What are Giloy Benefits for Health, How to Use, Side Effects

Still facing immunity, digestive, and inflammatory problems, then it means you haven’t harnessed Giloy benefits yet. Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) is a widely used ayurvedic herb especially for diabetes management since time immemorial.

The traditional wisdom of Ayurveda regarding the health benefits of this herb is now been increasingly studied and backed my modern science and research. In this post we will explore Giloy benefits for health, how to use it and precautions and side effects so that you can use it safely and benefit from its therapeutic and healing properties.

In Ayurveda, Giloy health benefits are mentioned for enhancing immunity, promoting healthy digestion, and supporting organ function. And if you feel like your body easily succumbs to colds and numerous diseases, or your body often feels fatigued, then this beneficial herbal supplement is what your body needs.

What is Giloy?

Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) is a climbing shrub that grows on other trees. Giloy has heart-shaped leaves resembling betel leaves and is known for its bitter taste.

Botanical family	Menispermaceae
Hindi and other names	Guduchi(Hindi),giloe,and amrita(Means immortally)
Compounds	Alkaloids,Terpenoids,Lignans and Steroids

Giloy is considered an essential herbal plant in Ayurvedic and alternative medicine, offering various health benefits, with its stem containing the most beneficial compounds. [1]

Giloy roots and leaves in particular are also rich in nutrients that can be used for medicinal purposes. Due to its bitter taste and cell regeneration properties, this herb is used in treating various disorders in alternate system of medicine like Ayurveda. [2]

Ayurvedic Classification of Giloy

Let’s have a look at the ayurvedic classification of Giloy:

Ayurvedic Profile	Giloy properties
Rasa (taste)	Kashya, tikta (astringent, bitter)
Guna (physical properties)	Laghu (light)
Virya (Potency)	Ushna (hot)
Dosha balancing	Tridoshic (balances kapha, vata and pitta)

Now let’s talk about Giloy benefits for your health

Giloy Benefits for Chronic Fever

Giloy benefits the body’s immunity due to its fever-reducing qualities, also called antipyretics. It is useful in improving the body’s immune system due to its antioxidant properties, which help the body defend itself from infection and diseases. Therefore,

Take giloy for fever, as it increases the number of cells responsible for fighting foreign bodies and microorganisms, thereby aiding in a speedy recovery from fever.
It also helps reduce fever by improving the digestive system. So that our body can easily absorb essential nutrients from food, which in turn prevents the body from experiencing fever.

Also, giloy intake is effective in getting rid of frequent fevers and reducing the signs and symptoms of chronic fever.

Treats Malaria

Giloy has anti-inflammatory properties that help the body fight disease-causing germs. Taking Giloy juice every day increases the number of blood platelets in the body, thus boosting hemoglobin and giving your body strength to fight malaria.

Dengue Fever

Giloy, as an antipyretic herb that reduces fever, helps with dengue fever. Take Giloy for dengue, as it helps improve the immune system and increases platelet count. Giloy improves the number of white blood cells in the body, making it a valuable immunity booster against dengue fever. Therefore,

It’s common to see people taking Giloy with tulsi leaves to boost platelet counts during dengue. Take Giloy for dengue at least 4-5 times a day if your platelet levels are extremely low.

Giloy also has antioxidant potents that help boost the body’s immune system so that our body can fight against dengue and reduce its symptoms.

Hay Fever

Giloy benefits in reducing the symptoms that occur due to hay fever. Giloy helps in reducing hay symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, stuffy nose, and watery eyes, as well as itchiness in the nose. Giloy’s have regenerating properties that increase the number of white blood cells. It also has antipyretic properties (which fight fever). Thus, giloy benefits in fighting against hay fever.

Corona-virus Infection

Giloy, also known as an “ultimate immunity booster”, is enriched with antioxidants that help to detoxify the body and improve immunity. A good immune system is vital for the prevention of coronavirus infection and to safeguard against disease progression.

Giloy benefits your body by keeping cells healthy, fighting harmful toxins, purifying your blood, and boosting your health to prevent COVID infection. Giloy provides a protective shield against bacterial and viral infections and, therefore, can prevent COVID infection.

