Properties: Sweet, bitter, cold.
Meridans Entered:
Primary: None given
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Clears Heat and Cools the Blood, resolves Toxicity and dissipates swelling
Swelling and pain from knocks and falls, burns and scalds, snake or insect bites
Heat stangury, inhibited urination
Heat diarrhoea
Cirrhosis
Itchy skin, pudendal itch, scab and lichen
Leg Qi
Suggested Daily Dosage: 15-30g in decoction (based on 300mg/kg in Aguiar & Borowski, 2013).
Notable Constituents:
- Bacopaside I
Triterpene saponin which Li et al, (2019) also identified vasodilatory properties. There are another 10 bacopasides numbered II to XI.
Notes:
The information given here is taken from Zhou, Xie & Yan, 2011, Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5.
In Ayurveda and western herbalism this is used to improve cognition and enhance memory and may attenuate dementia, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy (Aguiar & Borowski, 2013). This can be reconciled with the TCM actions by saying that it cools Blood Heat which is generating Wind or damaging the Blood affecting memory. It could also simply be confusion between this herb and Gotu Kola which are both often referred to as Brahmi in Ayurvedic literature and often confused.
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, has been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
