Self Help

Below is a list of popular uses of gotu kola (Centella Asiatica.)

1. Burns: Centella asiatica has been effectively used in the treatment of patients with 2nd and 3rd degree burns caused by boiling water, electrical current, or gas explosion. Daily local application of the extract produced great results if the treatment was started immediately after the accident. The extract prevented or limited the shrinking and swelling of the skin caused by skin infection, and it inhibited scar formation, increased healing, and decreased fibrosis.

2. Cellulite: Standardized extracts of gotu kola have demonstrated good results in the treatment of cellulite. The effect of centella in the treatment of cellulite appears to be related to its ability to enhance connective tissue structure and reduce sclerosis by acting directly on fibroblasts.

3. Cirrhosis of the liver: In patients with cirrhosis, regression of inflammatory infiltration was observed. No effect was observed in patients with chronic hepatitis. Other reports have supported the use of this herb in fibrotic conditions of the liver.

4. Keloids: Gotu kola has demonstrated impressive results in the treatment of keloids and hyper trophic scars. The herb reduces the inflammatory phase of scar formation while enhancing the maturation phase of scar formation. Keloids and hyper trophic scars are characterized by a prolonged inflammatory phase, which may go on for months or even years without progressing to the maturation phase. The inflammatory phase is characterized on biopsy by large numbers of immature, swollen collagen bundles intermingled with inflammatory debris, while the maturation phase is characterized by mature fibrocytes, normal collagen fibers, and few inflammatory cell elements.

5. Leprosy: Several investigators have reported impressive clinical results using Centella
asiatica and its extracts in the treatment of leprosy in both uncontrolled and controlled studies.

6. Improving mental function: A profound increase in the mental abilities of 30 developmentally disabled children treated with gotu kola has been reported. After a 12-week period, the children were more attentive and better able to concentrate on assigned tasks.

7. Scleroderma: Extract of Centella asiatica has been tested in several trials in the treatment of scleroderma (including systemic sclerosis). Presumably the positive therapeutic response is a result of centella’s balancing effect on connective tissue, thereby preventing the excessive collagen synthesis observed in scleroderma.

8. Disorders of veins: Centella asiatica are effective in the treatment of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. This appears to be due to centella’s ability to enhance the connective tissue structure of the connective tissue sheath that surrounds the vein, reduce hardening of the vein, and improve blood flow through the vein.

9. Wound healing: Extracts of Centella asiatica have been shown, in a large number of clinical studies, to greatly aid wound repair. The types of wounds healed include surgical wounds such as episiotomies and ear surgeries, skin ulcers due to arterial or venous insufficiency, traumatic injuries to the skin, and gangrene.