Introduction

An immense power within your body that strengthen you as well as shields you from the dreadful diseases is…….IMMUNITY!
Pop with numerous questions that what is it’s scene, how and where we get it from…? Actually immunity is something which we start acquiring from birth in the form of mother's milk and apart from it, when a person is exposed to some infections or diseases, becomes immune naturally as an outcome of primary immune system. Nowadays you can also enhance your immunity artificially with the means of short term immunization.

The major concern lies on how to know whether you have an adequate immune power or not….? A simple questionnaire can help you to self identify your immunity.

1. Is your body not able to cope up with environmental changes….?
2. Do you suffer from diseases quite often?
3. Do you get caught by infections very easily?
4. Feeling feeble and lethargic often?
5. Inefficacious?

If all the answers are false then your are blessed with strong immune system. But in case the answers are true then there is problem i.e you may be dealing with weak immune power. But no worries, the ayurvedic herb - Giloy has the remedies. Yeah you're right the famous Indian herb that has been used in treating degue, malaria, swine flu and thrombocytopenia from past many years. So to get more information about it persue this article...

General outlook of Giloy

Giloy is elucidated as a creeper with heart shaped leaves, yellow flowers and red pea sized fruits can be seen easily seen in your nearby gardens, nurseries and houses. It possesses prodigious properties that's why in Ayurveda it is baptized as Amrita means “the elixir of life”. Other names of giloy are:

Scientific name: Tinospora cordifolia
Sanskrit name: Guduchi
Hindi name: Giloy

Its stem and leaves both have medicinal importance due to presence of chemicals constituents like diterpene, tinosporone, tinosporic acid, giloin, gilenin, crude giloinin, gilosterol, tinosporol, tinosporidine, tinosporide. In ayurveda it is believed that it works according to ayurvedic pharmacology such as

• Rasa (taste): Kashaya (astringent), Tikta (bitter)
• Guna (qualities): Laghu (light to digest)
• Vipaka (Taste conservation after digestion): Madhura (sweet)
• Veerya (potency): Ushna (hot)

Uses and benefits of giloy

Tridosha Hara: Ayurvedic concepts says that our body is made up of three doshas namely vata, pitta and kapha and all the ailments in the body occur only due to imbalance in these doshas. Giloy has the capacity of pacifying all three doshas, if taken with proper articles.

1. Giloy with cow ghee to balance Vata dosha.
2. With jaggery to balance pitta dosha.
3. With honey to balance kapha dosha.

External uses: Application of giloy on the largest sense organ of the body boosts up the resistance of skin to microbes plus found very effective in leprosy and ulcers formed due to gout. Giloy helps heal the herpes lesions quicker and also accelerates the wound healing in various venereal diseases.

Circulatory system: The leaves of Giloy are well know for cardiac diseases. Heart patients can utilize them as cardiac tonic to strengthens the heart muscles as well as to improve their work efficiency. It also act as a blood purifier as its principal action of expelling the toxins which are circulating all the way. Moreover toxins accumulated due to alcohol and tobacco consumption can be expelled by regular use of this herb. It is also useful in gout to control blood uric acid level.

Digestive system: Ayurveda states that most of the maladies from which a person suffers arise from improper functioning of stomach. Disturbing conditions like indigestion, excess thirst, acidity, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), dysentery and vomiting can be easily treated by this herb. It also possesses anthelmintic properties. It is a good antispasmodic hence eliminates the painful stimulus arising due to intestinal spasms. Detoxification of liver also comes under its major functions.

Respiratory system: Many of us suffers from chronic cough, cold and sinusitis as a results experience feebleness, in these cases tinospora cordifolia increases your immune power so that your body is able to tackle with these ailments. Proper functioning of lungs and its strength can be achieved by utilization of giloy. This herb is beneficial for chronic smokers too.

Excretory System: Unhygienic toileting may leads to repetitive infections resulting in U.T.I (urinary tract infection). So Guduchi/Giloy is the accurate solution to this issue as it strengthens the urinary system, increases the resistance of inner layers of bladder and urethra to fight against the foreign pathogens.

Reproductive system: Guduchi also has aphrodisiac properties therefore enhances sperms quantity (increase sperm count) and quality (sperm motility) both. Its adaptogenic properties revitalize the male reproductive system and show results in conditions like erectile and premature ejaculation with its regular use.

Note - It can also be used by pregnant ladies after the proper consultation of ayurvedacharya.

Formulations: Giloy can be taken in the form of powder, decoction and satava.

Dosage:

• Powder 1-2 gm. up to maximum 5 gm.
• Vati(tablet) depends upon the disease
• Decoction 50-100 ml
• Extract 1-2 ml

How to prepare guduchi satva at home

You can also prepare its formulation at you home as they are cost effective and very handy. So here we are demonstrating how to make giloy satva.

• The fully grown matured guduchi/giloy stem are collected and partially flattened by pressure and keep them in water for a whole night.
• The precipitated white layer is collected after draining the water and dried to get the guduchi satva

As we all know that Guduchi/Giloy plays immense role in fever due to its antipyretic effect. The starchy matter (satva) and sanshamini vati prepared from its extract are used for this purpose.