Herb & supplement monograph

Gotu Kola Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Gotu Kola interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Gotu Kola is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Gotu Kola is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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On this page

Gotu Kola Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Gotu Kola drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and every one of them rests on theoretical or poorly documented evidence rather than well-controlled human studies.

Interactions deserving the most attention

Two broad categories deserve the most thought. Gotu kola may bind to calming receptors in the brain, so combining it with CNS depressants such as sedatives or sleep medicines could, in theory, add to drowsiness. There are also a few case reports of liver injury in people taking gotu kola, so caution is reasonable with medications that can stress the liver, even though it is not confirmed that gotu kola caused those cases. Neither concern has been proven in human studies.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications looks alarming, but it mostly reflects how many common drugs fall into these two broad groups. The concerns come from lab research and a handful of unconfirmed reports, not from documented harm in people, so most combinations have never been shown to cause a meaningful problem.

Check your medications against Gotu Kola

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Gotu Kola interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Gotu Kola

581 medications have a known interaction with Gotu Kola, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Gotu Kola using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Gotu Kola interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Gotu Kola combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Gotu Kola affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Gotu Kola is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 2 drug categories Gotu Kola interacts with

Cns DepressantsHepatotoxic Drugs

Cns Depressants

Theoretically, taking gotu kola might increase the sedative effects of CNS depressants.
In vitro research suggests that gotu kola may have sedative effects via binding of GABA receptors.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Hepatotoxic Drugs

Theoretically, taking gotu kola with hepatotoxic drugs might have additive adverse effects.
There are at least four case reports of hepatotoxicity associated with the use of gotu kola. However, more information is needed to determine if gotu kola was the causative factor in these cases.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Gotu Kola: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Gotu kola is a traditional Ayurvedic and Asian herb that people use for wound healing, circulation, skin problems, and as a calming or memory-supporting herb. Some early studies suggest possible benefits for vein health and skin, but the overall evidence is limited and not strong. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have liver problems.

Scientific name: Centella asiatica
Family: Apiaceae
Part used: Leaves and stems (aerial parts)
Common forms: Tea, capsules, tablets, tinctures, dried herb, topical creams and ointments

People commonly use it for

Wound healing
Varicose veins and poor circulation
Anxiety and stress
Memory and mental clarity
Skin health and scarring

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally considered well tolerated short-term, but quality evidence is limited and liver concerns have been reported.

PregnancyPossibly Safe

When used topically and appropriately. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety gotu kola when used orally during pregnan...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is a small, creeping perennial herb in the carrot family. It has fan-shaped green leaves and tiny white or pink flowers, and it tends to grow in warm, damp, marshy areas. It is native to parts of Asia and is widely used in India, Sri Lanka, China, and Southeast Asia.

The leaves and stems have a long history in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine. People have used gotu kola for wound healing, skin conditions, circulation problems, and as a calming or "brain" tonic. Today it is sold as teas, capsules, tinctures, and skin creams.

Note: Gotu kola is not the same as cola nut (which contains caffeine) and is sometimes confused with bacopa, another herb also nicknamed "brahmi."

How it works

Gotu kola contains compounds called triterpenes, including asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid, and madecassic acid. These are thought to be the main active ingredients.

Laboratory and animal studies suggest these compounds may support the production of collagen (a protein important for skin and connective tissue), help strengthen blood vessel walls, and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This is the proposed reason behind its use for wounds, scars, and vein health.

Researchers have also studied possible effects on the nervous system that could relate to its traditional use for calm and memory. However, much of this work is early-stage (cells and animals), so we cannot assume the same effects occur in people.

Effectiveness

Does Gotu Kola work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 32 uses evaluated

2 Possibly effective 2 Leans ineffective 28 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

Possibly Effective Burns