Formulation And Evaluation of Herbal Dosage Forms Utilizing Brahmi

Herbal medicines are natural products obtained from different parts of medicinal plants, including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, and bark. They have been used for centuries in traditional systems of medicine to prevent and treat various diseases while promoting overall health and well-being.

HERBAL FORMULATIONS

Herbal formulations are pharmaceutical preparations that contain one or more medicinal herbs or herbal extracts in defined quantities to produce therapeutic effects. These formulations are prepared using processes such as extraction, purification, concentration, distillation, or fermentation to obtain the desired active constituents. Common herbal dosage forms include powders, extracts, tinctures, essential oils, syrups, tablets, capsules, and other modern herbal preparations

Advantages:

• Generally associated with fewer adverse effects than many synthetic drugs.
• Useful in the management of a wide range of health conditions.
• Usually more economical than conventional medicines.
• Derived from natural sources using relatively simple manufacturing processes.
• Promote overall health in addition to disease management.

Disadvantages:

• Therapeutic effects may appear more slowly than conventional medicines.
• Strong taste and odor can reduce patient acceptability.
• Quality may vary because of contamination, adulteration, or improper storage if quality control is inadequate.

BRAHMI (Bacopa monnieri)

Bacopa monnieri, commonly known as Brahmi, is an important medicinal herb widely used in Ayurveda. It is valued for its memory-enhancing, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and adaptogenic properties. Because of these pharmacological activities, Brahmi has gained considerable attention in the development of herbal formulations intended for cognitive support and the management of various disorders.

HERBAL FLOATING TABLET

Floating tablets are gastro-retentive dosage forms designed to remain buoyant in the stomach for an extended period. They gradually release the active ingredient, thereby improving gastric residence time and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. Brahmi floating tablets may provide prolonged drug release, protect the gastric mucosa, and support the healing of peptic ulcers through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Advantages:

• Extended gastric retention.
• Improved bioavailability.
• Reduced dosing frequency.
• Site-specific drug delivery.
• Better therapeutic effectiveness.
• Reduced drug loss and adverse effects.
• Suitable for drugs with a short half-life.

HERBAL GUMMIES

Herbal gummies are chewable oral dosage forms prepared using gelling agents such as gelatin or pectin together with sweeteners and flavoring agents. They are easy to consume, pleasant in taste, and improve patient compliance, particularly among children and older adults. Herbal gummies provide a convenient alternative to conventional tablets and capsules while ensuring effective delivery of herbal ingredients.

Advantages:

• More convenient for pediatric patients.
• Easy handling.
• Enhance patient compliance.
• Improved absorption.
• Attractive appearance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PLANT COLLECTION

Fresh leaves of Bacopa monnieri were collected from Trikaripur, Kasaragod district, Kerala, India, during October 2025. The collected plant material was shade-dried, and herbarium specimens were prepared and properly labelled for future reference.

PLANT AUTHENTICATION

The collected plant material was authenticated by Dr. Subrahmanya Prasad K., Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Nehru Arts and Science College, Kanhangad, Kasaragod, Kerala.

PLANT PROFILE

Bacopa monnieri

Figure 1: Bacopa monnieri

Synonyms

Herb of Grace, Somavati, Saraswati booti, Brahmi sak, Brahmi ghas.

Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Magnoliophyta
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Order: Lamiales
• Family: Plantaginaceae
• Genus: Bacopa
• Species: Bacopa monnieri

Plant part used: Leaves

Major phytoconstituents:

• Saponins (Bacoside A and B )
• Alkaloids
• Flavonoids
• Sterols
• Phenolic compounds

Therapeutic Uses:

• Antioxidant
• Antimicrobial
• Anti-Inflammatory
• Memory enhancer
• Improves concentration
• Helps reduce stress and anxiety

PREPARATION OF PLANT EXTRACT

The extract of Bacopa monnieri was prepared by the maceration method.

Steps involved are;

• Fresh or dried leaves were crushed and transferred into a beaker containing water.
• The mixture was kept in a dark place with intermittent shaking to facilitate extraction.
• After the extraction period, the mixture was filtered to remove plant debris, and the filtrate was collected and stored in a desiccator until further analysis.

