What is gotu kola?

Gotu kola, Centella asiatica or Hydrocotyle asiatica, depending on whether you’re a botanist, a pharmacist or just someone who likes to know the Latin names of things when they can’t remember their own phone number. Had you ever heard about it until now? Be honest with me here; I won’t judge.

In most parts of the world gotu kola doesn’t have a PR department pushing its benefits on TV ads like other plants do. It’s not as famous as kale either – and let’s be real here: kale has been overhyped for years – but there’s no reason for that.

Gotu kola deserves its five minutes in the spotlight because this plant has enough properties to make it relevant among others of its rank-And don’t get me started on how difficult is to pronounce phenylalanine without making mistakes along the way.

Where Did Gotu Kola Come From?

Let’s take our brains back in time (not literally). We’re going to India during one period where Ayurveda was practiced widely(smooth transition) around 3000 B.C! At this time, Indian people consumed herbs such as Ashwagandha and Turmeric daily(Do we need sources)?They were all striving towards an optimal balance between body and mind – which meant ‘Full Health’. Of course, there are plenty of medicinal practices that evolved organically long before formal studies were conducted into them (life wasn´t easier those days) but sometimes herbal wisdom produce results beyond expectations-and voilá-Gotu KOLA emerges from native soils!

Nowadays gotu kola grows pretty much everywhere across Asia-India especially , excluding exceptions like sandy beaches or Gobi Desert-like-dry places.

Chemical Composition

There are quite a few constituents in gotu kola leaves and stem, but the more relevant ones are triterpenoids, madecassoside, asiatic acid,and ash. If you haven’t heard of these compounds before reading just now , don’t worry – unless you’re a scientist or pharmacist feel free to appreciate Gotu KOLA’s essence without concerning ourselves with science jargon.

The practical benefit of this fascinating mix is that it’s an adaptogen – which means that it helps our body deal with stress (and let´s face it-stress can be everywhere ) as well as reduces inflammation / swelling when oral supplements are taken-and we’ll talk about preparation later on oh yeah-we’re not done yet.

What Are The Benefits Of Taking Gotu Kola?

Here comes the serious bit (but always funny)-Gotu kola has been used unsuccessfully for everything from destressing after work(because c’mon who doesn´t dream about an instant magic pill?!)to curing leprosy-Yikes!

However , there are some claims regarding its health benefits backed by scientific data:

1) Brainpower – Cognitive Performance

One study conducted in Australia showed mit attention enhancing effects among participants- younger adults owning outstanding results( you read right-mit=MIT that one engineering wizard made famous). Enhancing cognitive function also helped improve overall mood so start typing those downer people around you!                   

2) Reducing Anxiety Levels

Did I mention already GOTU COLA is a natural source of reducing anxiety levels? if bees lose their way around flowers your problems shouldn’t seem too daunting no matter what TEDtalk told you last night. A randomized clinical trial study found signs indicating improved anxiety symptoms in both elderly females/male adults using Centella Asiatica(you can say Latin names while impressing friends during dinner parties). Some other positive effects included better sleep quality-the one you’d like for a Monday (or any day really) morning.

3) Stimulating Collagen Production

Now here’s where things get interesting – gotu kola has ingredients that help increase collagen production.I’m not sure your grandma told you about collagen either(how rude of her), but basically, it makes up the structure of our skin and helps tighten/rejuvenate tissue. The triterpenoids in gotu kola also prevent damage caused by free radicals-molecules produced by various sources such as air pollution or UV rays- which can cause cell death.

Other benefits include:

4) Improving circulation – Studies suggest taking Gotu KOLA extract orally could enhance blood flow to lower limbs thus potentially helping varicose veins/getting oxygenated blood from around our body faster.

5) Wound healing – As I mentioned earlier-gotu kola decreases inflammation/swelling but why is this relevant? Because less swelling/faster recovery quicker wound-healing time mindblown

6) Joint Support- One study found out need source Gotu Kola can reduce joint stiffness/pain on case-report within adults suffering osteoarthritis-sometimes adding Karpuravalli made an incredible combo!

Are There Any Side Effects?

If something bad happened when we eat chocolate-we should all agree Earth would be doomed…anyway there are a few potential mild side effects with taking(supplementing) gotu kola-the one making most sense is that its interaction particularly both barbiturates & tranquilizers (,)No drinking wine while munching these species) ,It was reported that using diazepam( specific type of tranquilizer)- together with Centella Asiatica might lead to drowsiness even if too much caffeine intake sound tempting(gosh darn coffee machine smiling at me).

Some additional general warnings about ingesting (using?) Gotu kola include soothing the dose. Because it can behave as a sedative at times-drowsiness is often cited in studies applying high dosages-Gotu kola may cause gastrointestinal upset too(gas and that bathroom spot will become your best friend!) In most cases, a moderate or small dosage of Gotu KOLA should be enough to decrease any potential chances of side-effects-avoiding grass-fed-beef(funny sentence?).

Preparing Gotu Kola

While back ago preparing traditional elements for health purposes required specific rituals associated with indigenous communities – but nowadays gotu kola preparations can still offer multiple options:

1) Tea – Take some fresh leaves and boil them water! Ah perfect afternoon treat before work ain´t it?

2) Juice Mix: Combine fresh juice from fruits such as orange mango pineapple & ginger-squeeze out all those flavours!

3) Smoothies/Shakes/Bowls –

If you’re up for something creamier instead, try adding some ice cubes coconut water Greek yogurt frozen fruit like berries/oranges and tahini into the mix- Andouille sausage seems unnecessary unless you feel adventurous enough(I crossed this ’cause I wasn’t sure if this was funny or simply nonsense)

So what have we learned about gotu kola today? First off- it’s not just another leafy green;second-Avalon asked her mom on Christmas night: does Santa take baths because unlike getting soaking wet during showers-he lives ALL YEAR round in cold locations-so here ya go (keeping Easter Bunny thoughts to himself)! Most importantly though-it has proven neuroprotective effects when consumed orally/safety profile depending on prescribed medication. If there’s ever anything worth carrying around daily life(Besides bank ID)-might I suggest trying got(u) together (k)(o)L(a) once-either way-you’ll have a new favourite encapsulating your heart!

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