Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica), Cut and Sifted, Certified Organic

INDIA. Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica), Cut and Sifted, Certified Organic

Common names: Indian Pennywort,  Kodavan, Mandukparni, Jue Xi Cao, Luo Di Da

Family: Apiaceae

Gotu Kola is a small creeping perennial plant, found growing in and near water in tropical and subtropical areas in many parts of Asia, eastern Europe, South Africa, Madagascar, Pacific islands, and southeastern US. It is consumed in foods and beverages in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaylsia.

Gotu Kola has a long history of use in both traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for a wide array of concerns, from skin conditions such as wound and burn healing, scars and keloids, eczema, psoriasis, leprosy, to  hypertension,  autoimmune syndromes such as lupus and scleroderma, connective tissue disorders, and depression, improving cognition, memory, and longevity. Many of these applications are linked to its benefits for circulatory function and connective tissue repair. It is considered a relaxing nervine and a cooling blood purifier.

Some herbalists classify this remarkable herb as an adaptogen. (Adaptogens, in the words of Maria Noél Groves, are “a broad class of herbs that support the body in a variety of ways, most notably improving the way we respond to stress.”)

While Gotu Kola contains vitamins, proteins, minerals, and numerous other active compounds, including carotenoids, flavonoids, volatile oils, tannins, and polyphenols, several of its distinctive triterpenes, such as asiatic acid, asiaticoside, madecassic acid, and madecassoside, have been most intensively investigated.

Gotu Kola may inhibit conception and is best avoided during pregnancy.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.