Gotu kola
Centella asiatica
A creeping tropical/subtropical groundcover with kidney-shaped leaves used as a leafy herb in parts of Asia (gotu kola sambol, for example). Distinct from kola nut (Cola spp.).
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: Centella, Indian pennywort
What it is
A creeping tropical/subtropical groundcover with kidney-shaped leaves used as a leafy herb in parts of Asia (gotu kola sambol, for example). Distinct from kola nut (Cola spp.).
From the existing encyclopedia
Gotu Kola root or leaf appears in traditional tonic soups and powdered drink mixes across herbal commerce. The flavor is earthy and bitter; culinary exploration starts with tiny amounts in warm milk or broth, not high-dose supplement protocols. Toast whole seeds briefly in a dry pan to wake volatile oils before grinding. Mix into lentil, bean, or whole-grain bowls for texture and flavor depth. When substituting dried Gotu Kola for fresh, use about one-third the volume and bloom in fat or hot water before adding acid or dairy.
Edible portions
- young leaves
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 8–11; indoor/wet greenhouse elsewhere
- Light. Part shade, moisture
- Soil. Wet, rich, even boggy
- Planting. Runners; a pond-edge or tray plant.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Chopped herb salads in Sri Lankan and Southeast Asian cooking
Traditional uses
Traditional use Ayurvedic and culinary leaf use — distinguish food amounts from extract capsules
AAA interpretation Traditional use is not automatically evidence, and evidence is not automatically a shopping recommendation.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
- Integrated from the existing aaaLifetime / quantum-biohack encyclopedia corpus (unique text preserved where it was not boilerplate).
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.