Journal of

Medical Pharmaceutical www.jmpas.com

And Allied Sciences ISSN NO. 2320 - 7418

REVIEW ARTICLE
Correspondence
Medicinal properties and in- Richa Jain
Department of Botany,
vitro propagation of Govt. Girls College,

Tinospora cordifolia Vidisha-464001 (M.P.)

India. E-Mail:
Jain Richa 1*, Prasad Bheem 2, Jain Manju1 richajain1708@gmail.com
1
Department of Botany, Govt. Girls College, Vidisha-464001
Keywords
(M.P.)
2
Tinospora cordifolia,
Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, Patna-801505 (Bihar) In-vitro propagation,
Phytochemicals,
Conservation strategies

ABSTRACT
Tinospora cordifolia is a widely used medicinal plant. It is a very important medicinal plant of
the India and other countries. Many chemical constituents have been isolated from stem, leaf and
root of T. cordifolia such as berberine, glionin, giloin, cordioside, amritoside, tinosponon,
sitosterol etc. Many researchers have been working on anti-microbial, anti-malarial, anti-allergic,
anti- bacterial, anti-cancer activities of T. cordifolia and some researchers have been also worked
on in -vitro propagation of T. cordifolia, because the “National Medicinal Plant Conservation
Board” has prioritized this plant species for sustainable utilization, cultivation and trade. Some
biotechnological techniques can help for the same. This article has given more awareness about
this plant.

Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences (2013) 04; 19-30 19

INTRODUCTION

Medicinal plants play an important role in tantrika, gulancha, gurcha, garo, gilo,
our life they are the only source of treatment seendal, siddhilata, heartleaf moon seed (4,
for many diseases of India. India is a center 47). It is categorized as “Rasayna” in the
of diversity and origin of many crop and traditional Indian system of medicine
medicinal plants. India possesses 20,000 Ayurveda (5, 6).
species of higher plants, one third of it is
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
endemic and 500 species having medicinal
properties (1, 2). Demand of Ayurvedic Tinospora Cordifolia is a large, glabrous,

products is increasing now-a-days because deciduous, climbing shrub and a perennial

they are not cost effective and side effects of plant of weak and fleshy stem found

these medicines are also nil. Medicinal throughout the India. The stem structure is

plants are the main source of these fibrous and the transverse section exhibits a

Ayurvedic medicines but, they are rapidly yellowish wood with radially arranged

lost from their natural habitats due to some wedge shaped wood bundles, containing

environmental and economical reasons (3, large vessels, separated by narrow medullary

38). Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers. ex rays. The bark is creamy white to gray,

Hook. F. Thomas. A. belonging to the deeply left spirally, leaves simple, alternate

family manispermaceae is a large glabrous, ex-stipulate, long petioles up to 15 cm long,

deciduous climbing shrub. This family roundish, pulvinate, both at the base and

consists of 70 genera and 450 species. That twisted partially and half way around . The

is found in the tropical lowland region. The aerial roots that arise from the stem are

plant is distributed throughout the tropical thread like. The leaves are heart shaped and

region of India to 1200 m. above sea level smooth, flowers unisexual, small on

from Kumaou to Assam, in north extending separate plants and appearing when plant

through West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka and leafless, greenish yellow on axillary and

Kerala. In center of India (Madhya Pradesh) terminal racemes, male flowers clustered,

it is found in dry forest, commonly growing female usually solitary, fruit aggregate of 1-

over hedge and Neem trees. Common names 3 ovoid smooth drupelets on thick stalk with

of T.cordifolia are giloya, guduchi, gurvel, sub terminal style scars, scarlet or orange

amrita, amritavalli, madhuparni, guduchika,

Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences (2013) 04; 19-30 20

coloured. Flowers grow during the summer DISTRIBUTION
and fruits during the winter (7, 8).
T. cordifolia is distributed throughout the
tropical region of India up to 1,200 m above
sea level. It is distributed from Kumaon to
Assam, in north extending through West
Bengal, Bihar, Deccan, Konkan, Karnataka
and Kerala. It thrives in the tropical regions
in forest and other habitats (9).

