16 Benefits of the Gotu Kola Herb | What Is Gotu Kola Used For?

Benefits of the Gotu Kola Herb | What Is Gotu Kola Used For?

What are the Benefits of the Gotu Kola Herb?

Here comes another unknown, or at least not well known product, to help you with maintaining or improving your health. So what is it, and what are the benefits of the gotu kola herb?

First off, what is gotu kola? It is called gotu kola, but I really don’t like the way that sounds. I would never tell you to go to cola, as it is very bad for you!

All nonsense aside, the real name for this herb is Centella Asiatica, and it is another of those products that has been around doing good things for thousands of years in India, China, and Indonesia. It also has several aliases such as Indian pennywort and marsh pennywort. Sounds like something out of Harry Potter to me.

What Is Gotu Kola Herb and What Is It Used For?

The gotu kola herb was used to heal wounds, improve mental clarity, and treat skin conditions such as leprosy and psoriasis. In China it was used to treat respiratory infections.

Also, historically it was used to treat syphilis, hepatitis, stomach ulcers, epilepsy, diarrhea, fever, and asthma. Today, in the US,
Canada, and Europe, it is used mostly for varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency, a condition where blood pools in the legs. They also use it as an ointment for psoriasis and to heal minor wounds.

As an aside, if you know of kola nut, it is not the same as what we are discussing here. Our product does not contain caffeine and is not used as a stimulant.

Gotu kola is a perennial plant, and a member of the parsley family, and has no taste or smell. It grows in and around water and it is the leaves and stems which have healing properties.

So let us delve into the healing qualities of this versatile plant.

Gotu Kola Herb Uses for (Healing)

First on the list is venous insufficiency, as mentioned above. When blood vessels lose their elasticity, blood pools in the legs and fluid leaks out of the blood vessels, causing the legs to swell. Gotu kola helps in the reduction of swelling and improves blood flow. Similarly those who suffer from varicose veins can use gotu kola to lessen the fluid leakage. In a similar vein, people like myself whose legs and ankles swell when flying can take this product prior to the flight and the problem will be considerably reduced.

Triterpenoids and Gotu Kola for Anxiety and Skin / Burns

Gotu kola has chemicals called triterpenoids which help to heal wounds. They strengthen the skin, boost antioxidants, and increase blood supply. Therefore it can be used topically for minor burns, psoriasis, preventing scars after surgery, and reducing stretch marks. It is an ingredient in many creams used for wound healing. One example is second degree burns. It helps to decrease the time it takes the burns to heal.

Triterpenoids can also be used to reduce anxiety. One study found that the use of gotu kola resulted in people being less likely to be startled by a new noise, which is a symptom of those suffering from anxiety.

Gotu Kola for Joint Pain (Scleroderma)

Scleroderma, for those who are unaware, is a terrible disease which is not well known and causes joint pain and skin hardening, among other symptoms. Very little is known of its cause or treatment. I am going to do an article for
this blog on scleroderma so stay tuned. It has recently been discovered that the use of gotu kola decreased joint pain and skin hardening and improved finger movement.

Gotu Kola for Hair Growth?

The gotu kola herb stimulates microcirculation, enabling more oxygen and nutrients to permeate the follicle, thereby fostering its growth. Gotu Kola can benefit hair growth taken orally, or applied topically to the scalp.

Some other things very good for hair growth are black seed oil and castor oil (together or separately–castor oil acts as a carrier for black seed oil, but itself can have somewhat heroic results for hair growth) and aloe vera for hair growth is known to have drawn praise from many a cakehole.

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Gotu Kola and Testosterone

Some men claim to have used gotu kola for testosterone boosting, to positive effect, as it seems to make muscle grow faster when working out, and help with certain dysfunctions. But the latter could be attributed to gotu kola’s helping to dilate blood vessels and increase blood circulation to the lower “extremities”.

Garlic is also known to help increase testosterone levels.

How to Take Gotu Kola

Gotu kola is available in teas, as dried herbs, as tinctures, capsules, and ointments. These should all be stored in a cool dry place and used before their expiration date. As a tea the leaves are dried and it is brewed from them. The usual dosage is three times per day. As a tincture take 30 to 60 drops three times per day.

