Vallarai is Centella asiatica, a low creeping umbellifer of wet ground, also sold as gotu kola and, in many Hindi shops, as brahmi. Bacopa monnieri is a different plant that often steals the same trade name.
- Botanical name
- Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Tamil
- Vallarai
- Hindi
- Mandukaparni
- Sanskrit
- Maṇḍūkaparṇī
- Parts used
- Whole herb, Leaves
- Habit
- Creeping perennial of wet subtropical ground
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Vallarai
Kew accepts Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. in Apiaceae. Urban published the combination in 1879; older books say Hydrocotyle asiatica. The plant is a perennial with long creeping stems that root at the nodes.
Leaves are the field mark: kidney-shaped or almost round, with a scalloped edge, sitting on a stalk that joins the blade in the centre. Flowers are small and pinkish, tucked near the ground. That is not Bacopa, which has opposite fleshy leaves and a two-lipped flower.
Tamil vallarai, Sinhala gotu kola and Sanskrit maṇḍūkaparṇī are the honest names when the leaf looks like a little hoof or frog (maṇḍūka). If a packet says only brahmi, ask which Latin name the mill used.
It likes wet lawns, tank edges and rice-field bunds. A plant sitting in a saucer of water with round leaves is this species much more often than a dry-land shrub.
Because the same Hindi word is used for two herbs, a photograph of the living leaf is worth more than a brand story. Bacopa has its own page.
Traditional use of Vallarai
Siddha and Tamil food
Vallarai keerai is eaten as a green and used in household preparations. South Indian practice treats it as a cooling, everyday leaf, not as a capsule for examinations.
Tamil culinary and Siddha naming
Ayurveda
Maṇḍūkaparṇī is a medhya leaf in Ayurvedic lists. Those headings belong to that system. They are not a modern claim about memory or skin.
Ayurvedic nomenclature; see also the brahmi name collision
Modern notes on Vallarai
Cosmetic and supplement industries sell “cica” extracts. A cream and a roadside green are not the same object, and a Korean or French brand name does not change the botany.
Human studies on standardised extracts exist and are mixed.
Kew records medicinal, food and poison uses across a huge range. That is ethnobotany. It is not a dose.
Vallarai safety
Leaf as a cooked green is the ordinary South Indian exposure. Concentrated extracts are a different strength.
Some people report stomach upset or drowsiness with extracts. Do not give “study herb” products to children.
Pregnant people should not start extracts from a web page. Confirm you do not have Bacopa if the label only says brahmi.
Ecology and sourcing
Centella is common in the right wet habitat and easy to grow in a tray. Wild stripping of village tanks is unnecessary if anyone wants a crop.
The conservation problem in trade is usually mislabelling, not extinction.
Related plants
Also in Apiaceae
Questions about Vallarai
Is vallarai the same as brahmi?
In Tamil, vallarai is Centella asiatica. In many Hindi shops brahmi may mean this plant or Bacopa monnieri. Ask for the Latin name.
What family is Centella in?
Apiaceae, the carrot family. Bacopa is in Plantaginaceae.
Sources
- Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q324714 (Centella asiatica)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.