Medicinal Values of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook.f.

Sanjeet Kumar

Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook.f.

Common name:Tihadi, Koiali Suta

Botanical name: Tinospora cordifolia

Family: Menispermaceae

Vernacular name(s):                                     

Hindi: Guduchi                                                     

Tamil: Shindilakodi                                              
Telgu: Tippaa tiga                                                
Bengali: Gulancha                                               

Marathi: Gulavela                                                 

Distribution

It is distributed throughout Odisha, India, Myanmar, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh China.

Botany of Tinospora cordifolia

Woody climber; branchlets glabrous, often sending down slender, pendulous, fleshy roots. Leaves cordate, glabrous, margin entire, apex acuminate. Male flowers: clustered in the axils of minute bracts; pedicels filiform. Outer sepals ovate. Petals green, 6. Drupes red, globose to subglobose.

Medicinal Properties

It is excellent against allergic rhinitis. Stem and roots have ant-malarial and antileprotic activities. Stem is highly effective against malarial fever.

Chemical Compound(s)

The main important chemical constituents are Diterpine compounds, Arabinogalactan, Giloin, Tinosporone, Tinosporic acid, Cordifolisides etc.

Common Use(s)

1. Guduchi is regarded as a liver protector.
2. It is known as “Amrita” due to contain anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties.
3. This herb is highly recommended by  Swami Ramdev in preventing Swine Flu.
4. It helps in increasing the killing ability of macrophages.