KJC Medicinal Garden

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Amruthaballi
Tinospora cordifolia


Order: Ranunculales
Family: Menispermaceae
Genus: Tinospora
Species: T. cordifolia
Common Names: Gurjo, Heart-leaved moonseed, Guduchi, Giloy
Native to Tropical regions of the Indian subcontinent

Other plants of the same genus with medicinal properties

    T. malabarica (Chinese tinspora)
    T. crispa (vasanavalli)
Morphology:
  • Large deciduous climbing shrub with several elongated twinning branches
  • Bark: creamy white to grey brown and warty
  • Leaves: Simple, alternate; Green, petiolate up to 15cm long, roundish, pulvinate
  • Flowers: unisexual, green-yellow colour, axillary position, male flowers are clustered and females are in solitary and usually grows in summer
  • Sepals: 6, two series of 3 each, the inner ones larger than the outer ones
  • Petals: 6, smaller than sepals, obovate and membranous
  • Fruits: Scarlet or orange red in colour, aggregates of 1-3 ovoid on thick stalk, sub terminal style scars
  • Seeds: White, curved, bean shaped

Uses in Tradition systems of medicine

  • Used in Ayurveda.
  • Claimed to be useful in treating fever, asthma, jaundice, leprosy, diabetes, skin infections and gout.
  • Finds mention in the classical texts of Ayurveda, namely, Charak, Sushruta and Ashtang Sangraha
Nutritional Properties
  • Vitamin C
  • A range of micro and macro elements are present.
  • Protein: 0.64g /100g; Fat: 0.14 g/100g; dietry fibres: 0.16g/100g; energy contents: 288.8cal /100g; calcium: 70mg /100g; iron 9.7mg/ 100g.

Suggested Medicinal Properties

  • Anti- diabetes property
  • Anti-toxic property
  • Anti-arthritic property
  • Anti-osteoporotic effects
  • Anti-HIV effects
  • Anti-cancer effects
  • Immunomodulatory property

Active Phytochemicals

1. Alkaloids – Stem and root 2. Glycosides- Stem 3. Diterpenoid lactones – Whole plant 4. Steroids – Aerial parts and stem 5. Sesquiterpenoid- Stem 6. Aliphatic compounds – whole plant 7. Miscellaneous compounds – Tinosporic acid, Giolin, Gioloinin, Tinosporidine , Jstrorrhizine, Cordifelone N- trans – feruloyltryamine as diacetate – whole plant and root

References

Pandey, V., Vaishya, J. K., Balakrishnan, P., & Nesari, T. M. (2020). Nutritional aspects of Tinospora cordifolia (Giloe). Medicinal Plants, 12(1), 158–160. https://doi.org/10.5958/0975-6892.2020.00021.0

Saha, S., & Ghosh, S. (2012). Tinospora cordifolia: One plant, many roles. Ancient Science of Life, 31(4), 151. https://doi.org/10.4103/0257-7941.107344

Sharma, P., Dwivedee, B. P., Bisht, D., Dash, A. K., & Kumar, D. (2019). The chemical constituents and diverse pharmacological importance of Tinospora cordifolia. Heliyon, 5(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/J.HELIYON.2019.E02437