Gotu kola is a tropical plant which has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years in southeast Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka and China. It has also been referred to by the name brahmi but most authorities associate brahmi with Bacopa monniera. Also known as Indian pennywort, gotu kola is recognised for its rapid healing and anti-inflammatory qualities and its ability to improve memory, anxiety and depression. It is one of the chief herbs for treating skin problems, varicose veins, to heal wounds, for revitalizing the nerves and brain cells and is well known as a universal panacea for promoting longevity. This beguiling promise of longevity through cell regeneration is the herb’s main attraction.

Gotu kola has high nutritional value and in Sri Lanka, where it is known as the secret of perpetual youth, it has been a staple food in many households for generations. There it is served in a popular breakfast porridge known as kola (which means leaf in Sinhala) kanda, a nutritious mix of red rice, fresh coconut, garlic, pepper, salt and a blend of green leaves. It is used for general wellbeing and especially beneficial for the sick, elderly or arthritic. In fact a Sri Lankan legend has it that people observed elephants, an animal renowned for its longevity, eating wild growing gotu kola and decided to try it themselves thus discovering the plant’s medicinal properties and giving credence to the saying ‘to have a memory like an elephant’. This led to the Sinhalese proverb, ‘two leaves a day keep old age away’.

When the ‘doctrine of signatures’ (some visible or other clue that indicates a plant’s therapeutic use) is considered gotu kola leaf looks very much like the human brain, particularly the cerebellum portion, bringing to attention the mind strengthening and cognitive supportive aspects of this herb. A human clinical study aimed at managing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and other age-related problems in the elderly returned positive results. MCI is a problem which may convert into Alzheimer’s disease in later stages. In 60 people aged 65 and above gotu kola aqueous extract was prescribed in a dose of 500mg twice a day (1000mg daily) for six months. A favourable improvement was observed in MCI along with other problems like hypertension, insomnia, loss of appetite and constipation.

References

Braun L, Cohen M. Essential Herbs and Natural Substances. Chatswood: Elsevier Australia; 2017. p. 2011

European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Assessment report on Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, herba [Internet]. London: European Medicines Agency; c1995-2023  [updated Mar 30 2022;cited 3 Jul 2023]. Available from https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-report/assessment-report-centella-asiatica-l-urb-herba-revision-1_en.pdf

Gohil KJ, Patel JA, Gajjar AK. Pharmacological Review on Centella asiatica: A Potential Herbal Cure-all. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2010;72(5):546–556. doi:10.4103/0250-474X.78519

Huson P. Mastering Herbalism – A Practical Guide. First Madison Books:Oxford. 2001. p. 309-11

vFoster S, Tyler VE, Tyler VM. Tyler’s Honest Herbal. 4th edn. Routledge:New York. 1999. p. 199-200

Tiwari S, Singh S, Patwardhan K, Gehlot S, Gambhir IS. Effect of Centella asiatica on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and other common age-related clinical problems. Digest J Nanomat Biostruct. 2008;3:215–20.

With a name like feverfew it could be assumed correctly that this daisy like, aromatic, cooling plant was historically used as a fever reducing herb. The first-century Greek physician Dioscorides prescribed feverfew for “all hot inflammations” and as an antipyretic. It was known as “medieval aspirin” or the “aspirin” of the 18th century.

More recently feverfew has gained fame as a migraine herb and there has been a great deal of interest in its activity in the treatment and prevention of migraine headaches. The first modern, public account of its use as a preventative for migraine appeared in 1978. The story, reported in the British health magazine Prevention, concerned a patient who had suffered from severe migraines since the age of 16. At 68 years of age she began using three leaves of feverfew daily and after 10 months her headaches ceased completely. One large randomised controlled trial, conducted on 170 migraine patients, showed overall good tolerability and a reduction in migraine attacks with 6.25mg of feverfew extract.

Feverfew is also renowned as a herb for women. Headaches, irritability and tension associated with ‘liverish’ premenstrual symptoms can be treated with this bitter herb. As a traditional emmenagogue, sluggish menstrual flow and painful periods can also be relieved with feverfew. It has been used traditionally for the hot flushes of menopause and feverfew may also help arthritis when it is in the painfully active inflammatory stage.

