5 Gotu Kola Benefits For Brain Function

Gotu Kola, known as the herb of longevity, is legendary in Ayurveda for supporting brain health, stress response, and nervous system function.

It’s also become popular in various modern nootropic supplements.

Although the Vedics have used Gotu Kola for various purposes such as skin health, female health, and wound healing, most modern research has focused on its brain benefits, which we’ll highlight today.

In this article, you’ll learn about Gotu Kola’s direct and indirect potential benefits for brain function and how to take it safely.

What is Gotu Kola?

Gotu Kola goes by many names in Ayurveda and traditional medicine, including, “Brahmi,” “a pharmacy in one herb,” “herb of longevity,” “fountain of life,” “mandukparni,” “Indian pennywort,” “jalbrahmi,” and scientifically as Centella asiatica.

This creeping vine belongs to the parsley family and grows abundantly in wet and swampy areas throughout India and Asia.

Gotu Kola has small, round, fan-shaped scalloped leaves resembling lily pads. Or, as the ancient healers observed, they also resemble parts of the brain and nervous system.

It is used in various traditional wellness practices, including Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Indonesian traditional herbalism.

In traditional herbalism, Gotu Kola is considered an adaptogen, Rasayana, and a nootropic.

• Adaptogens are herbs that help the body adapt and thrive under stress.
• Rasayanas are considered rejuvenative tonic herbs
• Nootropics support brain and cognitive function

According to Ayurvedic principles, Gotu Kola is tridoshic, meaning it can benefit all three doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha).

Its taste is bitter and it is light, cooling, and sweet. 

Studies have shown that Gotu Kola contains various active plant compounds, most notably Triterpenoid saponins or Triterpenes.

These include asiaticoside, madecassoside, Asiatic acid, and madecassic acid, which have antioxidant, inflammatory, and cell-supportive properties.

They are believed to be primarily responsible for Gotu Kola’s wide range of potential benefits for brain function and beyond.

Although the entire plant (leaves, stem, and flowers) is used in traditional medicine, the leaves contain the most concentrated amount of active plant compounds.

Top 5 Gotu Kola Benefits for Brain Health

As mentioned previously, Gotu Kola is legendary for its brain-supportive benefits throughout India and Asia.

Its popularity has spread to the West where it’s becoming one of the most sought-after nootropics for cognitive function, memory, sleep, and more.

Here, we share five Gotu Kola benefits for brain health based on traditional use and modern research.

1. Top Nootropic 

As mentioned previously, Gotu Kola is a sought-after nootropic, a type of herb known to support brain function.

Research has revealed several potential mechanisms behind Gotu Kola’s nootropic properties, including:

• Supporting nitric oxide production.
• Promoting normal neurotransmitter function.
• Providing potential brain-protective benefits.
• Supporting neuron and brain cell function via potentially beneficial effects on mitochondria (the energy powerhouses of the cells).
• Providing antioxidants that may protect the brain and nervous system from free radical damage and promote normal function.

We’ll share more about these specific functions in subsequent sections.

Learn more about nootropics in: Nootropics: Ancient Brain Foods

2. Gotu Kola May Promote Aspects of Memory

Nootropics, such as Gotu Kola, Ashwagandha, and Tulsi, have been revered in Ayurveda and other traditional healing systems as memory tonics.

Gotu Kola has been studied for its effects on memory, with research suggesting its antioxidant triterpenes may promote memory, learning, and neuroplasticity.

We’ll discuss this more in the next point.

3. Gotu Kola May Promote Normal Nerve Function And Resilience

The brain and nervous system are inextricably interconnected. Therefore, what benefits the brain typically benefits the nervous system.

The ancient Vedics knew this, which is why they often recommended adaptogenic herbs, like Gotu Kola, as rejuvenating brain and nerve tonics.

Several studies suggest Gotu Kola’s antioxidants may provide several benefits to the nervous system and neural cells, including:

• Supporting normal nervous system inflammatory response.
• Balancing oxidative stress.
• Promoting repair of mitochondrial-related proteins (mitochondrial function—mitochondria. are the energy centers of the cells—is critical to brain health).
• The normal content of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF plays a vital role in neuronal survival and growth, neurotransmitter regulation, and participates in neuronal plasticity, which is essential for learning and memory.
• Studies have also shown Gotu Kola supports overall nerve cell health, synaptic density, and neural cell resilience.

Although more research is needed, these preliminary studies suggest Gotu Kola’s reputation as a nerve tonic are sound.

4. Gotu Kola May Benefit the Brain By Reducing Stress

As you just learned, Gotu Kola has been studied for its traditional use as a nerve tonic.

As the expression, “I need to settle my nerves” suggests, the nervous system is directly connected to our stress response and perception of stress.

In addition to its nerve-supportive benefits, research has also shown that Gotu Kola may support various aspects of neurotransmitter function, including normal serotonin and GABA production in the brain.

As an adaptogen, it is also believed to support the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal axis, which regulates the production of stress hormones.

5. Gotu Kola Provides Sleep Support for Better Brain Health

Nearly everyone has experienced the brain-numbing effects of sleepless nights!

That’s because the brain relies on sleep to function optimally.

For example, sleep is the only time the brain and central nervous system undergo a “deep clean,” thanks to the newly discovered glymphatic system.

In addition to waste elimination of neurotoxins and old cells, the glymphatic system also facilitates brain-wide distribution of several compounds, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, growth factors, and neuromodulators.

Sleep is also prime time for processing and storing new information and memories.

Without sleep, our brains would be useless.

Yet we all have those stressful times when we just can’t get enough sleep.

During these seasons, you may want to lean on Gotu Kola; here’s why.

Research suggests Gotu Kola may help protect the brain during sleep deprivation by supporting normal nitric oxide production and providing antioxidant support.

Its previously mentioned beneficial effects on calming neurotransmitters, like GABA and serotonin, may also be helpful for occasional sleeplessness.

Related reading: 7 Dreamiest Herbs For Sleep With Ayurvedic Insights

Gotu Kola Dosage 

The right Gotu Kola dosage depends on the person, their dosha, health goals, the concentration, form, and makeup of the herbal preparation, and other individual factors.

The amounts, forms, and types of extractions used in studies vary, but research suggests Gotu Kola is generally very safe to take.

As a general example of a starting point, Organic India’s Gotu Kola Herbal Supplement contains 700 mg of Gotu Kola (the whole plant) per capsule, with a recommended daily dose of 2 capsules.

Check with your healthcare practitioner for individual recommendations or if you are pregnant, nursing, are taking medications, or have a pre-existing condition.

How To Take Gotu Kola

Gotu Kola is widely available in various supplements and teas.

However, since it has an affinity for swampy areas, which may or may not be polluted, you must know what you’re buying!

At Organic India, our co-op of regenerative farmers grows certified organic Gotu Kola that’s tested for contaminants such as heavy metals, mold, and pesticides.

This ensures a clean, vibrant, and potent Gotu Kola that will nourish body, brain, and spirit.

You can find Gotu Kola in Organic India’s:

• Memory Capsules
• Gotu Kola Brain & Nervous System Support Capsules
• Peaceful Sleep Capsules
• Joy! Capsules
• Chocolate Moringa Latte 

Want to learn more about Gotu Kola’s brain benefits?

Click the links above and check out: Gotu Kola Vs. Bacopa: Seeking The Real Brahmi