Bacopa monnieri (whole plant)

Nomenclature

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell   Scrophulariaceae  
Syn. Herpestis monniera (L.) Kunth  
Standardized common name (English): bacopa  
Ayurvedic name(s): brahmi; mandukaparni

Botanical Voucher Specimen

Source: Images courtesy of the C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden	Source: Images courtesy of the C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden

Source: MOBOT, Tropicos.org	Source: MOBOT, Tropicos.org	Source: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Organoleptic Characteristics

Color: Brown to reddish brown color when completely dried or green color when partially dried. Aroma/Odor: No distinct odour. Flavor/Taste: Slightly bitter. Source: Natural Remedies Pvt Ltd

Macroscopic Characteristics

Creeping, glabrous, succulent herb, rooting at nodes. Stem 10-30 cm long, 1-2 mmthick, soft, glabrous; branches ascending. Leaves 0.6-2.5 cm long and 3-8 mm broad,sessile, obovate-oblong or spathulate, entire, nerves obscure and lower surface dotted.Flowers blue or white with purple veins, axillary and solitary on long pedicels. Capsuleovoid, glabrous, up to 5 mm long. Source: Natural Remedies Pvt Ltd

Microscopic Characteristics

Transverse Sections: Root: Epidermal cells tangentially elongated, inner cortex made up of elongated air chambers. The vascular tissue contains 4 to 5 primary xylem strands. Few secondary tissue also developed. Stem: Beneath the epidermis is a wide zone of parenchymatous cortex which is composed of thin-walled cells with large intercellular spaces. The cells of the pith are thin walled, rounded, more or less isodiametric with distinct air chambers. Leaf: Shows more or less isobilateral structure. Epidermis shows the presence of striated cuticle and the striations are more prominent in the lower epidermal cells. The epidermal cells have more or less wavy walls and show the presence of glandular trichomes on both surfaces. The smaller glandular trichomes are born upon a slightly conical stalk and the larger ones possess glandular head of 8 cells. In surfaceview, these trichomes are seen as divided into 4 to 8 cells. Upper surface has moretrichomes and less stomata than the lower. A few prismatic crystals of calcium oxalateare found in the mesophyll region and are surrounded by bundle sheath. Midrib is not distinct. A distinct bundle sheath surrounds the vascular bundle of the “midrib”and is represented by a few spiral or annular vessels on the ventral side and phloem on the dorsal side. Anomocytic stomata are found on both surfaces of the leaf. Source: Natural Remedies Pvt Ltd Powder: Shows starch grains, leaf pieces with anisocytic stoma and 8 celled round glandular trichomes. Stem pieces with spiral vessel wall thickening. Source: Natural Remedies Pvt Ltd

Epidermis of leaf showing a lignified base of a large 4 celled glandular trichome from Bacopa monnieri observed at 400x with Acidified Chloral Hydrate Glyrcerol Solution Source: Elan M. Sudberg, Alkemist Laboratories http://www.alkemist.com	Vascular tissue seen within the mesophyll of the leaf showing no distinct midrib from Bacopa monnieri observed at 400x with Acidified Chloral Hydrate Glyrcerol Solution Source: Elan M. Sudberg, Alkemist Laboratories http://www.alkemist.com

High Performance Thin Layer Chromatographic Identification

Bacopa (leaf) HPTLC ID - Sulfuric acid reagent, white RT Bacopa (leaf) (Bacopa monnieri) Lane Assignments Lanes, from left to right (Track, Volume, Sample): 5 μL Bacopaside, bacoside A3, bacosine (with increasing Rf) 5 μL Madecassoside, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, asiatic acid (with increasing Rf) 5 μL Bacopa herb 1 5 μL Bacopa herb 2 5 μL Bacopa herb 3 5 μL Bacopa herb 4 5 μL Bacopa herb 5 5 μL Gotu kola pwd extract USP 5 μL Gotu kola herb 1 5 μL Gotu kola herb 2  Reference Sample(s) Reference: Individually dissolve 1 mg of bacoside A3 and 1 mg of asiaticoside in 1 mL of methanol. Optional: Individually dissolve 1 mg each of asiatic acid, madecassic acid, madecassoside, bacopaside, and bacosine in 1 mL of methanol.  Stationary Phase Stationary phase, i.e. Silica gel 60, F254  Mobile Phase Dichloromethane, methanol, water 14:6:1 (v/v/v)  Sample Preparation Method Sample: Mix 1.0 g of powdered sample with 10 mL of methanol and sonicate for 10 minutes, then centrifuge or filter the solutions and use the supernatants / filtrates as test solutions. Derivatization reagent: Sulfuric acid reagent; Preparation: 20 mL of sulfuric acid 98% in 180 mL of methanol. Use: Dip (time 0, speed 5), heat at 120°C for 3 min.  Detection Method Saturated chamber; developing distance 70 mm from lower edge; relative humidity 33%  Other Notes Images presented in this entry are examples and are not intended to be used as a bases for setting specifications for quality control purposes. System suitability test: Bacoside A3: brownish violet zone at Rf ~ 0.48. Asiaticoside: brownish violet zone at Rf ~ 0.30. Identification: Compare result with reference images. The fingerprint of the test solution is similar to that of the corresponding botanical reference sample. Additional weak zones may be present. Under white light the test solution shows a brown zone at the position of reference bacoside A3 and a faint pink zone at the position of reference bacoside at Rf ~ 0.90. In the lower third of the chromatogram there may be several greenish-brown zones. Test for adulteration: No intense zones may be seen between the zone due to bacoside A3 and bacosine (red arrow, Gotu kola herb). Source: HPTLC Association