Indian way of healing from the inside out ( Gotu kola )

Gotu Kola

Scientific Name: Centella asiatica

Common Name: Centella, Asiatic pennywort, Indian pennywort or Gotu kola

Indian way of healing from the inside out

Family: Apiaceae

Chemistry: Centella contains pentacyclic triterpenoids, including asiaticoside, brahmoside, asiatic acid, and brahmic acid. Other constituents include centellose, centelloside, and madecassoside.

Description

Centella grows in temperate and tropical swampy areas in many world regions. It is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and wetland regions of the Southeastern US. The leaves are borne on pericladial petioles, around 2 cm and rootstock consists of rhizomes, growing vertically down. It can be cultivated in drier soils as long as they are watered regularly enough.

Gotu Kola Tea

Usefulness

• Gotu kola has been used as a medicine for thousands of years in India, China, and Indonesia, particularly for healing wounds, improving mental function and treating the symptoms of leprosy.
• It is a small tropical plant whose leaves have valuable wound-healing properties. They are used in capsules as well as external ointments.Choose a product containing up to 600 mg dried plant equivalent and take as directed. A medical herbalist will be available to make up a gotu kola ointment for you; gently rub it into the affected area twice a day after the skin has healed over.
• In Myanmar cuisine, raw centella is used as the main constituent in a salad made also with onions, crushed peanuts, bean powder and seasoned with lime juice and fish sauce.

Caution

• Gotu kola is generally regarded as safe and well tolerated. Rare side effects may include contact dermatitis, headache, gastric upset, nausea, and sedation.
• Not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding and in infants.

** Conditions of Use and Important Information: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of something you have read on SaveOurGreen. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.