Gotukola 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Gotukola  100 g ($12.99), 50 g ($8.99), 25 g ($6.99)

Benefits:
Gotu kola has been used for thousands of years in ayurvedic medicine to revitalize the nerves and brain cells and to treat leprosy, skin ulcers, and other skin problems. Research shows that it has anti-inflammatory effects that help with rheumatism, and it improves the flow of blood throughout the body by strengthening the veins and capillaries. One of its active ingredients, asiaticoside, works to stimulate skin repair and to strengthen skin, hair, nails, and connective tissue. Chinese medicine uses gotu kola for dysentery, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice, kidney stones, and scabies. Homeopathic remedies include those for skin diseases associated with itching and swelling and for uterine inflammation.

• Cognition. Gotu kola may help with general mental ability. It is likely that the herb protects the blood vessels supplying oxygen to the brain, which normalizes the brain’s use of oxygen. Gotu kola also has a reputation for improving memory and concentration. A study conducted in 1992 recorded that memory retention in rats treated with gotu kola was three to sixty times better than that in control animals. Preliminary results in one clinical trial with developmentally disabled children showed that treatment with gotu kola increased scores on tests of intellectual achievement. In one study, children with educable mental retardation showed improvement after six months in several tests of intelligence.
• Swollen Ankles And Varicose Veins. Asiaticoside, a component of gotu kola, stabilizes the connective tissue that surrounds the veins of the legs. One study showed that people who just had a vein irritation (post-phlebitis) and were taking gotu kola had improved blood flow and reduced their chance of developing severe vascular disease. While gotu kola significantly improved symptoms of varicose veins, particularly the discomfort, tiredness, and swelling, it did not reduce the unsightliness of veins that were already badly damaged.
• Wounds, Scarring, And Periodontal Disease. Many herbal practitioners and physicians report that gotu kola stimulates the regeneration of skin cells and underlying connective tissue. Asiaticoside, in gotu kola, has a beneficial effect on collagen and inhibits its excessive production in scar formation. Studies have reported that gotu kola accelerates the healing of burns and skin grafts and minimizes scarring. Gotu kola cream helps relieve the painful scaly red welts of psoriasis. In one study, when gotu kola was combined with Punica granatum (pomegranate), participants’ periodontal disease was significantly improved—less bleeding and less gingival disease—after three months.

Recommended Use
Gotu kola is available in liposome tablets or tinctures, as well as in topical creams. Although gotu kola causes changes on a cellular level in forty-eight to seventy-two hours, clinical studies show that the body does not accumulate a maximum level of asiatic acid, the chief active ingredient, until the herb has been taken for at least three weeks.

Gotu kola should be avoided by women who are pregnant or who are trying to become pregnant, as well as by nursing mothers. It may interfere with oral medications for diabetes such as glipizide (Glucotrol) and tolbutamide (Orinase). Since it may raise cholesterol levels, it should be avoided by people with “borderline” high cholesterol and by anyone taking cholesterol-lowering medications or niacin. You should not use it if you take tranquilizers or sedatives, since it may have a narcotic effect. It should not be given to a child under the age of two. Taken orally in recommended doses, gotu kola appears to be nontoxic. It seldom causes any side effects other than an occasional allergic skin rash. However, there are some concerns that it may be carcinogenic if applied topically to the skin.

Botanical Name. Centella asiatica
English: Gotukola, Brahmi
Also, known as: Manimuni, Marsh Pepperwort, Matoyahuho, Matoyahuhu, Mrang-khua, mtwigahuwu, Pa-na-e-khaa-doh, Phác chèn, Phaknok, Phalwaen, Rau má, Saraswathiaaku, Takyp-kohol, Thalkuri, Thankuni , Thol-kuri, Tilkushi, Titjari, Tono itahi, Tsubo-kusa, Tungchian, Vallari, Vallarei, Vitovitolenge, Water pennywort, Waternavel, Yahon-yahon, Yerba de chavos, Artaniyae-hindi, Asiatic pennywort, Barmanimuni, Barmi, Bhtam but , Boabok, Bodila-ba-dinku, Bokkudu, Brahma manduki, Brahmi ghi, Brahmi-butı, Brahmi, Bua bok, Bua-bok, Centella, Chhota mani-muni, Chi-hsueh-ts ao, Ghi brahmi, Ghod tapre, Ghodtapre, Ghortapre, Gotu kola, Gotukola, Herba pegagan, frerba kakikuda, Hydrocotyle, Hydrocotyle asiatique, Idrocotile, Imsen korokla, Indian pennywort, Indian water navelwort, Indischer Wassernabel, Karinga, Karivana, Kudangal, luei gong, mandoka genus, Mandoka parni, Mandukaparni, Mandukparni, Wassernabel, Hydrocotile, Ondelaga, Brahmi soppu, Khodabrahmi, Khadbhrammi, Jholkhuri, Kodangal, Saraswati Aku
Origin: India
Harvested: Wild
Parts Used: Leaves

General Information:
There so many important herbs known as Brahmi. The herb is known as “Brahmi” in the Indian subcontinent and Gotu kola in the western world. Bacopa monnieri is called Brahmi in South India, and Centella Asiatica is called Brahmi (or Gotu Kola) in the north of India, where it more commonly grows. Gotukola mostly found in fields and other waste places throughout India up to an altitude of 600 meters It is also cosmopolitan in its natural distribution and grows along damp shady streams, in ponds, particularly on the marshy land, along the river banks and in irrigated fields. Gotukola is also cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Madagascar, and South Africa, Kenya, and Hawaii

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.