References

Pareek A, Suthar M, Rathore GS, Bansal V. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.): A systematic review. Pharmacogn Rev. 2011 Jan;5(9):103-10. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.79105. PMID: 22096324; PMCID: PMC3210009.

Puledda F, Shields K. Non-Pharmacological Approaches for Migraine. Neurotherapeutics. 2018 Apr;15(2):336-345. doi: 10.1007/s13311-018-0623-6. PMID: 29616493; PMCID: PMC5935652.

Trickey R. Women, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle. 3rd edn. Fairfield: Melbourne Holistic Health Group. 2011. p. 464-65

Hoffman D. The New Holistic Herbal. Melbourne:Element. 1990.p. 200

McIntyre A. The Complete Woman’s Herbal. Gai Books Limited:London. 1994. p. 131

There are studies to support andrographis (Andrographis paniculata) as an immune modulator which could be helpful in preventing viral infections and to support immune function. In Thailand andrographis was approved by the health ministry as an alternative treatment for the early stages of COVID-19 symptoms. In a 2023 randomised controlled pilot study of a proprietary andrographis, used as an add-on therapy in mild to moderate COVID-19, it was found to reduce the severity of infection and halted the disease progression.

Forty people were assigned to andrographis as an add-on to the conventional standard of care COVID-19 treatment using modern medicine, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, antacids and supplements, without antiviral drugs whereas in another group 40 patients were also recommended antiviral drugs, such as Favipiravir and Remdesivir, for COVID-19 management. Andrographis arrested the disease progression of COVID-19 by alleviating the inflammatory markers. The study highlighted a two-day benefit in recovery for those who received andrographis. Andrographis also demonstrated an excellent safety profile. For ethical reasons the researchers had to conduct an 'add-on' trial as no standalone treatment was permitted during the pandemic. Critical patients could not be enrolled due to ethical reasons.

In a randomised, quadruple-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 86 people with mild COVID-19, a combination of andrographis and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) reduced the duration of disease, virus clearance, days of hospitalisation, accelerated the recovery of patients and significantly relieved the severity of inflammatory symptoms such as sore throat, runny nose and muscle pain.

References

Koe T. Thailand to drive exports of Andrographis, turmeric, black ginger to neighbouring SEA markets (updated 7 Mar 2023; accessed 5 Jul 2023) Available from https://www.nutraingredients-asia.com/Article/2023/03/07/Thailand-to-beef-up-exports-of-Andrographis-turmeric-black-ginger-to-SEA-markets
 

Bone K. The role of herbs and phytonutrients in acute and long COVID: An Update. Presentation at the Naturopathic Symposium 2023. 27-28 May. Melbourne.

Rajanna M, Bharathi B, Shivakumar BR, Deepak M, Prashanth D, Prabakaran D, Vijayabhaskar T, Arun B. Immunomodulatory effects of Andrographis paniculata extract in healthy adults - An open-label study. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2021 Jul-Sep;12(3):529-534. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2021.06.004. Epub 2021 Aug 8. PMID: 34376353; PMCID: PMC8377179.
 

Shanker K, Rangnekar H, Wele A, Soni P, Gaikwad P, Pal A, Bawankule DU, Chanda D. A randomized controlled pilot study of add-on therapy of CIM-MEG19 (standardized Andrographis paniculata formulation) in mild to moderate COVID-19. Phytomed Plus. 2023 Feb;3(1):100398. doi: 10.1016/j.phyplu.2022.100398. Epub 2022 Dec 20. PMID: 36570418; PMCID: PMC9762910.
 

Ratiani L, Pachkoria E, Mamageishvili N, Shengelia R, Hovhannisyan A, Panossian A. Efficacy of Kan Jang® in Patients with Mild COVID-19: Interim Analysis of a Randomized, Quadruple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2022 Aug 17;15(8):1013. doi: 10.3390/ph15081013. PMID: 36015163; PMCID: PMC9415141.