Bacopa monneiri: Bramhi

Bramhi: The Memory Enhancer

Bramhi, also called Neer Bramhi, scientifically called Bacopa monneiri, is very rich in flavanoids, that have been implicated in Ayurveda for enhancing memory, healthy digestive system, and  promotes hair growth. It won't be wrong to call it a Wonder Plant!

Bramhi is a small leaved creeper, with about half to one inch between leaves. Leaves are small and spongy, and can root at each node, into either water or soil. 

(All images used are from my Terrace Garden, organically grown)

Bramhi growing alongside Dauben, in water

Long stems of Bramhi creeping down

Bramhi growing happily under water

In water, with some soil at the base. This form of growth gives best growth, thick and lush

Bramhi growing in soil alone. 

It prefers creeping on ground level and towards organic matter and moisture, looking to conducive environment to root.

Root formation at a node, as a mode of self propagation

Growing Bramhi: Bramhi can be easily grown in water, soil, or in a soil-water mix. Pots of height 6 inches is more than enough. Cuttings can be rooted easily in either water or soil. Little compost, some organic liquid compost or Bokashi leachate once a month will make the plant very happy, though it can grow well without it as well.

Bramhi is strangely a very purifying plant, it makes not only the air feel fresh, but also makes water clear. Add a stem cutting of Bramhi into slushy water and see how it becomes clear in a day or two.  

Care for Bramhi: Bramhi is a hardy plant, grows with minimum care. It grows well in full sun light, but may also grow in semi-shade. It gives out long creeping stems, which tends to root if it finds some organic matter and moisture. The more the cutting off of such long creepers, the bushier the plants become.

Uses: Bramhi is an active ingredient in fortified Hair Oil, and promotes hair growth. Fortified oil (see this for recipe) with Bramhi as a constituent can be made at home as well, using your favourite fresh oil. 

Bramhi is known to be a good memory enhancer and excellent for a healthy stomach. 
Leaves of Bramhi can be collected and used in chutneys as fresh leaves along with either coconut or dates or almonds, consumed with milk or porridge in powder form. 

Some recipes are there in this blog. Check it out. 

 Regular use of Bramhi also enhances immunity towards diseases, and some studies have shown that Bramhi has anti-cancer properties. 

So make Bramhi a regular in your diet and you will see a difference in the quality of your life.

Happy Growing

Make sure you grow on compost from wet waste from home.

So there's something to look forward to each time... 

Enriched Hair oil with fresh ingredients from your Garden

Fortified oil: Healthy Hair for a Healthy Body

Grow your own ingredients and make your own Fortified Oil

Medicinal plants can be used for making fortifies Hair Oil. Application of  herbal hair oil regularly helps promote hair growth with respect to its volume and thickness, making hair stronger, longer and healthier. It also helps prolong greying, and prevents early greying of hair. 

Materials needed: Seven Golden Ingredients, all can be grown easily in your garden. And three more, easily available in stores that sell Ayurveda stuff: Triphala.

So that makes it 7 (Medicinal plant leaves + 3 (Triphala churna) = 10 

What are these seven medicinal plants that can be grown easily in your garden?

(All images used are from my Terrace Garden, organically grown)

1. Brungaraj - Easily propagated from seeds. More about the plant here.

Needs sunlight

Medium water
Horizontal creeper

Part used: Leaves only

2. Bramhi - Easily propagated from cuttings.

Grows in water as well as soil
Horizontal creeper

Part used: Only leaves

3. Aloe vera - Propagates from side buds

Medium water
Care level - Zero

Part used: Jelly inside the leaves

4. Dark Holy Basil - Propagates from seeds.

Care level - Zero

Part used: Only leaves

5. Rosemary - The only difficult plant to grow

Propagates from cutting
Needs hard soil with woody chips
Medium watering
In pot, medium sunlight
On ground, grows in good sunlight
Maintenance - Regular pruning and compost

Part Used: Only leaves

6. Hibiscus - Propagates from cuttings

Grows well in sunlight
Care level - 10%. Regular pruning and compost with pruning.

Part used: Leaves. Petals of flowers can also be used in addition to leaves.

7. Curry leaves - From plant generated saplings, or seeds.

Care level - 20%. Loves dilute butter milk and responds very beautifully to Bokashi leachate.

Part used: Leaves

8,9 and 10: Triphala Churna. This is available in all stores that deal plant parts, Ayurveda ingredients.

