Organic Brahmi Leaf Powder For Hair
$9.95
Radico Organic Brahmi Leaf Powder is a single-ingredient scalp treatment, milled from Bacopa monnieri leaf grown on our own certified organic farms. One ingredient in the pouch and nothing else — no fillers, no synthetic preservatives, no fragrance, no PPD, no ammonia.
Net weight 100 g (3.5 oz). Enough for 13 to 20 scalp treatments on short to shoulder-length hair, or about 3 full-length masks at shoulder length. It carries no pigment, so it will not colour hair or alter a herbal colour you already have.
Two different plants are sold as brahmi
This is the single most common confusion around this herb, and it is worth checking on any pouch you buy — ours included.
| This powder | Also sold as brahmi | |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Bacopa monnieri | Centella asiatica |
| Plant family | Plantaginaceae | Apiaceae — the carrot family |
| Other common names | Water hyssop, herb of grace | Gotu kola, mandukaparni |
| The plant | A creeping marsh herb with small succulent leaves | A creeping herb with rounded, fan-shaped leaves |
| Principal saponins | Bacosides | Asiaticoside, madecassoside |
They are not related. Both carry triterpenoid saponins, which is part of why the names became tangled, but they sit in entirely different plant families. A pouch labelled simply “brahmi” may be either one. Ours says Bacopa monnieri, and that is what is in it.
What is actually in the leaf
The compound associated with Bacopa monnieri is bacoside A, a triterpenoid saponin.
| Formula | C41H68O13 |
|---|---|
| Molecular weight | 769.0 g/mol |
| CAS number | 11028-00-5 |
| PubChem CID | 92043183 |
The name means two things. Those identifiers describe a single registered structure. What is actually isolated from the plant under the name bacoside A is a mixture — a defined group of four closely related saponins: bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopasaponin C, and the jujubogenin isomer of bacopasaponin C. Both usages are correct in their own context. We mention it because almost every listing for brahmi treats bacoside A as one molecule.
We do not list an antioxidant content for this powder. Antioxidant claims for plant material are common and easy to make, and we have not found a figure for milled brahmi leaf that we would be comfortable putting on a product page.
What the research has examined — and what it has not
Most published work on Bacopa monnieri concerns oral use. The bacosides have been studied in cell, animal and human trials for effects that have nothing to do with the scalp.
Here is the honest position. We have not found published work establishing what milled brahmi leaf does when applied to a human scalp as a water paste. We are not claiming it treats any scalp condition, and in the United States a cosmetic may not make that claim.
What we can tell you is what is in the powder, and how brahmi has been used in Ayurvedic hair care: applied to the scalp, alongside herbs like bhringraj, in the same water-and-powder form we sell it in.
How to use it
Brahmi is a scalp herb. Most people apply it to the roots and scalp only, which takes far less powder than a full-length mask.
1. Weigh the powder
Weigh rather than spoon — a spoonful of leaf powder can vary by a third depending on the spoon and how it is scooped. A small kitchen scale takes the guesswork out.
For the scalp and roots only
| Short to shoulder length | 5–8 g (about ¼ oz) |
|---|---|
| Long or very thick | 10–16 g (⅓–½ oz) |
For a full-length mask
| Short / chin length | 15–20 g (½–¾ oz) |
|---|---|
| Shoulder length | 30 g (1 oz) |
| Long or very thick | 50–60 g (1¾–2 oz) |
2. Mix with warm water
Add warm water gradually — roughly three times the powder’s weight in millilitres. 30 g takes about 90 to 115 ml. Stir to a thick yogurt consistency that holds on the brush without dripping, then let it stand 5 minutes; the powder keeps absorbing water.
| Powder | Warm water |
|---|---|
| 5–8 g (¼ oz) | 15–25 ml (½–1 fl oz) |
| 10–16 g (⅓–½ oz) | 30–50 ml (1–1¾ fl oz) |
| 15–20 g (½–¾ oz) | 45–65 ml (1½–2¼ fl oz) |
| 30 g (1 oz) | 90–115 ml (3–4 fl oz) |
| 50–60 g (1¾–2 oz) | 150–200 ml (5–7 fl oz) |
3. Apply to the scalp first
Section the hair and work the paste into the scalp with your fingertips, then draw the rest down through the lengths.
4. Leave on 30–45 minutes
Cover with a shower cap so the paste stays damp. A dried-out paste stops working — it is the water that keeps the plant compounds in contact with the scalp. Leaving it longer than 60 minutes adds nothing.
5. Rinse
Rinse thoroughly with warm water — powder masks hide at the nape. Shampoo is optional.
How often: once to three times a week, as suits your routine. Brahmi does not build up on the strand, so it can be repeated as often as you like.
You may already be using it
Brahmi carries no pigment, so it can sit inside a colour recipe without touching the shade. It is one of the herbs in 11 of Radico’s 24 shades — and every one of them is a blonde. It appears in no brown and no red shade in the range.