Controls Blood Sugar Level (Type 2 Diabetes)

One of the most powerful ayurvedic herbs for diabetes management, Giloy is also known as ‘Madhunashini’ in Ayurveda, which means ‘destroyer of sugar.’ Giloy contains the berberine compound that reduces blood sugar. Studies have shown that this herb can improve insulin sensitivity thus potentially offering natural control in blood sugar levels by enhancing the production of insulin in the body so that one’s blood sugar levels can come under control.

In one of the studies regarding effect of Giloy on blood sugar levels of type 2 diabetes patients, it was found that it works well as an add-on therapy by bringing down the blood sugar levels of the patient.

The study concluded that when taken thrice a day with meals as an add-on to anti-diabetic medicine, Giloy was found to be synergistic and effective in the better management of Type 2 diabetes.

The study also concluded that this herb was well tolerated by patients and had no side effect when given as a part of add-on therapy to conventional drug.

Check out Dr. Madhu Amrit, our ayurvedic formulation for sugar control and diabetes management.

Boosts Immunity

Giloy nutrients have chemical constituents like magnoflorine that help boost immunity by boosting the number of immune cells. These cells further help the body build immunity by fighting against disease-causing bacteria and pathogens. One research also concluded that Giloy extract has higher antioxidant potential than ascorbic acid thus endowing it with immunity boosting properties.

Improves Digestion

Giloy improves digestion and reduces digestion-related problems like diarrhea, vomiting, acidity problems, etc. It strengthens the digestive system by treating bowel-related issues.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety

According to one research, consumption of Giloy can reduce mental stress and anxiety symptoms by protecting the brain from the damage caused by toxins. This herb improves memory and calms the mind when consumed on a regular basis.

Improves Eyesight

Giloy has antioxidants like lutein, which help reduce the risk of cataracts and promote healthy vision. Giloy is believed to be beneficial for improving eyesight but shouldn’t be misunderstood to help against preventive measures like using protective eyewear.

Youthful Skin

Giloy has anti-aging properties that can help reduce dark spots, pimples, wrinkles, and lines on the skin to provide youthful skin. Giloy helps in detoxifying the skin, reducing germs from the skin, preventing oxidative stress, and slowing down the skin’s aging process.

Giloy also enhances blood circulation, resulting in a natural skin glow.
Topical application of Giloy can soothe skin irritation and support healthy, youthful skin. It expedites the wound healing process by increasing collagen production and promoting skin regeneration for a more youthful appearance.
Giloy contributes to strengthening the healing tissue, promoting youthful skin.

Liver Disease

You can take Giloy for liver diseases, as it helps with liver disease by reducing damage caused by toxic chemicals and oxidation, which can harm liver cells. It benefits the health of the liver by strengthening and regenerating liver tissue and increasing the liver’s natural ability to remove toxins.

Those whose liver got damaged due to alcohol overdose can also benefit from this herb. Regular intake of this potent ayurvedic herb lowers cholesterol levels in the liver, thus decreasing the level of damage caused by toxins present in the alcohol. As alcohol is a deadly addiction that can harm the liver, to maintain liver health, one can take supplements containing this herb, which aids in the fight against addiction.

One of the ways to boost your liver health is to quit alcohol completely. Our exclusive ayurvedic formulation Addiction Killer, containing Giloy and 15+ ayurvedic herbs helps you get rid of alcohol addiction and improves your liver health naturally.

Read our post on most powerful herbs for alcohol deaddiction

Giloy Benefits for Cancer

Giloy use can help prevent cancer as it possesses anticancer properties. Its use can reduce the chances of having brain and skin cancer. You can take Giloy for cancer, as this herb help increase the lifespan of cancer patients. Studies have shown that it has potential to reduce tumor size in cancer patients. Giloy health benefits are the following for cancer:

Giloy helps prevent cancer in women, such as breast cancer.
It has anticancer properties so it can reduce the growth of other types of cancer cells in the body.