Triphala is made of 3 components: 

Emblica officinalis (Amalakki in Sanskrit, Amla in Hindi and Nellikya in Malayalam)

Terminalia chebula (Haritaki in Sanskrit, Harra/Harrad in Hindi and Kadukka in Malayalam)

Terminalia bellirica (Bubhitaka in Sanskrit, Baheda in Hindi and Tannikya in Malayalam)


You can also prepare the fortified oil without Triphala, only with wet ingredients if Triphala churna is not available.

Amla (Embilica officinalis) (one of the three Triphala churna ingredients) can be ground and added with other wet ingredients).

Amla is cooling and keeps the head cool, which is the preferred state, but not very cold. If the body type is such that the indivudial catches cold very often, use just one amla for 1 liter oil. On the other hand, if the body tends to hot quickly, 3-4 amla can be added to 1 liter. 

If after using, if you observe any changes, catching cold too often, esp after applying oil, reduce time of keeping oil on head, or amla can be completely ommitted.  

How to prepare Enriched fortified oil

a. Separate out only clean dry fresh healthy leaves from all the seven plants

Bramhi leaves

Brungaraj leaves

Curry leaves

Aloe vera jelly

b. Grind all the seven together into a fine paste. Can use oil to grind well. Do not add water.

c. Add the paste to oil and mix well (I use fresh coconut oil) to make it smooth. Also add Triphala churna, @ two teaspoons for 1000 ml oil. Mix well by stirring.

d. Transfer to a heavy bottom pan and heat to boiling. Keep mixing while boiling. 

e. Heat until bubbles cease, the oil becomes calm and solid particles settle to the bottom, just before smoking point.

f. Cool. The solid debris will settle to the bottom.

g. Filter

g. Store enriched hair oil in cool dry place.

What about what's remaining in the sieve? The leaf waste?

Rub on hair. Keep for 3-4 hours. This promotes growth of new hair follicles.

Wash off with hibiscus leaves paste. (make a paste of hibiscus leaves with half cup water in a mixer grinder. Use whole as  shampoo. 
Rub well and wash off.

Nothing is wasted.
Everything can regenerated.

Isn't that what organic life is all about...

Let's bring back our ancient knowledge, for now we can, and we know how to grow each ingredient.

We have been at the mercy of commercial products for a long long time now, until they started to feed us even poison, and we devoured it because it was all to easy
Buy Use Suffer...

Now we can make our own, healthy and safe. 

It's not rocket science. It's our heritage.

Let's do it!

Eclipta alba: Brungaraj

Brungaraj: The Hair Promoter

A seemingly simple plant; nothing stunning about its looks. Plain white flowers, really small. 
But with its role in hair growth, it is a wonder plant.

Commonly known as Brungaraj, it can be used as fresh green leaf paste, dried powdered paste with water, or mixed with oil while making hair oil with supplements. 

The plant may grow to a maximum height of 4-5 inches, and then begins to spread at ground level. Deep rooted and strong, its a hardy plant that can withstand small periods of lack of water and nutrition. It can be easily propagated through seeds or cuttings.

(All images used are from my Terrace Garden, organically grown)

Though plant can be propagated through cuttings, best plants come from seeds. 
When the petals of the flower shed and the seed pod dries, it can be identified by the visible black seeds. Seeds can be gently pulled to collect seeds in hand. 

For recipe on how to make fortified oil, see (Blog Id)

Growing: Seeds can be sown in pots or ground in soil mix with compost ratio as low as 4:1, and grows well with minimum care. Of course big healthy leaves will appear with good soil, but is not mandatory. Saplings appear, and can be transplanted at 4-6 leaf stage. Leaves of juvenile plants resemble that of adult plants. 

Care: Brungaraj is a very simple plant to grow, its fuss-free, does well in full Sun as well as semi-shade. It spreads well and can do well with watering once a day. 
Leaves can be harvested by cutting off the mature stems and the leaves plucked out. The more you prune, the stronger and longer the plant will grow. 

Making of hair oil  in another blog. Fortified hair oil needs other ingredients also.

Hair care with Brunharaj: Brungaraj is excellent for healthy hair. Prolonged use with oil and as hair mask delays greying of hair. It also arrests hairfall and promotes hair growth. 

Hair Mask: One cup brungaraj leaves, one fourth cup of aloe vera gel (Peel open aloe vera leaves with the tip of a knife, scrape out the gel with a spoon. You may need gel from three to four leaves to make it one-fourth cup), curry leaves and hibiscus leaves each, can be ground well together in a mixer with little water and applied on hair as hair mask. Leave until dried. 
Wash off well with water. No need to apply shampoo. If shampoo really needed, apply after a day or two. 

Happy growing... 

Make sure you grow on compost from wet waste produced at home, so there's something to look forward to each time...