Gotu Kola is a promoter of long life

Gotu Kola – a promoter of long life. Image Courtesy – Alternative Medicine at Home

This herbal plant was called Brahmi and Mandukaparni in the Sanskrit language. Its Indian name is Gotu Kola. Botanical Name is Centella asiatica. It has other names also like Asiatic Pennywort or, Indian Pennywort, Jal Brahmi, Centella, Mandookaparni, etc. This plant is called Thalkudi in Oriya, Sarswathi Aku in Telugu, Kudangal in Malayalam, Thankuni in Bengali, Brahmi in Marathi, Manimuni in Assamese, Brahmabuti in Nepali etc.

Gotu Kola develops in tropical swampy territories of India, regularly found as a weed in harvest fields and other waste places all through India up to a height of 600 m. The stems are thin, crawling stolons, green to rosy green in shading, associating plants to one another. The blooms are white or pinkish in shading, conceived in little, adjusted packs close to the surface of the dirt. Every blossom is halfway encased in two green bracts. The bisexual blooms are minute in size. Gotu Kola develops along the trench and in low, wet zones. This plant grows even among drainage systems in India and Southeast Asia.

Gotu Kola has a tremendous measure of Pentacyclic Triterpenoids. This herb consists of Asiaticoside, Brahmoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid etc. Reports described that various compounds like ‘Mesoinositol ‘, ‘Oligosaccharide ‘, ‘Centellose’, ‘Kaempferol’, ‘Quercetin’, ‘Stigmasterol’ are also present in the plant.

Leaves of this plant are used for child treatment in fever, bowel problems, etc. The plant is used for diuretic medicine and for leprosy in Java and Malabar Coast respectively. Gotu Kola or, Centella Asiatica is a widely known medicinal herb in India for use in mental function and longevity, decreasing fatigue and depression. It has also a stimulating effect on sex. It energizes our nerves, supports the circulatory system, soothes and minimizes varicose veins. It also smooths skin and repairs connective tissue and skin.

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Active ingredients of Gotu Kola are Bacoside A & B. Bacoside A helps in the arrival of nitric oxide that permits the easing of the aorta and veins, to permit the blood to flow throughout the body more freely. Bacoside B is a protein esteemed for feeding the cerebrum cells, thus Gotu Kola enhances mental clarity, confidence, memory review, and level of intelligence quantity. Students and older people largely use this herb.

Asiaticosides empower the reticuloendothelial framework. In this process, new blood cells are developed and old ones are destroyed, fatty materials are put away, iron is metabolized, and safe reactions happen or start. The essential activity of Gotu Kola is the development of connective tissue on the various phases which are a part of the healing procedure. Gotu Kola expands keratinization, the procedure of building more skin in ranges of diseases like sores and ulcers. It empowers the amalgamation of lipids and proteins essential for healthy skin. It also empowers veins via repairing the connective tissues encompassing veins and diminishes capillary fragility.

Gotu Kola has been utilized for quite a long time as a restorative herb in the old conventional Chinese medical solutions from around 2000 years back. In Indian Ayurvedic pharmaceutical solutions, it has been used around 3,000 years ago. In Ayurvedic prescription, it has been utilized for healing injuries, as a mellow diuretic, and as stress and anxiety-relieving medicine. In China, it is known as the ‘Fountain of Youth’.

Gotu Kola has been utilized for the treatment of sickness, bronchitis, asthma, syphilis, wound healing, etc in the traditional African healthcare system. It has been utilized largely by the conventional healers for the mending of wounds, memory improvement, respiratory diseases, general tonic, treatment of skin issues, etc.

In India, Gotu kola is viewed as maybe the most sacred of all herbs. Developing in a few territories of the Himalayas, Gotu Kola is utilized by saints to enhance contemplation. It is said to build up the crown chakra, the vitality focus at the highest point of the head and to adjust the privilege and left halves of the globe of the mind, which the leaf is said to look like. It is viewed as a standout amongst the most essential rejuvenating herbs in Ayurvedic Medicine. Sri Lankans recognized that elephants, eminent for their life span, crunched on the leaves of the plant. Subsequently, the leaves got to be known as a promoter of long life. It is said to sustain the safe framework, both purifying and encouraging it and to reinforce the adrenals. It has been utilized as an unadulterated blood tonic and for healthy skin. It has additionally been utilized to make sound sleep.

Gotu Kola can alleviate hypertension and helps the body safeguard against different poisons. It is utilized to treat the ailment, blood sicknesses, congestive heart disappointment, urinary tract contaminations, venereal infections, hepatitis, and hypertension. It is a mellow diuretic that can help shrink swollen membranes and help in the disposal of abundance liquids. It acts as a catalyst for the healing of wounds.

But, in spite of these endeavours to advance the healing capacities of this old herb, it is miserable to note that it has been recorded as an endangered plant by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. So, we must promote the cultivation of Gotu Kola throughout the world and gift the world of medicine for further research with powerful weaponry.