Herb Lesson #4 Gotu Kola

Use in any meditation incense.
Burn before meditation, but not during.

Gotu kola is good if irritability or anger is creating distress and anxiety.
It has been recommended when people are having trouble concentrating. When combined with meditation Gotu kola can reduce anxiety and improve mental clarity.

Preliminary results showed it can be beneficial in improving memory and may also help overcome stress and fatigue. Two older Indian studies reported that it helped improve intelligence, general mental abilities, and behavior in mentally retarded children.

A later study examined how the herb affected brain neurotransmitters in laboratory rats. For two weeks, some rats were given an extract of fresh gotu kola leaves. They scored three to sixty times better than untreated rats in tests of learning and memory. A decrease of neurotransmitters was correlated with their improved learning and memory.

Topically, it relieves- inflammation, strengthens tissue at wound sites, and helps rebuild damaged skin tissue. In one clinical study of a topical preparation of gotu kola, thirteen of twenty patients with poorly healing wounds experienced complete, accelerated healing.