Bacopa Monniera is a small, creeping herb with light purple flowers. It grows prolifically in wet soil, shallow water and marshes in India and the Tropics. The plantis known as brahmi in India, 'ae'ae in Hawai'i, and otomeazene in Japan. For centuries it has been used as a ‘brain tonic’ to enhance memory and concentration as well as providing positive benefits for sufferers of epilepsy and anxiety. For over a thousand years it has played an important part in the tradition of Ayurveda, a system of Indian folk medicine. Western reserachers have focused on Bacopa’s cognitive benfits – specifically its ability to improve memory, learning and concentration.

The active constituents that have been identified in Bacopa Monniera include the alkaloids Brahmine and herpestine, saponins d-mannitol and hersaponin, acid A, monnierin, betulic acid, stigmastarol, beta-sitosterol. All of these are believed to be responsible for the pharmacological benefits of bacopa. Bacosides A and B.5 are the compounds that researchers believe are responsible for it’s cognitive effects (Chatterji N, Rastorgi RP, Dhar ML. Chemical examination of Bacopa monniera Wettst. Part I: isolation of chemical constituents. Indian J Chem 1963;1:212).