Centella asiatica
Tiger grass ( Centella asiatica )
The Indian pennywort ( Centella asiatica ) and Asian pennywort, tiger grass or Gotu Kola is a flowering plant in the genus Centella in the carrot family ( Apiaceae ). The type is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is offered more frequently in Europe lately.
Description
The Indian pennywort is a perennial, herbaceous plant. The shoot axis is crawling from the nodes often grow new roots. The stems are hairy hairless or finely.
The leaves are 0.5 to 10 inches long stalked ( in extreme cases up to 30 ). The spreading are simple and circular or kidney-shaped. You between 1 and 4.5 centimeters long and 1.5 to 5 centimeters wide. The lower leaf surface is open to the leaf veins with small hair groups, the top is bare. The leaf margins are wavy. The base is cordate and denticulate the margin here roughly. It includes the petiole as in a leaf sheath. The Venatur is palmate with 5-7 distinct veining.
The axillary inflorescences sit in groups of two to four cones at 0.2 to 1.5 centimeters long, furry or bald inflorescence axes. Each two (rarely three) bracts are fused to a husk. They are ovate and 3-4 inches long and 2.1 to 3 inches wide. They do not fall for fruit maturity. The cones are 2 to 4 - flowered and capitate.
The flowers are sessile or nearly sessile. The petals are white or mottled pink. Calyx teeth are missing. The ovary is inferior and purple. The stylus is short.
The fruits are two-piece schizocarps. They are 2.1 to 3 mm long and 2.2 to 3.6 millimeters long. The primary ribs on the fruit are very clear, the secondary ribs form a network structure. The flowering and fruiting season runs from April to October.
The species is relatively similar Dichondra micrantha Urban of the family Convolvulaceae and is sometimes confused with this species.
Dissemination
The Indian pennywort is distributed worldwide in the tropics and subtropics and native of tropical America, Africa, India, West Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Pacific Islands.
The species prefers moist to boggy, humus- based and nutrient-rich sites at altitude 200-1900 meters. Often they can be found on river banks or in rice fields.
Ingredients
The plant contains asiaticoside and other triterpene saponins, triterpenes free, flavonol glycosides and the alkaloid Hydrocotylin. Furthermore, can be obtained from the herb essential oil, which contains caryophyllene, cymene, pinene and germacrene. Overdose can lead to headaches or in severe cases unconsciousness.
Benefit
The Indian pennywort found in traditional Chinese medicine and in Ayurvedic medicine in India use. He is there for wound healing, used in mental disorders and atherosclerosis. In addition, he is an antibiotic, antifungal and cytostatic effect.
Since about 2000 plant parts are increasingly used in Europe and North America by the spa and beauty industry. There extracts of the herb are believed to have been successfully used for skin tightening and skin rejuvenation. The French Bayer subsidiary SERDEX has been patented five skin- nursing effects of the substance.