Pegaga Juice - The Wonder Tonic?

It was in Gua Musang that I heard about this herb called 'Pegaga' (scientific name: Centella asiatica). According to Mardi it can harvested in 3 months and it can cultivated whole year round. The Malays eat as a salad, juice it as tonic drink and extract it to drink to help alleviate the high blood pressure condition. It is also well known in India and is called Gotu Kola.

An USJ resident testified it is good for use against dengue fever. And best of all it can be bought as a refreshing drink from the USJ Giant Penang Cendol at RM1.

Back to Gua Musang. The hubby was testifying that he juiced the pegaga leaves for his wife when she was facing her Masters' exam where late nights were a must! She told me that the tonic not only refreshed her, it also helped her to work through the night without being sleep deprived. This may be good news for parents having children sitting for their SPM and STPM exams (please read disclaimer as the end of this article).

I went out to the Gua Musang Market in search for it. And I found it. The vege seller told me that this leaves are used for 'awet muda'. Meaning to stay young.

The Star has an indepth write-up in 2007 with a quite good bibliography with a list of 19 books and articles.

Note: This article is for communicative purposes and is not medical advice. As with herbs it should be taken in moderation and not be taken continously for long period of time. :-)