Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals : Chinese Herbs – Beng Da Wan or Lei Gong Gen (Herba Centella asiatica)

Friday 15 November 2013

Chinese Herbs – Beng Da Wan or Lei Gong Gen (Herba Centella asiatica)

Beng Da Wan or Lei Gong Gen is also known as Indian navelwort, gotu kola. The acrid, bitter and cold herb has been used in TCM as anti-cancer, antipyretic agent to treat inflammation and swelling, wounds, get rid of toxins, bladder infection, infectious diarrhea,hypertension, psoriasis, eczema,laryngitis, injuries, etc. as it enhancing the functions of bladder, spleen, stomach channels. Ingredients
1. Pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins
2. Asiaticoside
3. Centelloside
4. Madecassoside
5. Brahmoside
6. Brahminoside
7. Thankuniside
8. Sceffoleoside
9. Centellose
10. Indocentelloside
11. Centellic acid
12. Madecassic acid, syn.
13. Brahmic acid,
14. Madasiatic acid
15. Asiatic acid
16. Isobrahmic acid
17. Etc.
Health Benefits
1. Antioxidant and cytotoxic activities
In the investigation of the phenolic (Folin-Dennis) and flavonoid (colorimetric assay) constituents, 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) assay] and aqueous extract (AE) of Centella asiatica leaves has found that AE showed elevated DPPH scavenging activity against mouse melanoma, human breast cancer and rat glioma cell lines, according to the study of “Antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Centella asiatica (L) Urb” by Pittella F, Dutra RC, Junior DD, Lopes MT, Barbosa NR.(1)
2. Wound healing
In the evaluation of ethanolic extract of the plant in both normal and dexamethasone-suppressed found that the extract of C asiatica significantly increased the wound breaking strength in incision wound model compared to controls (P < .001). The extract-treated wounds were found to epithelize faster, and the rate of wound contraction was significantly increased as compared to control wounds (P < .001), according to the study of “Effect of Centella asiatica L (Umbelliferae) on normal and dexamethasone-suppressed wound healing in Wistar Albino rats” by Shetty BS, Udupa SL, Udupa AL, Somayaji SN.(2)
3. Skin-Protective Activities
In the investigation of Aqueous extracts of Centella asiatica L. Urban and its effect on skin diseases found that the skin-protective activities of C. asiatica were significantly improved through the nano-encapsulation process, according to the study of “Enhancement of the Skin-Protective Activities of Centella asiatica L. Urban by a Nano-encapsulation Process” by Kwon MC, Choi WY, Seo YC, Kim JS, Yoon CS, Lim HW, Kim HS, Ahn JH, Lee HY.(3)
4. Cognitive Impairment
In the examination of Centella asiatica against D-galactose induced neurotoxicity is well known model for studying aging and related oxidative damage and memory impairment found that six week of Beng Da Wan treatment significantly improved behavioral alterations, oxidative damage and mitochondrial enzyme complex activities in tested mice, according to the study of “Centella asiatica Attenuates D-Galactose-Induced Cognitive Impairment, Oxidative and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Mice” by Kumar A, Prakash A, Dogra S.(5)
6. Immuno-stimulating activity
In The investigation of the immuno-stimulating effects of Water-soluble polysaccharides of the tubers of Butea superba Roxb. and Pueraria candollei Wall. Ex Benth. var. mirifica (Shaw et Suvat.) C. Niyomdham, the leaves of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb, Ocimum basilicum L., Psidium guajava and Andrographis paniculata (Burn. f.) Nees, the stems of Cymbopogon citratus (Stapf ExG), and the fruits of Psidium guajava and Scaphium scaphigerum, found that the polysaccharides enhanced T-lymphocyte proliferation, ranging from 4.5 to 27.0% at a concentration of 100 microg mL(-1), according to the study of “Characterisation and immuno-stimulating activity of polysaccharides from Thai medicinal plants” byBurana-Osot J, Pattanapanyasat K, Soonthornchareonnon N, Sukapirom K, Toida T.(5)
6. Neuropsychiatric disorders
In th examination of the effects of Centella asiatica water extract and neuropsychiatric disorders found that asiaticoside, a major compound of the extract has exerted the inhibitory effect in rat Ca(2+)-independent PLA(2) (iPLA(2)) and cytosolic PLA(2) (cPLA(2)), enzymes in the brain, according to the study of “Centella asiatica water extract inhibits iPLA2 and cPLA2 activities in rat cerebellum” by Barbosa NR, Pittella F, Gattaz WF.(6)
7. Etc.
Side effects
1. Do not use during pregnancy or during breast feeding. Consuming large amount causes nausea and dizziness
2. Anti-fertility
In the evaluation of the effects of Centella asiatica aqueous leaf extract on the induction of sperm cells in male rats found that the sperm count, motility, and viability and the number of spermatogenic cells in the seminiferous tubules were significantly decreased after receiving oral intake of 10, 50, 80 and 100 mg/kg aqueous leaf extract daily for 60 days, according to the study of ‘The inductive effects of Centella asiatica on rat spermatogenic cell apoptosis in vivo” by Heidari M, Heidari-Vala H, Sadeghi MR, Akhondi MM(a)
3. Overdoses can cause nausea and dizziness
4. Long term usage may be toxic to liver
5. Etc.