Botany names

Description - Tinospora cordifolia is an extensive glabrous climber, with succulent stems, throwing aerial roots like the common Banyan (Ficus) tree. Stems and branches specked with white glands.-- Leaves membranous, broadly ovate, cordate at base cordate, ovate or roundish, 5-10 cm 7-9 nerved; petioles slightly shorter than leaves. Flowers minute, Yellow coloured, axillary terminal racemes. Male flowers fascicled and females usually solitary, Fruits 1 - 3 drupes size of a pea, red.

Chemical Constituents- It contains berberine, giloin and giloinin and some bitter principles Plant contains quaternary alkaloid magnoflorine, tembestarine. Stem contains furanoid diterpene - tinosporin, tinosporide, tinosporidine, beta-sitosterol. Stem-wood contains tinosporaside. Leaves contain cordifol, heptacosanol and octacosanol

Use - The stems of the plant collected in hot season and dried, with bark intact, constitute the drug. The drug is believed to be useful as a tonic and antiperiodic; it is also considered aphrodisiac. The starch obtained from the roots and stems of the plant is useful in diarrhoea and dysentery, it is also a nutrient-- Leaf decoction given in gout. Root is a powerful emetic and used for visceral obstruction; its watery extract is used in leprosy. Pulverized fruit is used as a tonic