Gotu Kola
Description, Properties and its Uses:
Gotu kola is a low-growing perennial plant known scientifically as Centella asiatica. The tropical plant, a member of the parsley family, has small fan-shaped leaves and flowers that range in color from white to pink and light purple. The traditional healers of China and India have long prized gotu kola’s leaves and stems for their reputed medicinal properties, some of which have been confirmed in scientific studies. Consult your doctor before using gotu kola or any other herbal remedy.
Traditional and Contemporary Uses
For centuries, traditional healers -- most notably in China, India and Indonesia -- have used gotu kola to treat a wide array of illnesses and medical conditions. Traditional uses include the healing of wounds, treatment of skin conditions such as leprosy and psoriasis, and improvement of cognitive function. Others have used the herbal remedy to treat such diverse ailments as syphilis, gastric ulcers, mental fatigue, epilepsy, asthma, diarrhea, fever and hepatitis. The University of Maryland Medical Center says that gotu kola today is used most often to treat varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency and psoriasis. However, modern research studies indicate the herb may have additional medicinal applications.
Reduces Anxiety
Indian researchers conducted a small-scale clinical trial to determine what, if any, effect gotu kola might have on generalized anxiety and related symptoms, such as depression. They assembled a group of 33 test subjects, who were given two 500-milligram capsules of gotu kola extract daily over a 60-day test period. Researchers observed test participants throughout the study period and gave them questionnaires to fill out at the outset of testing, after 30 days and at the conclusion of testing. Based on their observations and student responses, researchers found that
Gotu kola is a low-growing perennial plant known scientifically as Centella asiatica. The tropical plant, a member of the parsley family, has small fan-shaped leaves and flowers that range in color from white to pink and light purple. The traditional healers of China and India have long prized gotu kola’s leaves and stems for their reputed medicinal properties, some of which have been confirmed in scientific studies. Consult your doctor before using gotu kola or any other herbal remedy.
Traditional and Contemporary Uses
For centuries, traditional healers -- most notably in China, India and Indonesia -- have used gotu kola to treat a wide array of illnesses and medical conditions. Traditional uses include the healing of wounds, treatment of skin conditions such as leprosy and psoriasis, and improvement of cognitive function. Others have used the herbal remedy to treat such diverse ailments as syphilis, gastric ulcers, mental fatigue, epilepsy, asthma, diarrhea, fever and hepatitis. The University of Maryland Medical Center says that gotu kola today is used most often to treat varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency and psoriasis. However, modern research studies indicate the herb may have additional medicinal applications.
Reduces Anxiety
Indian researchers conducted a small-scale clinical trial to determine what, if any, effect gotu kola might have on generalized anxiety and related symptoms, such as depression. They assembled a group of 33 test subjects, who were given two 500-milligram capsules of gotu kola extract daily over a 60-day test period. Researchers observed test participants throughout the study period and gave them questionnaires to fill out at the outset of testing, after 30 days and at the conclusion of testing. Based on their observations and student responses, researchers found that