Gotu Kola Facts and History

This article covers some interesting gotu kola facts as well as its history.

Gotu kola has a long and rich history in the traditional natural medicines of India, Indonesia, Madagascar, China, and Sri Lanka. The ancient Indian medical science of Ayurveda has been using gotu kola for generations in an attempt to reduce stress and anxiety and also promote relaxation, improve memory, and aid meditation.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the herb is believed to promote longevity. The Chinese name for gotu kola means "fountain of youth." A Sri Lankan legend says that elephants have long lives because they eat gotu kola.

Ayurvedic practitioners in India continue to use gotu kola to treat various emotional and physical ailments. In Chinese medicine, it is known as "luo de da" or "ji xue cao" and is used to lower fever, promote urination, and "detoxify" the body.

One of the little known gotu kola facts is the other names by which it is referred to - it is also known as Centella asiatica, Indian pennywort, marsh penny, white rot, thick-leaved pennywort, hydrocotyle, Indian water navelwort, and talepetrako.

The gotu kola herb is also one of the largest cultivated crops and thrives under organic farming conditions. While popularly used as a food source in the form of leafy greens within Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka, it also has been internationally recognized within many countries' pharmacopoeias and has been considered an herb or natural medicine since the late 1800s.

Important Gotu Kola Facts and Information

This herb is not appropriate for people with epilepsy. Because of the possibility of photosensitivity, fair-skinned people and those who have reacted badly to sunlight while taking other medications should avoid sunshine, tanning lamps, and other sources of ultraviolet light while taking gotu kola.

This is probably one of the very rare herbs that can treat anxiety without any side effects. The strong belief that gotu kola helps improve memory led to various research and clinical studies being conducted to understand its effect on the central nervous and circulatory systems. The preliminary results suggest that it may help with memory and cognitive disabilities as well as with helping the body overcome stress and fatigue.

However it should be noted that those with mild to moderate depression might want to use it with caution. Some testing done in India indicates it may act as a very mild depressant.

Gotu kola has extremely unique qualities and characteristics and if further research conducted proves all that herbalists have been proclaiming, it won't be long before it becomes a household name and more useful gotu kola facts become available for perusal.

Routes of Administration

Gotu kola herbs can be consumed or used in various forms but some very famous preparations of this herb include gotu kola tea from the dried leaves, encapsulated dry leaf, liquid herbal gotu kola extract, and using fresh leaves from your garden in your salads, beverages and medicines.

Gotu kola tea is made by pouring 1 cup of boiling water over a teaspoon of dried leaves and steeping for ten minutes.

Gotu kola is available in capsules, eye drops, gotu kola extracts, gotu kola powder, and ointments from health food stores and over the Internet.

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