Gotu Kola Centella asiatica,the Goddess of Supreme Wisdom.
Article Content:
- .Basic botanical Data of Gotu Kola.
- .Phytochemicals,Constituients and mechanism of Gotu Kola.
- .Narrative history and plant description of Gotu Kola.
- .Application and Uses of Gotu Kola Products in brief.
- .Application and Uses of Gotu Kola Products in details.
- .Scientific data and research of Gotu Kola.
- .Safety,Dosage and comments of Gotu Kola.
- .Research Update of Gotu Kola Centella asiatica.
Narrative history and plant description of Gotu Kola.
Gotu Kola is known as a longevity herb and is used widely in India as part of their traditional medicine Ayurveda. This red flowered plant grows naturally in swampy areas of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, South Africa, Australia, China and the southern United States. Its roots and leaves are used for medicinal purposes and provide important health benefits related to healthy veins and blood vessels, to treat skin disorders, help with better memory and improve brain function.
Gotu kola (or Indian penniwort) has a long history in central Asia as a medicine. Early Sanskrit writings from the Indo-Europeans (who called themselves 'Aryans' and lived in the middle of the second millenium before Christ) indicate that the plant was used in 'aryuvedic' medicine to improve mental health and as a treatment for bronchitis, coughs and certain heart diseases. "Brahmi" (as the plant was refered to) was used similarly as Bacopa monniera ; it might be interesting to mention that many early literature interchanges both plant names, although they are botanically unrelated.
Gotu kola is a slender, creeping plant that grows commonly in swampy areas of India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, South Africa and the tropics. Its fan shaped leaves are about the size of an old British penny - hence its common names Indian pennywort, marsh penny and water pennywort.
Gotu kola also grows in tropical and subtropical parts of Australia, Southern Africa, and South America. It prefers marshy areas and riverbanks. Although usually gathered wild, gotu kola can be cultivated from seed in spring. The aerial parts are harvested throughout the year.
This slender perennial is found throughout tropical regions of the world. Its nearly smooth surface and kidney-shaped or heart-shaped leaves accompanied by dark-purple flower petals make for a somewhat exquisite plant. But efforts to domesticate it have often failed, because its apparent obstinance requires human persecution in order to spread. Thus, when gotu kola is sprayed with herbicides, only the leaves die, while the root actually seems to thrive on these harmful chemicals. After one good spraying, the plant usually proliferates like crazy.
In Sri Lanka, it was observed that elephants, noted for their longevity among beasts, fed extensively on the plant. This gave rise to the reputation of the herb as a longevity promoter for people. Eating a few leaves daily was thought to "strengthen and revitalize worn out bodies and brains." Gotu kola has also been recommended as a treatment for mental troubles, high blood pressure, abscesses, rheumatism, fever, ulcers, leprosy, skin eruptions, nervous disorders, and jaundice. More recently, gotu kola has acquired a considerable reputation as an aphrodisiac, an agent that stimulates sexual desire and ability. The crushed leaves are commonly consumed by people in Sri Lanka, either in the form of a salad or as a hot beverage.
It is an ancient remedy that has been used for thousands of years in India and is now becoming popular in the West.
Since the late 1800s, it has been used in France and other European countries to promote healing of burns and other skin wounds. Interest in it is relatively new in the US, and its healing properties are still being discovered.
Cultivation including organic farming:
Cultivation is usually by vegetative propagation. The plant can be planted under shade or direct sunlight. The preferred soil type is sandy loam with high organic matter and organic fertilizers are used to boost growth. The yield per hectare is around 8000 kg.
Pre and post harvesting technology:
There is little information on pre-harvesting. The plant is harvested 60 days after planting. Whole plant is normally harvested when the leaf size reaches 4 cm wide. After harvesting, the plants are washed with running tap water and dried using the sun drying method. This takes a longer time, usually around 7 days to fully dry the materials and can easily be contaminated by fungus. The other drying method is oven drying. This method has better temperature control (normally 50-70 C) and the materials can be fully dried in shorter time (3 days). The final moisture content is less than 10%. The dried materials ca be packed in plastic bags and stored at room temperature with a relative humidity of 50 to 60%.
Reference:
1.Gotu Kola Centella asiatica,the Goddess of Supreme Wisdom.
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