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Anticancer Foods: Gotu Kola Uses & Benefits

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Do you know about the miraculous herb Gotu kola? Did you hear about its skin benefits? Meet Gotu Kola, an ancient herb with great anti-aging properties. For many years, it has been a part of traditional medicine for its possible health benefits.

What Is Gotu Kola?

Gotu kola, scientifically termed Centella Asiatica, is an herb that belongs to the parsley family. It has a complex flavor with sweetness and bitterness, as well as a faint grassy aroma. The plant belongs to Asia’s tropics and subtropics.

Gotu kola, also known as the “herb of longevity,” is a common ingredient in traditional Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Indonesian medicine.

The Uses Of Gotu Kola?

In the ancient world, Gotu kola was well-known for its medicinal properties (treating infections, easing anxiety, improving brain function, etc.). But, in recent years, Centella’s use in food and drink has risen. It is found in Indian curries, Vietnamese veggie rolls, and a Malaysian salad known as Kerabu pegaga, among other cuisines. The Vietnamese drink nuoc rau ma is prepared with fresh Gotu kola juice, water, sugar, and lemon juice.

Today, it is a common ingredient in skincare products, because of its potent combo of amino acids, fatty acids, beta carotene, and phytochemicals—everything the skin requires to combat signs of aging and protect itself from environmental pressures.

What Are The Health Benefits of Gotu Kola?

Gotu kola contains certain chemicals that seem to possess various health benefits.

Gotu kola water extract was tested on mice to see if it had any cognitive-enhancing effects. The Morris Water Maze improved learning and memory in both young as well as old mice, but the older mice had a more significant effect.

In one animal study, Gotu kola extract helped improve behavioral abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease mice.

According to a review of anti-anxiety herbal medicines, Gotu kola has a strong anti-anxiety effect. Another study also discussed its potential antidepressant properties.

Studies have shown Gotu kola to help with edema, ankle swelling, and circulation problems associated with flights longer than 3 hours.

Gotu kola contains chemicals known as triterpenoids. Animals and lab studies have shown that these chemicals aid in the healing of injury wounds.

A small trial of 13 scleroderma patients revealed that Gotu kola reduced joint discomfort and skin stiffness while improving finger mobility.

What Makes Gotu Kola An Anticancer Food?

Gotu kola or Centella Asiatica also possesses anticancer properties. Similarly, Centella Asiatica contains Asiatic acid, glicosides, madecassic acid, asiaticoside, and madecassoside.

Asiatic acid has been shown to impede proliferation (growth & spread of cancer cells) and induce apoptosis (cancer cell death) in various tumor cell lines. Additionally, it has the potential to be an antitumor in humans with breast cancer.

According to a study, Centella Asiatica extract can reduce tumor nodules and prevent benzo (a) pyrene production.

Asiaticoside, a compound derived from Centella Asiatica, may help induce apoptosis and improve the antitumor ability of vincristine in cancerous cells. It suggests that gotu kola could be beneficial in cancer chemotherapy.