Gotu Kola: How to Grow the Plant, Also Called Indian Pennywort
Recently, I became the proud parent of a potted gotu kola. If you know about the magical qualities of this humble, hard-to-find-fresh herb, then you might be a bit envious. Gotu Kola, Centella asiastica Sow Exotic Nursery sells potted Gotu Kola, also known as Indian pennywort and Asiatic pennywort, for $19.95 each. Let’s start with the good stuff. In India, a common saying is that elephants gain their good memory from snacking on wild gotu kola. The flavor is mildly herbaceous like celery (it’s actual related to parsley), and the young leaves and stems can be added to curries, soups, salads, or smoothies. Gotu kola leaves can be harvested for salads. Photograph by Dennis Sylvester Hurd via Flickr. In its native tropical habitats, including India, Hawaii, Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia, this creeping perennial can be found growing with abandon in open forest canopies, streamsides, shady roadsides, even damaged soil affected by fires or destruction. If, on the other hand, you want to harvest the nutritious leaves to eat, then I recommend planting it in a raised container. Photograph by Kier Holmes. Here’s the gotu kola my friend so generously gifted me.