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF
TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA

Fig. 1: Tinospora cordifolia Guduchi is widely used in veterinary, folk

and Ayurvedic system of medicine for its
general tonic, anti-periodic (10), anti-
inflammatory (11), anti-arthritic (12), anti-
diabetic (13), anti-allergic (14),
neuroprotective (15), antioxidant (16),
antineoplastic (17), chemopreventive (18),
radioprotective (19), antipyretic (20) and
antifertility activities (21).
It is generally prescribed in general
Fig 2: Leaves of T. cordifolia
debility, diabetes, fever, jaundice, skin
diseases, rheumatism, urinary diseases,
dyspepsia, gout, gonorrhea and leucorrhoea
(2). A decoction of the stems, leaves and
roots are used to treat fever, cholera,
diabetes, rheumatism and snake bites, an
infusion of the stem is drunk as a vermifuge,
A decoction of the stem is used for washing
sore eyes and syphilitic sores. The stem
Fig 3: Stems of T. cordifolia is registered in the Thailand

Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences (2013) 04; 19-30 21

pharmacopoeia, and commonly use in
hospitals to treat diabetes (22). The root of
this plant is known for its anti-stress (23),
anti- malarial (24), anti-leprotic activities
(25, 26).
The literature survey of T. cordifolia
has shown that this plant species have
several pharmacological activities. Action of
aqueous and ethanolic extract of the plant
when administered to alloxan induced
diabetic rats caused a dose dependent
reduction in blood glucose levels, similar to
glibenclamide and insulin (27). Gupta et al.
reported that the daily administration of
either alcoholic or aqueous extract of T.
cordifolia decrease the blood glucose level
and increase glucose tolerance in gnawing
animals (28). Ethayle acetate extract of its
roots has afforded a pyrrolidine derivative
with hypoglycemic activity in rabbits (29,
30).
Hot methanol extract of T. cordifolia
root showed more significant activity
against all tested bacterial organisms than
that of the cold methanol extracts. These
reports open the possibility of isolating
clinically effective antibacterial compounds
(31). The alcoholic and aqueous extract of T.
cordifolia has been reported for immune-
modulatory activities (32). According to
Desai et al., dry stem crude extract of T.
Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences (2013) 04; 19-30
cordifolia contained a polyclonal B-cell
mitogen, G1-4A which is a polysaccharide
in nature (33-35). Dry stem crude extract as
well as G1-4A increase humoral immune
response in mice (36). Jagetia et al. and
Jagetia and Rao investigated that
methanolic, aqueous and a methaylene
chloride extract of T. cordifolia showed a
dose dependent cytotoxic effect on Hela-
cultured cells when compared with non drug
treated controls (37, 38). So results are
demonstrated that Guduchi is also an anti-
neoplastic agent. Moreover, extensive work
has been carried out on many other aspects
of pharmacological activities of T. cordifolia
that involved its adaptogenic activity on a
variety of biological, physical and chemical
stressors on different animal models (39).
So, these reports reveal that the T. cordifolia
is a useful and important medicinal plant
because of its multiple medicinal uses.
The World Health Organization
(WHO) has estimated that 80% of world
population in developing countries
depending primarily on herbal medicine for
their basic health care (40), but some
important medicinal plants are disappear
from their natural habitat due to some
environmental and economical reasons. T.
cordifolia is one of them, it is an over
exploited medicinal plant, it grows wild in
22
the forest and other areas and there is no through in vitro culture of mature nodal
organized propagation information available explants. Shoots were initiated on both
so far, conventional vegetative propagation Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium and
of this plant has limited potential for large woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented
scale propagation of elite plants (41, 42). with 2.32 μM kinetin (KIN). Of the two
Tissue culture remains one of the most basic basal media tested, WPM was found to be
biotechnological techniques with its varied superior to MS medium for the induction of
and vast applications (43). The technique multiple shoots. Elongated shoots were
has contributed tremendously in the rooted in half-strength MS medium
safeguarding, improvement and distribution supplemented with 2.85 μM indole-3-acetic
of important plant species, especially the acid (IAA). Rooted plantlets were
vegetatively propagated plants (44). The successfully transferred to sand and
plants resulting from in-vitro regeneration established with 80% survival (48).
technique can eliminate difficulties in Gururaj et al., reported a
mechanization and improve productivity micropropagation protocol of T. cordifolia
through somaclonal variation (45). using a nodal portion of the stem as
explants. They have observed the influence
IN-VITRO PROPAGATION OF
of IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid) and
TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA
combination of 2,4-D and kinetin on shoot
Reddy et al., reported a plant regeneration proliferation from nodal explants of T.
protocol through somatic embryogenesis cordifolia that is further supported by
from leaf explants obtained from seedling similar reports in Mentha piperata
parts and Nakano et al., found that the NAA (Ravishankar and Venkataraman, 1988).
(α-Naphthaleneacetic acid) and 2,4-D (2,4- Among different cytokinins (2-
Dichlorophenoxoxyacetic acid) along could isopentenyladenine, kinetin, benzyl adenine)
initiate callusing from stem, leaf and nodal used for shoot proliferation from nodal
segments but, callus may grow slowly, when explants, only benzyl adenine and kinetin
Kinetin along with auxins considerably showed response. Callus formation was
increased callus growth (46, 47). Raghu et common from the base of explants at lower
al., developed a protocol for rapid clonal concentrations of BA (benzyl adenine) but at
propagation of Tinospora cordifolia, higher concentrations, BA (8.87-13.31 mM)

Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences (2013) 04; 19-30 23

induced a single shoot from nodal explant
(49, 50). Tabassum and Nag carried out in
vitro study of Tinospora cordifolia. The
nodal explants of the plant, after surface
sterilization with 70% ethanol for one
minute and 0.1% mercuric chloride (MgCl2)
for five minutes, were cultured in a nutrient
medium containing Murashige and Skoog's
salts, vitamins, sucrose and various
concentrations and combinations of BAP( 6-
benzyl amino purine) and NAA (α-
naphthaleneacetic-acid ). The nodal
segments exhibited basal callusing after two
weeks and emergence of shoots from the
axillary bud after three weeks. The emerging
shoots were sub-cultured in a fresh medium
with NAA (1 ppm) and BAP (2 ppm). After
two weeks of first sub-culture, shoots
emerged from the single shoot along with
root. The sub-culture of the callus on
medium containing BAP (2 ppm) and NAA
(1 ppm) resulted only in shoot
differentiation (51).
Singh et al., showed growth response
of explants of T. cordifolia on different
culture media after 2-3 weeks of primary
culture. Explants showed callus formation
from nodal, inter-nodal and leaf explants
when planted on the medium containing the
combination of BAP and NAA. In the
hormone-free basal medium and the medium
Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences (2013) 04; 19-30
containing Kinetin, no response was shown
by nodal and inter-nodal explants. The shoot
and root induction from cultured explants
were remarkably influenced by the type and
concentration of hormones (52). Khalilsaraie
et al., explained indirect somatic
embryogenesis from mature leaves of T.
cordifolia. This is the first report of
antimicrobial activity of aqueous extract of
leaf induced callus in T. cordifolia (53).
Khanapurkar et al., investigated that the
nodal and inter nodal segment from healthy
grown plants were used as explants shoot
proliferation was observed in MS medium
containing BA 5.0 and 1.0 kinetin half
strength MS media supplemented with 0.4
mg/l naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) showed
the best results for rooting with the average
rooting response of 40 % . Sarma et al.,
reported a callus induction protocol from
different plant parts like young leaves,
mature leaves, axillary buds and shoot nodes
in murashige and Skoog’s media
supplemented with 4.4 µm of 6- benzyl
amino purine (BAP) showed the best results.
Choudhary et. al. investigated that formation
of multiple shoots in high frequency was
achieved in nodal explants culture.
Murashige and Skoog’s basal medium with
the combination of benzyl amino purine (2
mg/l), kinetin (4 mg/l) and thidiazuron (0.20
24
mg/l) gave maximum shoots per explants Kerala- issues, problems and
within 30 days of inoculation. prospects. Journal of Medicinal and
Aromatic Plant Sciences 24 (3), 756
CONCLUSION
- 61.
Tinospora cordifolia is an adaptogenic and 4. Sharma A, Gupta A, Singh S, Batra
rejuvenating property medicinal plant but A. 2010. Tinospora cordifolia
this plant disappearing fastly from their (Willd.) Hook. F. & Thomson- A
natural habitats due to over exploitation. We plant with immense economic
can save this plant through biotechnological potential. J. Chem. Pharm. Res. 2
approaches and improve the quality of the (5), 327-33.
plant through secondary metabolites 5. Singh KP, Gupta AS, Pendse VK,
production. Plant tissue culture technique is Mahatma CP, Bhandari DS,
the best for the mass production and for Mahawar MM. 1975. Experimental
improvement in productivity of this plant. and clinical studies on Tinospora
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developing new drugs and 14.
commercialization. 6. Singh J, Sinha K, Sharma A, Mishra
NP, Khanuja SP. 2003. Traditional
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