Guduchi: The Amrita of Ayurveda
I. Introduction
Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine, rooted in the ancient Indian scriptures known as The Vedas. According to the Vedas, the entire universe is a manifestation of five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth. The human being, a non-separate manifestation born of the universe, is also comprised of these very elements. Thus, living in harmony with the external universe and balancing the flow of the five elements in the human physiology maintains health and well-being. What we take into our body affects this cosmic dynamism more than anything else, and this is where the significance of plant medicines comes to light. Dr. Vasant Lad and Dr. David Frawley write poetically about the role of plants in Ayurvedic medicine:
Plants bring us love, the nourishing power of the sun, which is the same energy of all the stars, of all light. These cosmic energies emanated by plants thus nourish, sustain and make grow our own astral body. In this way the existence of plants is a great offering, a sacrifice. They offer us not only their own nutritive value but the very light and love from the stars, from the cosmos whose messengers they are. They bring us the universal light so that we can enter the universal life. They exist for psychological, as well as physical nourishment...The Sanskrit word for the plant osadhi means literally a receptacle or mind, dhi, in which there is burning transformation, osa."1
Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) is one such plant and among the most highly revered herbs of Ayurvedic medicine. Known universally as "Guduchi" (the one who protects), the herb is also known by different names across the sub-continent of India: "Tippa-teega" (Telugu), "Shindilakodi" (Tamil), "Arutha balli" (Kannada), "Rasakinda" (Sinhala), "Giloy" (Hindi), "Garo" (Gujarati), "Amrit" (Sanskrit), "Guduchi" (Marathi), and "Guluchi" (Oriya).2
Originating in India, guduchi is a tropical climbing herb that belongs to the Mernispermaccae family. It is now found not only in the tropical areas of India but also in Sri Lanka and Burma.2 The guduchi vine grows wild and does not require much cultivation. In the Indian city of Ahmedabad, for example, guduchi grows wild on hedges. Guduchi is often found in the dry forests of India growing on large trees, particularly neem and mango trees. One of the defining characteristics of the plant is its green heart-shaped leaf.3