Centella Asiatica: Super Flora from the Swamps of Southeast Asia

Beauty
Written By Danna Wu

Centella Asiatica is a leafy plant, particularly well-known for its benefits in natural ailments, with a rich, centuries-long history of usage throughout Asia. Ever heard of it?

Let me set the scene for you:

You’re walking through thick, tropical jungles filled with plants you have never even heard of and you finally reach a clearing: an all-inviting swamp with plants that house secrets and claim to have the powers to solve your greatest skincare woes. Among these many plants, some of which should probably come with a sizable list of precautions, but not Centella Asiatica. Our main character is luscious and green, an unsuspecting perennial herb harvested by our Asian ancestors from the swamps of Southeast Asia (Useful Tropical Plants).

Traditionally, Centella has been foraged by natives of the southeastern region of Asia as an herbal tonic solution to cure digestive issues and is also known by users as something that can strengthen the nervous system. Of course, despite claims of Centella as a cure-all, it should be applied to only individual reactions, as they have not all been backed by clinical research. What has been backed by research is the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of Centella on skin. Researchers have found that Centella has been used to heal wounds for centuries from people in their native regions (Bylka W, et. al). Whether it was for simple scratches, burns, or even infections of the skin, Centella has proven its ability across time to heal these wounds. 

With all these seemingly helpful benefits, it’s not unusual for this plant to suddenly expand into the blooming billion dollar industry of skincare. Learning self-care has always been a part of the journey to taking care of oneself, and skincare starts from the surface level. For example, let’s take a look at the hottest skincare trend: Asian skincare, which has been slowly seeping into the western beauty world. What we see now is just further integration of Asian herbs into skincare. “Calming and soothing” are just the newer themes to skincare, and Centella happens to have the ability to perform that, with more!

A lot of influencers on Tiktok and Instagram have taken part in contributing to the craze surrounding Centella products,which have even reached mainstream culture. Professionals in western medicine have only added to the growing awareness and praise. Dr. Walter (@denverskindoc on Tiktok) is a dermatologist that commented about Centella’s uses: “It's anti-inflammatory, it supports your skin barrier…,” further adding to the hype and discourse around Centella. 

Take the popular Skin1004’s Centella Ampoule for example, boasting almost 200,000 positive reviews on Google. The sheer number of reviews indicates that Centella’s highly-touted benefits are widespread. These reviews have substantiated that Centella manages to keep the skin clean yet supple over a large test population, which shows its effectiveness for many different skin types. So not only can it help with skin inflammatory responses, but it also aids sensitive skin conditions. (Please also note that it is important to consult a dermatologist if you’re concerned about introducing anything new onto your skin!) Skin1004 seems to be the most popular Centella skincare products in the market right now, and they do really have everything covered, from Centella serums to sunscreen!

However, Centella, albeit known as a super plant, does have some purported setbacks, as high levels of consumption have demonstrated dangerous levels of toxicity in the liver. Previous studies have examined the effects on Centella Asiatica ingested and found that some users have experienced adverse effects in their liver (Liver Tox). So as long as you aren’t ingesting mysterious products with claims about it being a ‘magical, cure-all’ ingredient without backing from professionals, you should be in the clear. And it never hurts to do your own research, either! There were many late nights where I spent just searching for anecdotal evidence (I usually like looking on Reddit, Tiktok, or Instagram) for a product I wanted to try out… so I get it, twin. Take everything with a grain of salt, and make sure to spot-test if you’re unsure!

Slowly but surely, we are seeing a greater integration of traditional Asian remedies onto the shelves we normally see filled with Western products. Centella Asiatica has shown wondrous properties when used sparingly in various ways. It’s no wonder that it’s now more sought out than before, and it leaves me, and probably all of us, wondering what the next big ingredient we will hear about next to incorporate into our skincare routines. 

Sources

Danna Wu
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