Centella asiatica

Centella asiatica, commonly known asIndian pennywort,Asiatic pennywort,spadeleaf,coinwortorgotu kola,is aherbaceous,perennial plantin theflowering plantfamilyApiaceae.It is native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and islands in the western Pacific Ocean.It is consumed as a culinaryvegetableand is used intraditional medicine.
Centellagrows intemperateandtropicalswampy areas in many regions of the world.The stems are slender, creepingstolons, green to reddish-green in color, connecting plants to each other.It has long-stalked, green, rounded apices which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins.The leaves are borne on pericladial petioles,around 2 cm (0.79 in). The rootstock consists ofrhizomes, growing vertically down. They are cream in color and covered with root hairs.
Theflowersare white orcrimsonin color, born in small, rounded bunches (umbels) near the surface of the soil.Each flower is partly enclosed in two green bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers are minute in size, less than 3 mm (0.12 in), with five to six corolla lobes per flower. Each flower bears five stamens and twostyles.  The fruit are densely reticulate, distinguishing it from species ofHydrocotylewhich have smooth, ribbed or warty fruit.The crop matures in three months, and the whole plant, including the roots, is harvested manually. It is a highlyinvasiveplant, rated as "high risk".Centellahas numerous common names in its regions of distribution.
Centella asiaticais indigenous to the Indian subcontinent (including Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia, parts of Australia, and wetland regions of the Southeastern US.Because the plant is aquatic, it is especially sensitive to biological and chemical pollutants in the water, which may be absorbed into the plant. It can be cultivated in drier soils, including sandyloam,as long as they are watered regularly enough (such as in a home garden arrangement).
Centellacontains pentacyclictriterpenoidsandtrisaccharidederivatives, including asiaticoside, brahmoside, asiatic acid, and brahmic acid (madecassic acid). Other constituents include centellose, centelloside, and madecassoside.Approximately 124 chemical compounds have been isolated and identified fromCentella asiatica.Long term use on the skin can cause severe health problems including: skin irritation, intoxicated blood, red eyes and problems with the lymph nodes.
InBurmese cuisine, raw pennywort is used as the main constituent in asaladmixed with onions, crushed peanuts, bean powder and seasoned with lime juice and fish sauce.Centella is used as a leafy green inSri Lankan cuisine, being the predominantly locally available leafy green, where it is calledgotu kolaorvallaarai. It is most often prepared asmalluma, a traditional accompaniment toriceand vegetarian dishes, such as lentils, andjackfruitorpumpkincurry. It is considered nutritious. In addition to finely choppedgotu kolaplants, thegotu kola mallumamay be eaten with gratedcoconut, dicedshallots,lime(orlemon) juice, and sea salt. Additional ingredients are finely chopped greenchilis,chili powder,turmericpowder, or choppedcarrots. TheCentellafruit-bearing structures are discarded from thegotu kola mallumadue to their intense bitter taste. A variation ofporridgeknown askola kandais also made withgotu kolain Sri Lanka.Gotu kola kandaorVallaarai kanjiis made with well-boiled red rice with some extra liquid,coconut milkfirst extract, andgotu kolapurée. The porridge is accompanied withjaggeryfor sweetness.Centellaleaves are also used in modern sweet pennywort drinks and herbal teas. In addition the leaves are served stir-fried whole in coconut oil, or cooked in coconut milk with garlic ordhal.
InIndonesia, the leaves are used forsambai oi peuga-ga, anAcehtype of salad, and is also mixed intoasinaninBogor. InCambodia,VietnamandThailand, this leaf is used for preparing a drink or can be eaten in raw form in salads orcold rolls. In Bangkok, vendors in theChatuchak Weekend Marketsell it alongside coconut,roselle,chrysanthemum, orange and other health drinks. InMalay cuisineit is known as pegaga, and the leaves of this plant are used forulam, a type of vegetable salad.C. asiaticais widely used in variousIndian regional cuisines.
In Bangladesh and India (specifically in West Bengal), Centella is called Thankuni Pata and used in various dishes, one of the most appetising of which is thepakora-like snack called Thankuni Patar Bora; made of mashedCentella,lentils,juliennedonion andgreen chilli.
Intraditional medicine,C. asiaticahas been used to treat various disorders, dermatological conditions,and minor wounds,due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, although clinical efficacy and safety have not been investigated in human clinical trials.In animals trials,C. asiaticaand its extracts has been shown to relieve cognitive impairment and treatneurodegenerative conditionsby way of reducing the production ofreactive oxygen speciesand promoting neuron survival and growth. It has also shown promise in treating endocrine-related disorders likediabetesandobesity, by reducing insulin resistance and aiding in the regulation of blood glucose levels and appetite, andendometriosisby reducing inflammation. Furthermore,C. asiaticahas shown to reduce the generation and activity ofosteoclastsinOsteoporosismodels in mice.C. asiaticamay address several skin conditions such as acne,vitiligo, eczema, and increase collagen production. The compounds asiaticoside and asiatic acid may relievehypertension,atherosclerosis, andischemic heart diseaseby promotingendotheliumfunction and reducing pathologicalapoptosisof heart muscles.C. asiatica's pro-mitochondrial, anti-imflammatory, and anti-oxidant effects have shown benefits in treating digestive diseases in animal and in vitro studies. Asiatic acid may also aid in treating respiratory diseases by targeting inflammation. In animal and cell trials,C. asiaticahas been shown to promote cancer cell death.
Contact dermatitisand skin irritation can result fromtopical application.Drowsinessmay occur after consuming it.There has been three cases ofliver diseaseassociated with use over the span of multiple weeks.
C. asiaticahas been shown to activatetelomerasemore than any other known compound yet discovered: 8.8-fold. This exceeds the activation by other known telomerase activators:oleanolic acid5.9-fold,Astragalusextract 4.3-fold,TA-652.2-fold, andmaslinic acid2-fold.
In the context ofphytoremediation,C. asiaticais a potentialphytoextractiontool owing to its ability to take up andtranslocatemetals from root to shoot when grown in soils contaminated byheavy metals.