Gotu Kola Fact Sheet, FAQs & Product List

Gotu kola information, FAQ and product listing page. This page contains information and frequently asked questions about gotu kola as well as a complete list of products containing gotu kola.

What is gotu kola and what does it do?

Gotu kola is a perennial plant that can be found in countries mainly around Asia, including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and China. The plant itself is odorless and tasteless, usually growing in areas that are moist and wet. Gotu kola has fan-shaped green leaves that have pinkish or white flowers with an oval fruit.

Gotu kola, scientifically known as Centella asiatica, has been used in India for centuries, in addition to China and Indonesia. These countries used gotu kola for its ability to improve mental awareness, heal wounds, and treat skin conditions including psoriasis and leprosy. An old folklore exists where a Chinese herbalist lived for more than 200 years as a product of taking the herb.

Throughout history, gotu kola has also been used in treatment of a myriad of medical conditions like mental fatigue, syphilis, stomach ulcers, hepatitis, diarrhea, epilepsy, fever, and asthma. Currently, herbalists in both America and Europe use gotu kola to treat conditions like psoriatic arthritis, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and depression because of its ability to help reduce tissue swelling.

Recent studies have also come out confirming some traditional, as well as new uses of the herb, like the ability to help lower high blood pressure, increasing mental acuity, and speeding up wound healing.

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What are the benefits of taking gotu kola?

Wound healing - Gotu kola has a component called triterpenoids, an element that has been proven to aid in healing wounds. Animal studies performed with the compound have shown that triterpenoids strengthen the skin while increasing the concentrated amount of antioxidants in the wounds. It also increases the blood supply around these areas, restoring tissue.

Due to these healing properties, gotu kola has been used in the prevention of scar formation after a medical surgery, for burn victims, and for recovery of an episiotomy after childbirth.

Varicose veins - When our blood vessels lose their ability to stretch and adjust throughout the years, blood and fluid in our legs begin to leak out – this causes our legs to swell and is known as venous insufficiency. These are those unsightly “blood lines” that are normally visible on elderly individuals. In a study performed with nearly 100 people that suffered from venous insufficiency, those that that ook gotu kola reported that they had a drastic improvement of symptoms when compared to those that took the placebo.

Anxiety - The compounds found in gotu kola, known as triterpenoids, have displayed the ability of being able to increase mental acuity and decrease anxiety in mice. A newly-released study also showed that those who took gotu kola were less affected by novel noise, a precursor of anxiety. While these are promising results, the dosage used to get these conclusions was extremely high.

High blood pressure - One study has shown that those that took abana (herbal mixture with gotu kola) and had heart disease and high blood pressure encountered a large reduction in diastolic blood pressure. This is compared to those that simply took the placebo.

Other potential medical conditions that may be at least somewhat affected by gotu kola consist of scleroderma and insomnia.

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Who can benefit from taking gotu kola?

Healthy adults may consider supplementing with gotu kola. Because of its potential health benefits with anxiety, high blood pressure, and healing wounds, those that have one or more of those medical conditions should consider taking gotu kola. However, only a medical professional familiar with your exact condition can make that determination.

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How much gotu kola should I take?

Children should not take gotu kola. In adults, the dosage of gotu kola varies depending on the condition that you’re trying to treat. Your medical professional can provide you with a specific dosage for your medical condition. Generally though, standard dosages are as follows:

• Dried herb – use gotu kola to make teat using the dried leaf three times a day
• Tincture – 30 to 60 drops, three times a day
• Powered herb – 1,000 to 4,000 milligrams three times a day
• Standard extract – 50 to 250 milligrams, three times a day.

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Does gotu kola have any side effects?

Side effects are very rare, but they have occurred. Side effects can include burning sensations, allergic reactions to the skin, headache, dizziness, nausea, upset stomach, and drowsiness.

Typically, these side effects appear in high dosages of gotu kola.

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GOTU KOLA PRODUCTS ON SALE NOW:

The full product listing for supplements that contain Gotu Kola will be posted soon!

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Wollina U, Abdel-Nasar MB, Mani R. A review of the microcirculation in skin in patients with chronic venous insufficiency: the problem and the evidence available for therapeutic options. Int J Low Extrem Wounds . 2006;5(3):169-80.