• Increases cognitive ability
• Reduces stress and increases quality of life for people with nervous disorders such as epilepsy or premature aging
• Helps prevent anxiety attacks
• Boosts the libido and helps both sexes stay sexually active by providing plenty of blood to the sex organs
• Speeds wound healing
• Improves skin health and reduces scars, wrinkles and blemishes
• Relieves gastric ulcers, kills bacteria and soothes pain
• Aids in the detoxification process

Cardiovascular Benefits

Gotu kola is perhaps the ultimate artery and vein health herb. It offers many health benefits, but specializes in rebuilding the connective tissue in blood vessel walls, which is perhaps the most important part of the vessel.

Your veins are different than arteries in that they carry the blood back to the heart after it passes through your cells. Like when you let off the gas in your car and it is no longer being forced down the road by the engine, blood that passes through your cells is no longer under pressure from your pumping heart. The cells interrupt that force. Veins are strictly a low-pressure tunnel for your blood to travel in. The blood is now moved by small contractions of muscles along the vein (which is one reason exercise is good for you).

Because the pressure moving the blood in veins is low-pressure, damaged, blocked veins can be a serious issue. There isn’t enough pressure to force the blood past even small blockages. Blood can pool, and the results are things like varicose veins. This condition is called venous hypertension.

If the capillaries are leaking, the condition is called microangiopathy, which means “small vessel disease.” Diabetics often get a form of this disease that is aptly named diabetic microangiopathy. In this case there is ulceration of the skin at the affected areas.

Gotu kola is a well-documented and accepted treatment for both vein and artery diseases, recognized by many health professionals as the most effective treatment available.

In 2001 the publication Angiology published an entire issue dedicated to Gotu kola. It reported on ten separate studies documenting the power of Gotu kola. The issue was Volume 52, Supplement 2, October 2001. It is entitled “Centella asiatica in Vascular Diseases: New Clinical Applications in Venous, Microcirculatory, and Arterial Diseases.”

Scientists verified Gotu kola’s ability to clear the vessels of damage, plaque, and oxidized oil build-up, stopping artery disease and increasing blood flow. Gotu kola regulates blood pressure and reduces the strain on the cardiovascular system. It lengthens the life-cycle of the heart and protects the brain from stroke and DNA damage. Research has confirmed its ability to decrease the instance of many diseases, including congestive heart failure.

Cognitive  Support

Researchers believe it is the ability of gotu kola to improve the circulatory system that makes it a powerful cognition supplement. Because it improves the entire circulatory system, it provides more oxygen and nutrients to the brain, and helps carry away toxic wastes. In addition, gotu kola’s antioxidant properties stimulate the neural pathways by eliminating free radicals and plaque in the brain. There is evidence that gotu kola slows the advance of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

In a study at the Universitas Gadjah Mada, Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, scientists compared Gotu kola’s ability to improve cognitive ability in stroke patients with that of folic acid (vitamin B9). Gotu cola was as effective as folic acid at improving vascular cognitive impairment and superior at improving memory.

Researchers have also shown that gotu cola enhances cognition and learning ability in normal people.
Another interesting study at the Institute for Personalized Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China, showed that constituents of Gotu cola induce neuronal stem cells to differentiate into new brain cells.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety

At the same time, Gotu kola’s strong antioxidants protect neural DNA and reduce the damage stress can cause. Several studies have documented a positive effect for a wide range of anxiety disorders. In one study it reduced both the frequency and severity of anxiety attacks in a group of subjects who all suffered from general anxiety disorder.

Asiatic acid, a component of Gotu cola has been studied many times for its ability to prevent DNA and mitochondrial damage due to stress and anxiety. It has been found to alleviate damage caused by hydrogen peroxide and other reactive oxygen species.

It has also been shown to reduce cell damage due to chronic inflammation, another form of cellular stress.

Boosts the Libido

Anyone older than fifty-years-of-age knows that as we get older our fascination with the opposite sex seems to wane a little. Most of us probably understand that this can be the result of several biological factors.

Probably the most common causes are reduced blood flow to the sex organs and reduced hormone levels. Gotu kola’s ability to improve blood flow is a matter of record. It increases sensitivity, improves erection, and helps to balance hormones.

Digestive Tract Relief

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of gotu kola leaves have, for thousands of years, been responsible for the treatment of stomach ulcers and severe pain in the digestive tract. The leaves are still being used for this, and there is solid evidence that they work.

For example, a study at The University of Hong Kong in China determined that Gotu kola promoted epithelial cell (cells that line the interior of the stomach and intestines) proliferation and angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). It also upregulated fibroblast (stem cell) growth factor, which is required for angiogenesis. These results indicate not just protection, but healing activity.

Researchers at the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India found that Gotu Kola increased the cellular mucus. They postulated that the ulcer protective effect of Gotu kola “may be due to strengthening of the mucosal defensive factors.”

Increased mucus would also explain Gotu kola’s digestive tract pain-relieving qualities.

Finally, while I found little scientific evidence, Gotu kola has been used as an antimicrobial for centuries. Like many plants, it kills a selection of bugs, including those that cause stomach problems. This is a particularly hard area to research because scientists can only try it on one bug or family of bugs at a time, and there are thousands. For this reason, only the natural antimicrobials with a wide spectrum (kill lots of different bugs), like garlic or oregano oil, get noticed.

Wound Healing

Gotu kola’s saponins and other compounds are known to stimulate wound healing. Its antimicrobial properties help prevent infections, and its ability to increase blood flow to the wound site helps get rid of dead cells and invaders and provides oxygen and nutrients to the healing cells.

Scientists at the College of Pharmacy in Mysore, India found Gotu kola stimulates collagen synthesis. It increases the tensile strength of newly formed skin and inhibits the inflammatory process in wounds.
The same saponins help the skin stay healthy. They improve the appearance of the skin, inhibit scarring, and reduce blemishes. Gotu kola is often used after surgery or serious injury to protect the healing skin. This anti-aging ability of the antioxidants in gotu kola is one reason for its increasing popularity.

Detoxification

Actually, all adaptogens aid in detoxification because of their antioxidant properties and because they balance the hormones and other bodily systems, creating a healthier body with better detox abilities.

I was unable to find specific documentation for Gotu kola’s detox benefits, even though many knowledgeable and trust-worthy natural health practitioners claim that it has them.

Dosage

Combined with vitamins D3 and K2, and the herb arjuna, you create almost perfect cardiovascular protection. It is also an adaptogen, so it offers protection against stress-caused cellular damage.
For blood vessel health, take a concentrate that offers 30 to 60 mg total saponins three times daily.

The concentrate used most often is called TTFCA. It contains the most active constituents of Gotu kola. Dosage ranges between 120 to 180 mg daily, taken in 60 mg capsules two or three times a day.

For cognitive and adaptogenic benefits, a full spectrum extract seems to work best. Suggested dosages: 500 to 750 mg daily.

Warnings and Side Effects

In my research, I found evidence that Gotu kola caused liver disease in three women and a child. If you have liver disease or are at risk of liver disease do not take Gotu kola.

Pregnant women shouldn’t take Gotu kola orally. They may use it applied to the skin topically. Nursing women shouldn’t use Gotu kola because it hasn’t been tested in nursing women or infants.

Gotu-kola may cause liver damage in people who already have liver diseases like hepatitis or fatty liver disease.

Stop using Gotu kola at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

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