Reputation for promoting longevity
Centella (Centella asiatica or Gotu-Kola) is an herbaceous, perennial member of the Umbelliferae family, growing to about 50cm in damp grasslands in tropical and semi-tropical areas. The plant generates fan-shaped leaves on slender, prostrate stems that produce small, white flowers in early summer.
It has only come to prominence in the west in recent years but has been revered for millennia in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, the Shennon Herbal recommends Gotu-Kola as a treatment for leprosy. A testimony to the efficacy of the herb was given by the Tai Chi master, professor Li-Ching-Yun, who, according to the Guinness Book of Records, lived for 256 years while consuming centella on a daily basis. Sri-Lankan folklore refers to a king so virile he claimed to be able to satisfy his harem of 50 concubines on a weekly basis by a daily intake of this remarkable herb.
The list of ailments that this plant is supposed to treat is almost as long as the chemical constituents. Centella contains the minerals calcium, iron, selenium, vitamins A, B and C; camphor, nitric oxide, Bacosid A and B, Asiaticum, triterpenes, saponins and flavanoids; each one of these constituents breaks down into at least 100 separate chemicals. This renders it cardio-depressant, hypotensive, sedative, diuretic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, tonic, febrifuge, immune strengthening, antibiotic, detoxifying, adaptogen and alterative. This is an extraordinary list of remedies.
The effect of nitric oxide is to strengthen the connective tissue and the Bacosid relaxes the aorta and the arterial system, which greatly improves circulation and leads to a reduction in blood pressure. In Asian medicine it is prescribed to treat various skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema; the effect of Bacosid has proved valuable in treating arthritis, it is given to the elderly to improve memory and has long been used to reduce the scarring associated with leprosy and jungle ulcers. Ayurvedic practice recommends it for certain sexually transmitted diseases and to reduce some topical tumours.
Centella’s reputation as a herb promoting longevity has attracted many western practitioners who have also used it for those recovering from surgery, drug withdrawal (in Thailand it is a standard treatment for opium addiction); Addison’s disease, depression, lupus, loss of memory and to improve the nervous system for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease. A French research team claimed that women treated with centella following childbirth recovered more rapidly than those given standard post-surgery treatment. Current research indicates that the herb may have an effect on cancer of the cervix.
Some drug companies believe that centella can contribute to weight loss; imagine how that might run.
Next week Blood Root
