What is Gotu Kola?

Gotu Kola is a perennial herb and a member of the parsley family that grows abundantly in many parts of the world, including India, Sri Lanka, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. It is a small trailing herb with distinctive small fan-shaped green leaves and thrives in wetlands. These leaves and stems are used for culinary and therapeutic purposes.

Gotu Kola is highly regarded as the ancient medical system of India, mainly Siddha and Ayurveda. It has a reputation for promoting long life and rejuvenating the body and mind, so Gotu Kola is pegged as the "herb of longevity." Similarly, Gotu Kola has a long history of use in traditional Chinese and Indonesian medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, Gotu Kola belongs to the category of 'Herbs that clear Heat and relieve Toxicity.'

The nutritional profile of Gotu Kola contains medicinally important triterpenoids (mainly asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic and madecassic acids) and beneficial carotenoids. It is also rich in vitamin B & C, proteins, essential minerals, and phytonutrients like flavonoids, volatile oils, tannins, and polyphenol.

Health Benefits of Gotu Kola

Among alternative practitioners, Gotu Kola has been used to treat syphilis, hepatitis, stomach ulcers, mental fatigue, epilepsy, diarrhea, fever, and asthma. And According to new science-backed studies, Gotu Kola helps support the functioning of the brain & nervous system improve memory, anxiety, depression, mental disorders, and Alzheimer's disease. It is also revealed that Gotu Kola helps ease trouble sleeping, relieves joint pain, promotes wound healing, and detoxes the body.

Skincare Benefits of Gotu Kola

In traditional Asian medicine, Gotu Kola also has been used for hundreds of years in skin conditions to improve small wounds, scratches, and burns and as an anti-inflammatory agent, particularly in eczema. Science- backed evidence supports the following claims

  1. Speeds up wound healing

The active compounds of Gotu Kola include pentacyclic triterpenes, such as asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic and madecassic acids that help recovery and wound healing. These pentacyclic triterpenes boost collagen and increase the amount of cell layer fibronectin in the skin. It is believed that Gotu Kola effectively treats clean cuts by sharp objects, irregular tears caused by blunt-force trauma, and infected tissue.

  1. Visibly reduces the stretch marks

Terpenoids found in Gotu Kola increase collagen production. As a result, Gotu Kola may help prevent new stretch marks from forming and help heal any existing scars.

  1. Anti-aging effect

Gotu Kola owns polyphenols that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. It also contains carbohydrates that improve skin hydration. The synergy of these compounds results in anti-aging action and a moisturizing effect. Therefore, products containing Gotu Kola extract are suitable even for dry and sensitive skin types.

 

Reference:
  1. Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): Nutritional Properties and Plausible Health Benefits (2015)
  2. Pharmacological Review on Centella asiatica: A Potential Herbal Cure-all (2010)
  3. Medicinal Property of Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) from the Selection of Traditional Applications to the Novel Phytotherapy (2015)
  4. Centella asiatica in cosmetology (2013)
  5. Moisturizing and Antiinflammatory Properties of Cosmetic Formulations Containing Centella asiatica Extract (2016)

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