Gotu Kola

(Centella asiatica)

Other Names:
Asian pennywort, Indian pennywort, spadeleaf

Range:
Non-Native. Introduced

Family:
Apiaceae - Parsley Family

Growth Type:
Herbaceous perennial

Height:
Can grow to approximately 20 inches tall.

Leaves:
The simple green glabrous leaves are 2-3 inches wide and 2-3.5 inches long. They are borne on short petioles up to ¾ inches long. They have smooth surfaces and serrated margins. They are arranged alternately along the plant stems. They can be can appear alone or in groups.

Stem/Trunk:
The stems are slender, creeping stolons, green to reddish-green in color, connecting plants to each other. They have long-stalked, green, rounded shoots which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins.

Root:
Downward growing rhizomes that are cream colored and covered in root hairs.

Flower Season:
May to October

Flower Appearance:
The flowers are white or crimson in color, born in small, rounded 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 ¼ inch, with five to six corolla lobes per flower. Each flower bears five stamens and two styles.

Seed/Fruit:
The fruit are densely reticulate, distinguishing it from species of Hydrocotyle which have smooth, ribbed or warty fruit.

Miscellaneous characteristics:
C. asiatica is a highly invasive plant.

Habitat:
Banks of swampy areas and wetlands

Parts Used:
Leaves are traditionally used, but the entire plant can be used as well.

Culinary Uses:
None Known

Energetics
Taste: Bitter/Sweet
Thermal: Cooling
Humidity: Drying

Traditional Medicinal Uses:
C. asiatica is commonly used to treat varicose veins and minor wounds. It contains the phytochemicals madecassoside, asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid, and myriad others. In recent years said phytochemicals have been extensively studied. Current research shows them to be effective at treating Alzheimer’s disease (Dhanasekaran et al., 2008), liver disease, bladder disease, cardiac disease including atherosclerosis and varicosities. Gotu kola has also been demonstrated to effectively treat neurodegenerative diseases, to boost cognitive function, and to reduce stress and anxiety (Tan et al., 2021). It has also been shown to be effective at inhibiting propogation of various tumor cells (Babu et al., 1995).

Medicinal Actions:
Anticancer, Anticonvulsant, Anti-Inflammatory, Antirheumatic, Antimicrobial, Antirheumatic, Anxiolytic, Emollient, Venotonic, Vulnerary