Gulvel, Guduchi, Giloy, Amruta

Biological Source

Guduchi consists of dried, matured pieces of stem of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers. (Family - Menispermaceae), a perennial climber found throughout Tropical India, drug collected during summer preferably in the month of May, drug is used in fresh form also.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Amrtavalli, Amrta, Madhuparni, Guducika, Chinnobhava.

Assam :- Siddhilata, Amarlata

Bengali :- Gulancha

English :- -------------

Gujrati :- Galac, Garo

Hindi :- Giloe, Gurcha

Kannada :- Amrutaballi

Kashmiri :- Amrita, Gilo

Malayalam :- Chittamrutu

Marathi :- Gulvel

Oriya :- Guluchi

Punjabi :- Gilo

Tamil :- Seendal, Seendil kodi

Telugu :- Thippateega

Urdu :- Gilo

Description

A) Macroscopic

Drug occurs in pieces of varying thickness ranging from 0.6-5 cm in diameter, young stems green with smooth surfaces and swelling at nodes, older ones show a light brown surface marked with warty protuberances due to circular lenticels, transversely smoothened surface shows a radial structure with conspicuous medullary rays traversing porous tissues, taste bitter.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of stem shows outer-most layer of cork, differentiating into outer zone of thick-walled brownish and compressed cells, inner zone of thin walled colourless, tangentially arranged 3-4 rows of cells, cork broken at some places due to opening of lenticels, followed by 5 or more rows of secondary cortex of which the cells of outer rows smaller than the inner one, just within the opening of lenticels, groups of sclereids consisting of 2-10 cells found in secondary cortex region, outer zone of cortex consists of 3--5 rows of irregularly arranged, tangentially elongated chlorenchymatous cells, cortical cells situated towards inner side, polygonal in shape and filled with plenty of starch grains, simple, ovoid, or irregularly ovoid-elliptical, occasionally compound of 2-4 components, several secretory cells, found scattered in the cortex, pericyclic fibres lignified with wide lumen and pointed ends, associated with a large number of crystal fibres containing a single prism in each chamber, vascular zone composed of 10-12 or more wedge-shaped strips of xylem, externally surrounded by semi-circular strips of phloem, alternating, with wide medullary rays, phloem consists of sieve tube, companion cells and phloem parenchyma of polygonal or tangentially elongated cells, some of them contain cryste1s of calcium oxalate, cambium composed of one to two layers of tangentially elongated cells in each vascular bundle, xylem consists of vessels, tracheids, parenchyma and fibres, in primary xylem, vessels comparatively narrow devoid of tyloses, secondary xylem elements thick-walled, lignified, vessels cylindrical in shape bearing bordered pits on their walls some large vessels possess several tyloses and often contain transverse septa, meduallry rays 15-20 or more cells wide containing rounded, hemispherical, oblong, ovoid, with faintly marked concentric striations and central hilum appearing like a point, starch grains of 5.5-11.20 μ in diameter and 6-11.28 μ in length, pith composed of large, thin-walled cells mostly containing starch grains.

Identity, Purity and Strength

For dried drug

Foreign matter :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Total ash :- Not more than 16 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 3 per cent,

Alcohol-soluble extractive :- Not less than 3 per cent,

Water-soluble extractive :- Not less than 11 per cent,

For fresh drug

Foreign matter :- Nil

Moisture content :- 75 per cent,

Active Constituents

Terpenoids and alkaloids.

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Tikta, Kasaya

Guna :- Laghu

Virya :- Usna

Vipaka :- Madhura

Karma :- Balya, Dipana, Rasayana, Sangrahi, Tridosasamaka, Raktasodhaka, Jvaraghna.

Important Formulations

Amrutarishta, Amrtottara Kvatha Churna, Guduchi Taila, Guduchyadi Churna, Guduchi Sattva, Chinnobhavadi Kvatha Churna.

Therapeutic Uses

Jvara, Kustha, Pandu, Prameha, Vatarakta, Kamala

Dose

3-6 g of the drug in powder form.

20-30 g of the drug for decoction.