Gotu Kola
Centella asiatica · Indian pennywort
Snapshot
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Gotu kola (Centella asiatica, Indian pennywort) is a perennial herb whose triterpenoid constituents promote collagen synthesis and calm inflammation during tissue repair1. Supplementation follows from that effect on connective tissue and small vessels, with use for chronic venous insufficiency1, minor wound healing3, and skin aging. It is also taken for cognition and anxiety, where the trials are few1.
A meta-analysis did not find strong enough evidence for cognitive benefit1, and human wound data come from a few small studies1. A 2026 scoping review of depression-related research found mostly animal studies and one open-label human study, leaving clinical efficacy unestablished8. Products listing gotu kola are sold mostly as liquid extracts and capsules; see Form comparison.
The most consequential caution is hepatic: LiverTox rates gotu kola a probable rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury, typically hepatocellular, arising within weeks and resolving after withdrawal9. Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use alongside prescription medications6.
Last updated October 15, 2026. Read how we make monographs.
In the full monograph
69 sources, 53 studies
- When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
- SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
- InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
- Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
- How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
- Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
- Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
- Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.
Sources
- 1MSKCCmskcc.orgMemorial Sloan Kettering — About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products
- 2Effects of the total triterpenic fraction of Centella asiatica in venous hypertensive microangiopathy: a prospective, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govCesarone, Belcaro, De Sanctis et al. · Angiology · 2001 · Pubmed
- 3EMAema.europa.euEuropean Medicines Agency — European Union herbal monograph from the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC)
- 4A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Assessing the Effects of Oral Centella asiatica Extract on Skin Aging-Related Parameters in Middle-Aged Korean Women.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govHur, Seo, Bae et al. · Nutrients · 2026 · Pubmed
- 5Effects of Long-Term Supplementation with Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. Extract (CA-HE50) on Macular Pigment Optical Density: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govBaek, Kim, Bae et al. · Nutrients · 2026 · Pubmed
- 6Health Canadahealth-products.canada.caLabel statements and adult daily amounts Health Canada authorized on licensed natural health products with this ingredient alone, from the Licensed Natural Health Products Database. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
- 7ADDF Cognitive Vitalityalzdiscovery.orgAlzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (Cognitive Vitality) — its neuroscientists' ratings of the evidence, potential benefit and safety of a supplement for brain health, reviewed by its Clinical Advisory Board
- 8Depression-Related Mechanistic and Translational Evidence for Centella asiatica and Its Triterpenoids: A Scoping Review.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govKanchalearnpong, Mordmuang, Goodla et al. · Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026 · Pubmed
- 9NIH LiverToxncbi.nlm.nih.govLiverTox, the National Institutes of Health review of liver injury caused by drugs and supplements, with its likelihood score (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)