Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) – Amazing Health Benefits & Uses
Giloy is a herb which can be considered as a single medicine for all diseases, due to which it is named as Amrita in Sanskrit. There are two most famous stories behind its name “Amrita” but the ultimate conclusion of both is exactly the same which shows its potency to stay alive and keep others alive.One is the Story of Sea Churning, as per this ancient story, it is said that during the churning of the sea by the divine energies and demons, the nectar (Amrit) appeared, wherever the drops of this nectar fell, at those places, the Giloy grew.
The other story is about the battle between Lord Rama and Raavana. It is a belief that during this battle when the whole army (Vaanar Sena) of Lord Rama became unconscious as dead, at that time the Gods and Goddesses appeared and showered the nectar (Amrit) drops on them. The drops that fell in their mouths made them alive wherever the other drops that fell on the ground became the plants of Giloy.
Thus, in a nutshell, Giloy is a natural blessing to human beings for improving and maintaining their health during the complete lifespan. It’s Botanical / Latin name is Tinospora cordifolia. Its leaves are shaped as a heart or like the betel leaves. Being a climber, it needs support to grow well and also provides benefits in return. It never let that tree die on which it climbs.
Benefits of Giloy as per Ayurveda
A lot of Benefits of Giloy are described in Ayurveda which does not only help in the maintenance of our health but also improves our Overall Complexion. Daily consumption of Giloy in any form helps us to stay away from diseases as well as make us glow shinier and brighter from within.
Let us start with the amazing benefits of Giloy and then we will also know about the best form of its consumption.
1. Immunity
Giloy includes a good amount of anti-oxidants because of which it eliminates the toxins from the body. It purifies the blood and increases the ability to fight with bacteria. Thus, Giloy boosts our immunity and also ensure the proper functioning of Liver, Kidneys and other body parts.
2. Pyrexia (Fever)
Giloy helps in combating each and every type of fever. If someone suffers repeatedly from fever, Giloy can be consumed for avoiding recurring fever. It is prescribed to the patients of Dengue, Typhoid, Malaria, Swine Flu, Seasonal flu, etc.
3. Diabetes
Giloy is a hypoglycemic agent that reduces the blood sugar level, hence helpful for the patients suffering from Type-2 Diabetes. It is an efficacious herb to treat and prevent various other lifestyle disorders as well.
4. Digestion
Giloy is one of the best digestives. It maintains the proper functioning of the digestive system of our body. Daily consumption of Giloy helps to get rid of belly fat as well as prevent various digestive problems.
5. Stress
In this era of competition and busy lifestyle, stress and anxiety have made a room in everyone’s life. Giloy acts as a great adaptogen and works well on the stress and anxiety, ultimately reduces the risk of Depression. It does not only improve memory but also the health of our nervous system. Moreover, it increases the concentration level of the mind.
6. Asthma
The weather and seasonal changes cause a lot of serious complications for the people with weak immunity and especially Asthma patients. Chewing a small piece of Giloy stem or drinking its fresh juice daily can help them to prevent the severities. Also, the daily consumption of Giloy Ghanvati helps in maintaining their respiratory health in a long run.
7.Eyesight
Giloy is also great at improving the eyesight of those who wear glasses and to maintain the good vision of all others too. For this, one can take the Giloyghan Vati or the Giloy capsules containing Giloy extracts. Moreover, boiling 1 tsp of Giloy powder in around 1 cup of water until it remains half and applying it on eyelashes give additional and efficacious results.
8. Anemia
Generally, the majority of women suffer from Anemia, the lack of blood in the body. Due to which they face lethargy and weakness all the time. Consuming Giloy daily helps in increasing the red blood cells which consequently treats Anemia. It also maintains the blood circulation and ensures the overall health of an individual.
9. Arthritis
The most common signs and symptoms of Arthritis include joint pain along with the trouble in walking and moving around. Giloy contains the anti-arthritis properties due to which it helps well in the treatment of Arthritis by combating different symptoms related to the disease. It is also very useful in preserving the general health of joints.
