Medicinal Plant: GOTU KOLA

Scientific or Botanical Name: Centella asiatica

Gotu Kola is a native tropical plant from India, Indonesia, China, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Southeast Asia, although it has become naturalized in many others parts of the world. Gotu Kola , a Sri Lankan name which translates as conical leaf. Gotu Kola doesn't have smell or taste, and is used as a fodder crop, green vegetable or salad herb, a common in Vietnamese, Thai, and Malay cuisines.

Source: National Geographic

Gotu Kola is a creeping stolons, perennial, ground-covering plant that thrives in waterlogged and swampy areas. It is a member of the parsley family, and thrives in and around swampy bodies of water, slowly spreading on slender stems that typically hug the ground or the water's surface. Its dainty, rounded leaves are about the size of an old British penny, hence one of its common English names, Indian pennywort. Gotu kola leaves have a unusual shape, round, almost coin-shaped leaves are smooth and nearly hairless. The flowers are small pink or red flowers grow in small bunches near the surface of the soil.

Gotu Kola has been used medicinally for thousands of years in India, China and Indonesia, and through the ages, it has gained reputation for enhancing longevity. It has been called "The fountain of life". In Indian Ayurvedic medicine it is generally know as Brahmi which means "bringing the knowledge of Brahma". It was traditionally used to heal wounds and ulcerative skin diseases such as leprosy. Gotu Kola used as a tonic remedy to improve longevity, memory, and intelligence. It is restricted herb in some countries. Ayurvedic practitioners prescribed it as a tonic to revitalize nerves and the brain, and improve mental clarity and memory, especially in the elderly. Research shows that gotu kola may aid memory and cognition. Herbalist also recommend it to treat varicose and  chronic venous insufficiency, in which blood tends to pool in the legs. Gotu Kola may relieve some symptoms of scleroderma, a disease characterized by joint pain and hardening of skin and connective tissue. 

Source: Home Herbal

Gotu Kola has been a revered plant for centuries, useful both topically and internally for different medical conditions. In a study of 80 healthy elderly subjects used 250 to 750 mg capsules of a got kola water extract; over 3 months the participants demonstrated improved grip strength, leg strength, and overall satisfaction related to physical functioning. However, this result occurred only at the 750 mg dose and disappeared after the subjects stopped taking the gotu kola.

Gotu Kola may help close up wounds applied topically by fostering the formation of collagen and by helping fibroblasts, the most common cells found in connective tissue, to heal the skin. Gotu Kola, both as standardized extract capsules and topically applied creams, is also used to help people with varicose veins. This medicinal plant contains triterpene and flavonoids such as quercetin and ruin, which are known to be anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, and essential oils, which may have various antibacterial effects. Gotu Kola is applied topically, in ointments, to help heal minor wounds and the red welts associated with psoriasis and to reduce scar tissue after surgery.

HOW TO USE

Infusion: 

Use 1/2 tsp of the dried herb per cup of boiling water and take 1 cup daily for skin problems, rheumatism, or as a restorative for tiredness and depression.

Capsules: Standardized extracts containing 30 mg of total triterpenoids per capsule, taken in 1 to 2 capsules twice daily. Total amount of dried leaves, stems, and flowers should equal 0.5 to 6 g daily.

Creams:

1 % gotu kola mixed into a cream, applied as per manufacturer's directions.

Lotion/ointment:

Use on poorly healing wounds or skin ulcers.

Tincture:

Take 1 tsp (15ml) in water daily for poor memory, inability to concentrate, or general exhaustion.

Fresh leaves:

Traditionally given to Indian children to combat dysentery, or included in salads as a restorative tonic.

Fluid extract:

Take 2 tablespoon in water up to 3 times daily for rheumatic disorders and poor venous circulation. 

Powder:

Used in Ayurvedic medicine to make a paste (mixed with a little water) and applied to eczema and skin sores.

Caution:

Can occasionally cause photosensitivity.

Do not take for more than six weeks without a break.

Anyone with preexisting liver disease or taking medications that may cause liver problems should avoid taking Gotu Kola.

Stomach upset and nausea are occasionally,

If topical use of gotu kola cases a rash, use should be discontinued,

Should no be used during pregnancy.