Bacopa Monnieri is an aquatic plant that mainly grows in riverbanks, swamps, coastal areas, marshy places, and mangroves. It is a perennial herb that features small and oval shiny leaves. During the blooming season, it will sprout white bell-shaped flowers with a touch of pink or blue. The plant can grow up to 36 inches tall and 48 inches wide and thrive in moist soils.
The plant can adapt to a wide variety of soil and climate conditions and is found in many countries in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. The Bacopa Monnieri plant in the Philippines is also known as ulasimang-aso. In other countries, it’s called the water hyssop, herb-of-grace, or Brahmi.
Bacopa Monnieri is more than just an aquatic plant. It’s an herb that provides plenty of health benefits while also making aquariums look well-decorated.
The Bacopa Monnieri plant is native to India, where it is used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. In the Ayurvedic texts, Bacopa was referred to as the herb that can sharpen one’s mind or intellect. It is also called Brahmi, which is inspired after Brahma, the Hindu god for creation.
The herb has multiple medicinal uses in Ayurvedic medicine — such as improving memory and brain function, treating insomnia, reducing anxiety, and treating epilepsy. But aside from that, Brahmi is also used to improve blood circulation, treat skin problems, and reduce inflammation.
Bacopa Monnieri plant in the Philippines is used mainly for its multiple health benefits. Aside from its known use as a memory tea, it’s known as a diuretic. Bacopa Monnieri tea is taken for its antioxidant content, powerful effects on brain function, and helpful benefits for ADHD, anxiety, and stress.
Aside from the medicinal uses of the Bacopa Monnieri plant in the Philippines, it is also commonly found in aquariums. It’s known by the name moneywort and is popular with enthusiasts because of its durability and few care requirements. It only needs nutrient-rich soil and moderate lighting to survive. You can prune the plant regularly as it can grow quickly.
As the Bacopa Monnieri plant is adaptable, it can grow and thrive in a variety of aquarium setups. For this reason, it’s often used by beginners when it comes to aquascaping.
The Bacopa Monnieri plant is used in three main ways — as a vegetable in food, drank as tea, or used for topical treatment.
To make an ointment from the Bacopa Monnieri plant in the Philippines, you can extract the juice from the leaves and mix them with carrier oils. The ointment is often used to improve skin conditions and treat skin problems.
Although it has a bitter taste, Bacopa Monnieri can be consumed as a part of your diet. It can be chopped up as an ingredient in your salad or steamed as a vegetable dish. Some people also use it to make pesto, chutney, smoothies, and more.
The preferred option for consuming the Bacopa Monnieri plant in the Philippines is to drink it in tea form. The leaves and flowers of the plant are dried to make the tea.
To prepare it, you can use up to four grams of the dried leaves in a cup of hot water. But for convenience, you can use our Bacopa Monnieri tea for sale in the Philippines which is segregated in tea bags. Just prepare 8 to 10 ounces of hot water in a cup, steep a tea bag for 3 minutes, remove the sachet, and enjoy your tea!