Written by Manju Gopi
Guduchi is widely used in veterinary folk medicine / ayurvedic system of medicine for its general toxic, antiperiodic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and anti-diabetic properties.
a. Ayurvedic uses
The stem is bitter stomachic, stimulates bile secretion, causes constipation, tonic, diuretic, enriches the blood, cures jaundice, useful in skin diseases, the juice is useful in diabetes, vaginal and urethral discharges low fevers and enlarged spleen.
An extract is prepared by powdering the stem, washing out the starch with water and drying the sediment This starch (satwa) obtained from the roots and stems of plant is similar to arrow root in appearance and effect. It answers not only as a remedial medicinal agent in chronic diarrhoea and some from of obstinate chronic dysentery but it is also a valuable nutrient when there is intestinal irritability and inability to digest any kind of food.
In case of acid diarrhoea due to acidity of the intestinal canal or acid dyspepsia. It is useful in relieving the symptoms of rheumatism.
There is another preparation of this plant i.e succus, freshly prepared from the fresh plant – a powerful diuretic.
The root and stem of T. Cordifolia are prescribed in combination with other drugs as an antidote to snake bite and scorpion sting. The juice and decoction of the root are applied to the part bitten, poured frequently into the eyes and administered internally by mouth at intervals of half an hour.
T. cordifolia is widely used in Indian ayurvedic medicine for treating diabetes mellitus. Oral administration of an aq. T.cordifolia root extract to alloxan diabetic rats caused a reduction in blood glucose.
In a clinical evaluation, compound preparation ‘Rumalaya’ containing T.cordifolia was reported to significantly reduce the pain in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
b. Pharmacological uses
The aq. extract of the stem antagonises the effect of agonists such as 5-hydroxytryptamine, histamine, bradykinin and prostaglandins E1, and E2 on the rabbit smooth muscle, relaxes the intestinal, uterine smooth muscle and inhibits the constrictor response of histamine and acetylcholine on smooth muscle. I.V. exposure to aq. Extract of T.cordifolia in doses of 5, 10 and 15.0 mg/kg body weight produces a temporary but marked fall in blood pressure and bradycardia in anaes-thetized dogs.
It is reported that the daily administration of either alcoholic or aq. Extract of T. cordifolia decreases the blood glucose level and increases glucose tolerance in rodents. Aq. Extract also caused a reduction in blood sugar in alloxan induced hyperglycemia in rats and rabbits in the dose of 400mg/kg. The aqueous extract has also exhibited some inhibitory effect on adrenaline – induced hyperglycemia. Ethylacetate extract of its roots has afforded a pyrolidine derivative with hypoglycemic activity in rabbits.
T.cordifolia is reported to benefit the immune system in a variety of ways.17 The alcoholic and aqueous extracts of T.cordifolia have been tested successfully for immuno-modulatory activity.28 It helps increase the effectiveness of WBC and builds up the body’s immune system. It also has significantly reduced the mortality from E.coli induced peritonitis in mice. In clinical study, it has afforded protection in cholestatic patients against E.coli infection.
The anti-stress and tonic property of the plant was clinically tested and it was found that it brought about good response in children with moderate degree of behaviour disorders and mental deficit.
The hepatoprotective action of T.cordifolia was reported in one of the experiment in which goats treated with T.cordifolia have shown significant clinical and hemato-biochemical improvement in CCl4 induced hepatopathy. Extract of T.cordifolia has also exhibited in vitro inactivating property against Hepatitis B and E surface antigen in 48-72 hrs.
Studies on induced oedema arthritis and on human arthritis proved the anti-inflammatory potency of water of T.cordifolia. The effect was comparable with indomethacin and its mode of action appeared to resemble that of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. The dried stem of T.cordifolia produced significant anti-inflammatory effect in both acute and subacute models of inflammation. T.cordifolia was found to be more effective than acetylsalicylic acid in acute inflammation.
The aq. extract of roots of T.cordifolia has shown the antioxidant action in alloxan diabetes rats. The administration of the extract of T.cordifolia roots (2.5, 50mg/kg body wt) for 6 weeks resulted in a significant reduction of serum and tissue cholesterol, phospholipids and free fatty acids in alloxan diabetic rats.
Jagetia. et al, have found that guduchi killed the HeLa cells very effectively in vitro and thus it indicates that guduchi needs attention as an anti neoplastic agent. In this study exposure of HeLa cells to 0, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 mg/ml of guduchi extract (methanol, aq. and methylenechloride) resulted in a dose dependent by significant increase in all killing when compared to non-drug treated controls.
