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“This was a green brown in color and it smelled like a cross between ‘used catnip’ and dirty socks. (Some of you have seen me describe the ‘used catnip’ smell once before). The taste was a...” Read full tasting note
“I love this tea and I don’t think the aftertaste is bad at all. I’m getting a little worried because nobody seems to be stocking it anymore and Amazon actually has a “currently unavailable” notice...” Read full tasting note
History
Commonly referred to as a creeping weed and used for ground cover, Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) is grown widely throughout the tropical areas of the world. It has been widely used in Ayurvedic and traditional eastern medicine. Gotu Kola was not utilized by modern western herbalists until after World War 2 when renewed interest in the historical uses of Gotu Kola was revived.Today, contemporary herbalists recommend Gotu Kola for a variety of health benefits. Gotu Kola can be used as a condiment herb, or sprinkled sparingly onto foods, such as salads or vegetables. Gotu Kola is often used together with Ginseng and / or Fo-Ti to make a refreshing tea.
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This was a green brown in color and it smelled like a cross between ‘used catnip’ and dirty socks. (Some of you have seen me describe the ‘used catnip’ smell once before). The taste was a flat/grassy-wood type taste…almost on the verge of stale. I did finish the cup so the flavor of the herbal tisane was thankfully on the paler side. I don’t think I could have or would have finished the cup had it been more strong. Anyhow…just when I thought it was MAYBE growing on me…the funky aftertaste HIT me like a TON OF BRICKS…it left a dark leafy-green on the verge of bitter aftertaste. Oye.
I love this tea and I don’t think the aftertaste is bad at all. I’m getting a little worried because nobody seems to be stocking it anymore and Amazon actually has a “currently unavailable” notice …and the seller on Amazon is listed as Alvita, so uh oh… I hope they are not discontinuing this product due to lack of interest. If so, several Yogi teas such as Calming, Gingko Clarity and Energy all have gotu kola in them and seem to have a pretty high content of gotu kola, too, based on the feeling these teas give.
This brings me to the real reason for my tea review. I like the taste of tea, sure, but mostly I drink tea for the immediately noticeable effects on my physiology and mind. Several years ago, I was frequently irritated, angry and often extremely tired. Someone suggested that “I had too much ‘pitta’” and that I should use Gotu Kola to balance my energy. Sounded like new age mumbo jumbo, but I Googled the term “pitta” and I Googled “gotu kola” and decided to give it a shot.
I have problems with mental clarity, emotions and energy levels. Gotu Kola helps with all of that. If I drink gotu kola tea instead of alcohol, I am much closer to normal within a few days (I am talking about when I feel really stressed). I have also noticed food plays a major part in how I feel, but for the most part, I can get myself feeling back to normal within a few days of drinking the right teas.
If you do some research on gotu kola, you will see it’s a very healing plant and as a general nerve tonic, it is excellent. I can’t exactly explain what it does, but I feel it is a much better alternative to something like Prozac, honestly. My mind does a complete 180 from jump-off-a-bridge anxiety to “what’s the big deal?” And I do like the way it tastes.
This girl has had too many herbal teas in the last couple of hours… get some real tea in her – stat!
LOL!!!! True-Dat!!! :P
“used catnip” – wow! That’s something I never want to taste. Thank you for drinking it, and sharing, so that we don’t have to!
Yeah… and the whole dirty socks thing… no, I don’t think I’d like to steep dirty socks and then drink the resulting “tea”… nope… pass!
Is it wrong of me to hope that you get some nasty teas just so you can share your poetic descriptions with us? Mmmm…used catnip…::drools like Homer Simpson::
I thought gotu kola is usually used in Indian and South-east Asian cooking – curries, salads, porridges, etc. I’ve never heard of it consumed as a plain tea before. It sounds pretty nasty at any rate! >.<
Rabs – you crack me up! :P