Anxiety
These same chemicals, triterpenoids, seem to reduce anxiety and increase mental function in mice. One human study found that people who took gotu kola were less likely to be startled by a new noise than those who took placebo. Since the "startle noise" response can be a way to tell if someone is anxious, researchers think that gotu kola might help reduce anxiety symptoms. But the dose used in this study was very high, so it is impossible to say how gotu kola might be used to treat anxiety.