Hospitalized after drinking pennywort juice instead of water.

Ms. Thu went to the market and bought a lot of pennywort to make smoothies, drinking them every day instead of water. However, on the fourth day, she started feeling unwell, experiencing bloating and diarrhea.

Cool down with pennywort.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu, residing in Hoang Dao Thuy, Hanoi, had to be rushed to the Construction Hospital due to food poisoning. Ms. Thu recounted that during the hot weather, she lost her appetite, felt tired, and developed many pimples, so she tried to cool down by drinking pennywort juice.

Ms. Thu went to the market and bought a lot of pennywort to make smoothies, drinking them every day instead of water. However, on the fourth day, she started feeling unwell, experiencing bloating and diarrhea. She bought some anti-diarrheal medicine but it didn't help. By the second day, her dehydration worsened, and she had to be hospitalized for emergency electrolyte replacement.

At this point, Ms. Thu told the doctor about drinking pennywort juice to cool down. The doctor explained that this method of cooling down is dangerous because not everyone can use pennywort juice.

Ms. Quynh Nga, residing in Hang Bot, Dong Da District, Hanoi, is in a similar situation. Feeling tired from the hot weather, Ms. Nga turned to pennywort juice, thinking it was safe and easy to grow. She grows it on her rooftop, so she makes smoothies with it every day to cool her liver and detoxify.

After two or three days, Ms. Nga became exhausted and dizzy. That evening, as she was preparing to go to bed, she felt weak in her limbs and collapsed on the bathroom floor. Her family rushed her to Saint Paul Hospital for emergency treatment, where doctors said she had experienced a rapid drop in blood pressure. It was then that Ms. Nga remembered she had a history of low blood pressure and was allergic to Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola).

Who should not drink pennywort juice?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Centella asiatica is also known as Gotu Kola or Centella asiatica. It has a bitter, slightly sweet and cooling taste. Because it is considered neutral in nature, our ancestors used to remind their descendants, "Eat Centella asiatica when hungry, but don't eat too much or you'll die."

Normally, consuming centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) has the effect of nourishing yin, clearing heat, moistening the liver, detoxifying, and promoting urination. Centella asiatica is also commonly used as a tonic, antiseptic, and to treat hemoptysis, dysentery, vaginal discharge, leucorrhea, boils, rashes, and vaginal discharge in women.

Because of its cooling properties, people with sensitive stomachs should avoid eating centella asiatica. If they want to consume it, they should only eat a few leaves or eat it with a few slices of raw ginger. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should avoid it.

People with low blood pressure should absolutely not use it because centella asiatica is known to stabilize blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. If people with low blood pressure use centella asiatica, it can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, affecting their health, and even leading to coma.

Gotu kola may reduce the effectiveness of insulin and oral diabetes medications, as well as cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Currently, water spinach is widely cultivated, so it's possible that it's also sprayed with pesticides, making consumers susceptible to poisoning. Therefore, people should avoid picking water spinach from roadsides with heavy traffic or near sewage drains to ensure their health.

After purchasing centella asiatica (Gotu Kola), it must be thoroughly washed and soaked in salt water or ozone water. When using centella asiatica, it needs to be soaked and washed well, and it should be eaten with a slice of ginger to neutralize its cooling properties.

According to Infonet