Introduction:  

India is gifted with a wide variety of medicinal plants; one such plant is giloy. According to Indian folklore,  people used to call giloy plant as Amrita. There are references to giloy in the Ayurvedic medicine system of India, in which it is recognised as a medicinal herb due to its immense potentially beneficial properties. ^1,2 

The botanical name of the giloy plant is Tinospora cordifolia and it belongs to the family Menispermaceae. It is a climbing shrub with green-yellow heart-shaped leaves. Giloy species are particular to India and some parts of China and grow in the tropical and subtropical regions. Giloy has been given various names like Amritvali, Vatsadani, Amara and Chinnodebha, etc. Giloy juice is a green herbal drink prepared by blending the branches or stems of the plant with some water. You may enjoy it as an immunity booster drink in the form of fresh juice or kadha.^1–3 

Let’s learn more about this plant, its benefits and different potential uses that may help keep up with our health. 

Nutritional Value of Giloy juice: 

The nutritional value of giloy juice (stem) is as follows: 

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Properties of Giloy juice: 

Giloy juice benefits may enhance the immunity of the body.¹. The  properties of giloy juice are as follows: 

• It may have   anti-toxic effect (removes toxins)  
• It may act as   anticoagulant agent (stop blood clots)  
• It may have   blood-glucose-lowering activity    
• It may act as an   antioxidant  
• It may have   antistress activity  
• It may have   anti-viral activity  
• It may have   antimicrobial activity  
• It may have   anti-inflammatory action (reduces swelling)  
• It may have   immunity increasing ability  
• It may have   wound-healing action.^1,2  

PharmEasy Recommends: Everherb Giloy Tulsi Juice

Giloy juice has shown anti-microbial properties against various forms of microbes. Giloy juice may protect against infections owing to its anti-microbial activity.

Dr. Siddharth Gupta, B.A.M.S, M.D (Ayu)

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Potential Uses of Giloy juice: 

There may be plenty of health benefits of giloy. In addition, it may be beneficial in various diseases by naturally increasing the immunity of the body.³ Some of the potential uses of giloy juice are discussed below: 

1. Potential uses of giloy juice for  blood sugar:  

Giloy juice is prepared from the stem of the plant and may have blood sugar-lowering properties. It might naturally help increase the production of insulin hormone in the body as noted in some studies. This property of giloy may be contributed by the bioactive compounds like alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids. The extract of stems might regulate the enzymes responsible for the glucose production; hence giloy might show  potential activities against diabetes mellitus.^1–3 

This information is insufficient as these studies are not done on humans and more human trials are required to confirm the effects of giloy juice. Therefore, it is essential to first speak to your doctors and not have only giloy juice as medicine for lowering blood sugar levels. 

2. Potential uses of giloy juice for arthritis (joint pain):  

Giloy juice benefits may include relieving arthritis pain. The anti-inflammatory properties of giloy may be helpful in arthritis and related symptoms. If you use giloy stem powder with warm water and ginger, it may relieve joint pain. A review report by Saxena et al. (2019) suggested that giloy might positively affect the bone mineralisation process.⁵ 

Unfortunately, this information is not sufficient to back this claim. Future studies on humans are needed to support the potential use of giloy juice for arthritis pain management. Hence, seeking medical advice from a doctor before consuming giloy juice is preferable. 

3. Potential uses of giloy juice for chronic fever:  

The health benefits of giloy juice may be associated with the antipyretic effects, which may help reduce high fever. It may be a useful antipyretic medication to reduce the symptoms of various fatal conditions such as dengue fever, malaria and swine flu. The possible mechanism might be due to the improvement in the blood platelets levels that are affected during these acute fevers.⁵ 

However, more studies are required to produce the potential use of giloy juice for managing fever in humans. Therefore, taking medical advice from your doctor before using giloy juice is crucial. 

4. Potential uses of giloy juice for skin:  

The giloy stem powder may be used as a refreshing drink when boiled with water. The giloy juice might slow down the process of age-related cell deterioration. The benefits of drinking giloy juice for skin are that it may help reduce skin problems such as acne, pimples and dark spots, wrinkles, fine lines and skin pigmentation. It might also provide glowing and flawless skin.^1,5 

These studies are not done on humans and thus insufficient. We require more proof of the beneficial effects of giloy juice in maintaining healthy skin. Therefore, before using giloy juice, it is better to speak with a doctor. 

5. Other Potential Uses of Giloy juice:  

• Other benefits of drinking giloy juice are that it might eliminate  digestive tract problems such as constipation.¹ 
• The regular uses of giloy juice might enhance the vision.¹ 
• One of the best advantages of giloy juice is that it might be useful to boost the immune system, helping fight against viral infections.¹ 

Though some studies mention the benefits of giloy juice in several medical conditions, these are insufficient and there is a need for further studies to establish the true extent of the benefits of giloy juice on human health. Every person may respond differently to giloy herb. Therefore, it is crucial to consult a doctor before using giloy juice as a treatment for any medical condition.  

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How to Use Giloy Juice?  

Giloy has been used for ages as Ayurvedic medicine because of the benefits it has shown over the centuries.² Following are different ways in which we can use giloy: 

• Giloy juice is taken with ginger or milk.¹ 
• Giloy stem juice is used to make herbal lassi.⁶  
• Herbal kadha is prepared by mixing giloy juice with various ingredients like ashwagandha, ginger, etc.² 
• Giloy stem juice is also taken with mint and tulsi.⁴ 

We advise you not to replace or quit your ongoing medications with herbal preparations without talking to your physician or an Ayurvedic doctor. They will recommend you the best form and dosage to have giloy juice for your medical concerns. 

