Nature has a lot to offer. Centella Asiatica is an excellent example of that. Rich of numerous active ingredients, many extracts are issued of it and used in many fields.
Centella Asiatica in the world
The plant is indigenous to the warmer regions of both hemispheres, including Africa, Australia, Cambodia, Central America, China, Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Madagascar, the Pacific Islands, South America, Thailand, southern United States of America, and Viet Nam. It is especially abundant in the swampy areas of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka up to an altitude of approximately 700m.
| Botanical name Centella Asiatica |
| Vernacular names Hindi – Brahmi booti Vietnamese – Rau má Philippines – Yahong yahong Korean – 병풀 (byeongpul) Chinese- 崩大碗 (Bēng dà wǎn) French – Hydrocotyle asiatique English – Indian pennywort, Asiatic pennywort Indonesian – Pegagan, Daun Kaki Kuda Malay – Pegaga |
THE FLOWERS
The stems are slender, creeping stolons, green to reddish-green in color, connecting plants to each other. It has long-stalked, green, reniform leaves with rounded apices which have smooth texture with palmately netted veins. The leaves are borne on pericardial petioles, around 2 cm. The rootstock consists of rhizomes, growing vertically down. They are creamish in color and covered with root hairs.
The flowers are pinkish to red in color, born in small, rounded bunches (umbels) near the surface of the soil. Each flower is partly enclosed in two green bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers are minute in size (less than 3 mm), with 5-6 corolla lobes per flower. Each flower bears five stamens and two styles.
THE FRUITS
The fruits are densely reticulate, distinguishing it from species of Hydrocotyle that have smooth, ribbed or warty fruit. The crop matures in three months, and the whole plant, including the roots, is harvested manually.
Systematic Classification Table
Systematic classification ( Taxonomy ) | |
Classification | Name |
Kingdom | Eukaryota |
Subkingdom | Embryophyta |
Division | Spermatophyta |
Subdivision | Angiospermae |
Class | Dicotyledoneae |
Subclass | Rosidae |
Superorder | Aralianae |
Order | Araliales ( Umbelliflorae ) |
Family | Apiaceae or Umbelliferae |
Subfamily | Hydrocotyle |
Genus | Centella |
Species | Centella asiatica |
| Water | 89.3 g | Fe | 3.1 mg | |
| Protein | 1.6 g | K | 414 mg | |
| Fat | 0.6 g | Β-carotene | 6580 μg | |
| Carbohydrate | 6.9 g | Thiamine | 0.15 mg | |
| Fibre | 2.0 g | Riboflavin | 0.14 mg | |
| Ash | 1.6 g | Niacin | 1.2 mg | |
| Ca | 170 mg | Ascorbic acid | 4 mg | |
| P | 30 mg |
[1] Iwu MM. Handbook of African medicinal plants . Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press, 1993.
[2] Tyler VE, Brady LR, Robbers JE, eds. Pharmacognosy, 9th ed. Philadelphia, Lea & Febiger, 1988.
[3] Kartnig T. Clinical applications of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. In: Craker LE, Simon JE, eds., Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants: recent advances in botany, horticulture, and pharmacology, Vol. 3. Phoenix, AZ, Oryx Press, 1988:145–173.
[4] Farnsworth NR, Bunyapraphatsara N, eds. Thai medicinal plants. Bangkok, Prachachon, 1992.
Active compounds found in Centella Asiatica
Centella asiatica is a very rich plant that contains a wide range of compounds. The following substances are listed in the literature as actives of the plant:
The plant contains 0,1% of essential oil with mainly
Monoterpenes as α and β-pinene, myrcene, γ-terpinene, borneol, bornylacetate
Sesquiterpenes as α-copanene, β-elemene, β-caryophyllene, trans-β-farnesene, germacrene, bicycloelemene
Phytosterols: β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol
Fatty acids: palmitic, oleic, linoleic acids
The triterpene saponins (1.1-8.0%) as asiaticoside, brahminoside, centelloside, madecassoside & genins: asiatic, brahmic, centellinic, betulinic, madecassic, madasiatic acids
Bitter principle: vallerin
Sugars: rhamnose, arabinose, fructose, sucrose, raffinose
Flavonoids: isoquercitrin, astragalin
Amino acids: lysine, alanine, phenylalanine, serine, aspartic and glutamic acids
Miscellaneous: resin, pectin, alkaloids, centellose (an oligosaccharide), polyphenols, tannins, carotenoids, mineral salts
Nutritional analysis of the leaves (100g)
| Water | 89.3 g | Fe | 3.1 mg | |
| Protein | 1.6 g | K | 414 mg | |
| Fat | 0.6 g | Β-carotene | 6580 μg | |
| Carbohydrate | 6.9 g | Thiamine | 0.15 mg | |
| Fibre | 2.0 g | Riboflavin | 0.14 mg | |
| Ash | 1.6 g | Niacin | 1.2 mg | |
| Ca | 170 mg | Ascorbic acid | 4 mg | |
| P | 30 mg |
Note: The content in saponins is variable according to the region and the year. But generally speaking, the richest Centella in saponins is found in Madagascar and can reach 8%. In China, the content is between 1.5 to 3%. In India, the content is usually lower, not more than 1%.
Moreover, some saponins are characteristics to some place like terminoloside specifically found in Madagascar.