I want to offer a counterpoint to the overwhelmingly positive Gotu Kola reports. While I believe it has genuine cognitive benefits, my experience with side effects was more significant than most people describe.
I started at 1000mg per day (two 500mg capsules of whole herb, not standardized extract). Within the first three days, I experienced persistent nausea -- not severe, but a constant low-grade queasiness that made meals unappetizing. I also developed a dull headache that lasted most of the afternoon.
By day 5, I reduced to 500mg once daily with breakfast. The nausea resolved within two days. The headaches continued intermittently for about a week before fading. At 500mg, I tolerated it well.
After three weeks at the lower dose, I cautiously tried increasing back to 750mg. The nausea returned immediately. I went back to 500mg and have stayed there.
At 500mg daily, I do notice the subtle cognitive and anxiolytic effects that others describe -- marginally better focus, slightly less background anxiety, and improved sleep quality. But the effect is genuinely subtle at this dose, and I sometimes wonder if 500mg of whole herb is providing a meaningful amount of triterpenes.
My advice for anyone starting Gotu Kola: begin at 250-500mg regardless of what the bottle recommends. Give your stomach time to adjust. Take it with food, always. And if you are sensitive to supplements in general (as I am to many things), be prepared for the possibility that you may not tolerate the doses used in most clinical studies.
The herb works. But it does not work for everyone at every dose, and the gastrointestinal effects are more common than the marketing suggests.