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Gotu kola has the ability to enhance memory and nerve function, which gives it
potential in treating Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, one 2012 study on mice found that
gotu kola extract had a positive effect on behavioral abnormalities in mice with
Alzheimer’s disease. The extract was also shown, in lab and animal studies, to have a
modest effect on protecting brain cells from toxicity. This could also protect the cells
from forming the plaque associated with Alzheimer’s.
Still, further research is needed to determine exactly how gotu kola could be used to
treat Alzheimer’s. If you’re interested in adding this to your treatment plan, talk to
your doctor before use.
Mice that were given gotu kola for five consecutive days before undergoing sleep
deprivation experienced significantly less anxiety-like behavior. They also
experienced improved locomotor activity and less oxidative damage. A 2013 review
Trusted Source of anti-anxiety herbal medicines also concluded that gotu kola has an
acute anti-anxiety effect. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings.
Gotu kola’s positive effect on brain function may also make it an effective
antidepressant. A review from 2016Trusted Source supports these findings, in part
due to a study on 33 people with generalized anxiety disorder. The participants were
asked to take gotu kola in place of their antidepressant medication for 60 days. They
self-reported decreased stress, anxiety, and depression. Another study discussed in the
review assessed the effect of gotu kola on rats induced with chronic depression. The
herbal remedy had a positive effect on certain elements of behavioral depression,
including body weight, body temperature, and heart rate.
Older research Trusted Source has also shown that gotu kola can be useful in
treating varicose veins. This may be because gotu kola has a positive metabolic effect
on the connective tissue of the vascular wall.
Given its perceived ability to treat anxiety, stress, and depression, gotu kola may
also be used to treat the insomnia that sometimes accompanies these conditions. Some
consider this herbal remedy to be a safe alternative to prescription medications used to
treat insomnia and other sleep disorders. Although older researchTrusted Source does
suggest that gotu kola can help treat sleep disorders, additional studies are needed to
confirm these findings.
According to a 2013 reviewTrusted Source, gotu kola can reduce the appearance
of stretch marks. It’s thought that the terpenoids found in gotu kola increase collagen
production in the body. This may help prevent new stretch marks from forming, as
well as help heal any existing marks.
Newer research is taking a look at gotu kola’s effect on liver and kidney toxicity.
According to one 2017 animal studyTrusted Source, gotu kola can be used to suppress
the toxic side effects of the antibiotic isoniazid. Isoniazid is used to treat and
prevent tuberculosis. Rats were given 100 mg of gotu kola for 30 days before they
were given the antibiotic. These rats experienced less toxicity overall. Rats that did
experience toxicity in the liver and kidneys resumed to near-normal levels after being
given gotu kola.