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:
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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