Jalbrahmi : Chemical Constituents, Synonyms and Uses

Biological Source and Distribution of Jalbrahmi:

Jalbrahmi is the herb of Centella asiatica or Hydrocotyl asiatica, belonging to the family Umbelliferae (Apiaceae). It is known by other names like mandukparni, gotu kola and centella.

Centella asiatica (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jalbrahmi grows in wet areas in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Madagascar, Africa, Australia, China and Vietnam. Jalbrahmi is a creeping plant and have bigger leaves. They are greyish green in colour and bittersweet taste.

Chemical constituents of Jalbrahmi:

Mandukparni contains saponins namely asiaticoside and madecassoside. These chemicals give asiatic acid and madecassic acid on hydrolysis. They also contain brahmoside and bramhinoside. They give brahmic acid, isobrahmic acid, arabinose, glucose and rhamnose on hydrolysis.

Uses of Jalbrahmi:

• Nervine tonic
• Sedative
• Spasmolytic
• Anti-anxiety agent
• Anti-stress agent
• Used for treatment of skin diseases, leprosy and syphilis.

Synonyms of Jalbrahmi :

• Sanskrit – Brahmi
• English – Thyme leaved gratiola
• Hindi – Jalabrahmi
• Kannada – Nirubrahmi
• Malayalam – Nirbrahmi
• Marathi – Brahmi
• Tamil – Arakkam
• Telugu – Sugandipala
• Turkish – Hind Saparnasi