Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), of the Menispermaceae family. Large, succulent deciduous climber with long thread-like aerial roots and heart-shaped leaves; native range: Deciduous forests across India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, climbing over other trees. Globally recognized as guduchi / amrita / madhuparni in Sanskrit, giloy in Hindi, gilo / gaduch in Arabic, and heart-leaved moonseed, giloy, Indian tinospora in English. The part used is stem (and its starch, guduchi-satva). Warty, corky green climbing stems with heart-shaped leaves; the fresh stem intensely bitter, yielding a bland white starch when pounded and washed.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
GUDUCHI
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Guduchi
- Scientific name
- Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers
- Family
- Menispermaceae
Form
- Part used
- stem (and its starch, guduchi-satva)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter · astringent (tikta, kashaya)
- Western
- bitter
- Unani
- bitter
Temperature
Ayurveda: heating (ushna)
Western: warm
Unani: hot (& dry, 1st degree)
convergence: all {witness_count} witnesses read it warming — a bitter that kindles digestion and burns off fever without depleting
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- immune · liver · blood · digestion
- Unani
- liver · stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- jvaraghna (antipyretic), rasayana, dipana (kindles digestion), balya (immune-strengthening), raktashodhaka (blood-purifier), krimighna
- Western
- immunomodulator and adaptogen, antipyretic, bitter hepatoprotective tonic, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic
- Unani
- muqawwi (general tonic), daf-e-humma (antipyretic), muqawwi-e-jigar (liver tonic), mufatteh sudad (deobstruent)
Cautions
Contraindications: autoimmune disease under immunosuppression (its immune-stimulant action may oppose therapy); pregnancy without supervision
Toxicity: very low; rare reports of raised liver enzymes with prolonged high doses
Interactions
- Western
- antidiabetic agents: additive glucose lowering · immunosuppressants: immunostimulant action may antagonise immunosuppressive therapy
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