HERPESTIS MONNIERA, H. B. K.
Syn. Gratiola Monniera, Roxb.
Sans. Brahmi, Manḍuki, Vern. Brahmi, Beng. Hind.
The herb used by the native physicians of Calcutta under the name of brahmi is the Herpestis Monniera. Roxburgh however gives brahmi and one of its synonyms somalatá as the Sanskrit for Ruta graveolens. This descrepancy induced me to get specimens of the plant from different parties, but every where I got the Herpestis Monniera under the name of brahmi. This plant is considered a nervine tonic, useful in insanity, epilepsy and hoarseness. Half a tolá of the fresh juice of the leaves, with two scruples of páchak root and honey, is recommended to be given in insanity. The leaves fried in clarified butter are taken to relieve hoarseness.
A powder composed of equal parts of brahmi, Acorus Calamus (vachá), chebulic myrobalan, root of Justicia Adhatoda (vásaka) and long pepper, is given with honey in the hoarseness of phthisis. Several ghritas are prepared with the juice of brahmi leaves and various other substances in the form of paste. They are used in insanity, epilepsy and hoarseness. The following is an example.
Brahmi ghrita. Take of old clarified butter four seers, fresh juice of brahmi four seers, Acorus Calamus (vachá), páchak root, and the root of Canscora decussata (sankhapushpi), equal parts, in all thirty-two tolás, in the form of a paste and boil them together till the watery portion is evaporated.
See note 1 page 202.
The Sanskrit names in Devanagari beside the heading and the Sanskrit verses in footnotes 2 and 3 are not transcribed, nor the superscript note numbers. Footnote 1, in English, is kept as the last paragraph. Words hyphenated across a line break are joined.