Linking Giloy with liver disease is completely misleading: Ministry of AYUSH

New Delhi: The Ministry of AYUSH has noticed that some such reports have come in the media, which have been presented on the basis of a study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology. This is a review journal of the Indian National Association for the Study of the Liver (INASL). This study mentions that the use of Tinospora cordifolia (TC), commonly known as Giloy or Guduchi, was used to treat six patients in Mumbai. The liver had failed.

The Ministry feels that the study of the authors has failed to make the necessary analysis of the above cases in a systematic manner. Furthermore, linking giloy or TC to liver damage is also misleading and dangerous to the traditional medicine system in India, as giloy has been used for a long time in Ayurveda. TC has proved to be very effective in curing all kinds of disorders.

After analyzing the study, it was also discovered that the study authors did not analyze the constituents of the herb that the patients had taken. It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure that the herbs the patients consumed were TC or some other herb. The authors should have consulted a botanist or at least consulted an ayurvedic expert to arrive at a concrete conclusion.

In fact, there are many studies that show that herbs can have harmful consequences if they are not properly identified. A similar herb to Tinospora cordifolia is Tinospora crispa, which can have negative effects on the liver. Therefore, before labeling a herb like Giloy as poisonous, the authors should have correctly identified the plant under standard guidelines, which they did not. In addition, there are many inaccuracies in the study as well. It is not clear exactly how many doses the patients took or whether they had taken this herb with any other medicine. The study also did not look at the patients’ past or existing medical records.

Publishing anything on the basis of incomplete information creates misunderstandings and discredits the age-old tradition of Ayurveda.

It would be absolutely fair to say that there is all such scientific evidence, which proves that TC or Giloy is capable of protecting the liver, arteries, etc. It is noteworthy that if only ‘Guduchi and Safety’ is typed on the Internet, then at least 169 studies will be cited. Similarly, if we search about T. cordifolia and its effect, then 871 answers will come out. There are also hundreds of other studies on Giloy and its safe use. Giloy is the most written medicine in Ayurveda. Giloy has all the properties of protecting the liver and there are established standards for its consumption and its effect in this regard. It has not found any adverse effect in any clinical study or trial conducted by pharma co-vigilance.

The article published in the newspaper is based on a limited and misleading study. It doesn’t take into account the numerous reviews, authentic studies that show how effective T. cordifolia is. The article has neither consulted any renowned Ayurveda expert nor the Ministry of AYUSH. This article is also not correct from a journalistic point of view.