Centella asiatica is traditionally used as a medicinal herbs and alternative medicine in treating
numerous kinds of diseases. The use of Centella in food and beverages has increased over the years. Its potential
antioxidant and neuroprotective activity has been widely claimed in many reports and basically is very much
related to its properties and mechanism of action of the plant’s bioactive constituents namely the asiaticoside,
asiatic acid, madecassoside and madecassic acid. As such, this review will cover the biological activity of
the plant’s active constituents in relation to its food and beverage applications. The plant cultivation and
biotechnological approaches to improve the production of desired bioactive constituents by cultured cells will
also be reviewed. In addition, the range of chemical compositions found in Centella and safety aspects are also
included.