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Bacopa monnieri
Also called Brahmi, Coastal Waterhyssop, Thyme-leafed gratiola, Water hyssop, Indian Pennywort, Bacopa, Coastal Water Hyssop
Bacopa monnieri is a creeping, succulent herb of wetlands, grown for its use in Ayurveda and sold as a supplement. It grows best with constantly moist roots or shallow water, making it a good choice for pond edges and bog gardens.
Bacopa monnieri, also known as water hyssop, brahmi, thyme-leafed gratiola, herb of grace, and Indian pennywort, is a perennial, creeping herb native to wetland areas globally.
It is used in Ayurveda. In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned manufacturers of dietary supplement products containing Bacopa monnieri against making illegal and unproven claims that the herb can treat various diseases. There is inconclusive evidence of it improving cognitive performance and memory, and its safety and effectiveness remain uncertain.
The best characterized phytochemicals in Bacopa monnieri are dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins known as bacosides, with jujubogenin or pseudo-jujubogenin moieties as aglycone units. Bacosides comprise a family of 12 known analogs. Other saponins called bacopasides I–XII were identified. The alkaloids brahmine, nicotine, and herpestine have been catalogued, along with D-mannitol, apigenin, hersaponin, monnierasides I–III, cucurbitacin and plantainoside B.
Bacopa monnieri is one of the most widespread Bacopa species. It commonly grows in marshy areas throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Pakistan, Taiwan, Vietnam, tropical and southern Africa, on Madagascar, in Australia, in the Caribbean as well as in Middle and South America. It is also found in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Hawaii.
Blue waterhyssop · Bacopa crenata · Gila River waterhyssop · Disk waterhyssop · Water Hyssop
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Bacopa monnieri by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
