Centella Asiatica Gotu Kola Thankuni
About Centella Asiatica Gotu Kola Thankuni
Centella asiatica, commonly known as centella and gotu kola, is a small, herbaceous, frost-tender perennial plant of the family Mackinlayaceae
Centella Asiatica Gotu Kola Thankuni Description
Centella asiatica, commonly known as centella and gotu kola, is a small, herbaceous, frost-tender perennial plant of the family Mackinlayaceae or subfamily Mackinlayoideae of family Apiaceae, and is native to wetlands in Asia.
Centella grows in tropical swampy areas. The stems are slender, creeping stolons, green to reddish-green in color, connecting plants to each other. It has long-stalked, green, rounded apices which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins. The leaves are borne on pericladial petioles, around 2 cm (0. 79 in). The rootstock consists of rhizomes, growing vertically down. They are creamish in color and covered with root hairs.
The flowers are white or pinkish to red in color, born in small, rounded bunches (umbels) near the surface of the soil. 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 two styles. The fruit are densely reticulate, distinguishing it from species of Hydrocotyle which have smooth, ribbed or warty fruit. The crop matures in three months, and the whole plant, including the roots, is harvested manually.
In traditional herbal medicine, C. asiatica has been used for varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency, psoriasis, minor wounds, strangury, and to encourage lactation. According to the American Cancer Society, "Although at least one laboratory study of tumor cells showed reduced cell growth with gotu kola, available scientific evidence does not support claims of its effectiveness for treating cancer or any other disease in humans"
Reviews
Centella Asiatica flower
Growing indoor in Wales U.K.
Centella asiatica, a perennial herb also known as gotu kola, produces fan-shaped, green leaves that are harvested and used for medicinal purposes. Native to China, Japan, India and Indonesia, the herb has a long history of use in these areas. Medical practitioners in the United States and Europe have recently taken an interest in the herb for its possible health benefits. Although Centella asiatica appears safe when taken as directed, the University of Maryland Medical Center warns against taking the herb for longer than six weeks without consulting a doctor. Also, individuals with liver disease or a history of cancerous skin lesions should not take Centella asiatica. Always talk to your doctor before self-treating with this or any other herb, especially if you currently take prescription medications.
Growing
Growing during winter in Wales
How to Grow Vallarai at Home The botanical name of vallarai is "Centella asiatica" and is commonly known as centella and Gotu kola. It is known as Indian Penny Wort in English. When I posted Vallarai Thuvaiyal recipe, I got many queries asking me how to grow vallarai at home, hence this post. Vallarai as we all know is a medicinal herb and is are used for improving memory and curing many diseases. You can make many dishes like dal, thuvaiyal, podi, kootu with vallarai. As I a...m passionate about cooking, I love using fresh herbs from my kitchen garden. Nothing can beat the flavor and taste of home grown herbs and vegetables. Today we will see how to grow vallarai at home in a pot.
Vallarai-Brahmi
Vallarai/Gotu kola (brahmi booti in Hindi) is quiet easy to grow at home and needs low maintenance. You do not need much space as it can be grown in pots. Even if you have a small balcony, you can grow vallarai or for that matter any herbs. I am by no means an expert in gardening but love to share my experience.
What you need to grow vallarai at home
1.Any container or grow bag or pot
2. Vallarai - 3 or 4 plants with root.
3.Potting mixture
4. Of course interest
I used a mixture of vermicompost, cow dung manure, coco peat (coir dust made from coconut husk- available ready made in the market in blocks), little soil (I used red soil as that is what is available in my place) and sand to grow vallarai. Make sure the potting mixture is loose and porous for the plant to grow well.
vallarai in grow bag
There should be proper drainage in the container or grow bags. Make holes in the container, if it is not there. Fill the container with the potting mixture. Pour water lightly to wet the soil. Our container with potting mixture is ready.
Get a bunch of vallarai from the market. You will definitely find at least a few with a little root (even a little root works). Keep aside 3-4 plants with root.
Once the pot is ready, plant the vallarai with root 4-5 cm deep and pack the soil around it well.
Place the pot in a place that receives morning sunlight or partial afternoon sunlight. That's it.
Sprinkle water until the root takes hold and the plant settles. Once the plant settles, you can water the plant, if the soil is dry. Make sure the soil is damp and not soggy. So avoid over watering the plants.
how to grow vallarai at home
As it is a creeper, it will multiply and will grow well provided it gets enough water, sunlight, food (manure) and of course your care.
Once grown well, you can pluck the leaves alone and use it for cooking and leave the plant for it to grow again.
Get started and have a small herbal garden in your home/balcony and enjoy the flavor, taste and freshness of home grown herbs.
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CENTELLA ASIATICA PLANTS ARE GROWING
CENTELLA ASIATICA GERMINATION
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Thankuni Pata, as it is known in the Bengali lingo or Centella leaves have some medicinal properties that are very healthy for us. It is not much popular though it is quite relished in the North Eastern regions, especially West Bengal and our neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia to name a few.
These leaves can be made into delectable pakoras or can be enjoyed as salads, stir fries, juice or chutneys. So today I tried making a Chutney out of this exotic herb. A very simple recipe where the leaves are ground along with just green chilies and garlic. This is then fried with a tempering of kalonji (nigella seeds) in mustard oil. It is then mixed with plain steamed rice and enjoyed. Please find below a step by step guide with pictures to prepare it.
Gotu Kola Salad.
Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica)
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Centella asiatica medicinal uses and pictures (gotu kola)
Centella asiatica also known as gotu kola and Mandukparni is an ancient Indian herb. The leaves of the plant resemble the shape of a frog, and that’s why the name. The stems are slender and reddish green in colour. The leaves are in shape of a fan with long stalks. The root is a rhizome and grown in vertically downward direction. The root is of a cream colour and covered with hair. The flowers grow in rounded bunches a...
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Gotu Kola or Centella Asiatica, has a long history of use in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It is known to contain certain chemicals that can decrease inflammation, lower blood pressure in the veins and increase collagen production to support wound healing.