Brahmi - The miracle elixir of life

Common names: Indian penny wort (English); Mandookaparani (Sanskrit); Brahmi (Hindi); Vondelaga (Kannada); Saraswataku (Telugu); Vallarai, Yoshanavalli (Tamil); Kodangal (Malayalam).

Latin name: Centella (Derived from “centum” referring to the profusely branched and intertwining leaves and branches).

Brahmi is a prostrate, perennial herb, with slender, creeping stem, and rounded, smooth-textured leaves. Brahmi has been in use as a herb for thousands of years in India, China, and Indonesia.  Although historically Brahmi has been used to treat a variety of ailments ranging from wound-healing to fever, Brahmi's greatest benefit comes from its established role as a “brain tonic” - several studies have demonstrated Brahmi's ability to boost memory and intelligence, ease anxiety, enhance nerve health, prevent/delay cognitive impairment associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, and promote wound healing.
A recent Thai study to determine the neuroprotective effect of Brahmi concluded that treating patients with Brahmi extract may be an alternative direction for ameliorating neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. This study also showed that Brahmi promotes survival of neuronal (nerve) cells. In another study conducted in Kerala, India, Brahmi was found to be significantly effective in alleviating anxiety-related disorders, stress, and depression. This study also showed that treatment with Brahmi showed a significant improvement in cognition. In yet another study Brahmi at doses of 500–750 mg/day significantly improved health-related quality of life (HQOL) in elderly patients when given as a supplement for 90 days.

The antioxidant and DNA-protective properties of Brahmi were confirmed in a study conducted at the Texas University College of Medicine, Texas, USA. This study demonstrated that Brahmi acts as a powerful antioxidant to prevent damage to the DNA of nerve cells in patients with Alzheimer's disease4.
These contemporary studies only confirm what ayurveda has always maintained - Brahmi is a herbal brain tonic that helps rejuvenate the nerve cells and overcome the negative effects of stress and anxiety.

To summarize, the key benefits of Brahmi include:

• A positive role in enhancing mental alertness and cognition
• Effective in inducing calmness and reduce stress and anxiety
• Effective adjuvant in the management of degenerative nerve disorders such as Alzheimer's disease
• Effective antioxidant that prevents DNA damage of nerve cells
• Beneficial as an adjuvant in depression-related problems
• Useful adjuvant in treating insomnia (inability to fall asleep during the night)

1. Limpeanchob N, et al. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008;120(1):112-7.
2. Jana U, et al. Nepal Med Coll J. 2010 Mar;12(1):8-11.
3. Mato L, et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Oct 30. [Epub ahead of print].
4. Dhanasekaran M, et al. Phytother Res. 2009 Jan;23(1):14-9.