Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is a herbaceous plant from the humid tropics of South and Southeast Asia. Botanically it belongs to the umbellifers, making it a relative of carrot, parsley and celery – which you would never guess from looking at it. It has long been used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese practice, and in the cooking of Sri Lanka and Thailand the leaves still go into salads and broths today.
Where the name tiger grass comes from
The story goes that injured tigers would roll in stands of the plant. There is no evidence for it, but the name has stuck – and so have the abbreviations: in the cosmetics trade «cica», short for Centella asiatica, now appears on countless creams and serums.
The plant
Gotu kola creeps along riverbanks, rice paddies and damp verges; it puts out runners like a strawberry and spreads across mats. What is used is the aerial herb with its round, slightly kidney-shaped leaves. It is harvested several times a year; dried and milled, it yields a green powder.
What is in it
Characteristic of Centella asiatica are its triterpenes – above all asiaticoside and madecassoside, together with the corresponding asiatic and madecassic acids. Standardised extracts, of the kind used in cosmetics, are set to their content. A milled leaf powder is a different thing from such an extract: closer to the original food, but not concentrated on a single compound.
Our gotu kola
The Organic Gotu Kola in capsules contains milled leaf powder from certified organic cultivation in a plant-based HPMC shell, without fillers or anti-caking agents. More plants of this kind are listed under Medicinal Plants.
Related reading
Gotu kola is frequently counted among the adaptogens – what that term means and where it comes from is set out in Adaptogens: where the term comes from. Why the capsule shell is made of HPMC rather than gelatine is explained in The HPMC capsule.
Note
Gotu kola is traditionally used in courses rather than continuously over months. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, and the stated daily intake should not be exceeded. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have liver disease or another pre-existing condition, or take medication, seek medical advice before use.
