some controversies and facts.
1.Botanical identity of Amruta.
There are 3 species of Tinospora used as Amruta in various parts of India.
In Kerala two varieties of Amruta are recognised:
1. Amritha also called “Chttamrut” which is T.cordifolia and used widely,
2.”Kanda-Amruta” also called “Kanda-guduchi” or “padmaguduchi”
which is T.sinensis (T.malabarica) having thicker stems, larger densely pubescent leaves ( Sivarajan and Balachandran,1994)
3) T.crispa which is used as a specific remedy for fevers in North Western India (Sharma,1983)
T.cordifolia is glabrous (no hairs), leaves 2-3 inches in diam, whereas T.sinensis (T.malabarica ) is wooly, bark defoliating and leaves 4-6 inches broad. T.crispa is having prominent tubercles(lenticels), glabrous ) having large leaves,3-5 inchess broad.
2. As the Amruta plant is dioecious, having male and female plants separate, which one will be more potent; male or female?
A study conducted by Sharma and co-workers (2017) found that Male variety was found more bitter and the bitterness of the stem of Tinospora cordifolia is largely due to the clerodane glycosides.
The values of water and alcohol soluble extractives was found relatively higher in male variety, while the total alkaloid, total starch and total mucilage contents were found higher in female variety.
Relatively higher starch and mucilage contents in female variety suggest that more yield of Guduchi Satva (aqueous extractable starchy substance of Tinospora cordifolia) can be expected from the female variety.
Detailed studies are needed.
In another study (Bajpai et al. 2015) it is found that the bioactive alkaloids such as jatrorrhizine, magnoflorine, isocorydine, palmatine and tetrahydropalmatine were successfully quantified in male and female plants.
The mean abundances of magnoflorine jatrorrhizine, and oblongine were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in male plants while mean abundances of tetrahydropalmatine, norcoclaurine, and reticuline were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in female plants.
Some other reports suggest that female Guduchi is having higher concentration of secondary metabolites and superior antioxidant potential than male variety.
3. Amruta from Neem? Any Advantage?
It is generally believed that Amruta staying with neem has a higher medicinal value.
Narkhede and co-workers (2014) Results revealed that Neem-guduchi possesses higher immunomodulatory potential at the dose of 300 mg/kg, and validated the traditional claim. Hence, Neem-Guduchi can be employed in immunomodulatory formulation prepared using guduchi.
4. Amruta from different locations!! change in quality?
Amruta grown at higher altitudes are found to have more active alkaloids
5. Amruta -Seasonal variations
The study conducted by Choudhry and Coworkers (2014) revealed that total phenolics and total sugar concentration obtained highest values in summer season while starch and tannin content were found maximum in winter season in both the genders.
However, biomarkers, tinosporaside and berberine, reached to their highest concentration in monsoon season.
Further, antioxidant potential revealed the highest inhibition percentage in winter season as well as in late summer season. The results of this study suggest that the female plant is best for its therapeutic phytoconstituents and the best harvesting seasons may be either winter or late summer for antioxidant potential and immunomodulator activities and monsoon for antidiabetic activity of T. cordifolia.
6. Age of plant.
The plant collected just before flowering time give optimum results
7. Preparation of extracts
The mode of preparation of Amruta medicines is very important.
Consuming the powdered drug in the form of powder, tablets and capsules are ideal and provide all active compounds.
But the one has to take a larger dose to get desired effect.
The major pharmacologically active components in Amruta are diterpenes, alkaloids and, phenylpropanoids.
Of these, diterpenes are soluble in organic solvents and are to be extracted in oil/alcohol.
The phenyl propanoids like codifolioside are generally soluble in water.
The alkaloids are, to some extent, are soluble in water, but are best extracted in water containing acids like citric acid.
The “Satwa” of Amruta contain mostly starches and mucilage, glycosides like cordifolioside with very little diterpenes.
Since “arishta” and “Asava” contain self generated alcohol which dissolves diterpenes and alkaloids, these preparations have a better efficacy.
But then the amount of such compounds in arishta and asavas is much less.
References
Bajpai, V., Awantika Singh,Preeti Chandra,M. P. S. Negi,Nikhil Kumar,) Brijesh Kumar (2016 Analysis of phytochemical variations in dioecious Tinospora cordifolia stems using Analysis of phytochemical variations in dioecious HPLC/QTOF MS/MS and UPLC/QqQLIT-MS/MS Phytochemical analysis 27(2): 92-99
Choudhry, N,1 Shweta Singh,2 Mohammad Badruzzaman Siddiqui,1 and Sayyada Khatoon (2014)
Impact of Seasons and Dioecy on Therapeutic Phytoconstituents of Tinospora cordifolia, a Rasayana Drug, BioMed Research ternational vol. 2014, Article ID 902138, 11 pages, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/902138
Narkhede, A.N., S D Jagtap, D M Kasote, O P Kulkarni, A M Harsulkar (2014) Comparative immunomodulation potential of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. F., Tinospora sinensis (Lour.) Merrill and Tinospora cordifolia growing on Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Ind.J.Exp. Biol. 2014 Aug;52(8):808-13
Rohit Sharma*, Hetal Amin, Prajapati PK (2017) Physicochemical evaluation of male and female plants of Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers) The Journal of Phytopharmacology 2015; 4(2): 116-120
Sivarajav, V.V and I. Balachandran (1994) Ayrvedic Drugs and Their Plant Soueces, Oxford &IBH, New Delhi, 38-41
Sharma PV.1983 Dravyaguna Vijnana, Varanasi, p.761
Mammen Daniel
