Gotu Kola
Centella Asiatica
This week’s Herb of the Week is a very interesting and “who knew” herb. I am always fascinated at how multifaceted most herbs are and how long they have been available for us to use and enjoy. Let’s take a look at this one…
Centella asiatica, commonly known as centella, Brahmi, Asiatic pennywort or Gotu kola, is a herbaceous, frost-tender perennial plant in the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is native to wetlands in Asia. It is used as a culinary vegetable and as a medicinal herb. It is a member of the same family as parsley and carrots.
It is regarded as the most spiritual of all herbs in India. IT is said to develop the crown chakra and to balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain, who doesn’t need a little of that? The leaf even resembles the brain in shape.
There are many benefits of this beautiful herb but first, let’s talk about what Gotu Kola is NOT.
Gotu Kola is not related to Kola Nut. It does not contain caffeine and is not responsible for giving you a “rush”.
Now, let’s talk about what it DOES do!
Pegged as the “herb of longevity,” gotu kola is a staple in traditional Chinese, Indonesian, and Ayurvedic medicine. Practitioners claim the medicinal plant has the power to boost brainpower, heal skin issues, and promote liver and kidney health — and some studies seem to agree. In traditional Chinese medicine, gotu kola is believed to promote longevity and, in fact, its Chinese name means “fountain of youth.”
Keep reading to learn how gotu kola may help improve your overall health and well-being.
Today in the West gotu kola is most often used to treat varicose veins.
Its main active ingredients are compounds known as triterpenes that increase strength and volume of collagen, an important building block of skin.
Gotu kola is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, insecticidal, and antifungal — all beneficial properties for the health of your skin.
These properties make topical application useful for minor wound healing, burns, psoriasis, stretch marks, scars, cellulite, and scleroderma. But the proven benefits of gotu kola are more than skin deep.
Gotu kola is used as a brain tonic in Ayurvedic medicine and offers many neuroprotective and mental health benefits.
Gotu Kola Stimulates Growth of New Brain Cells
Gotu kola activates the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that acts like fertilizer for your brain encouraging new brain cell formation.
In this way it works similarly to the “other brahmi” — Bacopa monnieri.
It takes a few weeks for gotu kola’s effects to kick in and it seems to work by encouraging dendrite branching, increasing brain plasticity and communication between brain cells.
Gotu kola also increases nerve growth factor (NGF) which stimulates the growth of new nerve cells and safeguards existing ones.
Gotu Kola Protects the Brain from Toxins and Oxidative Stress
Gotu kola protects your brain from damage incurred by the assaults of everyday life.
So far, studies show it protects the brain from neurotoxins like lead, arsenic, aluminum and monosodium glutamate (MSG), a ubiquitous food additive that causes brain fog, migraines, and mood swings.
Another way gotu kola protects the brain is by reducing the effects of free radicals.
Free radical damage, also known as oxidative stress, occurs when unattached oxygen molecules attack cells much in the same way they attack metal causing it to rust.
Antioxidants neutralize damaging free radicals rendering them harmless.
Most plants have some antioxidant capacity, but gotu kola excels as a neuroprotective antioxidant.
Gotu Kola Can Improve Your Mood
If you are one of the millions of people coping with stress, anxiety, or depression, gotu kola can help.
Gotu kola has an anti-anxiety effect in chronically and acutely stressed animals.
In human studies, gotu kola has increased calmness, contentedness, and alertness by 100% and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression by 50%.
It has been shown to lower symptoms of anxiety and stress in persons with generalized anxiety disorder.
It significantly reduces the startle response caused by sudden noises within 30-60 minutes after ingestion.
Since the acoustic startle response is a reliable way to tell if someone is anxious, this is another indicator that this herbal remedy could be useful for treating anxiety.
Gotu Kola Will Help You Sleep
Getting adequate sleep is one of the best things you can do for your brain.
Even one bad night of sleep can leave you unable to concentrate and, in a brain, fog the following day.
Insomnia is a common modern malady but the usual solution, sleeping pills, is a terrible idea since they rob you of restorative sleep and can cause significant memory loss.
Natural Sleep Aids
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The popular sleep drug Ambien has been called “the amnesia drug” and sends thousands of people to the emergency room every year.
Gotu kola has safely been used as a natural sleep aid for thousands of years.
Traditionally, gotu kola tea is sweetened with a little honey as an Ayurvedic remedy for insomnia.
Gotu Kola Enhances the Brain Benefits of Vitamin E
Vitamin E is known mostly as a heart-healthy vitamin, but it’s equally important for your brain.
This fat-soluble vitamin slows down age-related mental decline, particularly when paired with vitamin C.
When taken together, “E + C” is linked to improving memory, slowing memory loss, and lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia by 60%.
Gotu kola shows similar synergistic effects with vitamin E making “E + gotu kola” another powerful brain enhancing duo.
Gotu Kola Improves Memory and May Help with Alzheimer’s
Gotu kola can enhance mood and cognition in both healthy seniors and those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s patients have significantly reduced levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter responsible for memory and learning.
Alzheimer’s drugs like Aricept work by blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine.
Triterpenes are steroid precursors found in gotu kola that are beneficial for Alzheimer’s in two ways.
Similarly, to Aricept, these compounds inhibit the breakdown of acetylcholine.
They also prevent the formation of amyloid plaques that accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
Are you impressed yet? Wait? There’s more!
Take a look at the nutritional value of Gotu Kola.
Gotu Kola is a mild tasting plant and tastes similar to parsley and watercress. It is a common staple in Asian cuisine. Makes you wonder if that may be one reason they do not suffer from the same “American” dis-ease that Americans do.
