Is Giloy Good for Liver? Honest Answer
It depends on the person and the quantity of consumption. Although it is a popular herbal remedy for liver and has shown promising results in many cases, the few human cases have proved otherwise.
Therefore, the benefits of giloy to liver health are indeed real but not so miraculous that one should drink a cup of kadha every morning. We will unpack it.
What is Giloy anyway?
Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) is a climbing plant, which has been used in Ayurveda for centuries, and is called amrita, i.e., the root of immortality. The plant is used mainly as a juice, powder or tablet, and it became very popular lately as a medicine which boosts immunity.
What Do the Studies Say?
- The positive aspect: The encouraging results were presented by Bishayi and his colleagues in the Journal of Toxicological Sciences (2002), where they showed that the extract of giloy protected the rats from chemical damage to their liver and improved some of their blood parameters.
- The cautious approach: A case series presented in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hepatology by Nagral and colleagues (2021) described several patients that experienced liver injury after consuming herbal immune boosters.
- Follow-up: Philips and his team reported patients with liver damage associated with giloy. The patients had symptoms that resembled those seen in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. They recovered after they stopped taking giloy.
Rats aren't people, and case reports aren't proof of cause. But still, it is a good reminder that safe for everyone and natural are not the same.