Beta-ecdysone found in giloy juice has shown anti-osteoporotic effects in animal trials. It could do so by increasing bone matrix formation and stimulating cell growth.

Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS

Side Effects of Giloy Juice:  

According to Nagral et al. (2021), during the peak times of COVID-19, herbal medicines were proven effective in overcoming the symptoms of viral infection. Giloy being an Ayurvedic medicine was also extensively used.⁷ 

However, side effects of giloy juice were recorded by people, which were mainly related to injuries to the liver.⁷ The side effects of giloy juice are as follows: 

• Jaundice (high bilirubin levels) 
• Inflammation (swelling) of liver 
• Malaise (general body pain) 
• Poor appetite 
• Yellowish discolouration of urine, eyes and skin 
• Hypothyroidism (improper functioning of thyroid glands) 
• Abdominal distension (bloating and swelling in the belly).⁷ 

If you take giloy juice and face any of these symptoms, immediately stop taking it and contact your physician. They will provide you with the appropriate treatment. 

Precautions to Take with Giloy Juice:  

Giloy juice may be consumed by all age groups because of its health benefits. However, general precautions must be taken to stay safe. 

• Giloy juice might cause liver injuries.⁷  Therefore, people with liver functioning issues should avoid the use of giloy juice. 
• There is not enough scientific evidence about the  safe use of giloy juice for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Therefore, it is better to avoid having giloy juice during these life phases. 
• People must take additional caution while giving it to young children and the elderly because their weak immune systems might develop an unexpected reaction to it.  
• Individuals must get medical advice before using giloy juice as self-medication. 

You can consult your Ayurvedic physician before taking giloy juice. If any health issues appear, get in touch with your doctors as the old addage goes, precaution is always better than cure.  

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Interactions With Other Drugs: 

The bioactive compounds of herbs might interact with other drugs resulting in herb-drug interactions, which might affect the complete utilisation of the drug.⁸ 

• Giloy juice might interact with a certain anti-diabetic drug, which might significantly drop blood sugar levels. So,  regular blood glucose monitoring is necessary if you take the giloy juice with anti-diabetic medications.⁸ 
• Giloy might also interfere  with anti-coagulating drugs (blood thinners), which may lead to blood clotting problems.⁸ 

Therefore, the physician must take precautions while prescribing giloy juice to patients already usingconventional medicines and avoid such herb-drug interactions. 

Also Read: Natural Blood Thinners: Research-Based Guide for Safe Alternatives 

Frequently Asked Questions: 

References 

1. Srivastava P, Professor A. Study of medicinal properties of Herb Tinospora Cordifolia (Giloy) in preventing various diseases/abnormalities by increasing immunity naturally in human bodies. Inter J Engi Res Gen Sci. 2020 Aug;8(4):10–14. Available from: http://pnrsolution.org/Datacenter/Vol8/Issue4/2.pdf 

2. Gupta A, Chandra Pant H, Singh N, Saini N, Mishra A, Tomar H, et al. Potential Role Of Giloy (An Important Traditional Aurvedic Medicinal Dioecious Creeper) As An Immunomodulator. Adalya J. 2021 Jun 10:(6):57-67. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Naveen-Gaurav/publication/352361985_POTENTIAL_ROLE_OF_GILOY_AN_IMPORTANT_TRADITIONAL_AURVEDIC_MEDICINAL_DIOECIOUS_CREEPER_AS_AN_IMMUNOMODULATOR/links/60c58a854585157774d23edf/POTENTIAL-ROLE-OF-GILOY-AN-IMPORTANT-TRADITIONAL-AURVEDIC-MEDICINAL-DIOECIOUS-CREEPER-AS-AN-IMMUNOMODULATOR.pdf 

3. Mittal J, Mohan Sharma M, Batra A. Tinospora cordifolia: a multipurpose medicinal plant-A review. J Medici Plants Stud. 2014 Jan;2(2):34–47. Available from: www.plantsjournal.com 

4. Sood S. Studies on the Nutritional Evaluation of Dietetic and Sugar Based Giloy (Tinospora Cordiofolia) Beverage. Nutr Food Sci Int J. 2016;1(5):1–4. Available from: https://juniperpublishers.com/nfsij/pdf/NFSIJ.MS.ID.555572.pdf 

5. Saxena C, Rawat G. Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy) – Therapeutic Uses and Importance: A review. Curr Res Pharm Sci. 2019;9(3):42–45. Available from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/18d9/01c87345644fb8e75cd651d19844ea17be1f.pdf?_ga=2.236577089.1983089076.1655456061-637044864.1652724015 

6. Tripathi B, Rani R. Development of herbal lassi using giloy stem juice (Tinospora cordifolia). Pharma Innova J. 2021 Nov;10(12):2242–6. Available from: https://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2021/vol10issue12/PartAE/10-12-316-730.pdf 

7. Nagral A, Adhyaru K, Rudra OS, Gharat A, Bhandare S. Herbal Immune Booster-Induced Liver Injury in the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Case Series. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2021 Dec;11(6):732–738. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jceh.2021.06.021 

8. Sahu R, Mohapatra TK, Subudhi BB. Drug interaction potential of tinospora cordifolia: A review. Res J Pharm Technol. 2018 Oct;11(11):5179–5183. Available from: https://rjptonline.org/ShowPDF_Paper.aspx 

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