SCREENING FOR ACTIVITY

INVITRO-ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY

The antimicrobial activity of the extract was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method against Lactobacillus.

Procedure:

Preparation of pre-inoculum: A fresh bacterial culture was prepared from curd and incubated in nutrient broth.

Preparation of pour plates: Sterile Sabouraud dextrose agar was poured into Petri plates and allowed to solidify. The bacterial culture was evenly spread over the agar surface aseptically by using sterilized cotton.

Making wells on agar plates: Wells of 6mm in diameter were prepared aseptically on the agar plate by using a sterilized well digger. The extract is aseptically introduced in to the well by using a micropipette. The petri plates were refrigerated for one hour to allow diffusion before incubation at 37°C for 48 hours.

Measurement of the zone of inhibition: After 48 hours, the plates were examined for the presence of inhibition of bacterial growth, and it was displayed in the form of a clear zone of inhibition around each well containing the extract. The size of the inhibitory zone was measured in 'mm'. The zone of inhibition produced for the developed herbal extract was compared with the standard. Amoxicillin disc was used as standard.

ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY

1. The antioxidant potential of the extract was determined by the DPPH free radical scavenging assay. A DPPH solution was prepared in methanol.
2. Extract (Bacopa monnieri) was blended with 95% ethanol to prepare the stock solution (5mg/ml).
3. 150 ml of freshly prepared DPPH solution was collected in test tubes and 75 ml of varying concentration of extract was added to every test tube and the final volume was made to 3ml with methanol.
4. After 10 min, the absorbance was measured at 517 nm with a spectrophotometer.
5. Ascorbic acid was utilized as reference standard and dissolved in methanol to make the stock solution with the same concentration (5mg/ml).
6. Control sample was made containing the same volume without any extract and reference (ascorbic acid).
7. 95% methanol was employed as blank.
8. % scavenging of the free radical was measured using the standard DPPH inhibition formula.

% RSA = Abs control - Abs sample/Abs control *100

Where,

RSA= Radical Scavenging Activity;

Abs control= absorbance of DPPH radical + methanol.

Abs sample= absorbance of DPPH radical + extract.

Preparation of Gummies

Three formulations of Gummies: Formulation 1(F-1), Formulation 2(F-2), and Formulation 3(F-3) were prepared.

1. Take 100ml purified water and mixed with 5ml of orange juice in a beaker and add agar-agar, honey, gelatin to it. Heat at 70-75°C and stir well.
2. Add sodium benzoate and Bacopa extract with continuous stirring to make a uniform mixture.
3. Transfer the mixture into a silicon mould and cool it for 30 min.
4. Place it in the refrigerator for 24 hrs.

EVALUATION OF GUMMIES

1. Organoleptic Evaluation

The medicated gummy can be examined physically for appearance like color, odor, transparency, etc.

2. Stickiness

Texture of the medicated gummy in terms of stickiness can be determined by mildly rubbing the gummy between fingers.

3. Grittiness

The gummy is rubbed between the fingers, and the presence of particles is noted.

4.  pH determination

1gm gummy was weighed and then crushed in a mortar and pestle and diluted with 10 ml water. Then pH is measured using digital pH meter.

5. Weight variation

The weight variation was conducted by weighing 10 gummies individually and average weight and standard deviation were calculated.

 

Weight variation = initial weight-avg weight/avg weight ×100

6. Moisture content

One gummy was weighed and then crushed in a mortar and pestle. From it, 1g of the sample was weighed and dried for 24hrs in desiccator. The sample is weighed after 24hrs.

% moisture content = initial wet weight – dry weight / dry weight ×100

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Preparation of plant extract

Extraction of Bacopa monnieri was carried out by maceration. The extract obtained after the maceration process was then used for phytochemical studies.

 

 

Figure: 2

Preliminary phytochemical screening

                                   

 

 

Figure 3

The presence of these bioactive phytochemicals suggests that the extract possesses potential therapeutic and antioxidant properties, supporting its use in herbal formulations.

