Gotu Kola Herb C/S (Centella asiatica; Pennywort; Peng Da Wan) 1 lb: C

This is Starwest's nitrogen-flushed double wall silverfoil pack. Used as an infusion, decoction, extract, tincture and poultice. Used throughout the Indian subcontinent as a poultice for skin diseases and the healing of wounds. It also has an ancient reputation for aiding mental clarity and lowering blood pressure. Hydrocotyle asiatica, listed by Grieve and King's, is sometimes listed as a synonym, but Oriental medical references say that Hydrocotyle is actually a different and medicinally inferior plant. Centella's saponins (including asiaticoside, madecassoside and madasiatic acid) seem to reduce scar formation in wound healing by inhibiting the production of connective tissue as they simultaneously close the wound. As the research below indicates, Centella has been experimentally shown to be 'effective in venous insufficiency, reducing ankle edema, foot swelling, capillary filtration rate and improving microcirculatory parameters.' The herb is very good news for varicose veins. This demonstrable improvement in microcirculatory efficiency may explain Gotu Kola's ancient reputation as an aid to mental clarity, high blood pressure, fever, rheumatism and mental disorders. http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb95.htm: Clinical Trials Microcirculatory parameters improved for 87 patients with chronic venous hypertensive microangiopathy taking 30 mg bid or 60 mg bid for 2 months Cesarone 1994 Bioavailability for asiatic acid and asiaticoside was quite similar, about 600 ng.h/ml, in 12 healthy Rush 1993 Review finds that Centella asiatica is effective in venous insufficiency, reducing ankle edema, foot swelling, capillary filtration rate and improving microcirculatory parameters Cesarone 1992 High circulating endothelial cells in postphlebitic patients was brought down by C asiatica triterpenic fraction Montecchio 1991 Varicose vein patients taking 60 mg/day for three months had declines in serum uronic acid 467 to 231 mcg/ml, beta-glycuronidase 1.8 to 1.2 microM, acetylglucosaminidase 23 to 18, arysulfatase 78 to 42 nM Arpaia 1990 Four weeks of triterpene fraction decreased capillary filtration rate, ankle circumference and edema in patients with venous pressure greater than 42 mmH Belcaro 1990 Two weeks' treatment with total triterpenic fraction, 60 mg, tid, decreased wheal disappearance time, indicating decreased capillary filtration and permeability Belcaro 1990 Plasma levels in humans, measured by HPLC, are higher with continuing twice daily ingestion than single dose of 30 or 60 mg of triterpenic fraction of Centella Grimaldi 1990 Titrated extract reduced symptoms of heaviness in the lower limbs and edema and improved venous distensibility in a double-blind randomized trial with 94 patients with venous insufficiency Pointel 1987 Observational Studies/Case Reports Scleroderma patients benefited from madecassol, which contains asiaticoside [Article in Russian] Guseva 1998 Iron ab