Guduchi (Tinospora Cordifolia) – Health Benefits, Uses, Side Effects, and More

Guduchi is one of the most highly valued herbs in Ayurvedic medicine. Recently, researchers across the globe are showing great interest in this plant because of its promising medicinal properties. Read on to know more about its health benefits -

Tinospora cordifolia, commonly named as "Guduchi" in Sanskrit, is a climbing shrub that is native to India, found in deciduous and dry forests at higher altitude (at elevations up to 1000 ft). It is a well-recognized and widely distributed traditional plant, with greenish yellow typical flowers that bloom during the summer and fruits during the winter. Its root, stems, and leaves are used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of various diseases. In fact, Guduchi is one of the most highly valued herbs in Ayurvedic medicine, used and written about for thousands of years. In Ayurvedic medicine, Guduchi (Giloy) is considered to be one of the three Amrit plants. It is also one of the most commercially exploited plants in the pharmaceutical industry.

The plant is also known by other names such as giloya, amrita (Hindi), giloe, gulancha (Bengali), gado, galo (Gujarati), duyutige, teppatige (Telugu), and heartleaf moonseed.

Health Benefits

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Recently, researchers across the globe are showing great interest in Guduchi because of its promising medicinal properties such as antioxidative, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-periodic, anti-spasmodic, anti-arthritic, anti-allergic, anti-stress, anti-leprotic, anti-malarial, antidiarrheal, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory and anti-neoplastic effects.

The plant is a rich source of protein and micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, copper, calcium, phosphorus, and manganese. Tinospora cordifolia also contains a variety of active components, like alkaloids, steroids, diterpenoid lactones, aliphatics, and glycosides which are isolated from the different parts of the plant. These plant extracts are extensively used in various herbal preparations for the treatment of different ailments.

Uses

Guduchi has been used in traditional ayurvedic medicine for ages in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions including hay fever, diabetes, high cholesterol, jaundice, chronic diarrhea, dysentery, gout, cancer, bone fracture, pain, asthma, scabies (an itchy skin infection caused by mites), skin disease, poisonous insect, snake bite, eye disorders, and more.

In Ayurveda, Guduchi is described as having these actions: increases appetite, quenches thirst, increases strength, promotes life, increases life span, aphrodisiac, increases sexual potency, purifier of sperm, cleans the blood, destroys toxins, relieves pain, and rejuvenative.

According to Ayurvedic herbalists, Guduchi has these qualities:

Rasa (taste): bitter and astringent
Guna (quality): light and unctuous
Virya (potency): heating
Vipaka (post-digestive effect): sweet
Prabhava (special action): destroys toxins both internally and externally
Doshakarma (energetics): Tridoshic in nature, it reduces pitta, kapha.

However, there is no strong scientific evidence to support these uses. Also, most studies have been done in test tubes (in vitro) or in animals (in vivo), and thus there isn't enough information to know its effects in the human body. More research is needed to understand the effectiveness of Tinospora cordifolia for these uses.

Side Effects

So far, no study has reported the toxicological effects of Tinospora cordifolia or Guduchi, even in a very high dose (900 mg/D). But there is also limited information on the safety of using Tinospora cordifolia for longer periods or for pregnant and breast-feeding women. So, always consult with your doctor before using the herb.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3644751/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119491712

https://www.ayurvedacollege.com/blog/guduchi-protects-the-body/