Centella asiatica
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| Centella asiatica (L.) Urban |
Centella asiatica is a small herbaceous annual plant of the family Apiaceae, native to Australia, Pacific Islands, New Guinea, Melanesia, Malesia and Asia. Common names include Gotu Kola, Asiatic Pennywort, Antanan, Pegaga, and Brahmi (although this last name is shared with Bacopa monnieri and other herbs). It is used as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Botanical synonyms include Hydrocotyle asiatica L. and Trisanthus cochinchinensis (Lour.)
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[edit] Description
[edit] Stem
The stems are slender, creeping stolons, green to reddish green in color, interconnecting one plant to another. It has long-stalked, green, reniform leaves with rounded apices which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins. The leaves are born on pericladial petioles, around 20 cm. The rootstock consists of rhizomes, growing vertically down. They are creamish in color and covered with root hairs.
[edit] Flowers
The flowers are pinkish to red in color, born in small, rounded bunches (umbels) near the surface of the soil. Each flower is partly enclosed in two green bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers are minute in size (less than 3 mm), with 5-6 corolla lobes per flower. Each flower bears five stamens and two styles. The fruit are densely reticulate, distinguishing it from species of Hydrocotyle which have smooth, ribbed or warty fruit.
The crop matures in three months and the whole plant, including the roots, is harvested manually. When eaten raw as a salad leaf, pegaga is thought to help maintain youthfulness. A decoction of juice from the leaves is thought to relieve hypertension. This juice is also used as a general tonic for good health. A poultice of the leaves is also used to treat open sores. Interestingly, chewing on the plant for several hours induces entheogenic meditation, similar to the effects of salvia divinorum, although this practice is widely considered dangerous, as it can cause temporomandibular joint pains.
[edit] Uses
Several scientific reports have documented Centella asiatica's ability to aid wound healing. Upon treatment with Centella asiatica, maturation of the scar is stimulated by the production of type I collagen. The treatment also results in a marked decrease in inflammatory reaction and myofibroblast production[1].
Herbalists claim it contains a longevity factor called 'youth Vitamin X' said to be 'a tonic for the brain and endocrine glands' and maintain that extracts of the plant help circulation and skin problems [2].
The isolated steroids from the plant have been used to treat leprosy[citation needed]. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests that it may have nootropic effects[citation needed]. Centella asiatica is used to re-vitalize the brain and nervous system[citation needed], increase attention span and concentration[citation needed], and combat ageing[citation needed]. Centella asiatica also has anti-oxidant properties[citation needed].
[edit] Folklore
Gotu Kola is minorly featured in the longevity myth of the Tai Chi Chuan master Li Ching-Yun. He purportedly lived to be 256, due in part to his usage of traditional Chinese herbs including Gotu Kola.
The supposed aphrodisiac properties of Gotu Kola have given it the ancient reputation of giving men erections with the strength and agility of a samurai's sword[citation needed]. A popular folklore tale from Sri Lanka speaks of a prominent king from the 10th century AD named Aruna who claimed that Gotu Kola provided him with energy and stamina to satisfy his 50 harem.
[edit] Gallery
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