BRAHMI (Whole Plant)
Brahmi consists of dried whole plant of Bacopa monnieri (Linn.) Wettst., Syn. Herpestis monnieria (LiM.) H.B.& K. (Fam. Scrophulariaceae); a glabrous, succulent, small, prostrate or creeping annual herb, found throughout India in wet and damp places.
SYNONYMS
Sanskrit : Sarasvati, Kapotavanka
Assamese : Brahmi
Bengali : —
English : Thyme Leaved Gratiola
Gujrati : Neerbrahmi, Bamanevari
Hindi : Manduka Parni
Kannada : Nirubrahmi, Valabrahmi, Ondelaga, Mandukaparni
Kashmiri : —
Malayalam : Bhahmi
Marathi : Jalnam, Brahmi, Birami
Oriya : Brahmi
Punjabi : Brahmibuti
Tamil : Nirabrahmi, Brahmi vazhukkai
Telugu : Sambarenu, Sambrani
Urdu : Brahmi
DESCRIPTION
a) Macroscopic
Root – Thin, wiry, small, branched creamish-yellow.
Stem – Thin, green or purplish green, about 1-2 mm thick, soft, nodes and internodes prominent, glabrous; taste, slightly bitter.
Leaf – Simple, opposite, decussate, green, sessile, 1-2 cm long, obovate-oblong; taste, slightly bitter.
Flower – Small, axillary and solitary, pedicels 6-30 mm long, bracteoles shorter than pedicels.
Fruit – Capsules upto 5 mm long, ovoid and glabrous.
b) Microscopic
Root – Shows a single layer of epidermis, cortex having large air cavities; endodermis single layered; pericycle not distinct; stele consists of a thin layer of phloem with a few sieve elements and isolated material from xylem shows vessels with reticulate thickenings.
Stem – Shows single layer of epidermis followed by a wide cortex of thin-walled cells with very large intercellular spaces; endodermis single layered; pericycle 3 consisting of 1-2 layers; vascular ring continuous, composed of a narrow zone of phloem towards periphery and a wide ring of xylem towards centre; centre occupied by a small pith with distinct intercellular spaces; starch grains simple, round to oval, present in a few cells of cortex and endodermis, measuring 4-14 n in dia., and 8.0-14.0 x 2.5-9.0 n in dia. respectively.
Leaf -Shows a single layer of upper and lower epidermis covered with thin cuticle; glandular hairs sessile, subsidiary cells present on both surfaces; a few prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate occasionally found distributed in mesophyll cells; mesophyll traversed by small veins surrounded by bundle sheath; no distinct midrib present.
Powder – Yellowish-brown; shows xylem vessels with reticulate thickening, glandular hairs, simple, round and oval starch grains, measuring 4-14 n in diameter.
IDENTITY, PURITY AND STRENGTH
Foreign matter Not more than 2 per cent, Appendix 2.2.2.
Total Ash Not more than 18 per cent, Appendix 2.2.3.
Acid-insoluble ash Not more than 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.4.
Alcohol-soluble extractive Not less than 6 per cent, Appendix 2.2.6.
Water-soluble extractive Not less than 15 per cent, Appendix 2.2.7.
CONSTITUENTS – Alkaloids
PROPERTIES AND ACTION
Rasa : Madhura, Tikta, Kasaya
Guna : Laghu, Sara
Virya : Sita
Vipaka : Madhura
Karma : Kaphahara, Medhya, Rasayana, Svarya, Vatahara, Visahara, Ayusya, Matiprada, Prajasthapana, Mohahara
IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS – Sarasvatarista, Brahmi Ghrta, Ratnagiri Rasa, Brahmi Vati, Sarasvata Curna, Smrtisagara Rasa.
THERAPEUTIC USES – Kustha, Jvara, Sopha, Pandu, Prameha, Manasavikara
DOSE – 1-3 g in powder form.
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