Gotu Kola (also called Pennywort, Centella, and Tiger Grass) has long been a magic herb from Asia, but not many people are aware of this neat little herb. It is a marshland plant native to Madagascar and India.
Lucky magazine said it’s popping up in many cosmetics too. I can see why, since it has many good benefits for the skin. Tiger Grass Extract (Centella Asiatica) helps to detoxify the tissues and boosts the production of collagen. It’s a great ingredient to add to natural skincare.
In our area, many Asian markets sell it as a drink (in a can) shipped from Thailand. Some are flash frozen from Vietnam. But it’s labeled as “Pennywort.” And I always thought that was such a strange name. Wort is define as a plant of any kind. I suppose the leaves must look like pennies?
Anyhow, the drink is good. But I don’t usually buy them now as the sugar content is at least 25 grams, so that defeats the purpose for me. I just make my own drinks at home.
Above is a photo of the Asiatic Pennywort my mom has a small batch growing in her garden. They are most abundant in the summertime. I like to pick a basket full and then dry the leaves in the sun. Then use it in the winter time as herbal tea.
But in the summer I usually eat them raw and love the taste, it’s crisp and cool, like a spicy cucumber made into a leaf. It’s also great in salads.
The botanical name is Hydrocotyle asiatica. It is very common in Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal medicine. The active ingredients of this plant include asiaticoside, madecassoside and madasiatic acid. These compounds have been shown to inhibit the production of collagen, especially in conjunction with scar tissue. Other studies have shown that gotu kola can help treat burns and wounds, and that it may be helpful in preventing and treating keloid scars. This sounds a lot like aloe vera to me.
Ellen of Herbal Wisdom has this to say about it:
Gotu Kola is a wonderful tonic for convalescence, for nervous exhaustion, stress and neurotic disturbances. These qualities make Gotu kola a helpful herb for children with A.D.D. because of its stimulating effect on the brain which helps to increase one’s ability to focus while having a soothing effect on an overactive nervous system.
Ellen is a family & marriage therapist as well as herbalist. She makes wonderful salves and balms with the many herbs in her garden. I like to have a garden like that someday too. Thinking back I had a wealth of plants and special herbs growing at my parent’s backyard and never truly appreciated it until now.
*Ellen’s herb site can be found here.
You can also incorporate Gotu Kola into a pesto sauce. Recipe and instructions here.
Gotu kola can also be grown successfully nestled in a pristine mountain valley in the southwestern Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, the Gaia Herb Farm is one of the largest and most productive commercial medicinal herb farms in the U.S.
More info:
Pukka Herbs - close up pic of Gotu Kola.
12:21 am on June 27th, 2009
So that’s what it looks like, I’ll know to look for it the next time I’m at the nursery. Thanks for directing me here.
5:35 am on June 27th, 2009
Very informative Cambree. And thanks for mentioning Gaia Herb Farm, I never heard of the place and it sounds very interesting. I’ve been to Brevard, NC…just southwest of Asheville. I’m sure Nye will be making a trip there before I will…let’s hope they are open to public, I would like to see it as well.
And since you mentioned about Gotu in salad, I had thought about this a few months ago if anyone had try to market it along with salad greens…like Earthbound Farm salad greens. I’m sure with a little add promoting its medicinal properties will jump-start this special plant into tomorrow’s salad mixes.
Have you been to Earthbound Farm since it’s at your part?
1:08 am on June 28th, 2009
Can PaNoy give you some of his Asian pennywort?
My mom said the best way to grow them is in containers lined partially with plastic (to retain) the water. As these plants are found in marshland and wet areas. Previous year was not so good, this year is her best batch.
1:21 am on June 28th, 2009
Your welcome! It’s great to know my writing isn’t just lost in the blogosphere and people find useful info at Cambree Notes.
Gaia Herb Farm has one public opening per year. Not sure when exactly, maybe in the summertime. The place looks really neat. I never knew NC has such fertile land and weather to grow all those herbs. If Nye goes to visit, it would be great to see her lovely photos too.
I have seen Earthbound Farms on our local tv station. They started out small and now I see their organic produce everywhere. At the moment, I am looking forward to picking Boysenberries near Half Moon Bay.
6:23 am on June 28th, 2009
The pennywort in my garden simply grows in the ground. Come to think of it, the place they grow best is on the pathway around the raised-beds, ontop of the mulch; the pathway is also lined with landscaping fabric, and the pennywort comes right off with a little tug. I’m expanding the pennywort into an area that’s shaded. I also add lots of topsoils and soil conditioners to make the ground quite loose; I noticed they like loose soil since they send out rhizome roots.
I wonder what process needs to take place for one to introduce such produce to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, but I’m convince that pennywort can be added to the baby greens mixed for an excellent salad; similar to little sprout packages, etc. Take care.
And of course I’ll be more than happy to give Nye some pennywort to plant in her garden, and make some refreshing cool drink as well on her next visit:))
12:42 am on June 29th, 2009
I think it has a distinct taste and some people just don’t like it (as much as we do!). So I don’t know how the public will take to “fresh pennywort”.
But I’ve seen small bags sold at Asian market for $1-2 each. More popular there. And I know it’s popular as tea and supplements too.
11:41 pm on August 13th, 2009
[...] of this face cream include Vitamin E (derived from wheat germ) and jasmine extracts. As well as gotu kola, vitamin, organic oils sweet almond, kukui nut oil, and carica papaya [...]
10:47 pm on September 7th, 2009
[...] of course the Gotu Kola and Carrot seed essential oil I’ve been raving about at Cambree Notes for some time too. [...]