Gotu Kola

Natural herbs used as remedies to help people suffering from hair loss are increasingly found to be useful and effective. Since they are derived from natural sources, they are generally seen as safe and side effect free. Among the popular herbs used is the Gotu Kola.

What is Gotu Kola?

Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) is a small herbaceous plant native to Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and other Asian countries. It has been used as a medicinal plant for thousands of years already many Asian countries. It is used for several disorders and in healing wounds and in treating skin problems.

Some herbalists also claim that it is good for treating respiratory infections such as the common colds. In China, it was considered the “fountain of life” because of a legend that an ancient Chinese medicine man reached more than 200 years of age due to regular use of the herb. In the modern days, it is considered as among those that has the potential to treat hair loss and baldness problems.

What is Gotu Kola?

Gotu Kola extract is believed to purify the blood, fortify collagen tissues and blood vessels and to stimulate better blood circulation throughout the brain and scalp. This helps to revitalize hair follicles preventing abnormal hair loss and promoting better hair regrowth.

It is also believed to protect the hair follicles from the harmful activity caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT in hair follicles is considered to be a major cause of male pattern baldness.

In one study on rats, Gotu Kola is found to improve condition of the epidermis and to speed up hair growth at a rate that is higher that its normal levels. In another study, again with rats, Gotu Kola is shown to speed up healing of wounds. This is achieved by stimulating increased rate of collagen synthesis. This implies that it may be used to heal inflammation around the hair follicles, a condition that usually predisposes male pattern baldness.

How To Use Gotu Kola?

Gotu Kola is normally taken orally. In Sri Lanka, powdered leaves are often taken as tea or as a green salad. It is also a popular ingredient for many Indian and Sri Lankan dishes.

When prepared as a tea, 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried powdered leaves is mixed with 150 ml of boiling water. This is allowed to steep for not less than 15 minutes to allow infusion of the herbal extracts in the water.

Gotu Kola tinctures and extracts are also used as active ingredients in a number of food supplements. It is recommended that you take up to 180 mg doses in a day for hair loss remedy.

Dried and powdered herbs are now also available in capsule form. Five hundred (500) mgs. of capsule may be taken twice in a day.

At this point, there are still no clinical trials performed on humans to test its efficacy in stopping hair loss and aiding hair regrowth. A number of pharmaceutical companies are now hard at work, though, in researching Gotu Kola as a possible hair loss supplement. Its use is encouraged no less maybe by the ancient tales of men growing full beard and full hair at the ripe age of 100 and beyond.

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