Episode 215: Gotu Kola for Clarity and Calm with Jennifer Kurdyla

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Would you prefer watching or reading this episode? If so, click here for the Gotu Kola Benefits video and transcript.

Episode Summary

In a world of constant sensory overload, how do we care for the mind without burning it out?

In today’s episode, I sit down with Jennifer Kurdyla to discuss gotu kola (Centella asiatica), an herb that has long been known for supporting calm focus, emotional spaciousness, and long-term nervous system resilience.

Through the lens of Ayurveda, Jennifer explains how gotu kola cools inflammation, supports the gut–brain connection, and nourishes the senses. She reflects on her personal journey with gotu kola, highlighting how this quietly powerful herb helped to bring her back into balance after a mysterious, unexplained illness, and how it continues to be a part of her daily herbal practice.

Jennifer shares the many ways she likes to work with gotu kola, including her recipe for Spacious Mind Herbal Cacao—perfect as a coffee alternative or as an evening ritual! You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card for this delicious herbal beverage from the section below.

Gotu kola isn’t just an herb for the brain! Here are just a few other ways that gotu kola can benefit your health:

► Encourages strong, well-knit tissue repair during wound healing

► Soothes inflamed or ulcerated tissues in the digestive tract

► May slow stress-related hair loss and premature graying

To learn even more benefits of gotu kola, be sure to check out the entire episode!

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► How gotu kola can help cultivate calm, spacious focus without overstimulation

► The role of gotu kola in calming inflammation—and why that makes it so beneficial for both the body and the mind

► Why gotu kola is so often paired with ghee in Ayurvedic medicine

► A surprising way to work with gotu kola to encourage healthy hair growth

► How nasya (Ayurvedic herbal nose oiling) with gotu kola supports the brian and nervous system

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Jennifer Kurdyla is an Ayurvedic practitioner, herbalist, yoga teacher, and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. Committed to sharing the ancient tools of Ayurveda and yoga with modern communities, she helps her clients and students discover personalized rituals that support their well-being in body, mind, and spirit. 

Jennifer thrives in the creative space of her kitchen, where she crafts seasonal plant-forward recipes with a focus on supporting digestion and reviving our sensory experience with food prepared fresh and with love. She has studied Ayurveda at the Kripalu School of Ayurveda and clinical herbalism with David Winston.

A former book editor and graduate of Harvard University, Jennifer is also the co-author of Root & Nourish: An Herbal Cookbook for Women's Wellness (Tiller Press), and the author of Sense-Care is Self-Care: Ayurveda and Yoga for Mental Resilience.

I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today!

What You'll Learn from This Episode

• [1:09] Intro to Jennifer Kurdyla + her plant path
• [13:04] The importance of digestion to overall health
• [16:54] Gotu kola for the brain and nervous system
• [23:41] Gotu kola for wounds and skin inflammation
• [24:27] Nasya oil
• [27:32] Spacious Mind Herbal Cacao recipe
• [33:05] Gotu kola for the hair
• [35:33] Jennifer’s current herbal projects
• [46:04] Using your senses to learn herbalism
• [48:01] What Jennifer wishes she’d known when she first started out with herbs
• [52:09] Student spotlight
• [53:11] Herbal tidbit

Get Your Free Recipe!

Whether you're looking for daytime focus without the caffeine, or an easeful transition into sleep without a sedative crash, this cacao brings harmony to the gut-mind and heart-mind to support natural rhythms of rest and activity.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk (any kind, dairy or plant)
• 1 ½ tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1/2 teaspoon gotu kola powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ashwagandha or reishi powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon jaggery or 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional sweetener)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring all the ingredients except the sweetener to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce the heat, then let simmer on low for 5-8 minutes.
3. Blitz with a frother to incorporate the powders and create a light foam at the surface. Pour into a mug and add sweetener to taste.

Connect with Jennifer:

• Website | JenniferKurdyla.com

Connect with Rosalee

• On Instagram | @rosaleedelaforet

• On Facebook | Herbs With Rosalee
• On YouTube | Herbs With Rosalee

• Website | herbswithrosalee.com


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