What is Centella asiatica?
Centella asiatica is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Centella in the Apiaceae family, also known as liverwort and collapsing bowl. It usually grows in Asia, subtropical Africa, the warm temperate zone of the Pacific Ocean, and prefers warm and humid environments such as river valleys and wetlands. Centella asiatica reproduces by producing stolons. Its leaves are round, kidney-shaped or horseshoe-shaped, with serrated edges; the petioles are hairless, and the leaf sheaths at the bottom are transparent.
In traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Centella asiatica has always occupied an important position. "Shennong's Herbal Classic" believes that Centella asiatica "mainly treats severe fever, malignant sores, carbuncles, infiltration, redness, red skin, and body heat", and the Song Dynasty's "Su Wen Shi" and "Zheng Lei Ben Cao" describe it as follows, "Centella asiatica, bitter, cold, non-toxic, suitable for fever and skin diseases". Centella asiatica is also a highly respected herb in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, mainly used to improve memory and fight skin diseases and cardiovascular diseases.
In China, Centella asiatica is a raw material for health food. In addition, some areas in southern China often make Centella asiatica into herbal tea for drinking. Centella asiatica is eaten as a vegetable in Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South America.
Multiple functions of Centella asiatica
So far, the plant active ingredients identified from Centella asiatica mainly include terpenoids and phenylpropanoid derivatives (eugenol derivatives, caffeoylquinic acid and flavonoids). These active ingredients have a variety of health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, wound healing, and enhanced cognition and memory.
Neuroprotection:
Related literature shows that triterpenes in Centella asiatica can be used to improve a variety of neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Triterpenoids in Centella asiatica improve neurological diseases by regulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway. Inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway can reduce the expression of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase-p53-Bax 3 (JNK3), thereby protecting dopaminergic neurons and improving Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
In addition, triterpenoids can effectively increase the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), thereby reducing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activating nuclear factor erythropoiesis 2-related factor (Nrf2), and improving cognitive impairment.
Weight loss:
Studies have shown that asiatic acid has the effects of inhibiting weight gain, enhancing leptin and insulin sensitivity, and therefore has the potential to be used as a weight loss drug. At the molecular level, asiatic acid can increase the levels of enzymatic antioxidants (CAT, GPx and SOD) and reverse the expression of CPT-1 and UCP-2 inhibited by a high-fat diet. Asiatic acid can repair oxidative stress damage caused by obesity and inhibit weight gain by promoting fatty acid oxidation.
Improve cardiovascular health:
Centella asiatica and asiatic acid have a positive effect on cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis is a disease caused by the accumulation of intimal lipids, which leads to narrowing of the inside of the arteries and can lead to heart attacks. Centella asiatica can reduce endothelial permeability and effectively prevent the occurrence of atherosclerosis by reducing the levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin.
Promote wound healing:
In the transdermal absorption experiment of rats, hydroxy-madecasic acid can quickly penetrate the skin barrier, promote the wound repair process by affecting fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis, and also has antibacterial effects. Compared with untreated rats, the hydrogel preparation rich in asiatica accelerated the healing of wounds by 40% without any skin irritation.
Centella asiatica will enter the $500 million market
Verified data shows that the market size of Centella asiatica extract will reach $401 million in 2023 and is expected to reach $581 million by the end of 2030. As consumer demand for functional foods continues to grow, scientists and researchers are developing functional foods using herbs such as Centella asiatica.
This article was independently created and published by Herbfields.net.