Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Gotu kola (Centella asiatica), of the Apiaceae family. Low, mat-forming creeper rooting at the nodes, with fan- or kidney-shaped leaves; native range: Wetlands and shaded damp ground across tropical Asia, and beyond. Globally recognized as mandukaparni / brahmi in Sanskrit, brahmi-booti / khula-khudi in Hindi, ji xue cao (积雪草) in Chinese, - in Arabic, and Indian pennywort in English. The part used is the whole herb (leaf and stolon). Thin, scalloped, cupped green leaves on slender stalks; faintly bitter, cooling and grassy, slightly sweetish.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
GOTU KOLA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- gotu kola
- Scientific name
- Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.
- Family
- Apiaceae
Form
- Part used
- the whole herb (leaf and stolon)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter, acrid
- Ayurveda
- dominant: bitter (tikta) · astringent (kashaya) · then: sweet (madhura)
- Western
- bitterish, faintly sweet
- Unani
- bitterish
Temperature
TCM: cold
Ayurveda: cooling (shita)
Western: cooling
Unani: cold & dry
convergence: all {witness_count} witnesses converge — a cooling herb read the same in every tradition
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Spleen · Kidney
- Western
- nervous system · skin · circulation
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat, resolves dampness, cools the blood, relieves toxicity, promotes urination
- Ayurveda
- medhya (intellect-sharpening), rasayana (rejuvenative), vranaropana (wound-healing), tridoshahara
- Western
- nervine, vulnerary, connective-tissue trophorestorative, mild adaptogen, venotonic
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-dimagh (brain tonic) and muqawwi-e-hafiza (memory tonic), mundamil (wound-healer)
Cautions
Contraindications: caution in pregnancy and in those with cold, weak digestion (its cold nature); very large doses may cause headache or drowsiness
Toxicity: low; occasional contact dermatitis and, rarely, liver upset with prolonged high doses
Interactions
- Western
- sedatives / CNS depressants: mild additive sedation · hepatotoxic drugs: rare additive hepatotoxicity reported
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