Bacopa monnieri is a small, creeping herb, commonly growing in marshy places throughout India. It is commonly known as Brahmi and has been used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine for centuries as a brain tonic to enhance memory development, learning, and concentration. Its fresh juice was earlier reported to have significant anti-ulcerogenic activity.

Preclinical studies have confirmed its curative effects in gastric ulcer models. Bacopa monniera dry extract have showed dose-dependent anti-ulcerogenic on various gastric ulcer models induced by ethanol, aspirin, cold restraint stress and 4 h pylorus legation. Further studies were conducted to investigate the possible mechanisms of its action by studying its effect on various mucosal offensive acid-pepsin secretion and defensive factors like mucin secretion, mucosal cell shedding, cell proliferation and antioxidant activity in rats. Bacopa monniera extract showed no effect on acid-pepsin secretion, increased mucin secretion, while it decreased cell shedding with no effect on cell proliferation. It also showed significant antioxidant effect. Thus, the gastric prophylactic and curative effects of Bacopa monnieri extract may be due to its predominant effect on mucosal defensive factors.

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