Centella asiatica also known as Gotu Kola or Indian Pennywort or Asiatic is an important medicinal herb, which has been used for centuries for various medicinal purposes.

Biological activity

Antioxidant activity

• It is loaded with antioxidants that play imperative role in neutralising free radicals in body thus help to protect the body from their harmful consequences
• It is also associated with promoting cellular functions as it helps in preventing cellular damages caused by oxidative stress as a result helps in promoting overall wellbeing
• It helps to protect various imperative biological components of body like proteins, DNA, RNA etc from oxidative damages too
• It helps to prevent lipid peroxidation as well
• It is also related with reducing the risk of developing carcinoma by decreasing oxidative stress

Anti-inflammatory activity

• It contains various important micronutrients as well as phytonutrients that exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activity that helps in preventing inflammation as well as swelling
• It has seen that consumption of the extract of gotu kola helps in decreasing the concentration of inflammatory markers within body, which ultimately helps in delaying the onset of inflammatory events as a result helps in preventing long term inflammation
• It helps to prevent pain as well
• This herb is extensively used as an imperative remedial action for arthritis because it plays significant role in preventing joint swelling and also helps in providing relief from joint pain

• It is also associated with preventing cartilage erosion as well as bone erosion

Detoxifying activity

• It is considered as an important detoxifier that helps in detoxifying the body by stimulating toxin elimination process
• It has great effect on the kidney as well as liver, which are considered as the most important detoxifying organs
• It has been traditionally used for suppressing the toxic side effects of various antibiotics
• Moreover consumption of gotu kola helps to clean the body

Hypoglycemic activity

• Individual suffer from hyperglycemia or who are at risk condition should include this herb in their daily diet because it helps in reducing blood sugar concentration and all the credit goes to its hypoglycaemic activity
• It contain various imperative nutrients that help in stabilising blood sugar level
• It is better to steep gotu kola leaves overnight within hot water and the water should be extracted and should be consumed in the very next morning. This practice plays imperative role in alleviating the symptoms of diabetes
• It is very effective for reducing the prevalence of diabetes mellitus especially type 2 diabetes mellitus

Health benefits

Role on nervous system

• Individual who want to obtain a healthy nervous system should include gotu kola in their diet as it contains various imperative nutrients that help in improving the health and activity of entire nervous system
• It plays vital role in improving the activity of nerve cells and also helps in supporting the transmission of nervous stimulus
• It is also associated with improving the activity of brain
• Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity helps in protecting the brain from damages thus reduces the prevalence of various neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzhiemer’s disease etc
• It helps to improve cognitive ability as well
• It is also associated with improving memory by improving gray matter. It helps to prevent memory declining as well
• Its consumption is really very effective for calming the nervous system

Role on mental health

• It is very useful for boosting up the mental health status
• It plays vital role in preventing depression
• It is also very useful for reducing stress thus it is considered as an imperative stress buster
• It helps to prevent insomnia as well. It has seen that gotu kola has a soothing effect on body, which ultimately helps in promoting healthy sleeping and prevents insomnia

Role on wound healing

• It has seen that when we are falling or we are covered in bruises and wounds then our elders used to took a bunch of Centella Asiatica leaves and gave that to us for chewing whereas they also apply the extract of Centella Asiatica leaves at the wounded area because Centella Asiatica leaves has outstanding healing property
• Its powerful antioxidant activity is considered as the main feature responsible for exhibiting wound healing activity
• It mainly helps in stimulating blood flow to the cells as a result helps in cellular re-synthesis, which subsequently heals the wound
• It is also associated with protecting the wounded area from infections thus plays imperative role in accelerating the healing process of body and helps to reduce the susceptibility of sepsis as well

Role on circulation

• Its consumption is closely related with improving blood circulation
• It plays vital role in supporting the activity of healthy blood vessels throughout the circulatory system
• We all know that blood circulation is one of the most important events of body because without circulation we cannot survive
• One of the most crucial and common problems of poor blood circulation are varicose veins as well as haemorrhoids and these complications can be easily solved by consuming Centella asiatica or gotu kola

• It has seen that consumption of gotu kola extract is really very helpful for preventing varicose veins as its triterpenes components are accountable for working on veins, which ultimately help to improve their tone and also help in decreasing the prevalence of any degenerative process that can lead to varicose veins
• Whereas it is also associated with promoting the supply of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body

Role on skin

• It plays vital role in improving the overall skin health. It contains various impetrative nutrients that help in boosting up the skin from inside out
• It can be consumed orally or it can also be used externally for making the skin healthy and supple
• It helps in improving skin tone and texture
• It helps to moisturise the skin too
• It is also very useful for improving skin elasticity
• Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity helps in protecting the skin from damages, which ultimately help in reducing the risk of developing dermal disorders
• It is also associated with decreasing the appearance of wrinkles, blemishes as well as scars
• It helps to prevent stretch marks as well
• It helps to prevent premature aging as well

Therapeutic uses

It has been extensively used for various therapeutic purposes, which include –

• It is used as an imperative therapeutic substance for promoting longevity
• It plays vital role in preventing menstrual disorders
• It is also associated with boosting up the energy level of body and helps in ensuring a healthy metabolism too
• It helps to improve the symptoms of diarrhoea
• It helps in enhancing sexual potency as well
• Its micronutrients, phytonutrients and antioxidants components play vital role in boosting up the overall cardiac health and functionality. It helps in reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases as well

Risk factors

It is extremely nutritious and should be a part of daily diet but one thing should be kept in mind while consuming gotu kola that it should be consumed as per recommendation because over consumption is related with increasing the prevalence of drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, nausea and skin problems

Chandrika, U.G. and Kumara, P.A.P., 2015. Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): nutritional properties and plausible health benefits. Advances in food and nutrition research, 76, pp.125-157.

Jhansi, D. and Kola, M., 2019. The antioxidant potential of Centella asiatica: A review. J. Med. Plants Stud, 7, pp.18-20.

Sabaragamuwa, R., Perera, C.O. and Fedrizzi, B., 2018. Centella asiatica (Gotu kola) as a neuroprotectant and its potential role in healthy ageing. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 79, pp.88-97.

Seevaratnam, V., Banumathi, P., Premalatha, M.R., Sundaram, S.P. and Arumugam, T., 2012. Functional properties of Centella asiatica (L.): a review. Int J Pharm Pharm Sci, 4(5), pp.8-14.

Zahara, K., Bibi, Y. and Tabassum, S., 2021. 01. Clinical and therapeutic benefits of Centella asiatica. Pure and Applied Biology (PAB), 3(4), pp.152-159.