, ghee-based preparation (ghrita)
What is meant by brahmi
Brahmi is the whole plant of Bacopa monnieri, a creeping marsh plant with small fleshy leaves that grows in wet ground across South Asia. In Ayurveda it is a medhya herb, one used for memory and the intellect, and that is what almost all modern research tests. It is sold as dried herb powder (churna), capsules and tablets, standardized extracts and in ghee-based preparations.
Brahmi is a naming trap. In North India the name is also given to Centella asiatica (gotu kola), an unrelated plant, and an Ayurvedic college monograph lists that as a controversial variety and adulterant. Everything in this entry refers to Bacopa monnieri. The gut use is minor: we found one controlled trial with a gut outcome, and it tested a two-herb formula, not brahmi alone. This entry says so rather than inflating it.
In the traditions
Ayurveda (about Ayurveda)
An Ayurvedic college monograph gives brahmi’s taste as bitter and astringent, its quality as light, its potency as cooling and its post-digestive effect (vipaka) as sweet. Its listed actions include medhya (intellect-supporting), rasayana (rejuvenating) and kapha-pittahara (calming kapha and pitta); the same page also describes it as pacifying all three doshas. The monograph names a few digestive uses: because it is slightly astringent it is said to be useful in diarrhea, its listed actions also include laxative and carminative effects, and constipation appears among the indications. It warns that the herb may suppress appetite, so appetizing (deepana) medicines are to be given with it. The monograph places it in the Charaka group named Prajasthapana and lists its main uses as nervous-system conditions such as epilepsy, mania, depression and memory loss, plus respiratory complaints and diuresis. These are the tradition’s own claims.
What the plant contains
Brahmi extracts used in trials are standardized to triterpenoid saponins called bacosides. The lab and animal work we read concerns memory and the brain; we found no laboratory finding specific to the gut. The abstract of the 1989 IBS trial does not describe the content of its preparation, so the bacoside dose in that formula is unknown. The gut section below therefore rests on one old formula trial.
What has been tested in people
The only controlled gut trial we found is a 1989 study from India in 169 patients with irritable bowel syndrome. It compared three treatments in a double-blind randomized design over 6 weeks: a compound Ayurvedic preparation of Aegle marmelos (bael) plus Bacopa monnieri in 57 patients, standard therapy (clidinium bromide, chlordiazepoxide and isaphaghulla) in 60 patients, and a matching placebo in 52 patients. The Ayurvedic preparation was found effective in 64.9% of patients, standard therapy in 78.3% and placebo in 32.7%. The Ayurvedic formula worked particularly well in diarrhea-predominant IBS compared with placebo, standard therapy was more useful in the painful form, and in the gas-predominant form both treatments were similar to placebo. At more than 6 months of follow-up neither therapy was better than placebo in limiting relapse. Because the formula had two herbs, the result cannot be assigned to brahmi.
Beyond that, the human trials are about memory. A systematic review of six randomized trials, each 12 weeks with 300 to 450 mg of extract a day, found improved performance on 9 of 17 tests of free recall and little evidence of benefit elsewhere. In a trial of 54 adults aged 65 and over taking 300 mg a day for 12 weeks, 48 finished; adverse events were reported by 9 on brahmi and 10 on placebo, primarily stomach upset. We found no trial of brahmi alone for IBS, diarrhea or any other gut outcome.
