India, Feb. 10 -- For some skincare enthusiasts, Centella or "Cica" has emerged as a holy grail ingredient for soothing irritated skin, calming redness, healing acne marks, and providing hydration. Over the last few years, Centella asiatica has emerged as a powerful and popular ingredient in skincare, driven in part by the K-beauty surge of the 2010s.

The craze for this now-popular skincare ingredient is such that a 50ml bottle of Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Serum costs a whopping Rs.3,000. A small jar of Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask will set you back by Rs.2,300.

However, few people realise that this herb has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese medicine for wound healing and calming inflammation. In fact, Centel...