Steele Taylor
July 26, 2007
Botany 195
Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica)
www.ces.ncsu.edu
http://www.raysahelian.com/images/gotukola.gif
http://www.herbal-supplements-guide.com/gotu-kola-facts.html
Introduction and Historical Use:
Gotu Kola, or centella asiatica, is also referred to as Asian Pennywort. It is a member of the carrot and parsley (apiaceae). The leafy parts are considered medicinal and are often eaten raw in a salad. Although it readily grows wild as a groundcover, especially in drainage ditches and neglected areas, it is widely and successfully cultivated (1).
Gotu Kola has a rich history of use in Ayurvedic medicine; Lad and Frawley refer to it as “perhaps the most important rejuvenative herb in Ayurvedic medicine.” Folk and historical uses are mainly for the maintenance of intelligence, longevity, and memory. Yogis would typically chew the leaves, smoke the leaves, or drink a tisane from the leaves prior to and during meditation; it is purported to open the crown chakra and balance the hemispheres of the brain (2). Gotu Kola has also been used internally and externally for wound healing and the treatment of skin disorders, particularly eczema, psoriasis, leprosy, and syphilis (3).
A fascinating component of the history of the herb is the fact that it was regularly consumed by the Tai Chi and Daoist master Li Ching-Yuen. Yuen supposedly lived to be 256 years old, from 1677 to 1933. Among his many practices maintaining his longetivity, Yuen cited regular consumption of Gotu Kola as one of the most important. In response to this the English government established a research foundation in Ceylon and the French government established a research laboratory in Algeria for the purposes of Gotu Kola research (4).
Because Gotu Kola appears to impact circulatory and connective tissues the most profoundly, the best uses appear to be for arthritis, bedsores, burns, keloids, scleroderma, stretch marks, ulcers, and wounds (herbal handbook). However the most promising and best documented use appears to be for chronic venous insufficiency. Gotu Kola can also be found as an ingredient in a plethora of shampoos, conditioners, lotions, ointments, and creams (5).
Chemical Composition and Active Constituents:
The active constituents in Gotu Kola, making up approximately 1-8% of the chemical constituents, are a group of triterpenes that include asiatic acid, madecassic acid, asiatocoside, asiatocoside A, and asiatocoside B (5)
Gotu Kola is also rich in vitamins and minerals, especially potassium, calcium, and niacin (5).
Pharmacodynamics:
Gotu Kola triterpenes, or the total triterpenic fraction of Centella asiatica (TTFCA) have a good bioavailability at approximately 30 to 50%, and peak plasma levels occur 2 to 4 hours after ingestion. Within 24 to 76 hours these constituents are eliminated primarily in the feces and to some degree in the urine (5).
Medicinal Uses and Pharmacological Actions:
Numerous studies have been performed on TTFCA, especially on asiatocoside, documenting a stimulatory effect on the proliferation and secretory activity of fibroblasts during wound healing. TTFCA may also enhance the levels of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, vitamin E, and ascorbic acid at the site of wounds (5). Synthesis of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate may also be stimulated by TTFCA.
Curiously, however, TTFCA apparently helps to alleviate symptoms of scleroderma, which is a disorder involving the inappropriate and excess depositing of collagen into various tissues. Gotu Kola must somehow then normalize the activity of fibroblasts.
TTFCA helps to stabilize arterial plaque formation and decrease venous congestion. Individuals with venous insufficiency and deep vein thrombosis experience reduction in venous pressure, venous distensibility, and venous congestion. Apparently the mechanism of action involves stimulation of the collagen remodeling by fibroblasts to improve the integrity of the vascular wall (7). Only Horse Chestnut (Aesculushippocastanum L.) receives a higher grade for treatment of chronic venous insufficiency than Gotu Kola in the Natural Standard database (5).
TTFCA may also help to treat Alzheimer’s by preventing apoptosis due to hydrogen peroxide and other free radical damage, as well as from exposure to amyloid plaques (5). Perhaps it is these mechanisms in addition to the maintenance of microcirculation that are responsible for the historical use of Gotu Kola as a nerve and longetivity tonic.
Standardizations and Preparations:
No standardization exists for Gotu Kola despite the fact that TTFCA is generally recognized as the active component. It is not clear the extent to which TTFCA is available raw or in a tea. Various extract products do exist, including Centasium®, Centalase®, Centellase®, Blasteostimulina®, Trofolastin®, and Emdecassol®. Information on the manufacturing of these extracts was not available; it is assumed that the content of TTFCA must vary. Information on the TTFCA content in a Gotu Kola in an infusion of the dried leaves is also not available; a therapeutic dose has not been established.
Side Effects, Toxicity, and Drug Interactions:
Gotu Kola appears to have a low toxicity and allergenicity. However, asiatocoside may be a weak carcinogen. Some individuals may experience contact dermatitis (5).
Adverse effects are minimal even at high doses over a long duration. Nausea, gastric irritation, and sedation may be experienced. Ultra-high doses may produce hyperglycemia and increase cholesterol levels; however this caution is based on animal experiments (5).
Gotu Kola may potentiate sedative herbs and drugs and counteract hypoglycemic and lipid lowering drugs (5).
Conclusions:
Gotu Kola is awesome!
Resources
1. Botanical.com Gotu Kola Profile. 2007. Accessed July 26, 2007 at http://botanical.com/products/learn/gotukola.html
2. Lad V and Frawley D. The Yoga of Herbs. (pp 170-172) Lotus Press. Santa Fe: 1986.
3. Duke JA. The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook. (pp 119-120) Rodale Reach: 2000.
4. Author Unknown Li Ching-Yuen. Date Unknown. Accessed July 26, 2007 at http://www.zubeco.com/gotukola/lichingyuen.html
5. Basch E , Basch S, Boon H, Collins C, Giese N, Hammerness P, Hashmi S, Kerbel B, Ulbricht C, Vora M, and Weissner W: Gotu kola (Centella asiatica Linn.) and Total Triterpenic Fraction of Centella asiatica (TTFCA). 2007. Accessed July 26, 2007 at http://www.naturalstandard.com/naturalstandard/monographs/monoframeset.asp?monograph=/monographs/herbssupplements/aux3-gotukola.asp&patientVersion=/monographs/herbssupplements/patient-gotukola.asp
6. Lu L, Ying K, Wei S, Fang Y, Liu Y, Lin H, Ma L, and Mao Y(2004) Asiaticoside induction for cell-cycle progression, proliferation and collagen synthesis in human dermal fibroblasts International Journal of Dermatology 43 (11), 801–807. Accessed July 26, 2007 at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-4632.2004.02047.x?cookieSet=1
7. Incandela L, Cesarone MR, Cacchio M, De Sanctis MT, Santavenere C, D'Auro MG, Bucci M, Belcaro G. (2001) Total triterpenic fraction of Centella asiatica in chronic venous insufficiency and in high-perfusion microangiopathy. Angiology. 2001 Oct;52 Suppl 2:S9-13 Accessed July 26, 2007 at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=11666128&ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum