Guduchi, giloy, or heart-leaved moonseed, call it as you like, but there’s no denying the fact that guduchi deserves to be called “amrita or the nectar”. It’s one of the few herbs to be bestowed with the properties to pacify all 3 doshas, i.e, vata, pitta, and kapha. Guduchi is used diversely for treating various disorders and comes with multiple health benefits such as the following:
1. Is A Rejuvenating, Anti-Ageing Tonic
Guduchi is endowed with properties to nourish the saptadhatus (the 7 tissues) and hence used as a rasayana, something that is rejuvenating and increases immunity and lifespan. Guduchi is used in patients with muscle wasting, seminal weakness, infertility, and senility; it is an effective anti-ageing tonic. If consumed postpartum, it also detoxifies the breast tissue and improves the quality of milk.
Consume fresh juice of its stem with milk as a general tonic for increased strength. You can also use its stem in a powdered form or as a decoction can to overcome general debility, thus avoiding issues such as tuberculosis, asthma, and chronic diseases.
2. Is A Nootropic Herb (Medhya)
Guduchi decoction is classified as a nootropic herb and is used as a brain tonic. This herb promotes intelligence and can improve your cognitive functions. It is also used to treat giddiness and vertigo.
3. Pacifies Kapha Dosha (Bodily Bio-Element)
The bitter, astringent taste and hot potency of guduchi pacify the kapha dosha and hence beneficial in treating the disorders related to dosha imbalances. Fresh juice of guduchi with honey and long pepper can treat cold, cough, bronchitis, and asthma. The stem decoction is a potent anthelmintic and can be used to treat intestinal worms and skin diseases. And the stem oil, when locally applied, can treat skin diseases and leprosy.
4. Pacifies Vata Dosha And Is An Analgesic (Vednastaphan)
Guduchi with its hot potency and unctuous property pacifies vata dosha and is an essential ingredient in the preparations for treating arthritic pain like gout and rheumatoid arthritis. Stem oil is also locally applied for relieving pain.
5. Is An Antipyretic
Guduchi satva is a preparation that works as an antipyretic, that is, it helps reduce fever. This is prepared by grinding the root and stem, soaking it and straining the supernatant water to leave back the potent essence of this herb that is dried and used in powder form. This is effective even at low doses for treating common fever, malarial fever, or fever due to urinary infections, indigestion, and flu.
6. Pacifies Pitta Dosha
Guduchi is one of the few herbs with a combination of a bitter, astringent taste and a sweet post digestion effect (vipaka). This combination works best in treating disorders arising out of pitta dosha imbalance and blood impurities like acid reflux, burning sensation in the body, skin diseases, acne, wounds, graying of hair, and hair fall.
7. Is A Cardiotonic
It’s an effective cardiotonic and used to reduce chest pain and to treat hypertension.
8. Improves Digestion
Guduchi is appetizing, digestive, and enables easy absorption due to its astringent and bitter taste. It is used in formulations for treating indigestion, diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhoids or piles, irritable bowel syndrome.
9. Treats Diabetes And Urinary Disorders
Guduchi is effectively used in diabetes to lower blood sugar level, to relieve urine retention, and to cure infections.
10. Is Hepatoprotective
Guduchi decoctions and infusions are used to treat liver and spleen disorders and also to cure anemia, jaundice, ascites, and edema.
Recommended Dosage Of Guduchi
The ideal dosage of guduchi per day in various forms is as follows:
- Fresh juice: 10 to 20 ml
- Stem decoction: 40-80 ml
- Stem/Root powder: 2-4 gm
- Guduchi sattva: 500 mg to 1 gm
All parts of this herbal plant are used in ayurvedic formulations. The stems, roots, and leaves are used in the preparation of the various edible forms of the medicinal herb. They are used to create yoga formulations such as guducyadi churna, guducilouha, guduchi taila, and amrtarista, which you can use to treat various health issues.1
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