Recently, Guduchi plant is in news. Some of the media falsely linked this great plant to liver damage. Ayursh ministry, India declined these claims and has given clarification. Guduchi (Giloy) is one of the most loving plant in Ayurvedic system as it fights many diseases from dengue to diabetes.

Guduchi, is a Sanskrit name, meaning of which is “which protects the entire body”. It is also known as amritaballi attributed to its ability to impart youthfulness. Guduchi  is a traditional Ayurvedic herb, often used in home remedies is perennial, deciduous climber and available throughout India. It is widely used in folk medicines too. It contains alkaloids, diterpenoid lactones, steroids, glycosides, phenolics, alophatic compounds and polysaccharides. Tinospora cardifolia is botanical name for guduchi. This plant does wonder to body and mainly is a immune booster.

Plant has multiple benefits for humans. To name few – it s anti-diabetic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, antioxidant, anti-allergic, anti-stress, antimalarial, hepato-protective, anti-leprotic, anti-neoplastic and is immune-modularoty herb. It promotes youthfulness, rejuvenates and promotes longevity.

Recently some media sources are claiming that Guduchi induces liver damage in certain patients. Ayush ministry issued statement challenging the findings of study published in Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology. Ayush in press release stated that “Relating Giloy to liver damage is completely misleading. Relating Giloy or TC to liver damage would be misleading and disastrous to the Traditional medicine system of India”. Further statement published by PIB regarding this study” have not analyzed the contents of the herb that was consumed by the patients’

Ayush press release also pointed at flaws conducted by research team and how the wrong results will have negative impact on traditional medicines. One of the flaw is “ it is not clear whether the patients too herb with other medicines? It is not clear whether the study has considered the past and present medical records of the patients”

Research studies should be presented in front of public with clear data, methods, comparisons, circumstances, evidences. If not, it could lead to misunderstanding, misconception and confuse the public. This is what happened with Guduchi – Healthy Life

To read Guduchi’s benefits click here https://healthylife.werindia.com/online-grandma/grandma-remedies/immune-booster-guduchi-amruthaballi-khashaya

Read Ayush Ministry’s statement below:

Certain sections of the media have falsely linked again Giloy/Guduchi to liver damage. The Ministry of Ayush reiterates that Giloy/Gudduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) is safe and as per available data, Guduchi does not produce any toxic effect.

In Ayurveda, it is said to be the best rejuvenating herb. Acute toxicity studies of aqueous extract of Guduchi reports that it does not produce any toxic effect. However, the safety of a drug depends on how it is being used. Dosage is one of the important factors that determine the safety of a particular drug. In a study, lower concentration of Guduchi powder is found to increase the life span of fruit flies (Drosophila Melanogaster). At the same time, higher concentration progressively reduced the life span of flies. This clearly indicates that an optimum dosage should be maintained to get the desired effects. This infers that the medicinal herb has to be used in an appropriate dose as prescribed by a qualified physician to get medicinal effects. With the wide range of actions and abundant components, Guduchi is a real treasure among herbal drug source.  Medicinal applications of Guduchi in countering various disorders and it’s use as anti-oxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, cardiovascular protective, neuroprotective, osteoprotective, radioprotective, anti-anxiety, adaptogenic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, anti-diarrheal, anti-ulcer, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer have been well established.

A special focus has been made on its health benefits in treating various metabolic disorders and its potential as an immune booster. It is used as a major component of therapeutics for ameliorating metabolic, endocrinal, and several other ailments, aiding in the betterment of human life expectancy. It is a popularly known herb for its immense therapeutic applications in traditional systems of medicine and has been used in the management of COVID-19. Considering the overall health benefits, the herb cannot be claimed to be toxic.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1798676

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