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Benefits of Giloy

Posted on : July 16, 2020 By
Benefits of Giloy
Featured Health 

What is Giloy?

Giloy is a vine native to the tropical regions of the Indian Subcontinent. Its scientific name is Tinospora Cordifolia and is called as Heart-leaved Moonseed in English. And I’m sure after knowing about its numerous benefits you’d give all your heart to this super shrub. It is also widely known as Guduchi in the Indian Subcontinent.

Fun Fact – Male flowers of Giloy plant are clustered, but female flowers are usually solitary.

The Sanskrit translation of the word Giloy means ‘Amrita’ which literally means immortality. So, I guess our ancestors pretty much knew about the amazing benefits of this amazing plant, that’s why the name.

Benefits of Giloy

Giloy has been used in Ayurveda since a long time for its numerous benefits. Basically, when we consume Giloy we most likely use its stem for all its medicinal benefits but its root and leaves can also be used as they too are quite healthy.

Here are some of the detailed benefits of Giloy (Guduchi):

  • Helps in Reducing Fever (Backed by Modern Science)

Due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic (that reduces fever) properties it is quite useful in reducing chronic fever. This is the main reason why it is recommended for someone suffering from high fever, dengue or malaria. It also helps in increasing the platelet count in cases of dengue which we’ll discuss in a later point too.

  • Helps Boost Immunity (Backed by Modern Science)

Giloy being super rich in antioxidants helps in warding off free radicals thus strengthening immunity and protecting us from various diseases and ailments. It also helps fight bacterial and viral infections. Its immunomodulatory property makes it such a good immunity booster. It basically helps in activating lymphocytes (one of the types of white blood cells). [1]

Note: – It is advisable to consult a Physician if you have an autoimmune disorder. Because in case of an auto-immune disorder, body’s own immune system attacks the body and as Giloy is an Immunity Booster so it rather helps the immune system attack the body even more severely.

  • Helps Lower Blood Sugar Levels(Backed by Modern Science)

It won’t be a stretch if I’d say that Giloy helps in treating diabetes. It improves blood glucose levels thus helps in managing diabetes. Swami Ramdev has many a times shared during his morning yoga sessions that how giloy helps in curing diabetes among many other ailments.

  • Helps Treat Arthritis (Backed by Modern Science)

Anti-inflammatory and Anti-arthritic properties of Giloy help in managing the pain and inflammation in the case of arthritis. Giloy suppresses the arthritic inflammation by inhibiting the production of molecules that promote inflammation.

  • Helps Treat Asthma and Improve Respiratory Health(Backed by Modern Science)

Giloy extract is very beneficial for someone suffering from asthma or someone who has chronic cough. Take a note Mr Kejriwal :-P. Giloy helps in control of the mucus hypersecretion thus helping in both these cases. It also improves overall respiratory health majorly because of its anti-inflammatory property.

  • Alleviates Stress(Backed by Modern Science)

Giloy helps in relieving stress as it is an adaptogen (natural plants and herbs which help in managing stress hormones). Daily consumption of Giloy Kadha or Giloy Juice can help calm the nervous system and thus help in relieving stress.

  • Helps in Managing Weight (Backed by Modern Science)

Giloy is great for someone who is obese as, as per Ayurveda, it helps improve the digestive fire in the body and helps reduce Ama (toxic remains in the body due to improper digestion). It improves digestion a lot as it has both appetizing and digestive properties. So, if you’re someone who wants to lose or maintain weight then Giloy is something which you should add in your daily routine.

  • Improves Digestive Health(Backed by Modern Science)

Giloy helps improve the digestive system and this is precisely because of the digestive enzyme, amylase, that is present in the Giloy stem. Amylase helps promote proper digestion by helping in digest starch better. As starch is one of the main sources of carbohydrates and carbohydrates are something which we consume in almost all our meals so it is all the more necessary to digest them well.

  • Helps in controlling blood pressure(Backed by Ayurveda)

Swami Ramdev has time and again emphasized on the amazing benefits of Giloy including its ability to regulate blood pressure. It is believed that because of the digestive properties of Giloy it is able to regulate blood pressure too.

  • Helps Fight Cancer Cells

Giloy is believed to fight cancer cells and prevent cancer too. Though this claim is not backed by modern science but many people have tried it and got desired results too.

  • Helps increase platelet count (Backed by Modern Science)

Giloy helps increase the production of platelets in the bone marrow[2]. The reason behind this is the presence of certain phytochemicals in Giloy which stimulate the production of platelets. That’s why it is advised to have a concoction of giloy stem and papaya leaves to help fight dengue fever.

So, these are few of the benefits of Giloy and trust me this is just the tip of the iceberg. Giloy has many other amazing benefits too like taking care of issues related to the thyroid and having anti-ageing properties, to name a few.

How to Consume Giloy?

This recipe was shared by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.

INGREDIENTS

  • 5 pieces (1 inch) of Giloy Stem
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 2-inch Ginger
  • 6 – 7 leaves of Tulsi
  • 2 Cups of water
  • Jaggery as per taste

How To Make

In a pan add the water first then add all the ingredients one by one. Bring the mix to boil till the quantity of the water is reduced to half. Strain the mix and enjoy this delicious and healthy concoction.

How to Plant Giloy at Home?

Take couple of stems of the Giloy plant and plant them in an Earthen Pot filled with soil (it can be planted directly in the soil too). It starts growing after few days only. You need to water it thrice a week. It is advised to keep the pot in shade for the initial one week, after that you can place it near a pole or wall or a tree.

NOTE: – If you plant Giloy near a Neem Tree then its benefits can increase manifold. The Giloy vine wraps itself around the Neem Tree and creates a symbiotic relationship beneficial for both the plants.

So, this monsoon not only consume Giloy concoction to boost your immunity but also plant at least one Giloy plant on the foot of a Neem Tree so that people can also benefit from this amazing “Root of Immortality”. Stay Safe. Stay blessed.

References

[1]Tinospora cordifolia: One plant, many roles by Soham Saha and Shyamasree Ghosh

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3644751/

[2] Evaluation of Role of Tinospora Cordifolia (T.cord.) In Experimentally Induced (Busulfan Induced) Thrombocytopenia inRabbits

https://www.worldwidejournals.com/paripex/recent_issues_pdf/2016/June/June_2016_1465207309__33.pdf

News Reporter