Guduchi

Tinospora cordifolia · Giloy

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Allergic rhinitis¹ Prediabetes (polyherbal)² Anti-tuberculosis liver injury^{3, 4} Mild coronavirus disease⁵ Immune modulation⁶	Pregnancy or lactation⁷ Autoimmune disease¹ Immunosuppressant therapy¹

Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia, giloy) is a climbing shrub of Ayurvedic medicine, researched most extensively for hay fever¹. Its extracts act on immune signaling and antioxidant pathways. Supplementation follows from that immune effect and is used for immune support, allergic rhinitis, and glycemic support in prediabetes.

Trials are mostly small and often test multi-herb formulas. A network meta-analysis found turmeric plus guduchi lowered anti-tuberculosis liver injury, based on few studies³. A 2023 randomized open-label trial in mild coronavirus disease found immunomodulatory effects in the guduchi arm. In 2023, a case review described liver injury after a guduchi-containing supplement that resolved on discontinuation; no trial has measured how often this occurs⁸. Products listing guduchi number 257 and come as capsules, powders, tea bags, and liquids; see Form comparison.

The most consequential caution is hepatic: an expert report lists guduchi among agents implicated in autoimmune-like hepatitis, which can resemble idiopathic autoimmune hepatitis⁹. The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation notes that guduchi can lower blood sugar and may interact with antidiabetic medications and immunosuppressants¹. Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use in pregnancy or breastfeeding¹⁰.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

49 sources, 36 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources