Giloy- The magical Herb

Traditional medicinal plants and the usage of herbal medicines in the prevention and in the treatment of various nutrition related non communicable diseases has been widely accepted in a country like India. One among such plants is T. cordifolia which belongs to family of climbing shrubs known as Menispermaceae (Joshi et al., 2021). It is also known as Giloy or Amrita and is a large, deciduous climbing shrub having a flashy stem and coiled branches which produces greenish- yellow flowers throughout the summer and winters, often found at higher altitudes. It is having succulent stems with long filiform fleshy aerial roots forming the branches. The bark of the plant is gray brown and watery (Onkar and Bangar, 2012). This plant is widely distributed in the Asian countries like India, China, particularly native to India. The plant is found throughout the tropical region in India from Kumaon to Assam, in north extending through West Bengal, Bihar, Deccan, Kankan, Karnataka and Kerala. (Arshad et al., 2018) [11] . A wide range of chemical constituents are present in Giloy namely- Tinosporine, (S), Magnoflorine, Giloinsterol, (S), ß-Sitosterol, cordifolioside A, B and C, cordifoliside D and E, Tinocordioside, cordioside, palmatosides C and F which belongs to the different classes of bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, diterpenoid lactones, steroids, lignans, terpenoids, glycosides, aliphatic compounds, polysaccharides etc. (Upadhyay et al., 2010). Leaves are particularly rich in protein, calcium, and phosphorus. The starch obtained from the stem which is known as “Guduchi- satva” is highly nutritious (Kadir and Hossan. 2009) [36]. Giloy helps in improving digestion and getting relief from the problems like abdominal pain, excessive thirst, and vomiting, and even liver disorders like hepatitis. Giloy is loaded with phytoconstituents such as steroids, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides that are known to regulate the blood glucose and possess anti- diabetic potential by promotion of insulin secretion and gluconeogenesis inhibition thus regulating the blood glucose (Rawal et al., 2004) [38]. Giloy plant is also very effective in reducing dark spots, pimples fine lines and wrinkles, skin disease because it is having anti- aging properties and is rich in antioxidants (Arunachalam et al., 2022). One of the few risks that is associated with the consumption of Giloy, is that the person who is diabetic should be cautious while consuming the Giloy specially if an individual is taking medicines to lower down the blood glucose (Srivastava et al., 2021). Further, Giloy is having stimulating effects on the immune system so may possess some complications to the person suffering from auto- immune diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease etc. due to the overstimulation of the immune system (Mittal et al., 2014) [3]. The popular products which are available in the Indian markets are Giloyyadi churna, Amrita guggulu, Sudarshan churna, Giloyyadi churna, Rasnapanchak kwath, sanjivni vati etc (Sharma et al., 2021). Giloy can be consumed in different forms. It can be incorporated into various value added food products like RTS, squash, bakery, beverages etc. It is also used extensively in other non food products like wound healing creams and health supplements. The present study has thoroughly described the miracle herb known as “Giloy” with its various benefits as a basis for reference to any further research conducted on Giloy or other herbs.