[2] Centella asiatica is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent (including Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia, parts of Australia, and wetland regions of the Southeastern US.

It can be cultivated in drier soils, including sandy loam,[citation needed] as long as they are watered regularly enough (such as in a home garden arrangement).

In Burmese cuisine, raw pennywort is used as the main constituent in a salad mixed with onions, crushed peanuts, bean powder and seasoned with lime juice and fish sauce.

It is most often prepared as malluma, a traditional accompaniment to rice and vegetarian dishes, such as lentils, and jackfruit or pumpkin curry.

The Centella fruit-bearing structures are discarded from the gotu kola malluma due to their intense bitter taste.

In Indonesia, the leaves are used for sambai oi peuga-ga, an Aceh type of salad, and is also mixed into asinan in Bogor.

In Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, this leaf is used for preparing a drink or can be eaten in raw form in salads or cold rolls.

In Bangkok, vendors in the Chatuchak Weekend Market sell it alongside coconut, roselle, chrysanthemum, orange and other health drinks.

[16][17] In animals trials, C. asiatica and its extracts has been shown to relieve cognitive impairment and treat neurodegenerative conditions by way of reducing the production of reactive oxygen species and promoting neuron survival and growth.

C. asiatica may address several skin conditions such as acne, vitiligo, eczema, and increase collagen production.

C. asiatica's pro-mitochondrial, anti-imflammatory, and anti-oxidant effects have shown benefits in treating digestive diseases in animal and in vitro studies.