Giloy Falsely Linked To Liver Damage, No Toxic Effect In Appropriate Doses: Ayush Ministry

Giloy is a real treasure among herbal drugs source, it does not produce any toxic effect if taken in appropriate doses, the Ministry of Ayush said.

Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) has been used in Ayurveda for treatment of various ailments since ancient times. Also known as Guduchi in Hindi, the herb is believed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing, antioxidant, anti-viral, anti-diabetic and cancer-fighting properties. It is also considered the best rejuvenating herb in Ayurveda. However, some studies have linked consumption of giloy to liver damage. Is Giloy really dangerous for our liver?

The Ministry of Ayush on Wednesday issued a clarification refuting such reports. Giloy has been falsely linked to liver damage, the Ministry said, noting that the herb does not produce any toxic effect if taken in appropriate doses.

"Acute toxicity studies of aqueous extract of Guduchi reports that it does not produce any toxic effect. However, the safety of a drug depends on how it is being used. Dosage is one of the important factors that determine the safety of a particular drug," the ministry said, as quoted by news agencies.

Optimum dosage important to get the desired effects

The Ayush Ministry cited a study, which found that lower concentration of Guduchi powder increase the life span of fruit flies (Drosophila Melanogaster) while higher concentration progressively reduces the life span of flies. The study indicated that an optimum dosage should be maintained in order to get the desired effects. "This infers that the medicinal herb has to be used in an appropriate dose as prescribed by a qualified physician to get medicinal effects," it stated.

Guduchi is a real treasure among herbal drugs source, the Ministry said citing its wide range of actions and abundant components.

The Ministry mentioned the benefits of Guduchi in treating various metabolic disorders and its potential as an immune booster. The herb is also used as a major component of therapeutics for ameliorating metabolic, endocrinal, and several other ailments, aiding in the betterment of human life expectancy, it said.

Incomplete information could defame the age-old practices of Ayurveda

Recently, a study published in Hepatology Communications - the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, warned that consumption of giloy without prescription and monitoring can cause damage to organs such as the liver.

Liver Research Club of India had conducted the study at 13 medical centres including King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow. It was found that 43 patients, who were suffering from chronic liver disease or liver failure and reported symptoms of jaundice, had a history of taking a concoction of giloy. There were 23 females and 20 males.

According to Dr Ajay Kumar Patwa, associate professor of gastroenterology at KGMU, giloy was found to be the main cause of liver issues in 67.4 per cent (29) patients. The remaining patients consumed alcohol regularly and had comorbidities like diabetes, thyroid, hypertension, and hence they were not included among those in whom giloy was the main cause, he had said.

Dr Patwa added that most of these patients had consumed the herbal drug without prescription or taken unprescribed doses for an average 46 days.

"This generated common antinuclear antibodies which started attacking liver cells and induced acute hepatitis with autoimmune hepatitis-like features," he was quoted as saying.

Last year July, one study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology, a peer reviewed journal of the Indian National Association for the study of the liver, had also revealed that the use of giloy resulted in liver failure in six patients in Mumbai. Following this, the Ministry of Ayush had issued a statement challenging the findings of the study.

In the statement published by PIB, the Ministry said that relating giloy to liver damage would be "misleading and disastrous to the traditional medicine system of India as herb guduchi or giloy has been used in Ayurveda since long. The efficacy of TC in managing various disorders is well established".

The ministry further argued that the authors of the study "have not analysed the contents of the herb that was consumed by the patients".

Publications based on incomplete information will open the door for misinformation and defame the age-old practices of Ayurveda, it said.

With inputs from agencies