A cup of Daun Pegaga drink made with steeping some leaves with boiling water for 10 minutes and then adding honey
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Good evening, dear friends 
I stumbled onto the amazing goodness of the Daun Pegaga herb about 2 months ago and I have been trying this herbal drink out on my family. I am really amazed by what this herb can do and I am so excited to tell you about it until I don’t know where to begin! So, do get your cup of coffee and tea and prepare to be here for a while reading my lengthy post. 
Daun pegaga is the local Malay name for this herb, which is also known as Indian Pennywort or “Pang Dai Woon” in Cantonese (literally meaning “Chipped Big Bowl”). I learned from blog visitor Cina that its scientific name is Centella Asiatica, which is the most potent which is called Gotu Kola in India and Brahmi in Australia. Also known as ‘the Elixir of Life’ or the ‘spiritual herb’. Gotu Kola is one of the most important herbs in Aryuveda’s botanical medicine chest.
Do visit the Complementary and Alternative Healing University website HERE for more information. 
I was first introduced to Daun Pegaga by Master atan (my Feng Shui Master and a healer) whom I had asked for advice earlier this year when my youngest son kept getting sick and had trouble getting well despite being prescribed 3 rounds of antibiotics. It turned out that my son was extremely heaty and about the only herb that could help him was Daun Pegaga, which is known for its very cooling and healing properties. At that time, I didn’t know where to buy Daun Pegaga. 
Daun Pegaga is best described as having kidney-shaped leaves, growing on a single long stalk ranging from a few inches to 10 inches and grows as a runner plant in the soil. So far, I know there are 2 types of Daun Pegaga :-
- the commercial variety, whereby the leaves are more jagged on the outside (the middle leaf in the photo below). This does look like a “Chipped Big Bowl!
- the wild variety, where the outer part of the leaves is more rounded and even. In the photo below, the left leaf is a commercially grown wild Daun Pegaga, i.e. lots of fertilisers applied. The one on the right grew in the wild and not on the farm.
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Two months ago, I stumbled again onto the Daun Pegaga when I read that a lady in Singapore took this herb for only 2 weeks when her husband commented on her facial complexion which was practically glowing and much improved! Again, my interest on the Daun Pegaga was stirred and I began to do some research in the Internet on it….wow! 
The more I read, the more impressed I became with the Daun Pegaga and I knew then I had to go hunt for it to try. I began by visiting my local plant nursery and I almost bought an ornamental plant that looked like the Daun Pegaga, but it wasn’t. This ornamental plant has leaves that were not kidney shaped but were whole circles/rounds instead…but they sure were similar to Daun Pegaga;s. Luckily, the lady boss of the nursery prevented me from buying it when I told her I was looking for the Daun Pegaga and she directed me to the local wet market to buy some from the Malay stalls.
Was I happy to have found Daun Pegaga at the market and I quickly bought 10 large bunches for RM1 (about US 32 cents) each.
My first Daun Pegaga was of the wild variety. The Malay lady boss at the stall told me the wild type is better as a medicinal herb and it is slightly more bitter. Later on, I found some commercial Daun Pegaga, too – its taste is more similar to English flat leaf parsley.
I tried growing some wild variety Daun Pegaga and now have some peeping out below my Bird’s Nest Ferns in my garden
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If you type in the words “health benefits of Gotu Kola or Daun Pegaga”, you will find a wealth of information on the Internet. Elephants in India eat a lot of Gotu Kola daily – do you remember the saying “An elephant never forgets?” There you go, even elephants know this herb is good for health – in this case : as a memory enhancer.
I read a report somewhere where research of the Daun Pegaga was conducted on some lab rats. After just feeding some rats with Daun Pegaga for 2 days, some tests were done on these rats and compared to the results of those rats that didn’t take the Daun Pegaga. Wow, they found that the rats which was fed the Daun Pegaga did 2 to 60 times better in their memory tests! How’s that as a miracle herb 
The main reasons why I am now using this herb for my family are :-
1) Memory Enhancer
I swear, as I am getting older, my mind is getting more foggy and forgetful. I’m hoping this herb will improve my memory. Also, I have 3 schoolgoing children – this herb will surely come in handy and help them do well in their studies, perhaps?
Some people take Daun Pegaga to aid in their meditation practice.
2) Excellent Facial and Skin Complexion
When I was making the Tateshi Kazu Miracle Vegetable Soup for my family, everybody’s complexion got better and more rosy, except for my eldest son’s! 
After drinking Daun Pegaga over a few weeks, his acne actually cleared up 80 % and his old acne scars actually became less inflamed and even healed! I later read that the daun pegaga is good for healing scars and wounds. And of course, my own facial complexion just kept getting better.
