CHAPTER 17
Guduchi: A Divine Herb

“Through knowing death we can hold a beacon of love for every moment that has just passed, for every friend who has lost a friend, for every child who has lost a parent, for every parent who has lost a child; for any suffering anywhere.”

Sebastian Pole

Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia willd) Hook. F. & Thomson is large deciduous climbing shrub which is classified in the family Menispermaceae. Guduchi also known as amrit is one of the most valued herbs in the Ayurveda. In sanskrit it is known as gudduchika while hindi it is called giloya which refers to the heavenly elixir. According to vedic mythos, when the ancient gods churned the prehistoric ocean, an ambrosial nectar was created that would confer immortality on any who swallowed it. The nectar was named ‘amrit’, a sanskrit word that means ‘divine nectar’ or “imperishable.” Recent studies support guduchi’s role as adaptogens – a potent herb that increases the body’s resistance to stress, anxiety, and illness. Guduchi is a sanskrit name means the one which protects our body. In India guduchi has been used for thousands of years but it is only just beginning to be available in the West. It is one of the most versatile rejuvenating herbs, it promotes longevity. It has been mentioned in various ancient Ayurvedic texts such as Charak Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtang Hridaya as Rasayana. It is the best Rasayana for rejuvenating the body and getting rid of deep rooted imbalances. In fact, it is so full of life that it can grow without any soil or water. The herb supports the normal function of the immune system by maintaining optimal levels of white blood cells like macrophages

Guduchi Herb Information

1. Nomenclature

Family Name: Menispermaceae

Scientific Name: Tinospora cordifolia (willd) Hook. F. & Thomson

Sanskrit Name: Guduchika, Amritavalli, Guduchi, Madhuparni, Amrita, Kundalini, Vatsadaani

English Name: Amrit, Heart-leaved Moonseed

Common Name: Gucha, Giloe, Gilo, Amrita bali.

2. Bio-energetics

Rasa: Tikta, Kashaya

Guna: Laghu

Virya: Ushna

Vipaka: Madhura

Dosha: VPK +

Karma: Balya, Dipana, Rasayana, Sangrahi, Tridoshashamaka, Raktashodhaka, Jvaraghna

Dhatu: Plasma, Blood, Muscle, Fat, Nerve, Reproductive

3. Biomedical Action

Cholagogue, detoxicant, immune modulator, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anthelminthic, nervine tonic.

Habitat

Guduchi is a climbing deciduous shrub which usually takes support of bigger trees. This plant can be mostly seen on top of other trees particularly mango and neem trees. Those growing up neem tree is considered to be the best. Guduchi is a parasitic plant, it draws total nourishment from the host plant. The synergy between two bitter plants increases the efficacy of guduchi. The plant is widely distributed in India, extending from the Himalayas down to the southern part of peninsular India ascending to an altitude of 300m (1,000ft). It is found in China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri lanka. The plant is also reported from South East Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand etc. Plant prefers to grow in wide range of soil, acid to alkaline and it needs moderate moisture level.

Guduchi stem

Botanical Characters

Guduchi is a large deciduous corky climber with grooved stem. The leaves are heart shaped with pointed leaf tip, dark green, glabrous 5 – 10 cm long. The flowers are unisexual (male and female flowers are separate), small, yellow or greenish yellow. The stem is rather succulent with long filiform fleshy aerial roots from the branches. The thickness of the stem is generally about 1 cm in diameter but sometimes it can be as thick as 6 cm. The bark is creamy white to grey, The flowers are small and yellow or greenish yellow, the male flowers are clustered and female are usually solitary. The drupes are ovoid, glossy, succulent, red and pea sized. Flowers grow during the summer and a fruits during the winter. The fruits are called drupes, which are found in clusters, single seeded. The seeds are curved. Fruits look like bunch of red cherries. Fruits turn red when ripened. Arial roots, are found in the Himalayas and in many parts of south India.

