Guduchi [Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers

Abstract

Background: Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), commonly known as an Amrita in the classical texts of Ayurveda, belongs to the family Menispermaceae and is one of the most frequently used drugs in Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeias. In the recent past, this drug has attracted the attention of clinicians for its immunomodulatory activities. Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recommends both external and internal applications of Guduchi for the management of different disease conditions. Aim: To prepare a comprehensive data of internal administration of Guduchi recorded in various Ayurvedic texts. Materials and methods: This review portrays the wide usage of Guduchi through internal administration, which comprises 56 various Samhita (treatise), Chikitsa grantha (compendia of Ayurveda), and Rasagrantha (compendia related to Rasashastra). Results: It is observed that about 1,526 formulations, having Guduchi as an ingredient, are used to combat almost 95 varied diseases. Among these diseased conditions, maximum are indicated for the management of Jwara (fever), followed by Vatarakta (gout, 102), Kushtha (integumentary diseases, 82), and Vatavyadhi (neuromuscular anomalies, 73). Conclusion: Present data may encourage researchers in pharmaceutical and clinical research to think over the use of easily available, simply propagated, and noncontroversial drug used to cure more than 95 disease conditions through internal administration, for the benefit of the society.