Guduchi
Botanical Name(s): Tinospora Cordifolia
Family Name: Meninspermaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Menispermaceae
Genus: Tinospora
Species: T. cordifolia
Popular Name(s): Gulanshe Tinospara, Gulancha Tinospara, Tinospara, Giloy
Parts Used: Stem.
Habitat: North and South India
Description
Guduchi is a glabrous climbing shrub with a succulent stem and papery bark that is creamy white to grey in color. The shrub shoots out aerial roots, usually on neem and mango trees, which could be as long as 30 meters. It bears heart-shaped leaves. The yellow flowers are axillary and long-stalked racemes. The fruit is pea-sized, subglobose drupe and red colored on maturity. Flowers can be seen in June, while fruits occur in November. Guduchi is found in deciduous and dry forests throughout India. The herb is known as guduchi and amrutha in Sanskrit, and giloy and gurcha in Hindi.
Plant Chemicals
(+)- diterpene, tinosporone, tinosporic acid, cordifolisides A to E, syringen, berberine, giloin, gilenin, crude giloininand, arabinogalactan polysaccharide, picrotene, bergenin, gilosterol, tinosporol, tinosporidine, sitosterol, cordifol, heptacosanol, octacosonal, tinosporide, columbin, chasmanthin, palmarin, palmatosides C and F, amritosides, cordioside, tinosponone, berberine, ecdysterone, makisterone A, 20 ?-hydroxyecdysone, nonacosan-15-one, ?-sitosterol, magnoflorine, tembetarine, syringine, glucan polysaccharide, syringine apiosylglycoside, isocolumbin, palmatine, tetrahydropalmaitine, jatrorrhizine.
Uses & Benefits of Guduchi
- All parts of guduchi plant are used for various medicinal purposes.
- The plant oil is effective in reducing pain and edema and in gout and skin diseases.
- The herb accords longevity, enhances memory, improves health, and bestows youth, betters complexion, voice, energy and luster of the skin.
- It is helpful in treating digestive ailments such as hyperacidity, colitis, worm infestations, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, excessive thirst, and vomiting and even liver disorders like hepatitis.
- Fresh juice of guduchi, when mixed with rock candy, speeds up the recovery in hepatitis patients.
- It helps in remedying ailments like raktapitta, anemia, cardiac debility, diabetes, sexual debility and splenic disorders.
- The starch of the plant serves as a household remedy for chronic fever, relieves burning sensation and increases energy and appetite.
- The decoction of guduchi, mixed with nimba and vasa, eases the itching and oozing.
- It benefits general weakness, dyspepsia, impotency, dysentery, secondary syphilis, tuberculosis, jaundice, constipation, leprosy, general debility, cutaneous rashes and condylomata.
- Guduchi helps in getting rid of renal caliculi and reduces blood urea level.
- The decoction of guduchi and sunthi is a good combination for treating gout and rheumatic disorders.
- Guduchi juice, when taken with cow’s milk or lodhra, is effective in combating leucorrhea.
- The juice is mixed with cumin seeds and consumed to reduce the burning sensation caused due to pitta.
- The root of guduchi is a strong emetic and used for bowel obstruction.
Caution
- Diabetic patients are advised to use guduchi with caution, since it can lower blood sugar levels.
- In case you are about to undergo a surgery, stop consuming guduchi two weeks beforehand, since it can interfere with blood sugar control during the surgery.
- It is better to avoid guduchi during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
