Gotu Kola, Wildcrafted, Cut and Sifted, sold by the gram
Centella asiatica Gotu kola has been used to treat many conditions for thousands of years in India, China, and Indonesia. It was used to heal #wounds, improve #mental #clarity, and treat #skin conditions such as #leprosy and #psoriasis. People use it to treat #respiratory infections, such as #colds.
It has been called "the fountain of life" because legend has it that an ancient Chinese herbalist lived for more than 200 years as a result of taking gotu kola.
Historically, gotu kola has also been used to treat #syphilis, #hepatitis, #stomach #ulcers, mental #fatigue, #epilepsy, #diarrhea, #fever, and #asthma. Today, in the U.S. and Europe gotu kola is most often used to treat #varicose #veins and chronic venous insufficiency, a condition where blood pools in the legs. It is also used in ointments to treat psoriasis and help heal minor #wounds.
Photo thanks to Ushani Thennakoon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Gotu kola is not the same as kola nut Cola nitida. Unlike kola nut, gotu kola does not have caffeine, and is not a stimulant.