Age Ayurveda Nighantu Ayurvedic practitioner? List or verify your practice

Water Hyssop

Bacopa monnieri

Water Hyssop (Bacopa monnieri) is a plant drug, also called Brahmi, Matsyaksi and Sarasvati. Bacoside A3, bacopaside I, II, and X are the specific active saponins. Bioavailability is enhanced 1.5-2x by lipid co-administration (ghee, phospholipids). Brahmi Ghrita (traditional ghee-based formulation) provides superior bacoside delivery through lipid solubilization.

Key facts
Botanical nameBacopa monnieri
FamilyPlantaginaceae · other entries in this family
OrderLamiales
Also known asWater Hyssop, WaterHyssop
Taxon identifiersGBIF 3171169 · Wikidata Q1366575 · NCBI Taxonomy 263974
Names in other languages
Sanskritब्राह्मी (brāhmī), मत्स्याक्षी (matsyākṣī), सरस्वती (sarasvatī)
Hindiब्राह्मी (brāhmī)
Tamilநீர்ப்பிரமி

Sources: Kerala State Medicinal Plants Board Bacopa monnieri page (smpbkerala.in) lists Sanskrit "Brahmi"; Rajanighantu (13th c.), via wisdomlib's Brahmi entry, treats Brahmi as a drug name with 23 synonyms (Sarasvati, Somalata, Matsyakshi, Mandukaparni-adjacent forms etc.) and modern identification with Bacopa monnieri; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India uses Brahmi as the official Sanskrit monograph name for Bacopa monnieri.; Kerala State Medicinal Plants Board species page for Bacopa monnieri (smpbkerala.in) gives Sanskrit "Brahmi", Malayalam ബ്രഹ്മി, Hindi "Barambhi", Tamil "Nirbrahmi"; IMPPAT (IIT Madras) Bacopa monnieri page gives common name "Brahmi"; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India carries Brahmi as the official monograph name for Bacopa monnieri.; Rajanighantu (13th c.), via wisdomlib's Brahmi entry, where Sarasvati heads the list of 23 synonyms for Brahmi.; Rajanighantu (13th c.), via wisdomlib's Brahmi entry, which lists 23 synonyms of Brahmi including Matsyakshi, Sarasvati, Somalata, Medhya, Bharati and Parameshthini.; University of Madras Tamil Lexicon (via agarathi.com) entry for நீர்ப்பிரமி: "Water hyssop, climber, Herpestis monniera". Herpestis monniera is a listed taxonomic synonym of Bacopa monnieri on the IMPPAT Bacopa monnieri page. Kerala State Medicinal Plants Board independently gives Tamil "Nirbrahmi".. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2008 to 2026, 11 with a DOI.

  • 5Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • 2Randomised controlled trials
  • 5Other clinical studies and reviews

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

This entry and brahmi describe the same drug, Bacopa monnieri, under different names. Both pages are kept because both names are in use, and each is cited as itself.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishWater Hyssop

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Svarasa (fresh juice), Capsule, Tablet, Syrup, Ghrita (Brahmi Ghrita), Tincture, Standardized extract capsule

Standard Dosage: 3-5 g powder twice daily; 10-20 mL fresh juice daily; 300-450 mg standardized extract (20-50% bacosides) twice daily; 1-2 teaspoons Brahmi Ghrita

Optimal Timing: Morning and evening with meals (reduces GI side effects); Brahmi Ghrita at bedtime for cognitive Rasayana effect

Storage: Standardized extract in airtight, light-resistant containers at 15-25 deg C. Fresh plant material refrigerated at 4-8 deg C. Brahmi Ghrita in glass jars at room temperature. Bacosides are moderately photosensitive; opaque packaging preferred.

Marker Compounds: Bacoside A3, Bacopaside I, Bacopaside II, Bacopaside X, Bacopasaponin C, Jujubogenin, Pseudojujubogenin, Apigenin, Luteolin, Brahmine, Herpestine

Synergistic Combinations

  • Shankhapushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) - comprehensive Medhya Rasayana combination
  • Vacha (Acorus calamus) - memory and cognitive enhancement
  • Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) - calming and neuroprotective synergy
  • Ashwagandha - adaptogenic and cognitive combination
  • Mandukaparni/Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) - complementary nootropic action
  • Ghrita (ghee) as vehicle - Brahmi Ghrita for optimal CNS delivery

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses5

  1. Al Shahab S, Al Balushi R, Qambar A and others. 2025. Efficiency of Different Supplements in Alleviating Symptoms of ADHD with or Without the Use of Stimulants: A Systematic ReviewNutrients. PMID 40362791 · doi:10.3390/nu17091482
  2. Lorca C, Mulet M, Arévalo-Caro C and others. 2023. Plant-derived nootropics and human cognition: A systematic reviewCritical reviews in food science and nutrition. PMID 34978226 · doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.2021137
  3. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Drummond PD. 2022. Modulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by plants and phytonutrients: a systematic review of human trialsNutritional neuroscience. PMID 33650944 · doi:10.1080/1028415X.2021.1892253
  4. Cicero AFG, Fogacci F, Banach M. 2018. Botanicals and phytochemicals active on cognitive decline: The clinical evidencePharmacological research. PMID 29289576 · doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2017.12.029
  5. Kongkeaw C, Dilokthornsakul P, Thanarangsarit P and others. 2014. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on cognitive effects of Bacopa monnieri extractJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 24252493 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2013.11.008

Randomised controlled trials2

  1. Delfan M, Kordestani-Moghaddam P, Gholami M and others. 2024. Evaluating the effects of Bacopa monnieri on cognitive performance and sleep quality of patients with mild cognitive impairment: A triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trialExplore (New York, N.Y.). PMID 38538390 · doi:10.1016/j.explore.2024.02.008
  2. Calabrese C, Gregory WL, Leo M and others. 2008. Effects of a standardized Bacopa monnieri extract on cognitive performance, anxiety, and depression in the elderly: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trialJournal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.). PMID 18611150 · doi:10.1089/acm.2008.0018

Other clinical studies and reviews5

  1. Nooreen Z, Sumayya F, Wal P and others. 2026. Frontotemporal Dementia, Current Diagnosis and Treatment Emphasis on Natural Products: A ReviewCurrent aging science. PMID 40114569 · doi:10.2174/0118746098343389250131050235
  2. Gościniak A, Stasiłowicz-Krzemień A, Szeląg M and others. 2025. Bacopa monnieri: Preclinical and Clinical Evidence of Neuroactive Effects, Safety of Use and the Search for Improved BioavailabilityNutrients. PMID 40507208 · doi:10.3390/nu17111939
  3. Aldekhail NM, Khojah H, Alsaadoun NH and others. 2025. Herbal Medicines in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Therapeutic Potential, Plant Components, and Dosage GuidelinesAlternative therapies in health and medicine. PMID 40768551
  4. Pavlov S, Prajapati SK, Yadav D and others. 2025. Advances in Bioactive Compounds from Plants and Their Applications in Alzheimer's DiseaseBiomolecules. PMID 41594549 · doi:10.3390/biom16010007
  5. Valotto Neto LJ, Reverete de Araujo M, Moretti Junior RC and others. 2024. Investigating the Neuroprotective and Cognitive-Enhancing Effects of Bacopa monnieri: A Systematic Review Focused on Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and ApoptosisAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 38671841 · doi:10.3390/antiox13040393

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.