Plant Profile

Gotu Kola

Compiled by the Omnia Sana editorial team from the plant database ·Last updated August 14, 2026
Centella asiatica
Family: Apiaceae  ·  Parts used: Aerial parts (leaf and herb)  ·  Also known as: Indian pennywort, Brahmi, Asiatic pennywort

Common names in 15 European languages →

The complete database record: 2 documented constituents, 7 pharmacological actions, 15 traditional / indicated uses, with 20 cited sources.

Botanical Description

Low, creeping perennial herb rooting at the nodes along slender, prostrate stems. The leaves are long-stalked, rounded to kidney- or fan-shaped, with a gently scalloped (crenate) margin, arising in small clusters at each node. Tiny, pinkish-white flowers are borne in small, inconspicuous clusters hidden near the base of the leaf stalks, close to the ground.[12]

Height: 5-20 cm (creeping/prostrate)
Habit: Low, creeping, mat-forming perennial herb
Leaves: Long-stalked, rounded/kidney-shaped, scalloped margin, hairless
Flowers: Tiny, pinkish-white, in small inconspicuous clusters near the base of the leaf stalks
Stem: Slender, prostrate, rooting at the nodes
Root: Fine roots at each node
Fruit: Small, flattened, ridged schizocarp
Flowering Period: Year-round in favourable climates

Habitat & Distribution

Grows in damp, shaded ground, lawns, ditches and wetland margins throughout tropical and subtropical Asia (China, India, Southeast Asia) and parts of Africa, Australia and the Pacific.[12]

Harvesting

The aerial parts (leaves and trailing stems) are harvested during active growth, cut a short distance above the soil to allow regrowth, and used fresh or dried.

Parts: Aerial parts (leaf and herb)
Season: During active growth (warm season)

Key Constituents

Pentacyclic triterpenoid glycosides (asiaticoside, madecassoside) and their aglycones (asiatic and madecassic acid)[12]

The marker compounds and principal actives for wound healing, vascular and neuroprotective effects.

Glycosides
Flavonoids and essential oil[12]

Antioxidant and aromatic supporting constituents.

Essential (volatile) oilFlavonoids

Pharmacological Actions

Anti-inflammatory[2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 15]

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant; supports inflammatory skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, ulcers)

Anti-oedematous (reduces swelling)[9, 15, 16, 17]

Improves venous tone and microcirculation - supports chronic venous insufficiency / varicose veins and reduces leg swelling

Antioxidant[7, 11, 12, 15]

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant; supports inflammatory skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, ulcers)

Anxiolytic / calming[12]

Anxiolytic / calming (anxiety)

Neuroprotective / cognition support[8, 10, 12]

Cognitive and memory support; neuroprotective

Venotonic / vasoprotective[9, 15, 16, 17]

Improves venous tone and microcirculation - supports chronic venous insufficiency / varicose veins and reduces leg swelling

Vulnerary (wound healing)[1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 15]

Wound healing and scar/collagen support (stimulates collagen synthesis and tissue repair)

Traditional & Indicated Uses

Anxiety[12]Preliminary · 1/10

Anxiolytic / calming (anxiety)

Evidence: 1
Label: Anxiety

more plants for anxiety →detailed sources →

Arthritis / joint pain[12, 15]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

Evidence: 2
Label: Arthritis / joint pain

more plants for arthritis / joint pain →detailed sources →

Bruising[12, 15]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from vulnerary action

Evidence: 2
Label: Bruising

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Cognitive function[18]Good · 7/10

Improves alertness and mood (raises alertness, reduces anger); a meta-analysis found no significant improvement in specific cognitive-function domains versus placebo

Evidence: 7
Label: Cognitive function

more plants for cognitive function →detailed sources →

Eczema[12, 15]Preliminary · 2/10

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant; supports inflammatory skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, ulcers)

Evidence: 2
Label: Eczema

more plants for eczema →detailed sources →

Haemorrhoids[15, 16, 17]Good · 8/10

inferred from venotonic action

Evidence: 8
Label: Haemorrhoids

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Inflammation (general)[12, 15]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

Evidence: 2
Label: Inflammation (general)

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Memory[12]Preliminary · 1/10

Cognitive and memory support; neuroprotective

Evidence: 1
Label: Memory

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Nervous tension[12]Preliminary · 1/10

inferred from anxiolytic action

Evidence: 1
Label: Nervous tension

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Psoriasis[12, 15]Preliminary · 2/10

