Gotu Kola has great healing benefits. It is also called a Tiger grass or Fungus. Benefits of this herb has been used by people for more than 3 thousand years due to the ability to exert a therapeutic effect in various inflammatory skin phenomena, as well as a sedative effect with increased excitability.
What is Gotu Kola?
This herb can be found in Asian countries; it is located in Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, South Africa. Usually grows near marshes or in ravines. It spreads on the ground and does not rise more than 5 cm above the ground. The grass is not very noticeable; it has a kidney-shaped leaf, the stem is weak, the flowers are small, with a yellow or reddish hue, on short pedicels.
Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica) - the most inconspicuous grass. But in the plant world, like people, the principle "appearance is deceptive" works, and the healing properties of this plant have been known for a very long time. It was believed that the use of Gotu Kola is the path to youth, beauty, good memory and intelligence and even life extension.
The name "Centella" comes from the Latin word - Centum (in translation – “a hundred”), this name illustrates the abundance of this herb. The word "Kola" means "leaf," and "Gotu" means the bell-shaped form of the plant.
History of Gotu Kola
People have always watched the animals. They noticed that wounded tigers were looking for places where the grass spread and rolled on it. As a result, the wounds tightened faster and did not start to decay. Perhaps, for this reason, the first name of Gotu Kola was "tiger grass."
Gotu Kola is highly revered in Africa, India and most of all in China. People have long noticed that elephants, which are famous as long-livers, often eat this plant. Therefore, the Indians began to use it for food, hoping to become more enduring and stable. There is a legend that in China, a man through the using this plant as food lived up to 250 years.
There are many legends in different countries, and a standard conclusion: if the grass had no any useful properties, it would not be actively used for such a long time.
What is Gotu Kola good for?
Gotu Kola has a reasonably rich composition. It is vitamin B, which has a relaxing effect, which has a positive impact on the nervous system. The plant contains vitamins A, E, K, phosphorus, serine, magnesium, as well as saponins, steroids, bioflavonoids, glutamic acid, various essential oils. The primary substance is triterpene saponins, which produce a neurotransmitter (acetylcholine), which positively affects the work of the nervous and immune system.
There are also many Gotu Kola juice benefits:
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- stimulation of mental activity, restoration of brain cells
- recovery of damaged tissues, rapid healing of wounds and tightening of sutures after surgery - this is provided by the flow of blood to the place of injury
- beneficial effects on blood vessels, especially with varicose veins
- getting rid of stress, depression, panic attacks
- normalization of the cardiovascular system, help with high blood pressure
- treatment and restoration of damaged hair
- getting rid of cellulite
- struggle with peptic ulcer of the stomach and even with oncological diseases
Women need to know that Gotu Kola extract, used in the form of tea or tincture, affects the production of collagen, which helps to stay young for a long time.
What are the side effects of Gotu Kola?
Side effects of Gotu Kola- it shouldn’t be use by the following categories of people:
- pregnant, planning pregnancy and lactating women;
- oncological patients;
- people with diabetes;
- people who have allergic to Goth Kola
When interacting with other medicines, Gotu Kola can cause drowsiness and fatigue, so you should be careful when driving a car or doing work that requires high concentration.
Doctors advise using this grass not for treatment, but more often for preventive purposes. According to experienced doctors, Gotu Kola improves both cerebral circulation and circulation of blood in the extremities.
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Source: Naija.ng