Gotu Kola: An Ancient Herb Under the Microscope
Gotu kola is a small, unassuming plant with a big reputation. In parts of Asia it’s eaten as a leafy green, blended into drinks and used in traditional medicine. In the West it’s often described online as a “brain herb”. This guide looks at where gotu kola comes from, what’s in it, and what researchers have actually found.
What is gotu kola?
Gotu kola is Centella asiatica, a creeping plant in the same broad family as parsley and carrots. It grows in damp, shady spots across tropical and subtropical Asia, the Pacific and parts of Africa, and it’s also found in eastern Australia, where it’s sometimes called pennywort or Indian pennywort. (It isn’t related to the kola nut, and it contains no caffeine.)
Its small, fan-shaped leaves are used fresh in Sri Lankan, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian cooking, in salads, sambols and juices. In Ayurveda and traditional Chinese practice, it has a long history as a tonic herb.
What’s in it?
The main compounds researchers study in gotu kola are triterpenes, especially asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid. These are sometimes called “centellosides”. The leaves also contain flavonoids and other polyphenols. Much of the lab work on gotu kola looks at these compounds in cells and animals.
Gotu kola, thinking and mood: the meta-analysis
A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis in Scientific Reports brought together 11 studies of gotu kola and cognitive function or mood in people (Puttarak et al., 2017).
The findings were mixed:
- Overall, the review found no clear improvement in any area of cognitive function (such as memory or attention) compared with placebo.
- There were hints of effects on mood, with some measures suggesting improved alertness and lower anger shortly after a dose.
- The authors noted that the studies were few, small and varied in quality, and they used a range of preparations and doses.
Their conclusion was that more well-designed trials are needed. This is a good example of why it pays to look past headlines. A herb can be called a “brain booster” online even when a meta-analysis didn’t find a cognitive effect.
The startle study
An earlier, often-quoted study took a different approach. In a 2000 trial in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 40 healthy adults were given either a single large dose of gotu kola (12 g of dried herb) or a placebo (Bradwejn et al., 2000). Researchers then measured their “acoustic startle response”, the reflex jump when you hear a sudden loud noise.
The gotu kola group showed a smaller startle response 30 and 60 minutes after the dose. However, there was no significant difference in how calm or anxious people said they felt. The researchers suggested the herb might be worth further study for anxiety, but this was a single-dose lab experiment in healthy people, not evidence that it works for any condition.
What about skin?
Gotu kola extracts are common in skincare, especially in Korean beauty products, where it’s often labelled “cica”. That research is on creams and topical extracts, which is a separate area from drinking the herb. We won’t cover it here.
Reading the evidence fairly
Gotu kola is a good example of a traditional herb where modern research is still at an early stage. Lab studies are plentiful, but human trials are few and the results are inconsistent. It would be fair to say it’s “being studied”, not that it “works”.
Enjoying gotu kola
If you’d like to try gotu kola as a food or a drink:
- As a tea: steep about 1 teaspoon of dried leaf in a cup of just-boiled water for 5–10 minutes. It has a mild, slightly bitter, grassy flavour, and pairs well with mint or lemongrass.
- As a green: in South-East Asian and Sri Lankan cooking, fresh leaves are finely shredded into salads or blended with water, sugar and ice into a refreshing drink.
Who should take care?
There have been rare reports of liver problems in people taking concentrated gotu kola preparations. Take care if you have liver disease. It may add to the effect of sedatives, and there isn’t enough safety information for pregnancy or breastfeeding. It’s also wise to stop it a couple of weeks before surgery. If you take regular medication, check with your pharmacist.
The bottom line
Gotu kola has a rich history as both food and traditional herb across Asia. Modern research is interesting but limited: a meta-analysis found no clear cognitive benefit and only hints of effects on mood. Enjoy it for its taste and its story, and be wary of anyone who calls it a proven brain booster.
This article is general information only and is not medical advice. It is not about any specific product. Talk to your GP or pharmacist about your own health.
References
- Puttarak P, et al. Effects of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. on cognitive function and mood related outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28878245/
- Bradwejn J, et al. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the effects of Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) on acoustic startle response in healthy subjects. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2000. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11106141/
