Gotu Kola and Pregnancy: What We Know (and Don’t)

Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) is one of the few Ayurvedic herbs applied topically during pregnancy without major reservation — centella creams and treatments even appear in many stretch-mark prevention routines. The question changes completely once internal use is involved: powder, capsules or a concentrated infusion. On that front, data are scarce and the few available animal studies call for caution.

What animal studies show about internal use

A study published in 2024 in the Tanzania Journal of Science evaluated the acute toxicity of an aqueous centella leaf extract in pregnant rats: at a high dose of 5,000 mg/kg, the extract caused significant histopathological changes in the liver, kidneys and gravid uterus (see the study on Google Scholar). A second study, published in 2025 in the journal Discovery, looked directly at the effect on the placenta and pregnancy outcome in Wistar rats: it found a dose-dependent reduction in fetal weight and a drop in placental glycogen, with no major malformation observed (see the study on Google Scholar). These doses remain well above a reasonable traditional use, but both pieces of work are enough to rule out any assumption of automatic safety for internal use during pregnancy.

A third, indirect signal concerns male reproduction: a 2010 study published in Clinica Terapeutica showed reduced sperm viability and motility in treated male rats (see the study on Google Scholar). It does not concern pregnancy as such, but it confirms that the herb has a real systemic action on reproductive functions at high dose — consistent with the traditional emmenagogue reputation attributed to gotu kola in some sources.

External or internal: what changes

Use	During pregnancy
Cream, serum, skin care (stretch-mark prevention)	Generally well tolerated, common use
Occasional, light infusion	Caution, limit and discuss with your midwife
Powder, capsules, concentrated extract (internal course)	Not recommended, insufficient safety data
Breastfeeding	Same reservations for internal use, for lack of data

No human data available

As with the vast majority of Ayurvedic herbs, no clinical trial has been conducted in pregnant women for gotu kola: the data cited above remain animal models, often at doses higher than common traditional use. This absence of human data proves nothing either way — it simply calls for the usual precautionary rule: what has not been studied during pregnancy is presumed to be avoided for internal use, not presumed safe.

Not to be confused with brahmi

Gotu kola is sometimes confused with brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), both being called "brahmi" depending on the region of India. Both plants raise the same underlying question during pregnancy — a lack of internal-use safety data — but they remain botanically distinct. Always check the exact Latin name on the product label before discussing it with your care provider.

What to do in practice?

For skin and stretch-mark prevention, topical centella treatments remain a common and reasonable option, alongside good general hydration. For a circulation or mental-focus goal, however, it's best to postpone an internal gotu kola regimen until after pregnancy and breastfeeding, relying in the meantime on simple mechanical habits (walking, leg elevation, gentle oiling) rather than an unevaluated supplement.

Precautions

In summary: occasional topical gotu kola is reasonably well tolerated during pregnancy, but internal use — powder, capsules, concentrated extract — should be avoided for lack of safety data and given animal signals that call for caution. The rule stays the same as for any active herb: no internal course during pregnancy or breastfeeding without explicit medical advice. For general safety guidance, see our safety and precautions guide and our article on Ayurveda during pregnancy.