Is gotu kola the same as kola nut?

No. Kola nut contains caffeine and comes from an unrelated tree. Gotu kola contains no caffeine.

Is gotu kola the same as brahmi?

Not necessarily. Brahmi is a name used for gotu kola in some regions and for Bacopa monnieri in others. Check the Latin name.

Is gotu kola safe for the liver?

Liver injury has been reported rarely, and I would speak to a GP before using it if you have liver disease or take medicines that affect the liver. Stop and seek advice if you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine or pale stools.

Is gotu kola safe in pregnancy?

Safety is not established. The EarthWise guidance advises against Daily Vitality in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Gotu Kola: What It Is, How It Works, and When to Use It

Sarah Burt

Oct 14

6 min read

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is a low, creeping plant with small round leaves, used for a very long time in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It has a better reputation than most herbs for supporting calm, focus and long-term resilience, and a more complicated safety picture than that reputation suggests. I want to be careful with this one, because the European herbal committee has assessed it and recognised only its topical use, and a few rare cases of liver injury have been reported with oral products. It is one of the four herbs in the EarthWise Daily Vitality tonic.

Bright green round leaves on tall stems, backlit against a soft blue sky in a peaceful close-up garden scene

What it is

Gotu kola belongs to the carrot family (Apiaceae) and grows across the tropical and subtropical wetlands of Asia, Africa and Australia. It is a trailing perennial that roots at the nodes, with fan-shaped leaves and tiny pink or white flowers. It is also called Asian pennywort and tiger grass, and the leaves are eaten as a green in parts of south and south-east Asia.

The part used is the aerial part of the plant, mainly the leaves. In Ayurveda it is known as mandukaparni, and it is sometimes confused with another herb known as brahmi, a name that is also used for Bacopa monnieri. If a product says brahmi, it is worth checking which plant is in the bottle.

A buyer's note worth reading. Check that the label names the aerial parts and gives the Latin name Centella asiatica. Many supplements are standardised to triterpenes, and the percentage on the label tells you about concentration and not about how well the product will work. Purified triterpene extracts used in some medicines are a different thing from a whole herb tincture.

The active compounds

Gotu kola contains triterpenoid saponins, chiefly asiaticoside and madecassoside, together with their aglycones asiatic acid and madecassic acid. It also contains flavonoids and other plant compounds. The European Pharmacopoeia sets a minimum of 6% total triterpenoid derivatives, expressed as asiaticoside.

The main proposed mechanism. In laboratory and animal studies, the triterpenes act on skin cells and connective tissue and also have effects on nerve cells and inflammation. These are cell and animal findings, and I make no claims about what they mean for an oral tincture.

How it is traditionally used

The EU herbal committee (HMPC) adopted a monograph on Centella asiatica herb (revision 1, published in 2022). The use it recognises is topical: applying the herb, as a powder or infusion, to minor wounds, based on traditional use. The assessment report states that oral use was not covered, and it gives reasons that include toxic effects on the liver and kidneys seen in rats given powdered leaf, and a concern about fertility with oral use at traditional doses.

This matters because the way gotu kola is usually sold, as an oral tincture or capsule, is not a use that the European committee has accepted. That is not a ban. It means there is no European assessment of oral doses or safety for me to point to.

In Ayurveda, gotu kola has been taken as a tonic for a long time, traditionally for mental clarity, longevity and skin. In Western herbal practice it is used as a calming, long-term tonic, which is the logic behind its place in Daily Vitality.

What the research shows

Here is how the evidence reads.

Traditional evidence: oral tonic use. This is the main basis for the herb's use in a formula, and it comes from a long tradition and not from controlled trials.

Recognised in Europe: topical use on minor wounds. This is based on long-standing use.

Clinical trials of oral gotu kola. I have not reviewed these in enough detail to make claims. The LiverTox database describes small trials that reported only mild, passing and non-specific side effects at frequencies similar to placebo.

Safety evidence. The liver is the main concern. The US LiverTox database rates Centella asiatica as a probable rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury. The cases it describes include a 61-year-old woman who developed jaundice after 30 days of tablets taken for weight loss, with injury that recurred within two weeks when she restarted the product. The injury was generally mild to moderate and settled within one to two months of stopping. The mechanism is unknown, and contamination or other causes were not ruled out. The database also notes that extracts have not been linked to raised liver enzymes during therapy, and describes liver injury as very rare. A European pharmacovigilance search found 23 reports in total, mostly skin-related and non-serious, and those mainly involved topical products.

The honest caveat. Gotu kola has a long tradition and a generally good record, and its oral use falls outside what the European committee has assessed. Liver injury is rare. It is still a reason to be careful and to stop at the first sign of trouble.

Practical guidance

Dose. There is no established oral dose and no EU monograph covering oral use. The monograph's topical amount is 0.6 g of herb up to three times a day on the skin, and it does not apply to oral products. This is not a dosing instruction for any particular product.

Format. A tincture, a capsule of dried leaf or extract, or a tea. The topical use in the monograph is a separate matter.

Time to effect. There is no clinical timeline. Herbalists generally allow several weeks to judge a response.

Timing. There is no established timing.

What it does not replace. Gotu kola does not replace medical or psychological support for memory problems, low mood or anxiety. Persistent memory changes, low mood or anxiety need a GP.

For how to take the EarthWise tonic specifically, the dose and full safety information are on the product page.

Common questions

Is gotu kola the same as kola nut? No. Kola nut contains caffeine and comes from an unrelated tree. Gotu kola contains no caffeine.
Is gotu kola the same as brahmi? Not necessarily. Brahmi is a name used for gotu kola in some regions and for Bacopa monnieri in others. Check the Latin name.
Is gotu kola safe for the liver? Liver injury has been reported rarely, and I would speak to a GP before using it if you have liver disease or take medicines that affect the liver. Stop and seek advice if you notice yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine or pale stools.
Can I take it if I am trying to conceive? The assessment report raised a concern about fertility with oral use at traditional doses, so I would speak to a practitioner first.
Is gotu kola safe in pregnancy? Safety is not established. The EarthWise guidance advises against Daily Vitality in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Where gotu kola appears in the EarthWise range

Gotu kola is one of the four herbs in Daily Vitality, Sarah's formula for long-term energy and resilience, where it sits with Rhodiola, Astragalus and Schisandra.

If you are not sure which formula fits, the EarthWise health quiz is the best place to start. Full safety information is on each product page.

When to seek professional support

Gotu kola is generally well tolerated, and liver injury, though rare, is the reason for care. Check with a practitioner first in these situations:

Liver disease, or medicines that affect the liver. Rare liver injury has been reported.
Yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine or pale stools. Stop and see a doctor promptly.
Trying to conceive. The EU assessment raised a concern about fertility with oral use.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Not recommended.
Sedative medication. The herb has a calming reputation, so check with your GP or pharmacist.
Allergy to plants in the carrot family. Stop if you develop a rash, itching or swelling.
Under 18. There is no guidance on use in children and adolescents, so I would not use it without a practitioner.

Sarah Burt is a registered naturopath, medical herbalist and iridologist with 25+ years of clinical experience. All EarthWise tonics are formulated by Sarah based on her clinical protocols.

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This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any health condition. Always consult a qualified health practitioner before making changes to your health regimen.