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant; supports inflammatory skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, ulcers)

Evidence: 2
Label: Psoriasis

more plants for psoriasis →detailed sources →

Skin irritation[12, 15]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

Evidence: 2
Label: Skin irritation

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Stress[12]Preliminary · 1/10

inferred from anxiolytic action

Evidence: 1
Label: Stress

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Swelling / fluid retention[15, 16, 17]Good · 8/10

Improves venous tone and microcirculation - supports chronic venous insufficiency / varicose veins and reduces leg swelling

Evidence: 8
Label: Swelling / fluid retention

more plants for swelling / fluid retention →detailed sources →

Varicose veins[15, 16, 17]Good · 8/10

Improves venous tone and microcirculation - supports chronic venous insufficiency / varicose veins and reduces leg swelling

Evidence: 8
Label: Varicose veins

more plants for varicose veins →detailed sources →

Wounds[12, 15]Preliminary · 2/10

inferred from vulnerary action

Evidence: 2
Label: Wounds

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Traditional Use & History

Gotu kola is a cornerstone herb of Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine, valued as a 'rasayana' (rejuvenating) tonic for skin healing, memory and mental clarity, and calming the mind; it has a particularly strong traditional and modern reputation for wound healing and connective-tissue/vascular support, reflected in its widespread use for scars, minor wounds and varicose veins.[12]

Preparations

Standardised extract[12]

Extract titrated to triterpenoid (asiaticoside/madecassoside) content, taken orally as capsules/tablets for venous and cognitive support, or applied topically for wound and scar care.

Topical cream/ointment[12]

Standardised extract or fresh leaf preparation applied topically to wounds, scars and inflamed skin.

Dosage

Standardised oral extract[12]

Clinical studies commonly use extracts providing around 60-180 mg total triterpenoids daily, in divided doses. Educational reference only, not a prescription.

Topical preparations[14]

The EU herbal monograph on Centella asiatica herba is for CUTANEOUS USE ONLY and gives, for adults and elderly, a single dose of 0.6 g of the comminuted herb infused in a small amount of boiling water, the still-warm infusion applied as an impregnated dressing 3 times daily (daily dose 1.8 g); or 0.6 g of the powdered herb applied to the affected area 3 times daily. Not to be used for more than 1 week, and not recommended under 18 years. The monograph gives no oral posology - see the separate standardised-extract entry. Educational reference only, not a prescription.

Safety, Cautions & Contraindications

Safety note[12]Info

Generally well tolerated topically and orally; it can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis and, rarely, reversible elevation of liver enzymes with prolonged high oral doses.

Safety note[12]Caution

May add to the effect of sedatives; use caution with other liver-affecting medicines. Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established, so avoid medicinal doses.

Dangerous Lookalikes

Ranunculus Repens[19, 20]Irritant
Confused Part: Leaves foraged at ground level - the long-stalked basal leaves growing in damp lawn, ditch and wetland turf.
Confusion Context: This is a habitat-and-silhouette confusion rather than a documented mass poisoning. Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) is one of the commonest low creeping herbs of the same damp lawns, ditches and wet ground where gotu kola is gathered, and at a glance its long-stalked, rounded, lobed, scallop-edged basal leaves read like the rounded scalloped leaves of gotu kola. No case series of gotu-kola-to-buttercup poisoning is on record, and the far more common gotu kola confusions (marsh pennywort Hydrocotyle, kidney weed Dichondra, brahmi Bacopa) are non-toxic wrong-plant errors rather than hazards. Creeping buttercup is singled out here because it is the one genuinely irritant plant sharing gotu kola's silhouette and habitat: its fresh sap contains protoanemonin, which causes contact dermatitis, blistering and burning irritation of the mouth and gut. The hazard is real but self-limiting - protoanemonin is destroyed on drying and the acrid, blistering taste discourages swallowing any quantity.
Distinguishing Features: Leaf division (decisive): gotu kola has ONE undivided, rounded/kidney/fan-shaped blade per stalk with a scalloped (crenate) margin. Creeping buttercup's basal leaves are DIVIDED into THREE separate stalked leaflets, each lobed and toothed. Count the leaflets: one undivided blade = gotu kola; three separate leaflets = buttercup., Hairiness: gotu kola leaves and creeping stems are essentially smooth and hairless; creeping buttercup stems and leaves are finely HAIRY., Flower: creeping buttercup bears the unmistakable glossy five-petalled yellow buttercup flower on an upright stalk. Gotu kola's flowers are tiny, pinkish-white and hidden at the leaf bases near the ground. Any bright yellow buttercup flower rules out gotu kola outright.
Key Test: Look at a single leaf on its stalk: gotu kola is ONE rounded, scalloped, hairless blade; creeping buttercup is THREE separate lobed, toothed, hairy leaflets. Three leaflets - or any glossy yellow buttercup flower - means it is not gotu kola; do not eat it.
Reviewed By: Omnia Sana (owner-authorized)
Reviewed Date: 2026-07-07

