Self Help

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), or centella is an herbaceous perennial plant native to India, China, Indonesia, Australia, the South Pacific, Madagascar, and southern and middle Africa. This slender, creeping plant flourishes in and around water. Although it grows best in damp, swampy areas, centella is often observed growing along stone walls or other rocky, sunny areas at elevations of approximately 2,000 feet in India and Ceylon.

The smooth-surfaced leaves, found on furrowed petioles, can reach a width of 3 centimeters and a length of 15 centimeters. The leaf margin may be smooth or slightly lobed. The fruit, formed throughout the growing season, is approximately 5 millimeters long with seven to nine ribs and a curved, strongly thickened pericarp. Historically, the entire plant is used medicinally, with harvesting occurring at any time during the year.

Centella has been used extensively as a medicine, both internally and externally, by the people of Java and other islands of Indonesia. The medicinal use of centella in India and Indonesia centered around its ability to heal wounds and relieve leprosy.

In the 19th century, centella and its extracts were incorporated into the Indian’s list of medicine, where in addition to being recommended for wound healing, it was recommended in the treatment of skin conditions such as leprosy, lupus, varicose ulcers, eczema, and psoriasis. It was also used to treat diarrhea, fever, amenorrhea, and diseases of the female genitourinary tract.

Many confuse gotu kola with kola nuts. However, gotu kola is not related to the kola nut, nor does it contain any caffeine. Centella asiatica exerts remarkable wound-healing activity. In China, the leaves are prescribed for turbid leukorrhea and toxic fevers, while the shoots are used for boils and fevers. The plant is also used in the treatment of fractures, contusions, strains, and snakebites. Centella was also used in China to delay senescence.

Considered as one of the reported “miracle elixirs of life,” gotu kola’s reputation as a promoter of longevity stems from the report of Chinese herbalist, Li Ching Yun, who’s legend states that he reportedly lived 256 years. Li Ching Yun’s longevity was supposedly a result of his regular use of an herbal mixture chiefly composed of gotu kola.

Centella asiatica was first accepted as a drug in France in the 1880s. Since then, extracts of this herb have been used all over the world in the treatment of many of the same conditions listed above.