# Herb-of-Grace

*Bacopa monnieri*

Revered in Ayurvedic medicine as 'Brahmi' to sharpen memory, it is also a powerful phytoremediator capable of extracting toxic heavy metals like cadmium and lead from polluted waterways.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Plantaginaceae › Bacopa
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Marshes, muddy riverbanks, shallow streams, and tidal wetlands
- **Diet:** Autotroph (photosynthesis)
- **Range:** India, Southeast Asia, Southern United States, Central America, Tropical Africa, Northern Australia
- **Size:** Creeping stems up to 30 cm long, with leaves 4–10 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** Perennial (indefinite through vegetative spreading)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland drainage, aquatic pollution, and uncontrolled localized wild harvesting.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless. Safe to touch and observe. Do not consume wild-harvested specimens from untested waters, as this species bioaccumulates toxic heavy metals and pollutants from runoff.

## About

Bacopa monnieri ( waterhyssop , brahmi , thyme-leafed gratiola , water hyssop , herb of grace , Indian pennywort ) is a perennial, creeping herb native to the wetlands of southern and Eastern India, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. Bacopa is a medicinal herb used in Ayurveda, where it is also known as "Brahmi", after Brahmā, the creator God of the Hindu pantheon.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/bdbd45e7-2d89-475a-928c-0a04c463d21d
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/75732
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa monnieri
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/72595208/medium.jpeg (葉子, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.