Sometimes called "food for the brain," gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is a slender, creeping plant that is easy to grow in a hanging basket in a sunny window. It also tolerates low light levels and handles water so well that it can be grown in a terrarium or aquarium.
In Ayurveda, gotu kola is used to revitalize the brain and nerve cells and as a tonic to purify blood and promote healthy skin. Like neem, new research is validating many of those traditional uses specifically related to enhancing brain activity, both improving mood and memory in a clinical trial with human patients. Other studies indicate that it facilitates the repair of burned skin and reduced arthritis pain in mice probably by regulating humoral and cellular immunity.
They came through last winter's cold weather with flying colors, even the plants that didn't make it to the "hot" part of the greenhouse.
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