| Study | Dose | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| Double-blind randomized trial, 169 patients with IBS: bael plus brahmi formula vs standard therapy vs placebo PMID 2697693 | Compound Ayurvedic preparation, 6 weeks | Effective in 64.9% (57 patients), standard therapy 78.3% (60), placebo 32.7% (52); formula strongest in diarrhea-predominant IBS; no better than placebo at over 6 months of follow-up |
| Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 54 adults aged 65 and over (48 completed) PMID 18611150 | 300 mg standardized extract a day for 12 weeks | Better word recall than placebo; adverse events 9 (brahmi) vs 10 (placebo), primarily stomach upset |
| Systematic review of 6 randomized trials of Bacopa and cognition PMID 22747190 | 300 to 450 mg of extract a day, 12 weeks | Improved free recall on 9 of 17 tests; little evidence of enhancement in other domains |
Doses used in trials and traditional preparations
The IBS trial gave a compound preparation of bael and brahmi for 6 weeks; the abstract does not state the amounts. The cognition trials used 300 to 450 mg a day of standardized extract for 12 weeks. Traditionally brahmi is used as a fresh or dried herb powder, a juice or a ghee-based preparation, and the monograph advises combining it with appetizing medicines. We found no dose-finding data for gut outcomes.
Treat these figures as a record of what was studied. Whether any amount of brahmi suits a particular person is a question for a clinician or pharmacist who knows their history.
Safety
Stomach upset is the side effect named in the 12-week elderly trial, and it was reported by a similar number of people on placebo (9 on brahmi, 10 on placebo). The monograph warns the herb may suppress appetite. We found no pregnancy, breastfeeding or pediatric safety studies for brahmi, and the cognition trials studied healthy adults.
On contamination, a 2008 study of 193 Ayurvedic products sold online found lead, mercury or arsenic in 20.7%, against 40.6% of the metal-based rasa shastra products, and CDC recorded 12 adult lead poisoning cases tied to Ayurvedic remedies in five states in 2000 to 2003. Neither study singled out brahmi, and plain herb powders are not the metal-based class.
Drug interactions
We found no interaction studies for brahmi in the sources we read. The trials in healthy adults did not test combinations with prescription medicines, so the absence of reported interactions says little. The 12-week trial tracked heart rate and found it fell over time in the brahmi group and rose in the placebo group, so medicines that slow the heart rate are an unstudied question.
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Common questions
Is brahmi good for digestion?
The gut role is minor. The tradition lists diarrhea, constipation and carminative actions, but the only controlled gut trial we found tested a formula of bael plus brahmi in 169 IBS patients (64.9% effective vs 32.7% on placebo), and it cannot be assigned to brahmi alone.
Is brahmi the same as gotu kola?
No. Brahmi in Ayurveda is usually Bacopa monnieri. In North India the name is also given to Centella asiatica (gotu kola), which a college monograph lists as a controversial variety and adulterant. They are unrelated plants.
What side effects does brahmi have?
In a 12-week trial in adults aged 65 and over, 9 people on brahmi and 10 on placebo reported adverse events, primarily stomach upset. The monograph also warns the herb may suppress appetite.
What is brahmi mainly studied for?
Memory. A systematic review of six randomized trials of 300 to 450 mg of extract a day for 12 weeks found improved free recall on 9 of 17 tests and little evidence of other benefits.
Has brahmi been tested for IBS?
Only inside a two-herb formula, in a 1989 trial of 169 patients. We found no trial of brahmi alone for IBS.
Sources
- Yadav SK, Jain AK, Tripathi SN, Gupta JP, "Irritable bowel syndrome: therapeutic evaluation of indigenous drugs", Indian J Med Res 1989;90:496-503 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2697693
- Calabrese C et al., "Effects of a standardized Bacopa monnieri extract on cognitive performance, anxiety, and depression in the elderly: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial", J Altern Complement Med 2008;14(6):707-713 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18611150
- Pase MP et al., "The cognitive-enhancing effects of Bacopa monnieri: a systematic review of randomized, controlled human clinical trials", J Altern Complement Med 2012;18(7):647-652 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22747190
- Dravyaguna Vigyan monograph series, "Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)", sdach.ac.in (Ayurvedic college monograph: tastes, qualities, potency, actions, uses, Centella note) www.sdach.ac.in/?p=3545
- Saper RB et al., "Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet", JAMA 2008;300(8):915-923 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18728265
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Lead poisoning associated with ayurvedic medications, five states, 2000-2003", MMWR 2004;53(26):582-584 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15241300