Gotu Kola [Centella asiatica]:

First of all: nothing to do with Coca cola or with the Kola nut [cola nitida]

It does not contain caffeine [for the coffee-fearing people!]

This plant belongs to the parsley family

The leaves are eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable

G.K is specially famous for assisting wound healing  and for the strengthening effects of varicose veins reducing  swelling[ oedema-edema] and tiredness in the legs. After surgery an ointment can be used to cause proper wound healing and and avoid keloid forming.

 A certain compound  in G.K also has been shown to be beneficial on microangiopathy [disease of the small blood vessels] in  cases of diabetes and hypertension  and even on reducing plaque forming in bigger vessels.

Traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine the plant has been used for its calming[anti-anxiety] and rejuvenating effects especially retarding aging and preserving memory.

Elephants like the leaves and as it is said elephants never forget and live long!

By the way:elephant..eLePHaNt.........root letters:L..PH..N = N..F[=PH]..L= nafal Hebrew word for elephant PiL P..L [the N often drops][P=F]

Another "by the way": Elephant .......elef = these root letter have the meaning of learning/training in Hebrew [think about ulpan, written with an alef]

In India the so called "Nila"acupuncture points of the elephant are well known an dmapped [the places where the Indian elephant boy prods with a sharp stick to elicit various responses from the elephant].

Therefore it seems that the Indian elephant can be trained rather easily whereas the African elephant where the "acupuncture points are not known cannot be adequate trained [Prof Felix Mann : acupuncture-  cure of many diseases]

Let's go on with the plant.

Gotu kola is also used for many skin conditions [orally and locally] such as burns, wounds ,decubitus ulcers, psoriasis, scar tissue, eczema , arthritis [psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis] as well as for connective tissue conditions/ diseases [scleroderma] and whenever there is a hot inflamed skin.

Even in leprosy is has been shown to be  comparable with the classic drug  dapsone [James Duke]

The Chinese also seem to use it for hematuria [ blood in the urine],for tuberculosis [shachevet] and for jaundice [tzahevet]

The plant has a long safety record if used in normal doses.

Preferable not to be used during pregnancy and maybe also not during breast feeding.

I can be obtained in herbal pharmacies as capsules [400-500 mg] or as a tincture.

Some 3 capsules per day or 20- 60 drops 3 times per day for adults.

To end with a medical Mitzvah that everybody reading this mail can do for his neighbour if necessary.

If you know somebody who is in a [very] bad medical state and may be receiving many drugs of all kind

then the last thing you want to do, is to harm him by advising buying supplements / vitamins etc if you don't know how they will interact with his drugs.

What you always can do with an ABSOLUTE QUIET heart is to advise to take some vitamin B6 in all cases if the patient is not taking this yet.[advise a low dose: 1/4 tbl of a 100 mg tablet [Solgar] with food].

Again all of you may give this advise and it is often overlooked by doctors.

The person may sometimes tremendously benefit from this.