How to identify good quality giloy (Guduchi).

Giloy is a well known medicinal plant. It is known as a good Rasayana Aushadhi. In this video, we are going to explain how to identify a good quality fresh giloy.

What is the true identity of Giloy?

Guduchi (गिलोय) [1] is an easily available vine. This heart is present in abundance around our house. But it has many miraculous medicinal uses described in Ayurveda. But many creepers like Giloy are found around us. In such a situation, it becomes necessary to use real Giloy.

Although tablets and powder of Giloy [2] are also available in the market, but these alternatives may not be as effective as fresh Giloy. That’s why identification of fresh Giloy is very important. Because even if the medicine is taken wrong, the expected results cannot be obtained. Today the purpose of this article is to tell you the correct identification of Giloy and the method of its use.

Uses of Guduchi (गिलोय)

घृतेन वातं सगुड़ा विबंधँ पित्तं सिताढ्या मधुना कफ़ं च।

वतास्रमुग्रा रुबुतेल  मिश्रा शुन्ठ्यामवातं शमयेद गुडूची।। ( धनवंतरि निघंटु)  

Guduchi is a perennial creeper that climbs over other trees. Its stem is fleshy and many thin thread-like roots hang from its branches. The skin is gray on the upper side and the matter is like a thin membrane, after scraping it, the shiny green coloured fleshy part is visible under it. Skin is smooth and slippery to the touch.Heart shaped leaves which can be easily understood by its nomenclature. are shining green in colour. Small whitish flowers emerge when its leaves have fallen. Its flowers are small, found in groups whose colour is white or yellowish.

Morphological Characters of Giloy

The shape of its fruit is round like a pea and dark red in colour when ripe. Its flowers are found in the rainy season and fruits are found in winter. In Ayurveda, it is considered to have anti aging, anti acidity , thirst control, breast purification and satiety effect. Acharya Charaka described 50 types of Mahakashayas in the fourth chapter of Sutrasthan of Charaka Samhita.

Evidences in Samhitas

It has been used most frequently in these Mahakashayas. It is found in abundance all over India and it is used in many types of medicines. According to Bhava Prakash, the main treatise of Ayurveda related to substance properties, it is known as Amrita because of its age of many years and because of its effect similar to nectar.

According to Ayurveda, if talked about, Guduchi is bitter in the juice of Guru and Snigdha Guna and sweet in Vipak. Here one thing is worth noting that its juice is sweet yet its semen is hot. Most of the substances which are of sweet juice, their semen is cold. Guduchi is an exception to this. Because of this quality, it is used in many diseases where its action is effective because of its veerya.