Chemical Constituents

Guduchi has got a variety of pharmacologically and medicinally useful chemical constituents, which are being utilized in the field of Ayurveda Scientists have isolated and identified number of chemical compounds from diferent parts of guduchi, which are classified as 1. steroids, 2. alkaloids, 3. glycosides, 4. diterpenoid lactones, 5. aliphatic compounds,6. polysaccharides. In adition to this T. cordifoliia leaves of this plant are 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, ecdysterone, makisterone A, hydroxyecdysone, magnoflorine, tembetarine, syringine, glucan polysaccharide, syringine apiosylglycoside, isocolumbin, palmatine etc. The drug is reported to possess one fifth of the analgesic effect of sodium salicylate, which is commonly used in allopathic medicine as an analgesic and an antipyretic.

Plant Part Used

Roots, Stem, Leaves and Sattva

Health Benefits

Guduchi has wide spread uses in maintaining health of an individual.

• • Guduchi clears pitta toxin and uric acid accumulated in blood vessels. It also removes ama toxin from the body. Removal of toxin will give some relief to patients of arthritis, gout, and inflammatory joints.
• • Guduchi is diuretic in action. It assists to expel urinary stone from the kidney. It is also helpful in the management of urinary tract infections.
• • It is effective against asthma, jaundice, skin infections, anorexia, diarrhoea, diabetes, leprosy.
• • Guduchi is considered as a liver protector. It is helpful in treating liver damage, viral hepatitis and alcohol, medical or chemical poisoning of liver. It is useful in the management of fibrosis and regenerating liver tissue.
• • It is recommended as adjuvant therapy to cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy.
• • Guduchi is one and only Ayurvedic medicine which can bind and remove mercury, lead, heavy metals; once the toxin is flushed out from the body, intelligence is reestablished.
• • Results of the laboratory experiment indicate that with administration of guduchi root extract in diabetic rats resulted in noticeable control of serum cholesterol. The results have been noted to be at par with standard drugs used to control cholesterol.
• • Ulcers can be a result of excessive acid secretion in stomach, which damages the stomach walls. Generally, the stomach wall lining is affected regularly but, the stomach repairs it by making a new wall lining. But, if the stomach is not able to fully heal its wall lining, then the result is formation of ulcers. These ulcers have been controlled to an appreciable level by guduchi extracts.
• • It is classified under the category of Rasayana, which accords to longevity, enhances memory, better complexion, voice energy and luster of skin thus bestows youth.
• • All auto-immune diseases causing inflammation. Applicable in degenerative diseases such as cancer, AIDS and arthritis as it boosts the immune system..
• • Superlative and inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, Useful when there is high tejas and pitta that has burnt immune protecting ojas away resulting in inflammatory skin conditions. Skin problems from excessive alcohol, recreational drug and pharmaceutical drug use may indicate the use of guduch.
• • Guduchi is the #1 Rasayana (rejuvenative herb) in Ayurveda because it can really reverse aging, support the immune system and detoxify. It has the ability of making a person look youthful. Ultimately PMS were statistically reduced by administering guduchi extracts.
• • T.cordifolia (7.82% in 5 ml of syrup) is a best remedy for children suffering from upper respiratory tract infections.
• • It is a calming herb for vata disorders.
• • Extact of guduchi has been tested in women suffering with post-menopausal syndrome which can have symptoms such as breast discomfort, nausea and fluid retention. These symptoms and ultimately PMS were statistically reduced by administering guduchi extracts. The herb helps increase the efficacy of the protective white blood cells (WBC) and builds up the body’s own defense mechanism. It inhibits bacterial growth and increases the body’s immunity by enhancing the functioning of protective cells and macrophages.
• • The aqueous extract of Tinospora cordifolia significantly reduced the serum cholesterol and maintained the HDL cholesterol level to basic value
• • Dry barks of T.cordifolia has anti-spasmodic, anti-pyretic, anti-allergic and anti-leprotic properties.
• • The aqueous extract of T.cordifolia root has anti-oxidant property.
• • Guduchi has been reported to treat throat cancer.
• • Tinospora cordifolia stem is bitter, stomachic, stimulates bile secretion, enriches the blood and cures jaundice, urinary disease and upper respiratory tract infection.
• • The aqueous extract of stem is useful in skin diseases. The root and stem extract with combination of other drugs are prescribed as an anti-dote to snake bite and scorpion sting.

Cautions

• • People with diabetes should take this herb under medical supervision.
• • Its usage in pregnancy sould be monitored under strict medical supervision.