There’s More…
Anti-Anxiety/Antidepressant
Used for centuries in TCM to treat anxiety and depression, science has now isolated the active compounds responsible for the remarkable antidepressant effects of this herb. Two of these compounds – brahmoside and brahminoside – have sedative effects, whilst research shows that Gotu Kola reduces anxiety by around 50% in human studies.
Another study has found that Gotu Kola reduces the “startle response” caused by sudden noises within 30 – 60 minutes after ingestion. The acoustic startle response is a reliable way to measure anxiety, a greater general startle reflex being associated with higher anxiety levels.
Antioxidant/Detoxifying
Gotu Kola is a well-known super-antioxidant for the brain, helping to protect brain cells from free radical induced cell death. A powerful brain detoxifier, symptoms of toxic overload in the brain manifest as brain fog, memory loss and lack of concentration to name but a few. This powerful herb destroys toxic accumulations in the brain, including residues of heavy metals, pharmaceutical and recreational drugs, improving the blood flow, which results in a clearer mind and elevated mood.
Used for centuries in traditional medicine as a liver detoxifier, Gotu Kola helps to detoxify the rest of the body by drawing out fluid from tissues, promoting urination and helping to eliminate excess fluid from the body.
Speed Wound Healing
Gotu kola has long been used across Asia for treating wounds, thanks to its triterpenoids and other compounds. Scientific research has found that it’s these compounds that help to strengthen antioxidant levels in the body and improve blood circulation to affected areas for faster healing.
Studies have discovered that creams which include gotu kola can help minimize scarring following a burn, as well as reduce the risk of infection.
Eliminating Stretch Marks & Cellulite While Supporting Younger, Healthier Skin
As gotu kola also helps to strengthen skin, it’s been used for reducing stretch marks and the appearance of cellulite. Studies have confirmed that creams that contain the plant, or an extract of the plant, may be able to lessen the appearance of stretch marks, which are typically caused by pregnancy or weight gain due to the stretching of the skin. Research has also shown that it may reduce cellulite, which occurs when fat cells push through collagen layers.
This may also result in skin that has a more youthful appearance, thanks to improved collagen strength. Doses of 120 milligrams per day have specifically been used for this purpose, and the herb can also be incorporated into a skin cream and applied topically.
Reducing Stress & Anxiety
Gotu kola is classified as a rasayana, or rejuvenate, in Ayurvedic medicine because of its ability to restore balance and better functioning to many parts of the mind and body. It’s ideal for strengthening the nervous system and has even been shown to help repair axons that are used to transmit nerve impulses throughout the body. This makes it excellent as a natural anti-stress and anti-anxiety cure. In fact, research has shown that it managed to decrease the frequency and severity of anxiety attacks in volunteers who suffered from general anxiety disorder.
Managing Diabetes Symptoms
One of the many complications of diabetes includes deterioration of the capillaries. That can result in a slowdown of the delivery of essential nutrients and oxygen to the tissues, a condition referred to as dysfunctional micro-circulation which can lead to serious problems like damage to the nerves, kidneys, and eyes, something commonly experienced by diabetes sufferers. Gotu kola is believed to help address this issue by lessening or eliminating these symptoms. Research published in 2001 from St Mary’s Hospital and Imperial College in London, gave gotu kola supplements to diabetic patients who were suffering from diabetic microangiopathy. The experienced significant improvements in symptoms as compared to a group who were given a placebo.
Volunteers who took gotu kola had reduced swelling in the ankles and much-improved blood flow, which led the experts to conclude the plant may help delay or even prevent these serious complications.
Relief from Joint Pain
As gotu kola is a powerful anti-inflammatory, it can also help provide relief for those suffering from joint pain related to problems like arthritis. It’s believed to improve joint function and alleviate common arthritis symptoms, according to research published in the June 2009 issue of the journal Phytomedicine. After taking an active constituent of gotu kola for 21 days, participants experienced decreased joint damage and lower levels of pro-inflammatory cyclooxygenase-2, or COX-2 enzymes, as well as reduced levels of inflammation, leaving researchers to conclude the plant may serve as an effective natural treatment for some forms of arthritis.
In another small study involving 13 women with scleroderma, gotu kola was demonstrated to decrease joint pain and reduce skin hardening, while significantly improving finger movement.
Supporting Heart Health
Gotu kola has also been found in studies to provide important benefits to the heart, something that was demonstrated in a 2007 study published in the journal Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica. The compound madecassoside was shown to inhibit the oxidation of lipids, prevent depletion of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase, and prevent early death of heart cells. The experts say the plant may even help prevent stroke by preventing blood clot formation as well. It’s also known to aid in improving and preventing varicose veins and associated foot and ankle swelling by inhibiting fluid leakage from veins.
Further supporting heart health, gotu kola has also been shown to significantly reduce levels of “bad,” LDL cholesterol, while raising “good” HDL cholesterol in studies, including research published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health in March of 2009. The rats who were fed a diet supplemented with gotu kola powder had dramatically lower levels of LDL cholesterol and higher levels of HDL cholesterol, as compared to a control group that was not fed gotu kola. The rats who took the gotu kola powder also experienced a significant decrease in body weight.
Okay, I think we have provided you with a LOT of information about a fascinating herb that some may have thought was “just a pretty ground cover”.
Crooked House Herbals is continuously researching and learning about the power and potential of herbs and delights in bringing these gems to you. These herbs have been around for thousands of years. They were used often by societies before us, but lost in the shuffle as allopathic medicine began to steer and control more and more. Isn’t it nice to know that you still have the power to make your own decisions? Learning more about the herbs around you is a great place to begin and we at Crooked House Herbals are happy to assist you on your journey.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page and website as we create tinctures, oils and formulas including these beauties in the coming months.
Many Blessings!