Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri—known by names like water hyssop, brahmi, thyme-leafed gratiola, herb of grace, and Indian pennywort—is a perennial, creeping herb that grows in wetlands around the world. It is used in Ayurveda. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned makers of dietary supplements containing this herb against making illegal, unproven claims that it can treat diseases. Evidence that it improves cognitive performance or memory is inconclusive, and its safety and effectiveness are not certain.

This non-aromatic herb has succulent, oblong leaves that are 4–6 mm thick, arranged opposite each other on the stem. The leaves are oblanceolate. Its small, white flowers are actinomorphic, with four to five petals. Bacopa monnieri can tolerate slightly brackish conditions and is often propagated from cuttings.

It is one of the most widespread Bacopa species, commonly found in marshy areas across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Pakistan, Taiwan, Vietnam, tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar, Australia, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It also occurs in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Hawaii. It once grew wild in freshwater swamps of Singapore and nearby regions known as beremi.

In Ayurvedic traditional medicine, Bacopa monnieri is used with the belief that it may improve memory and help with various ailments. However, there is no good evidence it enhances cognitive performance or memory, and its safety and effectiveness remain uncertain. In 2019, the FDA sent warning letters to supplement manufacturers advertising unproven and illegal health claims for treating or preventing stomach disease, Alzheimer’s disease, hypoglycemia, blood pressure, and anxiety. The FDA stated that no Bacopa monnieri products have been approved for medical use.

The most commonly reported adverse effects in humans are nausea, increased intestinal motility, and gastrointestinal upset.

The best-studied phytochemicals in Bacopa monnieri are dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins called bacosides, which have jujubogenin or pseudo-jujubogenin aglycone units. There are 12 known bacoside analogs. Other saponins, bacopasides I–XII, have also been identified. The alkaloids brahmine, nicotine, and herpestine have been catalogued, along with D-mannitol, apigenin, hersaponin, monnierasides I–III, cucurbitacin, and plantainoside B.