The use of herbs in the treatment of diseases and adjustment of the energy levels of our bodies is as old as time, scientific finding have also proved few herbs more effective than others. One of those proven and outstanding plants is Gotu Kola (centella cordifolia) A creeping plant usually found in swampy areas in china, India, Sri lanka, Indonesia, South Africa and western and Southern path of Nigeria.
Gotu Kola (Centella Cordifolia) is a rejuvenative nervine, recommended for nervous disorders, epilepsy, senility and premature aging. As a bran tonic, it aids intelligence and memory. It strengthens the adrenal glands and cleanses the blood to treat skins Impurities. It is used to combat stress and depression and it increases libido and improves reflexes. In chronic venous insufficiency, minor burns, scars, scleroderma, skin ulcers, varicose veins, wound healing, rheumatism, blood diseases, congestive heart failure, urinary tract infections, venereal diseases, hepatitis and high blood pressure, gotu gola is unbeatable. In india, Gotu kola is regarded as the most spiritual of all herbs. The Himalayian yogis used it to improve meditation, hence it develops the crown chakra, the energy center at the top of the head and also in the balancing of both the right and left hemispheres of the brains which the leaf is said to resemble.
In Ayurvedic medicine, gotu kola is regarded as one of the most rejuvenative herbs; Sri lankans noticed that elephants renowned for their longevity, eat the leaves of this miracle plant, because it is known and regarded as the most promoter of long life. Gotu Kola is a purifier of blood an immune fortifier and promoter of good restful sleep. Gotu Kola is often confused with kola nut, due to this confusion, some people assume the rejuvenating properties of this herb are due to the stimulating effects of caffeine contained in kola nut. In-fact, Gotu kola is not related to Kola nut and contains no caffeine. Gotu Kola is endowed with many properties and nutrients like, vitamin A, B, C, D, calcium, chromium, cobalt, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, selenium, silica and zinc. It is antipyretic, diuretic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, sedative, antispasmodic, antioxidant, adaptogenic, tonic, digestive, vulnerary, alterative, antiviral, antibiotic, nervine, rejuvenating, blood purifier, adrenal strengtherner.
Gotu Kola has been known for centuries, valued for treatment of leprosy and tuberculosis; relieving the pain of rheumatism and arthritis, In Ancient China, the herb was the principal ingredient in an elixir called “fotifing”, a mixture that was called the fountain of Youth. Many herbalists have called gotu kola, the finest of all herbs tonics. A legendary saying, in reference to gotu kola was “2 leaves a day keeps old age away” in the Asian countries, they value herbs to strengthen and revitalize worn out bodies and brains; 2-3 leaves eaten a day, is a common practice for a gradual return to health and strength. It appears, they say, to have no equal in the treatment of general debility and decline; this is why I called it “A pharmacy in one herb”
It was the life history of this renowned Chinese herbalist Professor Li chung Yun who lived to the age of 256 years (having outlived 23 wives) which made the western world aware of the true value of the herb longevity. Herbs he recommended, must highly, were gotu kola and ginsieng.
He was born in 1677 and in 1933 the new York times announced the death of this remarkable oriental, whose life span had reached over two and half centuries. The Chinese Government officially recorded his age. Professor Li, at the age of 200 years still gave courses and lectures for 28 weeks at a time, each lecture on longevity lasting 3 hours and those who learned from him, declared that he did not appear older than a man of 50, standing straight, strong. Professor Li chung Yun was not the only man who had tested and testified the revitalizing and rejuvenative properties of gotu kola. A sri lankan king named Aruna, who lived around 900 AD, reputedly used gotu kola as an aphrodisiac to keep his 50 wives happy. It is said that in the orient, where gotu kola is primarily regarded as a herb for longevity, there are many recorded examples of unusual longevity, attained by those who used the plant regularity. Elephants seek out gotu kola as a favorite food. Could it be that the strength of the animal, the unfailing memory and its long life, are due to regular consumption of the herb? After li chung Yun’s death in 1933, numerous research projects explored the properties of gotu kola and undertook various trials, with wound healing, duodenal ulcers, to enhance memory skills, tumors, etc. In India, scientific documentation of clinical tests, by Dr. M.V.R Appa Ras and his associates, showed increased mental activity of children in the trials. Fifteen mentally retarded children were given a 500mg tablets of powdered gotu kola daily. After trials of three months, the children showed increased powers of attention and concentration, IQ with improved behavioral patterns, expression, communication and co-operation. Biochemical studies revealed gotu kola benefited the replacement rate of biogenic amines: the chemicals in our brains which act as neuro-transmitters, involved in leaving and memory process.
Throughout history, gotu kola has been used for a wide range of health problems, which have included: ADD, (attention deficit disorder) Peptic ulcers, auto-immune diseases, stress, gynaecological disorder, asthma, low thyroid function, male tonic, menopausal problems, eczema, scrofula, venereal diseases, cirrhosis, diarrhea, high blood pressure, thrombosis, brain tonic, stomach ache, muscular atrophy, fatigue, sore throat, schizophrenia, respiratory ailments, influenza, food poisoning, vaginitis, diabetes, baldness, nervous breakdown. purifier, poor circulation, insomnia, retinal detachment, dysentery, liver problems, to increase energy, premenstrual pain, blood disorders, dementia, infections, poor appetite, artherosclerosis, depression, urinary tract infection, candida, tuberculosis, mental retardation, sexual debility, breast disease, gastric, scleroderma, herps, cramps, fluid retention, hepatitis, swollen glands, anemia, stimulate central nervous system.
Gotu Kolas nutrients and properties can never be over emphasized, because researches are still on gotu kola, but I still know that the totality of the Gods embedded properties in this herbs will continue to be a mirage to mans scientific findings.
Dr. Tonifelix C. Manu
(PHYTOTHERAPIST)
