Gota Kola: Tonic for Longevity

The tale of Li Chung-Yuen living to the age of 256 may not be true, but one thing is for sure the elixir he claims to have helped his longevity has some potent qualities.

Li Chung-Yuen lived most of his life gathering herbs and knowledge of longevity in the mountains around his birthplace in the Szechuan province. He was said to be born in 1678 A.D and died in 1928 A.D. In 1927 Chung-Yuen was invited to visit General Yan Sen, whom was astonished at the man's youthful agility. Soon after the visit, Chug-Yuen died. General Sen decided to research the legitimacy of his longevity and wrote "A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck-Man," which was published by the Chinese & Foreign Literature Storehouse in Taipei, Taiwan.

The herb revealed by Chung-Yuen is Gota Kola. Gota Kola, which is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine has been known to strengthen the immune system, concentration, memory, the nervous system, and circulation. It's a nerve, blood, and liver tonic. Specifically, the herb can lower body temperature, reduce fatigue, ward of kidney stones, help sleep disorders, increase the sex drive, neutralize blood acids, and a wide range of other things. It has even been found to be effective in destroying cancer tumor cells, and promote wound healing. If improving all these functions in the body doesn't produce a longer life span, what can? If this is the herb that helped Li Chung-Yuen, "Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon, sleep like a dog," ("Tortoise-Pigeon-Dog", May 15, 1933 Time), then perhaps he really did live to be over 250 years old.

Nanddo Narian

The 107 year old Indian Sage, Nanddo Narian, claimed that Gota Kola provided nutrients that helped control death and decay that were missing from man's diet. Gota Kola contains Vitamin K, Theobromine, and Magnesium. These vitamins can be found in other foods in man's diet, however the herb is rich in them.

Vitamin K is essential in the synthesis of blood-clotting proteins, regulates blood calcium, and helps with the proper functioning of the liver. Makes sense that Gota Kola is considered a blood and liver tonic.

Theobromine has similar effects to caffeine. It is a diuretic, stimulant, and a relaxant. The biggest advantage of this chemical over caffeine is that it doesn't affect the central nervous system like caffeine. In fact, it acts on the vagus nerve, which runs from the lungs to the brain and relaxes the bronchi muscles in the lungs.
Again, it makes sense it Gota Kola is used as a nerve tonic.

Magnesium helps the body convert energy from food. It also assists in cell repair, and helps build strong teeth, bones, and muscles in the body. Lastly, it helps the body regulate temperature.

Gota Kola also contains catechol, epicatechol, saponin, calcium, iron, maganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, b1,b2,b3, and vitamin c.

Next time you are meditating you can improve both your concentration and physical body with a tea containing Gota Kola. Here's a recipe obtained from "Herbal Teas: 101 Nourishing Blends for Daily Health & Vitality," by Kathleen Brown and Jeanine Pollak.

If Only I Had A Brain Tea

2 parts Siberian ginseng root
1 part ginko leaves
1 part gotu kola leaves
1 part peppermint

Learn more about this author, Robin Coe.
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