In Ayurveda there are various medicinal drugs which are useful in improving memory, learning, concentration, intelligence and brain function. In such medicine certain medicinal herbs are used that are known for nootropic effect. Shankhpushpi is one such medicinal herb. It is mainly used for treating brain related disorders such as anxiety, stress, loss of memory/dementia, mental fatigue, insomnia/sleeplessness, low IQ and similar brain problems.
Mainly there are four different plant species that are identified to be used as Shankhpushpi. These are listed below.
- Evolvulous alsinoides. Linn.
- Convolvulus pluricaulis. Choisy
- Clitorea ternatea. Linn
- Canscora decussate. Schultz
For preparing medicines to cure brain problems, memory loss, etc. different pharmacies use different plant species. For example, Himalaya Mentat contains Evolvulus alsinoides, Patanjali Diyva Medhavati contains Convolvulus pluricaulis, and Brainokan (Kangra Herbs) contains Convolvulus pluricaulis.