Vallarai Keerai, also known as Gotu Kola, is a powerful medicinal herb that confers immense health benefits primarily for enhancing brain activity and nervous system functioning, besides mitigating joint pain in arthritis, healing stomach ulcers and decreasing stress, anxiety.
Scientifically known as Centella Asiatica, this green leafy plant is locally called “Vallarai Keerai” in Tamil, “Mandukaparni” in Sanskrit, “Sarswati” in Hindi and “Swaraswataku” in Telugu. The name “Gotu Kola” is, in fact, the vernacular term in the Sinhalese language of Sri Lanka and literally translates to “cup-shaped leaf”, describing the characteristic rounded and hemispherical form of the leaves.