Therapeutic Potential of the Medicinal Plant Tinospora cordifolia-Minireview

For thousands of years, plant based herbal medicines have been utilized by millions of people all over the world. Plant materials or products are used in different folk/traditional medical systems, such as the Chinese, African and Indian medical systems, like Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani, and Homeopathy. Tinospora cordifolia (TC) is a medicinal plant belonging to the family Menispermaceae. It is a big deciduous, climbing shrub growing prevalently in the tropical part of Indian subcontinent regions such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Srilanka, and in Myanmar, and China. Guduchi, Giloy, Shindilkodi, and Amritha are all the common names for this plant. Extracts from different parts of this herbal plant have been used to treat many diseases. In Ayurvedic medicine, extract from this plant is used for preparing "rasayanas", which is known to cure diabetes, skin diseases, allergic conditions, jaundice, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, poisoning, and microbial infections. T. cordifolia has a many bioactive phytochemicals that have been isolated from its aerial parts and roots. Many bioactive principles have been reported from this plant which belong to various classes like alkaloids, aliphatic compounds, diterpenoid lactones, phenolics, flavonoids, glycosides, sesquiterpenoids, lignans, steroids and polysaccharides. T. cordifolia possesses medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antiallergic, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, antidote, antitumor, antileprotic, antispasmodic, and antidiabetic properties. The present review will provide a comprehensive therapeutic potential of T. cordifolia.