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Centella asiatica (CA) is a very important medicinal herb used in the orient, which is also becoming popular in the West. Commonly known as mandukparni or Indian pennywort or jalbrahmi, it has been used as a medicine in the Ayurvedic tradition of India for thousands of years and listed in the historic ‘Sushruta Samhita’, an ancient Indian medical text. The herb is also used by the people of Java and other Indonesian islands. In China, known as gotu kola, it is one of the reported “miracle elixirs of life” known over 2000 years ago. Centella asiatica or gotu kola should not be confused with kola nut as it does not contain any caffeine and has not been shown to have stimulant properties. In the nineteenth century, Centella asiatica and its extracts were incorporated into the Indian pharmacopoeia, wherein in addition to wound healing, it was recommended for the treatment of various skin conditions such as leprosy, lupus, varicose ulcers, eczema, psoriasis, diarrhoea, fever, amenorrhea, and diseases of the female genitourinary tract.
The primary active constituents of centella asiatica are saponins (also called triterpenoids), which include asiaticosides, in which a trisaccharide moiety is linked to the aglycone c acid, madecassoside and madasiatic acid. These triterpene saponins and their sapogenins are mainly responsible for the wound healing and vascular effects by inhibiting the production of collagen at the wound site. Other components isolated from CA, such as brahmoside and brahminoside, may be responsible for CNS and uterorelaxant actions, but are yet to be confirmed by clinical studies. Crude extract containing glycosides isothankuniside and thankuniside showed antifertility action in mice. Centelloside and its derivatives are found to be effective in the treatment of venous hypertension. In addition, the total extract contains plant sterols, flavonoids, and other components with no known pharmacological activity, namely, abundant tannins (20-25%), essential acid (0.1% with beta-chariophylen, trans-beta-pharnesen and germachrene D), phytosterols (campesterol, sitosterol, stigmasterol), mucilages, resins, free aminoacids (alanine, serine, aminobutyrate, aspartate, glutamate, lysine and treonine), flavonoids (derivates of chercetin and kempferol), an alkaloid (hydrochotine), a bitter component (vallerine), fatty acids (linoleic acids, linolnelic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids)
Centella asiatica (CA) is a very important medicinal herb used in the orient, which is also becoming popular in the West. Commonly known as mandukparni or Indian pennywort or jalbrahmi, it has been used as a medicine in the Ayurvedic tradition of India for thousands of years and listed in the historic ‘Sushruta Samhita’, an ancient Indian medical text. The herb is also used by the people of Java and other Indonesian islands. In China, known as gotu kola, it is one of the reported “miracle elixirs of life” known over 2000 years ago. Centella asiatica or gotu kola should not be confused with kola nut as it does not contain any caffeine and has not been shown to have stimulant properties. In the nineteenth century, Centella asiatica and its extracts were incorporated into the Indian pharmacopoeia, wherein in addition to wound healing, it was recommended for the treatment of various skin conditions such as leprosy, lupus, varicose ulcers, eczema, psoriasis, diarrhoea, fever, amenorrhea, and diseases of the female genitourinary tract.
The primary active constituents of centella asiatica are saponins (also called triterpenoids), which include asiaticosides, in which a trisaccharide moiety is linked to the aglycone c acid, madecassoside and madasiatic acid. These triterpene saponins and their sapogenins are mainly responsible for the wound healing and vascular effects by inhibiting the production of collagen at the wound site. Other components isolated from CA, such as brahmoside and brahminoside, may be responsible for CNS and uterorelaxant actions, but are yet to be confirmed by clinical studies. Crude extract containing glycosides isothankuniside and thankuniside showed antifertility action in mice. Centelloside and its derivatives are found to be effective in the treatment of venous hypertension. In addition, the total extract contains plant sterols, flavonoids, and other components with no known pharmacological activity, namely, abundant tannins (20-25%), essential acid (0.1% with beta-chariophylen, trans-beta-pharnesen and germachrene D), phytosterols (campesterol, sitosterol, stigmasterol), mucilages, resins, free aminoacids (alanine, serine, aminobutyrate, aspartate, glutamate, lysine and treonine), flavonoids (derivates of chercetin and kempferol), an alkaloid (hydrochotine), a bitter component (vallerine), fatty acids (linoleic acids, linolnelic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids)
