Benefits and Uses

Health Benefits of Gotu Kola

Gotu Kola is traditionally used both as medicine and food in almost all Asian countries. Its nutrient value comes from its richness in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, iron selenium, and zinc. It has Vitamins A, B, and C, phytochemicals, flavonoids, and antioxidants. It has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antiseptic properties that greatly help in rheumatism and wound healing.

The primary constituents, the triterpenoids or saponins the plant produces as part of its self-defence mechanism, are responsible for the wide therapeutic and pharmacological properties of Centella.

The following list are the health benefits of Gotu Kola

1. Prevents Nervous Disorders

There are many health issues related to nervous disorder, such as Parkinson’s disease that affects the central nervous system; Carpel tunnel syndrome, which causes numbness in the arms, paralysis, Bell’s palsy, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, to name a few. These illnesses are related to the nervous system and can cause health complications.

Gotu Kola has an antianxiety agent which helps in relieving stress, enhancing the mood, and inducing sleep thereby calming the nervous system.

The molecular mechanism of Gotu Kola on neuroprotection remains to be elucidated.

2. Memory Improvement

Does it help in boosting your grey matter?

Gotu Kola is also popular as brain food. It enhances or improves your memory.

When the aqueous extract of the whole plant is consumed, it enhances memory retention and learning and reduces the lipid peroxidation and growth of endogenous antioxidant enzymes in the brain.

Gotu Kola extract has been used to treat Alzheimer’s, a cognitive disorder, and memory impairment disease. The herb is long used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat mental and cognitive disorders.

Gotu Kola also helps in stimulating your brain’s neural pathways by eliminating plaque and free radicals from the brain.

3. Boost Blood Circulation

Gotu Kola is known to support healthy veins and vessels throughout the circulatory system.

The most common problems due to degeneration or malfunction of blood circulation are varicose veins and haemorrhoids.

When the extract of Gotu Kola leaves is consumed, triterpenes a molecule of Gotu Kola works on the veins, improving their tone and making them less susceptible to the degenerative processes that can lead to varicose veins and other problems.

4. Regulate Blood Sugar Level

Gotu Kola is well known by the Khasi people in helping to control blood sugar levels. The herb is steeped overnight in hot water, and the water is extracted and consumed the following day.

Gotu Kola is a strong candidate for alleviating diabetic symptoms, and perhaps controlling the increase of diabetes mellitus, because of its various compounds and functions.

5. Stress Buster

Stress is becoming a common factor in the present age with a hectic lifestyle, and daily pressure in different forms. Stress can lead to sleep deprivation, the result of which is anxiety.

Gotu Kola has immense therapeutic potential. The herb has a positive effect on anxiety issues. It calms the adrenal glands, which in turn lowers the release of stress hormone and increases dopamine and serotonin levels.

6. Wound Healing

As kids, we are always falling and covered in bruises and wounds. What our elders would do is take a bunch of Gotu Kola leaves, moisten the herb with saliva chew it for a while. With chewing it becomes dark green in colour. This is then taken out and applied to the wound with a bandage wrapped around it. The bandage is left for a day. Depending on the intensity of the wound, the dressing is changed.

Pharmacological experiments have proven that the increased antioxidant activity of Gotu Kola indicates the wound healing properties of Gotu Kola extract. Gotu Kola provides the same healing property when consumed orally. When taken in its natural form or powdered form, the herb aid in stimulating blood flow to the cells and protects your immune system against infections, thus, speeding up the healing process in your body.

7. Relieve Joint Pain

Because of the presence of anti-inflammatory properties of Gotu Kola, it helps in relieving joint pain. The herb is used in treating arthritis.

Research had shown that when Gotu Kola was administered orally it suppressed joint inflammation. The herb is also shown to reduce cartilage erosion and bone erosion.

8. Skin Treatment

Because of its numerous health benefit when consumed, Gotu Kola has also been tried and tested and used externally to determine its benefits, and it has always proved to give a positive result.

Gotu Kola can also help you achieve the skin you desire. Applying Gotu Kola paste on your skin reduces the appearance of wrinkles scars and other skin blemishes.

A study found that Gotu Kola acted on the connective tissues of the vascular wall. In conditions of hypertensive microangiopathy and venous insufficiency, the herb improves microcirculatory parameters by lowering capillary filtration, making Gotu Kola a candidate for reducing the appearance of skin ageing.

Gotu Kola has been used for ages by traditional healers and Ayurveda practitioners to treat all kinds of ailments. The herb is blended with other plants to increase its effectiveness including the benefits of other herbs.

How to use Gotu Kola?

1. Gotu Kola Summer Drink Recipe

Try this simple recipe for Gotu Kola summer drink

Ingredients for one glass of Summer Drink:

  • Half a mousambi (Sweet Lime) 
  • Few slices of fresh ginger
  • Half a glass of water
  • Zizira Pure Gotu Kola

Instructions

  1. Slice a small piece of ginger.
  2. Then, cut the mousambi in half. 
  3. Put the ginger slices and mousambi in a blender.
  4. Add half a glass of water and blend.
  5. Strain the juice.
  6. Now, add one teaspoon of Zizira Pure Gotu Kola powder to the juice and stir.
  7. You can add one teaspoon of Zizira Pure Wildflower Honey for added sweetness.

2. Gotu Kola Sambol Recipe

Gotu Kola sambol is a herby coconut salad popular in Sri Lanka

  • Small bunch of Gotu Kola, washed (alternatively use curly leaf parsley or curly kale)
  • 1 large tomato, finely chopped
  • 1 small green finger chilli, finely sliced 
  • 6 small red shallots, finely sliced 
  • ½ fresh coconut (alternatively use 200g/7oz fresh coconut flakes)
  • 1 tbsp Maldive fish flakes (dried tuna flakes, also known as Maldive chips) 
  • ½ lime, juice only
  • table salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the Gotu Kola, including the stalks, and place in a large bowl.
  2. Add the tomatoes, chilli, and shallots and mix together.
  3. Using a coconut scraper, scrape out the coconut flesh into a bowl.
  4. Add a couple of handfuls of coconut flesh to the bowl, along with the Maldive fish flakes, lime juice, and a little salt.
  5. Mix well to combine, taste, and add more salt if desired.