Brahmi (Water Hyssop)

Brāhmī ब्राह्मी

Bacopa monnieri · Plantaginaceae

Common: Water hyssop · Brahmi · Jalanimba

herb whole plant shita cultivated

Rasa-Panchaka — five-fold pharmacology

Rasa: tikta · kashaya— tastes at first contact
Guna: laghu · snigdha— qualities
Virya: shita— potency (cooling)
Vipaka: madhura— post-digestive effect

The six classical tastes (Ṣaḍ-rasa)

Dosha effect

Vata

↓pacifies

Pitta

↓pacifies

Kapha

↓pacifies

pacifies (↓) aggravates (↑) neutral (·)

Functions

nervine rasayanahair tonicmemory

Water hyssop. Powerful nervine + hair tonic. Used in hair oils for premature greying and stress-related hair fall. Confused with Mandukaparni in some lineages; both are nervine rasayanas. Bhavaprakasha distinguishes them.

Used in 3 recipes

taila Brahmi Tailam (Memory & scalp oil)

Brāhmī Taila · ब्राह्मी तैल

scalp · hair

stress-related hair fall; scalp tension.

vatapitta

taila Bhringaraja-Mahabhringa Taila (Anti-hair-fall master oil)

Mahābhṛṅgarāja Taila · महाभृङ्गराज तैल

scalp · hair

Khalitya (hair fall); Indra-lupta (alopecia).

vatapitta

procedure Shiro-Pichu (Head-oil compress)

Śiraḥpicu · शिरःपिचु

scalp

stress headaches; insomnia.

vatapitta