Gotu kola is a small creeping perennial herbal plant that flourishes in wet, rich humus soil, as well as the sandy and clay soils of Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China, Eastern Europe, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.

In Malaysia, China, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, the plant is commonly eaten as a vegetable. In Thailand, gotu kola is also used to make a cooling infusion that can be consumed.

Gotu kola has also been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in Malaysia, Indonesia, and India for the past 5,000 years, mainly as a brain tonic. Ayurveda, which means “life knowledge,” is a medical practice that is directed at developing a knowledge for healthy living, rather than just treating diseases.

This extract is central to Ayurvedic medicine because it has properties for not just treating diseases, but also preventing a great many damaging conditions.

Gotu kola may even help extend a healthy life. The plant has many names, depending on the country of its origin. What Americans know as gotu kola is referred to in various countries as Asian pennywort, Indian pennywort, pegaga, and kaki. Its scientific name is Centella asiatica.

The main beneficial components of gotu kola include a group of compounds called triterpenoid saponins, which include asiatic acid, madecassoside, and madasiatic acid. These compounds play a major role in wound healing. Gotu kola also contains brahmoside and brahminoside — compounds that are believed to be responsible for the extract’s brain-protective benefits.

Other compounds found in gotu kola include:

• Thankuside

• Isothankuside

• Centelloside

• Centric acid

• Ceneicaid

• Quercetin

• Apigenin

• Kaempferol

• Catechin

• Rutin

• Naringin

The plant is also very high in vitamin C and is a rich source of potassium, calcium, iron, vitamin B1, carotenes, and vitamin A.

Its active components are somewhat sensitive to heat, with a loss of 11 percent to 17 percent of full activity when they are heated. Therefore, gotu kola as a hot tea would be less effective than capsules or a cool drink containing the extract. Juices that are pasteurized or sterilized will also be less active.

The concentration of the particular active ingredients also varies depending on how the plant is grown. The leaves contain the most effective compounds for health.

While increasing alertness, concentration, and cognitive ability, gotu kola is not a brain stimulant like caffeine. In fact, when taken at night it can act as a sedative.