Conservation of Medicinal Plant Bramhi- Bacopa monnieri(L.) Wettstein Through in vitro Cultures

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettstein is a medicinal herb from the family Plantaginaceae widely known as ‘water hyssop’ or ‘brahmi’. The therapeutic potential of plants is due to the presence of many bioactive secondary metabolites, majorly brahmine, herpestine, alkaloids, and saponins (bacosides), which are responsible for pharmacological effects including neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Vegetative cultivation of Bacopa on a large scale has its limitations due to the lack of viability of seeds during propagation and the unpredictable nature of the production of phytochemicals for commercial purposes, which can be overcome by tissue culture mechanism. Over the past few decades, many studies on the tissue culture of Bacopa in establishing a standardized protocol were reported. This chapter deals with de novo organogenesis of the root and shoot along with the callus induction and somatic embryogenesis from different explants of B. monnieri on MS basal nutrient medium supplemented with Plant Growth Regulators.

Keywords: Bacopa monnieri, Micropropagation, Plant growth regulator.