3) Anti-Viral Properties
Who is not afraid of a recurrence of the H1N1 Flu or the Dengue Fever outbreaks? I am.
Master atan told me first about the Daun Pegaga as an “anti-mosquito herb”. At that time, I was wondering how this herb can be that. Another healer later told me this plant has “anti-viral” properties and when I put two and two together….voila! I now understand that as the H1N1 and Dengue Fever are viral in nature – taking this herb regularly will give us a good immunity against those illnesses. Good, eh
4. “Elixir of Youth” & Anti Aging
Honestly, who doesn’t want to have the “Elixir of Youth”. I read in another research (I forgot the details…need to take more Daun Pegaga first ) about this herb having the capability to enhance our cells and get them to produce collagen or something like that…hence, resulting in us having a more youthful look and complexion, lesser wrinkles, perhaps?
Actually, the herb contains chemical substances called “triterpenes” that appears to enhance the formation of collagen in bones, cartilages and tissues.
5. Menopause
If you are perimenopausal like me, almost approaching middle age – you will understand the problems faced in many aspects of our life. The daun pegaga helps to alleviate anxiety and depression, relieve fatique by improving energy levels (indeed, after a cup of this, I feel energised shortly), and of course, improving memory and intelligence.
6. A One-Herb Pharmacy
Other than its anti-viral property, the Daun Pegaga has anti-septic and anti-fungal values, too. I noticed that while I was taking the Daun Pegaga drink, I had lesser instances of yeast and fungal infections…a real relief for me.
Other important benefits of the Daun Pegaga are :-
- good for cognitive functioning (brain/intelligence)
- good for aiding skin conditions, e.g. rashes, eczema
- improved blood flow and circulation, hence aiding varicose veins
- has anti-inflammatory properties – good for aiding conditions like arthritis
- has cooling effect on the body, good for fever, too
How to take Daun Pegaga or Gotu Kola
A research on the Internet will reveal many methods of taking this herb. I shall only mention those that I had learned over these few months…different people have their own ways.
Master atan’s method
Put 3 leaves of Daun Pegaga into a cup and pour boiling water over. Steep for a few minutes and then drink. Take on a daily basis. Another way is to boil 20 leaves for a few minutes with 7 cups of water. Store in the fridge and drink one cup every day.
Added 20 Dec, 2010 – Master atan said we can eat the leaves raw, too, a few pieces daily for good health maintenance.
My lady healer friend’s method
Boil 10 bunches (1 kilo) of cleaned Daun Pegaga (roots and all) with 15 honey dates with enough water just to cover the herb for 2 hours. Drink 1 cup per person per day. This is enough to last my family of 6 over 2 to 3 days. I usually make my youngest son drink more as he gets heaty so easily.
This is for once every 2 weeks, or twice a month.
A Malay lady boss from the vegetable stall
Blend a few bunches of Daun Pegaga (cleaned roots and all) with some water, add some rock sugar syrup and keep in bottles in the fridge…drink as a vegetable juice. No boiling is required. This is more potent and faster acting. Taste is not too bad if using the commercial Daun Pegaga…the wild variety will definitely be bitter.
Blended fresh Daun Pegaga with a little rock sugar syrup added. One bunch of leaves and about 400 ml syrup were used.
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A bunch of Daun Pegaga, washed really clean with a little Homemade Pineapple Enzyme before blending
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Another Malay stall lady boss’s method
Remove the roots, just use the leafy part and eat fresg as a salad. Recipe ===> mix a bunch of Daun Pegaga (chopped or not), with 1 or 2 chopped tomato and 1 chopped onions. Add salt, sugar and pepper to taste and squeeze some lime juAnoice in. Stir and serve as a salsa. Delicious!
My large pot of Daun Pegaga and Honey Dates ready for boiling
Warning!
As with all herbs and alternative medicines, be careful and exercise caution if you are :-
- pregnant
- breastfeeding
- taking Western medication for chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, etc
- some sites suggest stopping this herb for 2 weeks after taking it for 6 weeks
There you have it – a really miraculous herb. Hope you can try it out for yourself and your family. This herb has been around for many centuries but I only heard about it this year. It is good that we have such a beneficial herb around and for those of us in the tropic countries that can get this herb easily, you should test it out. Remember….”Health is Wealth”.
Good Night!
With best wishes,
choesf
P.S. Disclaimer – Take this herb at your own risk. I will not be held responsible nor liable if you develop any adverse side effects from taking this herb. Thank you.
