Bacopa

This ground-cover plant is typically found in wet soils. It is anti-inflammatory, adaptogenic, a nootropic, stress-relieving, and a mild laxative, among other medicinal benefits.

Scientific Name: Cantella asiatica
Common Name: Gotu kola, Brahmi, Bacopa, Water Hyssop
Plant Family: Apiaceae

Etymology: Bacopa monnieri is known in Sanskrit as jalabrahmi (“water brahmi”), which is where the name originates.

Traditional Uses

Traditionally, Bacopa is used for mind and body healing in traditional medicine from India. It has calming and soothing properties, and has been said to increase the quality of sadhaka pitta, or intellect. Bacopa has been used to support meditation, connect the heart and mind, and increase mental clarity. Bacopa has been known to provide mental strength as a brain tonic, can calm the mind and nervous system, and has adaptogenic properties to provide the body what it most needs, like daytime alertness and nighttime restfulness. Bacopa is also known to comfort joints, blood, hair, and skin, as it has an energetically cooling property in traditional medicine.

Edible Parts

The whole plant is edible! Bacopa can be used internally and externally, most commonly ground into a powder and mixed with a carrier substance. It can also be taken internally as an herbal tincture, in tablet form, and in adaptogenic blends. Externally, Bacopa is used in oil blends and massaged into the body. Bacopa can also be eaten right from the ground, and the fresh leaves can be cooked, blended, or eaten raw.

Gathering and Using

Bacopa can be grown in full sun or partial shade in a well-drained soil. It grows best in high altitudes (1300 m) in clayey to clayey loam soils. It can be harvested 75-90 days after planting, and can be dried after harvesting for future use.

How to Identify

Bacopa can be identified by its bell-shaped white and blue or pink flowers and its small, oval, shining leaves.

Wildlife Support

Bacopa attracts butterflies and other pollinator species with its flowers!