Gotu Kola

Gotu Kola is a herbaceous perennial native to Asia that can be grown as a ground cover or in a pot. It is often used in cooking as you would a leafy green in curries or soups. It can be eaten raw by itself or in a salad for that bit of zing.

It also has a reputation for its health benefits, especially aiding memory and relieving arthritis symptoms (hence one of its other common names, ‘arthritis herb’).

Taste/Aroma:

Gotu Kola is slightly bitter at first and then you quickly notice the astringent qualities. Eaten raw it leaves you with a pleasant tingle for several hour. It reminds me of Sichaun peppercorns in that respect.

 Plant:

20171015 gotu kola

 Planting/Care:

Please see the link at the bottom of the page for when to grow this plant in my Grow It Perth calendar.

Find a semi-shaded position in your garden with draining soil. The soil doesn’t need to be rich either.

In Perth the full sun tends to kill the leaves off and I suspect it will appear to die off in the coldest part of winter but will regrow when spring returns.

Related Links:
  • go to all meal ingredients here
  • go the Grow It Perth calendar
  • see a work in progress map of edible plant species here

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