I have two questions:

1. Has anyone here heard of or used Gotu Kula? The little bit I have been able to find out about it is that it is an herb commonly confused with ashwaganda and ginseng, but it is neither. I read about it on another forum and the poster said she takes it for stress and it is very effective and calming. Her PD mom tried it and it put her right to sleep (now, if it would help KEEP you asleep, that'd be great for us). It is rumored to regrow nerves so I would have thought this would be more "out there" than it seems to be. Anyone tried it, and if so, what results?

2. Path of PD. Seems like they know PD begins in the bottom of the brainstem which is where the olfactory site is, and that explains why so many PDers lose the sense of smell years before other symptoms are noticed. This makes sense to me. The basal ganglia (where the substantia nigra is) is located deep within the brain, not too far "upstream" from the olfactory site...seems like something is moving up the brainstem. What travels like that? Virus? Bacteria? Parasite? Alien?

If that question could be answered, perhaps by looking at other animals/diseases where neural damage is done in a linear pattern (or any damage, really, perhaps one would start with a broader query and then hone in on those things that cause damage in a similar way) it could really help.

Hi Lurking,

I have heard about Gotu Kula, but just cannot remember where and what! I think its an ayurvedic herb and I will try to find out more.

2. Check this meeting report on PDonline. They are talking about alpha-synuclein therapy and progression of PD (in the brain).

From whats reported in the literature, the traveling culprit seems to be alpha-syn. recent reports show that it transmits laterally from cell to cell. That report and discussions are worth reading. It is an unsual way for a protein to spread.

http://www.pdonlineresearch.org/resp...efficacy-trial

If its not there, may be the researchers would be able to answer your question.




1. Has anyone here heard of or used Gotu Kula? The little bit I have been able to find out about it is that it is an herb commonly confused with ashwaganda and ginseng, but it is neither. I read about it on another forum and the poster said she takes it for stress and it is very effective and calming. Her PD mom tried it and it put her right to sleep (now, if it would help KEEP you asleep, that'd be great for us). It is rumored to regrow nerves so I would have thought this would be more "out there" than it seems to be. Anyone tried it, and if so, what results?

2. Path of PD. Seems like they know PD begins in the bottom of the brainstem which is where the olfactory site is, and that explains why so many PDers lose the sense of smell years before other symptoms are noticed. This makes sense to me. The basal ganglia (where the substantia nigra is) is located deep within the brain, not too far "upstream" from the olfactory site...seems like something is moving up the brainstem. What travels like that? Virus? Bacteria? Parasite? Alien?

If that question could be answered, perhaps by looking at other animals/diseases where neural damage is done in a linear pattern (or any damage, really, perhaps one would start with a broader query and then hone in on those things that cause damage in a similar way) it could really help.[/QUOTE]

Gotu kola was a basic part of my diet when I lived in Sri Lanka, a kind of leafy green that was used fresh and shredded to accompany the rice and curry meals that everybody there eats daily. Most meals were prepared using ayurvedic principles, even when people were not aware of it, and I was never so healthy once I came to the UK. I do not know what part of the plant is used in the herbal preparations, but in the east many different leaves are used in the same or similar way as part of the diet, some of them are quite bitter, and not to western taste. Gotu kola is definitely not the same as ginseng, though it may bear a similarity to ashwaganda which may have a similar dietary use. Food as medicine is an interesting topic altogether, something we are only just starting to reclaim in the West, mostly in a fragmented way, through loss of a lineage of use of a wide variety of herbal plants as food rather than flavouring. Many people I knew over there instinctively changed their diet according to weather patterns, general health, and foods were classed as heaty or cooling and used accordingly for whatever health condition was a problem, or excluded from the diet even, especially in pregnancy and old age.

Look up Centella asiatica on wikipedia for more information on gotu kola.