Invitro-Antimicrobial activity

Antimicrobial activity was determined using the agar well diffusion method against Lactobacillus. The activity of the extract was evaluated and compared with an amoxicillin disc used as the positive control.

Table 7: Invitro-Antimicrobial activity

SI No.	Test Samples	Zone of inhibition (mm)
1	Control	9
2	Extract	6

 

Antioxidant activity

The antioxidant activity was calculated in terms of % inhibition and the following table was formulated.

Table 8: Antioxidant activity

Concentration	Absorbance	% Inhibition
10	0.560	20%
20	0.470	32.8%
30	0.385	45%
40	0.300	57.1%
50	0.225	67.8%

Formulation of Floating Tablet

Bacopa monnieri herbal floating tablet was prepared and transferred into an airtight container.

 

    

 

Figure 4

 

   

    

 

               Monsanto hardness tester             Friabilator                                       pH meter

 

 

 

              

 

 

              

 

 

 

Figure 6

The in-vitro dissolution study of the Brahmi formulation showed a controlled and sustained drug release pattern.

Formulation of Gummies

Bacopa monnieri herbal gummies were prepared and transferred into a suitable container.

 

 

Figure 7

 

 

Evaluation of Gummies

                 

DISCUSSION

The present investigation demonstrated the potential of Bacopa monnieri as a valuable herbal ingredient for the development of innovative dosage forms, including gastro-retentive floating tablets and herbal gummies. Owing to its well-documented antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective properties, Brahmi was selected for formulations intended for peptic ulcer management and cognitive enhancement.

The aqueous extract prepared by the maceration method retained important phytoconstituents such as saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, and phenolic compounds. Preliminary phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of these bioactive constituents, indicating the medicinal value of the extract.

The antioxidant evaluation using the DPPH assay demonstrated concentration-dependent free radical scavenging activity, with the highest inhibition (67.8%). In addition, the extract exhibited antimicrobial activity against Lactobacillus, producing a measurable zone of inhibition, thereby supporting its biological effectiveness.

Among the floating tablet formulations, F3 showed the most favorable performance based on its physicochemical characteristics, including acceptable powder flow, suitable hardness, low friability, appropriate pH, prolonged floating behavior, and sustained drug release. These findings indicate that the formulation is suitable for extended gastric retention, which may improve the therapeutic management of peptic ulcers.

Similarly, the herbal gummy formulations exhibited satisfactory organoleptic and physicochemical properties. Formulation F3 demonstrated the most desirable characteristics, including acceptable weight variation, optimum moisture content, smooth texture, appropriate pH, and the absence of stickiness and grittiness, suggesting good patient acceptability and stability.

Overall, the findings indicate that Bacopa monnieri can be successfully incorporated into both floating tablets and herbal gummies. The promising antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, together with the satisfactory formulation characteristics, support the potential application of these herbal dosage forms for gastric protection and cognitive health. However, additional pharmacological studies and clinical investigations are recommended to further establish their safety, efficacy, and therapeutic benefits.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We sincerely thank the Almighty for His boundless love and blessings throughout our academic journey and the successful completion of this research work. We also express our sincere appreciation to Kerala University of Health Sciences, Thrissur, for providing us with the opportunity to pursue our graduation and for its continuous academic support.

We are deeply grateful to the Management of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Trikaripur, for their constant encouragement, valuable guidance, and unwavering support throughout the course of this study.

With great respect we thank Dr. M Paridhavi, Principal, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, for his academic support.

We gratefully thank Mrs. Vyshnavy Devy D. K., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Trikaripur, for her valuable guidance, continuous support, patience, motivation, and encouragement throughout our thesis and research work.

We sincerely thank Dr. Subrahmanya Prasad K., Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Nehru Arts and Science College, Kanhangad, Padannakkad, for his valuable support and assistance in the authentication of the plant material.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to all the teaching and non-teaching staff members of our institution for their timely help, cooperation, and encouragement during our study period.

Finally, we express our sincere gratitude to our friends and family members for their constant support, encouragement, and understanding throughout the course of our academic journey.

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