Gotu Kola
Not to be confused with the caffeine containing stimulant kola nut, Gotu Kola is a herb with much more powerful effects on brain function than caffeine — and without the side effects of stimulants. A requisite herb if you are aiming to peak the performance of your brain, Gotu Kola has been implicated in sharper memory, stress resilience, concentration powers, improved cognitive ability and clearer thinking.
Pineal Gland
A true “brain herb” indeed, Gotu Kola has been linked to several brain performance enhancements. One of these is Pineal Gland, or Third Eye, activation. Alongside Gotu Kola’s brain boosting powers, this herb of many applications has been successfully used to assist states of mediation and altered consciousness. The creeping perennial herb known as Gotu Kola and its effects on spiritual experience have been referenced in Indian Ayurvedic medical texts and Chinese Daoist medical and philosophical texts. Gotu is an adaptogenic herb in its truest sense, able to effect a balance of mind body and spirit. Harmonising left and right brain communication, Gotu has been used by Monks and meditators at large to assist with entering the “Flow State”, or what is commonly referred to as a Zen state of mind allowing for increased presence and awareness. For centuries Gotu Kola has been relied upon to stimulate the pineal gland due to its nourishing effects for the whole brain, including its ability to promote mind body spirit harmony with its robust adaptogenic profile.
About Gotu Kola
Botanical name – Centella Asiatica
Gotu Kola – “Cup Shaped Leaf”
Ayurvedic name – Mandukaparni – “Frog-leafed”
Ayurvedic texts – Herb of Enlightenment
Spanish nickname – Sombrerito – “Little Hat”
Affectionate nickname (India) – Longevity herb
Common name – Pennywort
Native to Japan and China, as well as India, Indonesia and South Africa and Spain, the Gotu Kola herb is not shy of global proliferation. It’s leaves closely resembles the shape of the human brain — and if you look closely at a Gotu Kola leaf, you will see a small bright mark in the middle of the leaf with veins branching from the bright centre, reaching out to the rest of the leaf. Perhaps this is a clever hint of nature, indicating the ability of the Gotu Kola leaf to be helpful in Pineal gland activation and/or enlightenment.
Health Benefits
Let us take a closer look at the life enhancing benefits of the revered “Brain Herb” — Gotu Kola.
Longevity
In India Elephants eat the leaves of Gotu Kola almost on a daily basis — and Elephants are known to live extremely long lives. Native indians observed this habit of elephants and adopted to as their own, eating a few leaves of Gotu Kola every day too. Kola is a very well researched herb. Containing a vast majority of medicinal and therapeutic qualities, the scientific community have also validated its ability to extend life-span. These life extending properties are more than likely a perfect storm of life enhancing benefits that restore health on all levels of being. Gotu Kola is in a sense, a true holistic herb.
Memory Like An Elephant
In our fast paced and demanding modern world, Gotu Kola’s ability to enhance our cognitive functioning is something worth noting. As pressures mount and reliance o technology dumbs us down, our memories are suffering more than ever. As they say, if you don’t use it you lose it. It has long been observed that regular ingestion of Gotu Kola is the reason Elephants have one of the worlds most impressive memories. Kola has also been shown to boost human memory by enhancing neuronal pathways associated with long term memory. Due to these discoveries, Kola has been subjected to the limelight as a potential natural treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s related memory loss.
Improves Circulation
Poor circulation can be caused by a number of conditions. Gotu Kola has been proven to boost circulation and significantly improve blood flow, alleviating symptoms associated with poor circulation such as swelling, pain in legs and feet and protect against developing thrombosis. This increased circulation of blood flow also increases oxygenation of organs, including the heart and brain.
Repairs Skin
Gotu Kola has been used for centuries as a fast and highly effective way to treat and cure skin conditions, including infections and injury. This brilliant skin herb boasts a punchy antioxidant load, which enables our skin tissue to heal from the inside. Kola has also been proven to be a fast and effective regenerator of skin cells, has been applied topically to treat eczema and psoriasis and general skin wounds and, has been shown to increase collagen production — which is a great barrier to the ageing process.