Gotu cola (Centella asiatica)

Pegangan or gotu cola (Centella asiatica) is a species of plants in Apiaceae, an annual herb that grows and flowering throughout the year, growing vines, wild in many plantations, fields, roadside and paddy fields, widely used as ground cover, vegetables, snacks and drug.

C. asiatica has vines, many branches and each will form new plants. The leaves are shaped like a kidney where at the tip of the jagged edge it is located around the stem.

Flowers appear on the armpits of leaves and continue to be shaped like an umbrella, white or pink, hermaphrodite, 3 mm with five to six corolla lobes. Each flower in two green bracts, produces five stamens. Fruit that is oval shaped, has a bitter but fragrant taste.

Gotu cola has several varieties including red gotu cola and green gotu cola. Red gotu cola or stone gotu cola is commonly found in rocky, dry and open areas, growing vines with stolon and has no stem, but has rhizoma.

Green gotu cola is often found in paddy fields and between grasses, damp and open places or somewhat shaded. Green gotu cola has four sub-varieties are kembang gotu cola, beurit gotu cola, gunung gotu cola dan air gotu cola.

Pegangan contains asiaticoside, thankuniside, isothankuniside, madecassoside, brahmoside, brahmic acid, brahminoside, madasiatic acid, meso-inositol, centelloside, carotenoids, hydrocotylin, vellarine and tannins.

This plant also contains potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and iron. Triterpenoid glycosides called asiaticoside are extraordinary antileprosy and wound healing. Light saponin content is used to inhibit keloid tissue.

Gotu kola is used in traditional medicine to cool, cleanse the blood, improve blood circulation, diuretics, antipyretics, haemostatics, improve nerve memory, anti-bacterial, tonic, antispasma, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, insecticidal, antiallergic and stimulant.

The leaves have a sweet taste while the vellarine substance gives a bitter taste. Most gotu cola is consumed for fresh vegetables, but is often also used as tea, fried in flour as chips, extracted to fill capsules or cream, ointments, acne medications and body lotions.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Centella
Species: C. asiatica

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