Madecassoside

Madecassoside is a bioactive compound (also sometimes called brahminoside) isolated from Centella asiatica, or Gotu Kola, a traditional Asian medicinal herb, and used as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing ingredient.

Chemically, it is a triterpene with five hexagonal cycles in its molecule. Madecassoside differs from madecassic acid in that it has three extra sugar molecules that help it to dissolve in water.

Madecassoside, as well as other triterpenes from Gotu Kola, have recently attracted the attention of dermatologists and skincare product manufacturers. These compounds show promising results in test-tube experiments, on animals, and in clinical studies on humans, mainly for the treatment of wounds, scars, and burns.

Test-tube experiments suggest that madecassoside is able to increase the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid in the skin, as well as help a wound to heal correctly, without overgrown scar tissue. These effects seem to be even stronger when madecassoside is combined with vitamin C.

Naturally, it requires more testing to be absolutely sure but, in the future, this ingredient may be a new treatment for aging skin.

Read more about Centella asiatica here: Centella Asiatica Extract.