| Centella asiatica | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae |
| Genus: | Centella |
| Species: | C. asiatica |
| Binomial name | |
| Centella asiatica | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Centella asiatica, commonly known asIndian pennywort,Asiatic pennywort,spadeleaf,coinwort orgotu kola,[3] is aherbaceous,perennial plant in theflowering plant familyApiaceae.[2] It is native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and islands in the western Pacific Ocean.[2][4][5][6] It is consumed as a culinaryvegetable and is used intraditional medicine.[2]
Centella grows intemperate andtropical swampy areas in many regions of the world.[2] The stems are slender, creepingstolons, green to reddish-green in color, connecting plants to each other.[2] It has long-stalked, green, rounded apices which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins.[2] The leaves are borne on pericladial petioles,[clarification needed] around 2 cm (0.79 in). The rootstock consists ofrhizomes, growing vertically down. They are cream in color and covered with root hairs.[2]
Theflowers are white orcrimson in color, born in small, rounded bunches (umbels) near the surface of the soil.[2] Each flower is partly enclosed in two green bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers are minute in size, less than 3 mm (0.12 in), with five to six corolla lobes per flower. Each flower bears five stamens and twostyles. The fruit are densely reticulate, distinguishing it from species ofHydrocotyle which have smooth, ribbed or warty fruit.[6] The crop matures in three months, and the whole plant, including the roots, is harvested manually. It is a highlyinvasive plant, rated as "high risk".[2]Centella has numerous common names in its regions of distribution.[2]
Centella asiatica is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent (including Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia, parts of Australia, and wetland regions of the Southeastern US.[7][8] Because the plant is aquatic, it is especially sensitive to biological and chemical pollutants in the water, which may be absorbed into the plant. It can be cultivated in drier soils, including sandyloam,[citation needed] as long as they are watered regularly enough (such as in a home garden arrangement).[9]
Centella contains pentacyclictriterpenoids andtrisaccharide derivatives, including asiaticoside, brahmoside, asiatic acid, and brahmic acid (madecassic acid). Other constituents include centellose, centelloside, and madecassoside.[10][11][12] Approximately 124 chemical compounds have been isolated and identified fromCentella asiatica.[13] Long term use on the skin can cause severe health problems including: skin irritation, intoxicated blood, red eyes and problems with the lymph nodes.
InBurmese cuisine, raw pennywort is used as the main constituent in asalad mixed with onions, crushed peanuts, bean powder and seasoned with lime juice and fish sauce.[14] Centella is used as a leafy green inSri Lankan cuisine, being the predominantly locally available leafy green, where it is calledgotu kola orvallaarai. It is most often prepared asmalluma, a traditional accompaniment torice and vegetarian dishes, such as lentils, andjackfruit orpumpkin curry. It is considered nutritious. In addition to finely choppedgotu kola plants, thegotu kola malluma may be eaten with gratedcoconut, dicedshallots,lime (orlemon) juice, and sea salt. Additional ingredients are finely chopped greenchilis,chili powder,turmeric powder, or choppedcarrots. TheCentella fruit-bearing structures are discarded from thegotu kola malluma due to their intense bitter taste. A variation ofporridge known askola kanda is also made withgotu kola in Sri Lanka.Gotu kola kanda orVallaarai kanji is made with well-boiled red rice with some extra liquid,coconut milk first extract, andgotu kolapurée. The porridge is accompanied withjaggery for sweetness.Centella leaves are also used in modern sweet pennywort drinks and herbal teas. In addition the leaves are served stir-fried whole in coconut oil, or cooked in coconut milk with garlic ordhal.
InIndonesia, the leaves are used forsambai oi peuga-ga, anAceh type of salad, and is also mixed intoasinan inBogor. InCambodia,Vietnam andThailand, this leaf is used for preparing a drink or can be eaten in raw form in salads orcold rolls. In Bangkok, vendors in theChatuchak Weekend Market sell it alongside coconut,roselle,chrysanthemum, orange and other health drinks. InMalay cuisine it is known as pegaga, and the leaves of this plant are used forulam, a type of vegetable salad.[2]C. asiatica is widely used in variousIndian regional cuisines.In Bangladesh and India (specifically in West Bengal), Centella is called Thankuni Pata and used in various dishes, one of the most appetising of which is thepakora-like snack called Thankuni Patar Bora; made of mashedCentella,lentils,julienned onion andgreen chilli.
Intraditional medicine,C. asiatica has been used to treat various disorders, dermatological conditions,[15] and minor wounds,[2] due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, although clinical efficacy and safety have not been investigated in human clinical trials.[16][17] In animals trials,C. asiatica and its extracts has been shown to relieve cognitive impairment and treatneurodegenerative conditions by way of reducing the production ofreactive oxygen species and promoting neuron survival and growth. It has also shown promise in treating endocrine-related disorders likediabetes andobesity, by reducing insulin resistance and aiding in the regulation of blood glucose levels and appetite, andendometriosis by reducing inflammation. Furthermore,C. asiatica has shown to reduce the generation and activity ofosteoclasts inOsteoporosis models in mice.C. asiatica may address several skin conditions such as acne,vitiligo, eczema, and increase collagen production. The compounds asiaticoside and asiatic acid may relievehypertension,atherosclerosis, andischemic heart disease by promotingendothelium function and reducing pathologicalapoptosis of heart muscles.C. asiatica's pro-mitochondrial, anti-imflammatory, and anti-oxidant effects have shown benefits in treating digestive diseases in animal and in vitro studies. Asiatic acid may also aid in treating respiratory diseases by targeting inflammation. In animal and cell trials,C. asiatica has been shown to promote cancer cell death.[17]
Contact dermatitis and skin irritation can result fromtopical application.Drowsiness may occur after consuming it.[16] There has been three cases ofliver disease associated with use over the span of multiple weeks.[18]
C. asiatica has been shown to activatetelomerase more than any other known compound yet discovered: 8.8-fold. This exceeds the activation by other known telomerase activators:oleanolic acid 5.9-fold,Astragalus extract 4.3-fold,TA-65 2.2-fold, andmaslinic acid 2-fold.[19]
In the context ofphytoremediation,C. asiatica is a potentialphytoextraction tool owing to its ability to take up andtranslocate metals from root to shoot when grown in soils contaminated byheavy metals.[20]
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