Giloy Health Benefits and Its Side Effects
Last Updated: Jul 01, 2020
Giloy is a very versatile ayurvedic herb that can treat most of your health problems. Giloy can be used with castor oil to relieve gout. Not just gout, giloy with ginger can treat rheumatoid arthritis too. Arthritis is treated with giloy and ghee. Giloy is used with sugar to treat skin and liver diseases.
Giloy is also used with jaggery to treat constipation. Apart from these health benefits, giloy also boosts immunity and digestion, treats chronic fever, is effective against diabetes, and cab treats eye disorders. In the case of asthma, giloy can reduce its symptoms.
Giloy
Giloy is a herb that is important in Ayurveda and is considered the queen of herbs. It has been used in Ayurveda since centuries to treat various diseases. There are few illnesses that giloy can't cure. Giloy has often been called 'Amruta' - the Sanskrit term for nectar. Botanically, giloy is a deciduous creeper shrub that grows in tropical regions.
Nutritional Value of Giloy
The ability of giloy to treat a myriad of diseases says that it is high in nutritional content. It is abundant in alkaloids. Other bio-chemical substances found in giloy are steroids, flavonoids, lignants, carbohydrates and so on. Due to its high nutrient content, giloy is used to manufacture many herbal, ayurvedic and modern medicines.
Health Benefits of Giloy
Boosts immunity
Boosting immunity is the first and the most important benefit of giloy. It can rejuvenate the body too. Giloy contains anti-oxidant properties that improve health and fight dangerous diseases. It also flushes out free radicals and removes toxins from both the liver and the kidneys to improve health. In addition to all this giloy even fights bacteria that cause diseases in our body. It combats liver diseases and urinary tract infections.
Giloy Helps in Treating Chronic Fever
Giloy treats chronic fever and diseases. As it is anti-pyretic in nature, it can reduce signs and symptoms of several life-threatening conditions. It increase the count of your blood platelets and alleviates symptoms of dengue fever as well. Giloy combined with little bit of honey treats malaria.
Giloy helps in Boosting digestion
Indigestion is a common problem. Giloy can take care of the digestive system. Consuming half a gram of giloy powder with amla regularly can keep all digestive problems at bay. Having giloy juice with buttermilk will also be effective in this case. This remedy can also be used by patients suffering from piles.
Helps in Treating Diabetes
India is the diabetes capital of the world with many people suffering from this common lifestyle disease .Giloy acts as a hypoglycaemic agent so it will be effective for diabetic patients. It can lower the levels of blood sugar and lipids. This makes it very easy to treat type 2 diabetes. Patients with type 2 diabetes can consume giloy juice to in order to reduce high levels of blood sugar.
Helps in treating Asthma Problem
Benefits of Giloy in Treating Gouty Arthritis
Arthritis is a major ailment. Not only is it painful but it also restricts movement. Giloy contains anti-inflammatory as well as anti-arthritic properties that take care of arthritis and several of its symptoms, including joint pains.
Benefits of Giloy in Treating Eye Disorders
Eyes are one of the most important parts of our body. Giloy can be used to treat eye disorders. It boost clarity and helps you see better without spectacles. In some parts of India, people apply giloy on the eye lids regularly. Boil some giloy in water, let it cool and apply it on your eyelids .You will definitely see a change.
Benefits of Giloy in Reducing Anxiety and Improves Mental Strength
Giloy is often combined with other herbs to make an excellent health tonic. It not only clears brain toxins but also boosts memory. It also helps you improve your attention span. In this fast paced world where cut-throat competition is the norm, mental stress and anxiety is common. Giloy can reduce both mental stress and anxiety.
Giloy is an Aphrodisiac
Giloy has the ability to improve your sex life. Giloy contains properties that boosts libido which affect your sexual relations.
Uses of Giloy
There are no alternative uses of giloy. The nutritional content of giloy is very high so it has been an integral and extensive part of medicine since ancient times. There is only one possible alternative use of giloy that is as a decorative plant to elevate aesthetic appeal. Giloy is a creeper so you can let it grow on at the side of your house as a decoration. You need to trim the creeper regularly to keep it in shape.
Side-Effects and Allergies of Giloy
Despite its many benefits, giloy is not devoid of side-effects. Consuming giloy causes constipation and stomach irritation. These side effects will occur irrespective of what form of giloy you consume - juice or supplement capsule. Giloy can also lower blood sugar levels.
Diabetic patients should be cautious while consuming giloy. Giloy may also over-stimulate the immune system and make it over-active. When this happens, symptoms of diseases like lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis increases. It is best to avoid giloy if you suffer from any of these diseases.
Cultivation of Giloy
Giloy is a medicinal herb that has been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times. It features extensively in Ayurveda for the treatment of various diseases. It is a creeper that grows in tropical climates.
References
- Sarangi MK, Soni S. A Review on Giloy: The Magic Herb. Inventi Rapid: Planta Activa. 2013 Mar 18. [Cited 26 June 2019]. Available from:
- Sinha K, Mishra NP, Singh J, Khanuja SP. Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi), a reservoir plant for therapeutic applications: A Review. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 2004:3(3); 257-270. [Cited 26 June 2019]. Available from:
- Singh SS, Pandey SC, Srivastava S, Gupta VS, Patro B, Ghosh AC. Chemistry and medicinal properties of Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi). Indian journal of pharmacology. 2003 Mar 1;35(2):83-91. [Cited 26 June 2019]. Available from:
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