History and origin of Centella asiatica

Gotu kola or more specially Hin-gotukola is the Sinhalese name for Centella asiatica. The origin of the genus name, Centella, is uncertain, it may derive from Greek kentron, ‘sharp point’. The name asiatica, denotes that the plant is native to Asia. The leaves resemble Chinese coins, hence the folk name pennywort.

Long time ago, the native Sinhalese of Ceylon noticed that elephants, renowned for their longevity, loved the rounded leaves of the diminutive gotu kola.

The herb gained a reputation as a longevity promoter and a Sinhalese proverb advised, ‘Two leaves a day keeps old age away’.’

Gotu Kola has been known to writers and used as medicine in the Ayurvedic tradition of India for thousands of years.

It is listed in the historic Susruta Samhita, an ancient Hindu medical text. It was considered useful as a remedy against leprosy in Greek medicine.

Gotu Kola is also prominently mentioned in the Shennong Herbal which was compiled in China over 2000 years.

Around the 1880s, the popularity of this powerful plant spread from Asian cultures to Europe where it has continued to be used for skin disorders, including the lumps and bumps of cellulite.
History and origin of Centella asiatica