ABSTRACT
For many centuries, herbal plants have served as key sources for the remedy and treatment of diseases including diabetes mellitus. Herbal remedies are globally accepted as studies assure safe and efficient outcomes in different conditions. Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy) is an essential herb in Ayurveda and folk medicines and belongs to the botanical family Menispermaceae. It perhaps originated in Africa during the Oligocene epoch and spread in Asia in the early Miocene epoch. T. cordifolia is found in tropical and subtropical regions, including in India, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. Giloy produces various phytochemicals as secondary metabolites such as alkaloids (tinosporine, magnoflorine, berberine, etc.), terpenoids (tinosporide, furanolactone diterpene, cordifolioside, etc.), phenolics (lignans, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, etc.), polysaccharides (glucose, xylose, rhamnose, etc.), steroids (giloinsterol, β-sitosterol, etc.), essential oils, and aliphatic compounds along with a few other compounds such as giloin, tinosporidine, sinapic acid, tinosporone, tinosporic acid, and others. These phytochemicals are responsible for its diverse medicinal properties like antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, anti-osteoporotic, antitoxic, antidiabetic, anti-arthritis, anti-ulcer, and so on. Also, terpenoid (tembetarine) is responsible for the antidiabetic property of Giloy. Various research into the application of Giloy for different medicinal uses include studies on genetic sequences. Detailed information about the antidiabetic and herbal properties of Giloy is discussed in this chapter.