Giloy Benefits for High Cholesterol

Giloy benefits in reducing high cholesterol levels because it helps boost the metabolism system and eliminate harmful components from the blood that can impact cholesterol levels. Consumption of this herb can potentially improve the metabolism by eliminating toxins from the body, which are responsible for high cholesterol.

Giloy Benefits for Gout

Giloy can help prevent gout which is caused by an increasing level of uric acid in the blood. When the amount of this increases in our body then one faces more pain, swelling, redness, and tenderness in one or more joints. Giloy benefits in reducing this joint pain by reducing the amount of this uric level in the body due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties.

Giloy Benefits for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Giloy benefits against rheumatoid arthritis (which occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues). by reducing inflammation in arthritis by increasing the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Giloy provides additional benefits like boosting the growth of cells that help in bone formation, thus helping in bone formation and preventing damage to bone and cartilage.

Also check out our post on 11 Tried and Tested Home Remedies for Arthritis for more information

Giloy Benefits for Diarrhea

Giloy can help cure digestion-related problems like indigestion due to its antioxidant properties, which help boost healthy metabolism and good digestive function. The main reason for diarrhea is having an unhealthy meal that has certain types of bacteria that can result in diarrhea. Giloy’s antioxidant properties helps fight against this bacteria.

Contains Anti-aging Properties

Giloy benefits the skin health due to its anti-aging properties. It fights against cell damage by boosting new cell growth. Take this herb for skin problems, as it nourishes the skin and enhances collagen production to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and provide healthy skin. It also helps fight against dark spots and acne. Due to its antioxidant and immunity-boosting qualities, Giloy can provide one with more radiant and glowing skin.

Yet another herb renowned for its anto-aging properties is Himalayan Shilajit. Learn about its numerous health benefits in this post.

How to use Giloy

To get Giloy health benefits, one can take it in the following forms:

1. Giloy Juice

Giloy nutrition can be taken best in juice form, especially if one is facing digestive problems.
Take 2–3 teaspoons of Giloy juice.
Mix it with water or honey to enjoy its health benefits.

2. Giloy Powder

Giloy benefits the immune system and metabolism, so one can use it in powder form.

Take the raw form of giloy and crush it until it converts into powder form.
Take ½ teaspoon of giloy powder.
Mix it with water or honey to consume.

3. Giloy Capsules

Take 1-2 Giloy capsules from the market.
Swallow it with water after taking food twice a day or as prescribed by nutritionist.

4. Giloy Tea

Take Giloy and mix it with your regular tea
Take it twice a day for maximum benefit.

Side Effects of Giloy

Giloy has minimal side effects, but anything in excess can be harmful. Some Giloy side effects are mentioned below:

Pregnant women: Although giloy is claimed to be safe for use by pregnant women and lactating mothers, it is strongly suggested that you get consulted by a doctor.
Diabetes: Giloy has benefits in controlling diabetes, but if the patient is already taking any other medication for the autoimmune disease, it is advisable to consult a doctor as giloy uses can cause a sudden drop in the sugar levels, which might be harmful.
Digestive problems: An excessive intake of giloy dosage can cause autoimmune disease and digestive problems like constipation and stomach irritation.

Conclusion:

While advocated as a potent immunity booster, giloy as an ayurvedic medicine holds high significance in the treatment of fever, gout, mouth ulcers, gastritis, diabetes, etc.

This ayurvedic herbs does not have any reported side effects; hence, with a prior doctor’s consultation, you can easily take advantage of its health benefits .

Ishika Pokhriyal

Being a journalism student, I had the chance to explore diverse fields, but my fascination with Ayurvedic herbs and medicines led me to become a specialized content writer in the Ayurveda niche.

Fueled by my passion for understanding Ayurvedic herbs and their benefits, I leveraged my educational and professional background to create content on a wide array of Ayurvedic topics, from wellness tips to herbal remedies and personalized health advice.

Juggling a career in content writing with my role as a dedicated blogger, I’m committed to unraveling the mysteries of herbs, remedies, and lifestyle changes associated with Ayurveda. My goal is to inspire, educate, and guide individuals on the path to a healthier life through the wisdom of Ayurveda.

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