Harvest Readiness

[13]

Part: aerial-parts
Signals: Gather the leafy aerial parts (the creeping leaf-and-stolon mats) at any time during active growth in the warm season; use fresh or dried., SAFETY: gotu kola's rounded leaves can be confused with creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens); confirm identity before gathering - see this plant's Dangerous Lookalikes.
Basis: traditional
Source Quote: The plant can be harvested at any time of the year and is used fresh or dried
Species Confirmed: 1
Notes: Useful Temperate Plants (REF-3227) for Centella asiatica; 'whole plants are generally harvested at any suitable time of the year' during active growth. Single source -> provisional.

External Identifiers

GBIF ›Wikidata ›

References & Sources

  1. Bylka, W., Znajdek-Awizen, P., Studzinska-Sroka, E., Danczak-Pazdrowska, A. and Brzezinska, M (2014) 'Centella asiatica in dermatology: an overview', Phytotherapy Research, 28(8), pp. 1117-1124. doi:10.1002/ptr.5110 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.5110
  2. Bylka, W., Znajdek-Awizen, P., Studzinska-Sroka, E. and Brzezinska, M (2013) 'Centella asiatica in cosmetology', Postepy Dermatologii i Alergologii, 30(1), pp. 46-49. doi:10.5114/pdia.2013.33378 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.5114/pdia.2013.33378
  3. Park, K.S (2021) 'Pharmacological effects of Centella asiatica on skin diseases: evidence and possible mechanisms', Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2021, pp. 5462633. doi:10.1155/2021/5462633 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5462633
  4. Diniz, L.R.L., Calado, L.L., Duarte, A.B.S. and de Sousa, D.P (2023) 'Centella asiatica and its metabolite asiatic acid: wound healing effects and therapeutic potential', Metabolites, 13(2), pp. 276. doi:10.3390/metabo13020276 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13020276
  5. Arribas-Lopez, E., Zand, N., Ojo, O., Snowden, M.J. and Kochhar, T (2022) 'A systematic review of the effect of Centella asiatica on wound healing', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), pp. 3266. doi:10.3390/ijerph19063266 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063266
  6. Lin, P., Shi, H., Lu, Y. and Lin, J (2023) 'Centella asiatica alleviates psoriasis through JAK/STAT3-mediated inflammation: an in vitro and in vivo study', Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 317, pp. 116746. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2023.116746 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2023.116746
  7. Ratz-Lyko, A., Arct, J. and Pytkowska, K (2016) 'Moisturizing and antiinflammatory properties of cosmetic formulations containing Centella asiatica extract', Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 78(1), pp. 27-33. doi:10.4103/0250-474x.180247 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.4103/0250-474x.180247
  8. Sun, B., Wu, L., Wu, Y., Zhang, C., Qin, L., Hayashi, M., Kudo, M., Gao, M. and Liu, T (2020) 'Therapeutic potential of Centella asiatica and its triterpenes: a review', Frontiers in Pharmacology, 11, pp. 568032. doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.568032 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.568032
  9. Razali, N.N.M., Ng, C.T. and Fong, L.Y (2019) 'Cardiovascular protective effects of Centella asiatica and its triterpenes: a review', Planta Medica, 85(16), pp. 1203-1215. doi:10.1055/a-1008-6138 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1008-6138
  10. Sharma, R., Banerjee, S. and Sharma, R (2024) 'Role of Mandukparni (Centella asiatica Linn Urban) in neurological disorders: evidence from ethnopharmacology and clinical studies to network enrichment analysis', Neurochemistry International, 180, pp. 105865. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2024.105865 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2024.105865
  11. Banerjee, O., Singh, S., Paul, T., Maji, B.K. and Mukherjee, S (2024) 'Centella asiatica mitigates the detrimental effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA) on pancreatic islets', Scientific Reports, 14(1), pp. 8043. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-58545-2 Preclinical
    https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58545-2
  12. Bandopadhyay, S., Mandal, S., Ghorai, M., Jha, N.K., Kumar, M., Radha, Ghosh, A., Prockow, J., Perez de la Lastra, J.M. and Dey, A (2023) 'Therapeutic properties and pharmacological activities of asiaticoside and madecassoside: A review', Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. doi:10.1111/jcmm.17635 Traditional / reference
    https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.17635
