Centella asiatica or brahmi or gotu kola and Bacopa monnieri, are basically one and the same herb, it is only a different family.
Both are mud plants whose effects are almost identical. The only thing that is confusing is the different use of names. While in southern and eastern India the plant Bacopa monnieri is called brahmi, in northern and western India it is Centella asiatica known under the British name gotu kola. Minor differences can be found in the environment where individual plants grow. Centella asiatica grows in India, Indonesia, Madagascar and China, while Bacopa monnieri grows in similar places, but also in Africa, Australia and America. To make matters worse, each of these herbs has two more Latin binomial names, Centella asiatica is synonymous with Hydrocotyle asiatica and Bacopa monnieri is synonymous with Herpestes monniera.
Scientific research
Both Centella asiatica and Bacopa monniera are under the scrutiny of many modern scientific studies for their similar excellent health effects. According to expert studies, both plants have been shown to have a positive effect on the central nervous system, improve cognitive functions, increase memory, relieve stress and have a positive effect in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In the Western world, both plants are a popular brain and mental tonic, especially for students and people suffering from serious brain disorders such as the aforementioned Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, or epilepsy.
Both Centella asiatica and Bacopa monnieri have the ability to open and purify the mind, increase mental alertness, clear thinking, promote concentration and regenerate brain cells. They also act as a significant antioxidant to rejuvenate and strengthen all tissues, improve blood circulation and dilate blood vessels, increase the overall resistance of the nervous system and act as a sedative in agitation, stress, depression and nervous tension.
From the Ayurvedic point of view
From the Ayurvedic point of view, these plants have the ability to soothe all doshas in the body: vata, pitta and kapha. Centella asiatica and Bacopa monnieri are considered highly sattvic herbs. Sattvic foods evenly nourish the body and soul and bring lightness, health and peace. They are also used to promote meditation for their ability to increase alertness and subtlety of mind. In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, the brahmi plant has the ability to support the function of the crown chakra, the energy center at the top of the head, and to harmonize the activity of the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Ayurveda also perceives a close connection between the heart and the mind, and therefore both forms of brahmi are also known as strong heart tonics.
Try our Ayurvedic blends BRAHMI a GOTU KOLA or monthly Ayurvedic Therapy Memory & Concentration.
