The benefits of Centella asiatica extract

Description

The medicinal value of this herb was discovered early, Centella Asiatica has been a staple of both Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for millennia. The plant with lily pad-esque leaves supposedly goes by the nickname “Tiger Grass” because tigers roll in it when they’re injured. You can find wild herbs in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The plant is edible, and in addition to having many culinary uses, it can be taken orally to treat a wide variety of ailments.

Property

The herb is a common product in skin care products, and it seems to have an inextricably linked to removing acne marks, moisturizing, and improving skin quality. But is that the case? Centella asiatica extract is a rich source of natural bioactive substances, triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpene steroids, amino acids, and sugars. Thus, many scavenging free radicals, exhibit antiinflammatory activity and affect the stratum corneum hydration and epidermal barrier function. Asiaticoside, the most active component in this extract, is responsible for its therapeutic activities. Ratz-lyko et al. applied cosmetic formulations containing Centella asiatica extract (2.5 and 5%, w/w) to the forearms of volunteers twice daily. The volunteers' cuticle hydration and epidermal barrier function were tested using a corneometer, tewameter, and chromameter. Results display that cosmetic formulations containing Centella Asiatica extract have moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties.

Benefits

One of the reasons Centella Asiatica features so prominently in skin care products is that it does a great job keeping skin hydrated. It could help your skin barrier retain moisture and reduce redness and inflammation. That’s especially important for people with conditions like eczema or rosacea, which can dry out and sensitize your skin.

Free radicals are small molecules that eat up the good parts of our defense system, damaging DNA and the skin barrier. Centella sinensis is rich in antioxidants, which can help us improve our antioxidant capacity and fight free radicals. So, used with other products like Vaseline, it may help heal burns and wounds.

Based on its anti-inflammatory ability, it can treat acne and eczema. The four active compounds in Centella Asiatica (asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid, and madecassoside) stimulate collagen production.

It can affect the metabolism of obese diabetic rats. Long-term treatment of obese diabetic rats with CA extract could reverse the glucose and lipid levels, as well as the tricarboxylic acid cycle and amino acid metabolic disorders, back toward normal states. Biochemical analysis also showed an increase of insulin production in diabetic rats upon treatment of CA extract.CA produced both anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects on a rat model. In addition to increasing insulin secretion, the CA extract also ameliorates the metabolic pathways affected in the induced diabetic rats.

References

[1] Rocha P, et al.Enhanced asiaticoside skin permeation by Centella asiatica-loaded lipid nanoparticles: Effects of extract type and study of stratum corneum lipid dynamics. Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 2019; 50: 305-312. 

[2] Ratz-Łyko A, et al. Moisturizing and Antiinflammatory Properties of Cosmetic Formulations Containing Centella asiatica Extract. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016; 9: 285–290. 

 [3] Maulidiani, et al. Metabolic alteration in obese diabetes rats upon treatment with Centella asiatica extract. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2016; 180: 60-69.