Guduchi

Guduchi has had a long history of use in Indian herbal medicine and is viewed as an important plant in Ayurveda. It is considered a hepatoprotectant - protecting the liver from toxin damage. [2] Every part of the plant has some use in Ayurvedic medicine - and some of the conditions Ayurveda indicates it for are: Immune system strengthening, hepatitis, fever, renal calculi, skin diseases, digestive ailments and diabetes. It is also employed in cases of sexual dysfunction and some modern sources list aphrodisiac as among its qualities. [3]

Guduchi - History

Guduchi has a noble place in ancient Indian mythology: During the war between Lord Rama and Ravana, the deity Indra gave "nectar" to Rama's army of monkey warriors, who had been killed, in order to resurrect them. Some drops fell on the ground and from these the Guduchi plant grew. [4][5]

With such a heritage, you can understand that the plant has been held in very high esteem since ancient days. Its Sanskrit name is Amrita which means "divine nectar" or "nectar of immortality" - attesting to the belief that the plant confers vitality, longevity and youthfulness.

Guduchi's first mention I can find in the English language appears to be a botanical description in 1822's Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Volume 13. [1]

Is Guduchi an Aphrodisiac?

Tinospora cordifolia is the focus of some 120 scientific studies listed on Pubmed.[6] These studies cover some very interesting research in a wide variety of medical applications - however, none of the researches investigates potential aphrodisiac applications.

Where, then, did Guduchi's aphrodisiac reputation stem from? Almost certainly, it comes to us via the Kama sutra of Vatsyayana. In Sir Richard Burton's classic translation of the ancient text, first published in 1883, we read:

However, Ayurvedic sources seem to be mixed in their view of whether the plant is aphrodisiac. Some mention it, some don't.

Guduchi is listed in George Playfair's 1833 translation of the Indian Materia Medica (Taleef Shereef). However, it is not described as being aphrodisiac - even though at least seventy other plants or animals are! [7]

Guduchi has a detailed entry in the 1877 Indian Materia Medica compiled by Udoy Chand Dutt from Sanskrit medical works. However, it is notdescribed as being aphrodisiac - even though several other items are, including Ashwagandha, Asparagus racemosus and Tribulus terrestris. There is no hint that any action of guduchi affects sexuality. [8]

According to H. Panda's 2000 Medicinal Plants Cultivation and their Uses, Guduchi was considered aphrodisiac by Bhavamisra. Bhavamisra was a 16th century Indian physician and scholar who wrote the Bhavaprakasa - an authoritative work on Ayurveda - however, I do not have access to this at the time of writing.

P.V. Taberner lists Guduchi as an aphrodisiac in his 1985 Aphrodisiacs: the science and the myth - though he mentions nothing more of it than its name.

Summary

Guduchi has long been used as a tonic and herb for many ailments in Ayurveda - however, its reputation as an aphrodisiac appears to owe much to the Kama Sutra - and has not been scientifically researched.

Guduchi is listed in the AHPA's "Herbs of Commerce", p.146. [9]

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