  13. Fern, Ken 'Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) — Useful Temperate Plants'. Available at: https://temperate.theferns.info/plant/Centella+asiatica Traditional / reference
    https://temperate.theferns.info/plant/Centella+asiatica
  14. European Medicines Agency (HMPC) (2018) 'European Union herbal monograph on Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., herba, Revision 1'. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-monograph/european-union-herbal-monograph-centella-asiatica-l-urb-herba-revision-1_en.pdf Traditional / reference
    https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-monograph/european-union-herbal-monograph-centella-asiatica-l-urb-herba-revision-1_en.pdf
  15. Belcaro, G., Maquart, F.-X., Scoccianti, M., Dugall, M., Hosoi, M., Cesarone, M.R., Luzzi, R., Cornelli, U., Ledda, A. and Feragalli, B (2011) 'TECA (Titrated Extract of Centella Asiatica): new microcirculatory, biomolecular, and vascular application in preventive and clinical medicine. A status paper', Panminerva Medica. Preclinical
    https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=TECA%20%28Titrated%20Extract%20of%20Centella%20Asiatica%29%3A%20new%20microcirculatory%2C%20biomolecular%2C%20and%20vascular%20application%20in%20preventive%20and%20clinical%20medicine.%20A%20status%20paper
  16. Chong, N.J. and Aziz, Z (2013) 'A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Centella asiatica for Improvement of the Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Venous Insufficiency', Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. doi:10.1155/2013/627182 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/627182
  17. Martinez-Zapata, M.J., Vernooij, R.W., Simancas-Racines, D., Uriona Tuma, S.M., Stein, A.T. and others (2020) 'Phlebotonics for venous insufficiency', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003229.pub4 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003229.pub4
  18. Puttarak, P., Dilokthornsakul, P., Saokaew, S., Dhippayom, T., Kongkaew, C. and others (2017) 'Effects of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. on cognitive function and mood related outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis', Scientific Reports, 7(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-017-09823-9 Meta-analysis / review
    https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09823-9
  19. Haupt, H (2001) 'Poisonous and less poisonous plants. 52', Kinderkrankenschwester, 20(8), pp. 335. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14584174/ Traditional / reference
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14584174/
  20. North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox 'Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola, Asiatic Pennywort)'. Available at: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/centella-asiatica/ Traditional / reference
    https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/centella-asiatica/

This fact sheet is generated automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database and reflects its latest synced data. It is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. How this site is built.

Selected studies & references

ReviewRole of Mandukparni (Centella asiatica Linn Urban) in neurological disorders: evidence from ethnopharmacology and clinical studies to network enrichment analysis source↗ (2024)
ReviewCentella asiatica and its metabolite asiatic acid: wound healing effects and therapeutic potential source↗ (2023)
ReviewA systematic review of the effect of Centella asiatica on wound healing source↗ (2022)
ReviewPharmacological effects of Centella asiatica on skin diseases: evidence and possible mechanisms source↗ (2021)
ReviewPhlebotonics for venous insufficiency source↗ (2020)
ReviewTherapeutic potential of Centella asiatica and its triterpenes: a review source↗ (2020)
ReviewCardiovascular protective effects of Centella asiatica and its triterpenes: a review source↗ (2019)
ReviewEffects of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. on cognitive function and mood related outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis source↗ (2017)

All 16 studies in the Knowledge Finder →

Educational use only. This profile summarises traditional and scientific sources for reference. It is not medical advice and not a substitute for a qualified practitioner. Some plants carry safety cautions and drug interactions - always check before use.
This profile is assembled automatically from the Omnia Sana plant database, which we curate by hand. How this site is built.

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