(Possible) Dangers of Gotu Kola

Now for the precautions. Is gotu kola safe?

Firstly, Gotu Kola is not recommended for children under the age of eighteen. 

Secondly, it has the potential to be harmful to the liver so do not use it for more than six weeks without taking a two week break.

Thirdly, anyone with a history of precancerous or cancerous skin lesions should not use this product.

And lastly, people over the age of sixty-five should take a lower dose.

After all the research I have done, the jury seems to be still out about the use of this product for certain treatment and the consensus is that more studies are needed in some cases. Therefore I am going to list some of the published reviews and user ratings in the users’ own words:

Testimonies of the Benefits of the Gotu Kola Herb

1. “I gave my dad cups of Gotu Kola tea every day. It reversed his early dementia by two years….happier and less agitated and aggressive.”

2. “I suffer from a brain injury from a car accident. This stuff is awesome. Great focus and concentration. Seems to help with anxiety too.”

3. “I have been sedentary for several years, working long hours at a desk job and tending to be a couch potato at night and on weekends. I began taking Gotu Kola tea a month ago, putting a small teaspoon of the powdered form into a cup of boiling water. After a few days I decided to take up an old hobby, silk screening t -shirts. Soon I was replacing my old floorboards and it has progressed from there.”

4. “I am quadriplegic, but with limited use of my hands. I got the Gotu Kola for spasms but, much to my delight, it has been excellent for my UTI which had threatened my life, and for healing the pressure wounds I sit on daily. I LOVE this stuff.”

5. “I had varicose veins that were popping out of the back of my knees. I took Gotu Kola in pill form as directed and saw results in a week.”

Oh Yes, There Are More…

6. “I was diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency and the flares were horrific. I would experience severe pain 24/7 from the knee to below in one leg. When I am in a flare I cannot put any weight on that leg. It swells and is red, inflamed, and tender…..the skin around my ankles and lower legs becomes discoloured and almost black. I dealt with this for two years…….The first day I took Gotu Kola I could walk without my cane and the pain began to decrease. I am taking 425 mg capsules once a day or two times a day if necessary. I have been on it for five days now and am walking almost normally and off my pain medication.”

7. “I took this herb to relieve hip and leg pain after hip replacement surgery and noticed relief the same day significant enough that I take it daily for greater mobility.”

8. “I had TMJ and took GK for 3-6 months and my pain went away. Now it has been over ten years and it has not recurred. It also has helped with my wrist pain.”

 

Sounds pretty unanimous to me. I am convinced. I will keep watching for new studies but in the meantime it appears to be safe and helpful in a myriad of ways.

Gotu Kola Herb Capsules

Nature’s Way Gotu Kola Herb Capsules from PureFormulas

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“Stretch marks fading away!”

-Laura from Illinois on 3/14/2016

“I started taking Gotu Kola by Nature’s Way after I heard that it helps you reduce stretch marks and excess skin after weight loss. After a week I noticed my stretch marks start to fade away. And this is only one of its many benefits. I also take it due to poor circulation.”

“SPEEDY.”

–Elysia Brown from Wichita Falls TX on 10/16/2014

“I ordered Gotu Kola Herb by Nature’s Way with ease on PureFormulas.com, I even got free shipping! It came in the mail very fast…I would say my overall experience was wonderful. I will order from PureFormulas for all my needs from now on! …What is their not to like? Its an amazing product!”

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Points To Remember

As you can see, the benefits of the gotu kola herb are quite vast and powerful. The possible dangers of gotu kola taken by children, the elderly, and people with liver issues or cancerous (or precancerous) lesions should be strongly considered, but as we have shown, many happy people report very positive benefits of the gotu kola herb for a variety of ailments.

You’ll have to decide how to take gotu kola, whether in the form of tea, ointment, capsule, tincture, etc, depending on preference or what your condition calls for.

We hope you’ll consider trying gotu kola for hair loss, low testosterone, or one of the other lesser known issues mentioned that the gotu kola herb might help you with, should you suffer from any of them.

Thanks for stopping in, and please leave any thoughts or questions below. We read and reply to them all!

Cheers!

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