The Indian pennywort, or Gotu Kola, is a medicinal herb from the Apiaceae, aromatic flowering family. Found in the wetlands of Asia, Gotu Kola has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine and food to promote health and wellbeing.
Grown in tropical climates, it is no wonder Gotu Kola is indigenous to India and Southeast Asia. This aquatic plant is green and long-stalked with a smooth texture. It has white or red flowering and rounded umbels. Gotu Kola contains pentacyclic triterpenoids, including asiaticoside, brahmoside, Asiatic acid, and Brahmic acid, according to the Textbook of Natural Medicine.
Gotu Kola is a cooking staple in Vietnamese, Burmese, Sri Lankan, and Indonesian food. From curries and dals to chutneys and porridge, the Gotu Kola herb is a delightful addition to your culinary pantry with its sharp and vinegary taste profile.
Traditional medical practitioners who have been studying the plant for decades suggest that this plant can positively impact our brain, skin, liver, and kidney functionality.
Here are some of the many benefits that Gotu Kola has on our anatomy:
Improves Memory Function
A research study into the effects of Gotu Kola on memory was conducted in 2016. This study revealed that Gotu Kola did indeed have positive impacts on cognitive functions, especially memory. It is a Napalese tradition to gift children the Gotu Kola leaf at the beginning of a school year to enhance concentration and memory.
Consumption instruction: You can intake up to 1,000 mg of Gotu Kola every day for 14 days.
Reduces anxiety, stress, and depression
There have been many animal-based studies on the effects of Gotu Kola on anxiety. The results were quite promising; Gotu Kola had lowered anxiety-like behavior and oxidative damage and improved body movement and function.
This herbal remedy’s effect on cognitive function also helps with depression and positively affects regulating body weight, temperature, and heart rate.
Consumption instruction: 500mg per day for 14 days. In case of extreme anxiety, you can take up to 2,000mg.
Healing effects of Alzheimer’s
The treatment and enhancement of memory and nerve function lead us to believe that this plant can have healing effects on Alzheimer’s patients. It protects the brain cells from toxic build-up and plaque associated with Alzheimer’s.
Consumption instruction: should be prescribed by your physician.
Improves blood circulation
A study in 2001 showed that Gotu Kola had helped patients with varicose veins, swollen ankles, and poor circulation. Its properties have a positive effect on the metabolic reaction to the connective tissues of our vascular wall. Gotu Kola’s anti-inflammatory properties are also said to help with inflammation and circulation issues such as joint pains.
Consumption instructions: Can vary; however, it is safe to apply a topical cream containing Gotu Kola to the affected area.
Alleviates insomnia
Seeing the benefits of this herb in helping with anxiety and depression, it did not take long for researchers to study the effects Gotu Kola could have on insomnia, which is often a symptom of anxiety and depression. Gotu Kola is a favorable treatment for sleep disorders for people who prefer herbal remedies over chemical ones.
Consumption instruction: 300-680mg 3 times a day for 14 days.
Get rid of stretch marks.
Studies show that Gotu Kola can increase collagen on the skin, linked to dulling existing scars and keeping new ones from popping up. Gotu Kola is full of terpenoids, a naturally occurring chemical with many therapeutic uses; some are anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, antiparasitic, immunomodulatory, and skin permeation enhancers. These properties help with other wounds and scars too!
Consumption instruction: Topically apply creams with 1% of Gotu Kola.
Detox
Gotu Kola helps keep liver and kidney toxicity low. This suppression of toxins was studied in animals after giving them doses of Isoniazid, a treatment for tuberculosis that had many adverse side-effects. Once given a steady dosage of Gotu kola, the animals showed reduced toxins, and their liver and kidney function returned to normal.
Consumption instruction: 30 - 60 drops of Gotu kola liquid three times a day for 14 days.
The primary effects of Gotu kola include both wound healing and improvement of mental clarity and emotional balance. It is no surprise that one herb can affect such seemingly unrelated physiologies. For one thing, the nervous system and skin both originate embryologically from the ectoderm, and the skin is a sense organ.
With your physician’s endorsement, work this herbal remedy into your schedule. You could start to see results by beginning with a modest quantity and slowly increasing the dose after some time.
Do you want an easy way to boost your immunity?
If so, you must check out Mulmina. It is an entirely natural immunity booster. It comes fortified with all the antioxidants your body needs in a day. It is also quite delicious. Learn more right here: https://www.themorningperson.in/about/
First published on December 14, 2020
#antioxidants, #Cognitive enhancer, #Immunity Booster, #Alzheimers, #Detox, #Insomnia, #Memory