10. Eardrum
Giloy is also helpful in keeping your ears healthy by removing the extra and waste earwax that may block the eardrums and can cause hearing problems. Take fine Giloy powder and boil it in water. Let it be at normal room temperature then pour in both of your ears. It will not only eliminate the extra earwax but also aids in improving your hearing capacity.
11. Belly Fat
Giloy is a good anti-inflammatory herb which improves the metabolism, reduces the inflammation and stimulates the digestive fire inside the body. These acts of Giloy not only make the digestion better but also avoid the accumulation of excess fat and toxins in different body parts. Ultimately, it helps in getting rid of belly fat, treating obesity, and providing perfect shape to your body.
12. Skin and Hair
Giloy is not only benign at maintain the body’s internal health but also reforms your outer look and complexion. It is nature’s best anti-ageing herb that helps our skin and hair to resist various problems and staying healthy for a long period of time. It is a wonderful remedy for blemishes, pimples, acne, fine lines, wrinkles, and other skin problems. Along with that, it shows remarkable results in fighting off dandruff, scalp infection, hair fall, and other hair problems too. With all this, Giloy becomes an amazing herb to help us get glowing skin complexion with shining hair.
13. Injury
Applying Giloy also helps in the rapid healing of wounds and injuries. For this application, the best way is to make a fine powder of Giloy Leaves, then heat a required amount of neem or castor oil in a pan. Add the leaves powder in hot oil. Keep it until it gets at room temperature and apply on the injury or wound. It improves skin health also.
How to Use Giloy?
Giloy is really a wonderful herb with respect to its effects in various health problems as well as its richness in all the properties that makes a herb potent for treatment as per the qualities mentioned in Charak Samhita, 9th Chapter. It shows different effects in its various forms. Some of the best and most common forms of consuming Giloy are as follows:
Giloy Juice
Peel of the Giloy stems and grind finely in a grinder by mixing some water to it. Strain it and drink in an empty stomach daily.
Giloy Decoction
Cut the Giloy stem in small pieces. Crush them well and add in 1 cup of water. Boil the mixture until it becomes half. Strain and drink it daily. For better results, add Long Pepper, Ginger, and Tulsi in this decoction.
Giloy Powder
To make a well-effective powder of Giloy, you need to get the Giloy stems dried well in sunlight. When all the moisture of these stems will vaporize, you will be left with the dried stems. Grind these dry Giloy stems in Grinder and you will get the Giloy powder.
Giloy Satva
Giloy Satva is also the powdered form of Giloy, but it is not prepared with the dried stems. But, Giloy satva is a classical Ayurvedic formulation which is commonly called a Extract of Giloy. It is manufactured with a complete process to get the most effective results of Giloy in the treatment of various acute as well as severe diseases.
Giloyghan Vati
Giloyghan Vati is the tablet prepared using the standardized extract of Giloy. These are prepared to help the people get the amazing benefits of Giloy extracts in the most convenient and easiest way. Giloyghan Vati can be easily portable to any place and can help you combat the health problems while traveling as well as while staying at home in any weather.
Giloy Capsules
Giloy Capsules are also a herbal formulation that contains the standardized extract of Giloy / Guduchi / Amrita (Tinospora cordifolia). These are easy to carry and are highly effective as the extract used in the Giloy capsules is more potent and qualitative than the Giloyghan vati. Also, the vegetarian capsule shells increase their effect and help to avail the benefit of the Giloy extract in its original form. For much better results, it is always recommended to take Giloy Capsules over Giloy Ghanvati.
Other Uses
- Mixing Giloy with Neem or Castor oil and applying it on joints helps in relieving joint disorders like Gout, etc.
- Taking Giloy with Ginger (Zingiber officinale) can help in combating the Rheumatoid Arthritis.
- Intake of Giloy with Ghee is good for Arthritis patients.
- Consuming it with Honey / Loaf Sugar (shakkar) can help in rejuvenating liver and skin health.
- For constipation, take a mix of Giloy with Jaggery.
Nature’s Advice
As, Giloy does not need any special care to grow, so it is an advice to all the people out there, that wherever you will find any Giloy stick or a climber, just throw or plant it near some big trees. As, it is a climber, it will grow naturally and will climb on the tree taking its support as well as safeguarding it against the diseases.