Those eleven are Darkest Ash Blonde, Dark Ash Blonde, Ash Blonde, Light Ash Blonde, Wheat Blonde, Beige Blonde, Champagne Blonde, Caramel Blonde, Light Reddish Blonde, Reddish Blonde and Sun Blonde. If you colour with any of them, brahmi has been on your scalp already — as a scalp herb inside the formula, not as a dye.
You can also add it yourself. Because it carries no pigment, brahmi can be blended into henna, indigo or any Radico shade without changing the colour result or the development time. Blend the dry powders together before adding water.
What it will not do in a mix: it will not darken the result, will not improve gray coverage, and will not speed up or slow down development.
Which Radico herb should you choose?
| If your concern is | Choose |
|---|---|
| An itchy or sensitive scalp | Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) |
| A flaking or tight-feeling scalp | Neem (Azadirachta indica) |
| Thinning, weak or tired-feeling hair — care at the root | Bhringraj (Eclipta alba) |
| Dry or brittle strands | Methi (Trigonella foenum-graecum) |
| Dullness — and softening henna’s warmth | Amla (Emblica officinalis) |
Of these five, only amla affects a colour result. The rest are colour-neutral and can be added to any mix.
Before you use it
Bacopa monnieri belongs to the Plantaginaceae family, the plantain family. Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application, and stop use if irritation develops.
Radico Organic Brahmi Leaf Powder is a cosmetic product for external use on hair and scalp. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
All items on Radico USA website ship for a flat-rate to any address in the continental US for just $4.99.
Get free shipping on any order above $25.
If you are unsatisfied with the result, please contact us for a free replacement of the color of your choice. Returns within 30 days receive a full refund.
Ingredients
This product contains 100% Organic Brahmi Leaf Powder — nothing else. A single-ingredient scalp treatment, milled from organically certified Bacopa monnieri leaf. No fillers, no synthetic preservatives, no fragrance, no PPD, no ammonia. It carries no pigment, so it does not colour hair.
100% organic, made in India. Net weight 100 g (3.5 oz). Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application. Bacopa monnieri belongs to the Plantaginaceae family. This is a cosmetic product for external use on hair and scalp; it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.
FAQ
Bacopa monnieri. Two unrelated plants are sold under the name brahmi: Bacopa monnieri, a creeping marsh herb in the Plantaginaceae family, and Centella asiatica, in the carrot family, also sold as gotu kola or mandukaparni. Both carry triterpenoid saponins, which is part of why the names became tangled, but their compounds are different. A pouch labelled simply brahmi may be either one, so it is worth checking the botanical name on anything you buy.
No. Brahmi carries no pigment, so it will not colour hair or alter a herbal colour you already have. It is one of the herbs in 11 of Radico's 24 shades — all of them blondes — where it sits as a scalp herb rather than a dye, and because it is colour-neutral it can be blended into any shade without changing the result.
For a scalp treatment, 5 to 8 g (about ¼ oz) for short to shoulder-length hair, or 10 to 16 g (⅓ to ½ oz) for long or very thick hair. For a full-length mask, 30 g (1 oz) covers shoulder-length hair from scalp to ends. Weigh rather than spoon: a spoonful of leaf powder can vary by a third depending on how it is scooped.
Between 13 and 20 scalp treatments for short to shoulder-length hair, or about 3 full-length masks at shoulder length.
30 to 45 minutes, kept damp under a shower cap. A dried-out paste stops working, because it is the water that keeps the plant compounds in contact with the scalp. There is no advantage to leaving it longer than 60 minutes.
It depends on the context, and this is worth knowing if you compare one supplier's analysis with another's. PubChem lists bacoside A as a single registered structure — CAS 11028-00-5, CID 92043183, C41H68O13. What is actually isolated from the plant under that name is a mixture: a defined group of four closely related saponins, bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopasaponin C and the jujubogenin isomer of bacopasaponin C, measured together in pharmacopoeial standards.
Bacopa monnieri belongs to the Plantaginaceae family, the plantain family. Patch test on the inner forearm 48 hours before a full application and stop use if irritation develops. We cannot tell you whether any plant is safe for you; we can tell you what is in the pouch.
- ・100% Pure Plants, No Synthetic Chemicals
- ・Free from Additives, Artificial Fragrance & Harsh Preservatives
- ・Crafted with Traditional Ayurvedic Herbs
We create products rooted in nature and tradition.
Made with certified organic plant ingredients and no synthetic chemicals, our formulas support naturally healthy hair and skin—without compromise.
Freshness
Sealed Airtight, Ordered Little and Often
Airtight, not vacuum
So the powder stays loose
Some herb powders pack into a hard block under vacuum, and customers asked us to stop. These pouches are sealed airtight with the air left in.
3 years
Unopened, from manufacture
Without the vacuum, we set a shorter limit than our hair colours. The batch number, manufacture date and expiry date are printed on every pouch.
Ordered small
Little time on our shelves
We order single herbs in the smallest amounts we can, so each pouch spends as little time as possible waiting to be sent.
12 months+
Left on every pouch we send
We ship the oldest stock first, and take any batch with less than 12 months left out of sale.
Once opened, press the air out, reseal tightly and keep it dry. Applies to orders shipped by Radico USA. More on freshness →