Courtesy of /u/wefashionnow
After recently purchasing some Gotu Kola, I came across studies linking ingestion to decreased testosterone and decreased sperm motility.
The studies can be viewed here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20589353, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21870191
Unfortunately, the full texts are behind a pay wall. I'm trying to determine if these studies actually demonstrate a very real problem with Gotu Kola, or if it's simply alarmist. One thing to consider is the high 100+mg/kg dosage used in the first study. Comparatively, humans take below 50mg/kg.
Thoughts on Gotu Kola? Is it safe?
*** Some Comments ***
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Again, anecdotal, but Gotu Kola seems to stimulate skin regeneration for me (scars and blemishes seem to go away more quickly when taking it). I take it for my acne.
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That's interesting. Do you have any references for gotu kola helping with scars?
- http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/gotu-kola Edit: in that reference they seem to recommend topical application to treat scars and wounds, while I ingest it. I don't know what the bio-availability is for the triterpenoids when ingested, but again, it works for me.
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It works extremely well for me, I use tulsi + gotu kola. Tolerance develops pretty quickly but it is very reliable anxiolytic if I don't have it all the time.
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Ashwagandha might help mitigate the anti-androgenic effects. Traditionally, they are often taken together. You may need more research.
- Holy basil (usually also taken together) can also be used to increase testosterone