Gotu kola
Centella asiatica
A creeping green for damp ground, eaten fresh in sambols and salads across South Asia.
Hardiness: zones 8 to 12
Light: part shade
Size: about 0.3 ft tall, 2 ft wide
Harvest: year-round
From: Tropical Asia, Africa and Australia
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, traditional use, Ayurvedic tradition.
Native to: South & Southeast Asian tropics, Australia, African savannas & tropics, East Asia. Hardy in zones 8 to 12.
The story
Gotu kola creeps along wet ground across tropical Asia and has been eaten and prescribed in Ayurveda and Sri Lankan kitchens for 2,000 years, in sambol and porridge, as the herb of memory; Chinese medicine and the elephants of Sri Lanka both favour it.
Planting
Part shade, wet or constantly moist soil; a creeping groundcover for a pond edge or shaded damp bed. Plant a division in spring; it spreads by runners.
Growing
Keep wet and lightly shaded; it dies in drought and scorches in sun. Contain it where it is happy.
Harvest and use
Pick leaves any time; eat fresh in salads and sambol, or dry for tea. A few leaves a day in the Sri Lankan way.
What to watch for
Drought; slugs.
Safety
Medicinal uses here are shared as history, not advice. Kitchen amounts are fine for most people, but teas, tinctures and supplements can interact with medicines and aren't safe for everyone, especially in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for children, or with liver or kidney problems. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before taking any plant as medicine.
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More perennial vegetables, greens and herbs
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home