Tinospora: A Plant You Need to Know About

Tinospora is not a household name. In fact, even if you’re an herbalist, you may not have ever heard of tinospora.

But I read widely in the medical, scientific, and botanical literature, and I’ve been very impressed by what I’ve learned about the healing properties of tinospora.

What Is Tinospora?

Tinospora is native to India.

It’s a common plant, a climbing shrub that usually grows on the trunks of other trees and sends down long aerial roots. There are over 30 recognized species of tinospora. The full name of this leafy green plant with elongated, heart-shaped leaves is Tinospora cordifolia.

What’s It Used For?

Tinospora is used in Ayurvedic medicine as an adaptogen, my favorite kind of plant, which means it helps the body combat stress and fatigue, and promotes wellbeing. Adaptogens nourish our bodies at the molecular and cellular level, supporting our organ systems and our innate immune systems. As I’ve written about before, we would all benefit from paying more attention to adaptogenic plants. In Ayurvedic medicine, doctors use tinospora to treat diabetes, jaundice, and rheumatoid arthritis. An excellent peer-reviewed article, “Tinospora cordifolia: One plant, many roles,” published in 2012 in the journal Ancient Science of Life.[1]
explains how tinospora helps combat infections and has a pro-host immunomodulatory effect.

“Heavenly Elixir”

Tinospora is often referred to as the ‘heavenly elixir’ because it is used in various Ayurvedic decoctions to treat several body ailments. T. cordifolia is a plant with pharmacological functions and medicinal values due to its several constituents such as terpenes, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, and flavonoids. Thus, it has been rightly mentioned in old texts as ‘Amrita,’ a Sanskrit word that means ‘immortality.’

An Anti-Aging Herb

Tinospora is helpful for a wide variety of ailments associated with growing older and has cognitive benefits. Alongside the 16 herbs that have been scientifically shown to help patients with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and other forms of cognitive decline that I wrote about here, I recommend tinospora.

Active Compounds from Tinospora cordifolia

Scientists have isolated a myriad of biologically active compounds, including alkaloids, diterpenoid lactones, glycosides, steroids, sesquiterpenoids, phenolics, aliphatic compounds, and polysaccharides from different parts of the plant body.

[2]

These compounds are beneficial in helping the body fight off several diseases. Tinospora cordifolia extracts are extensively used in various herbal preparations in the treatment of different ailments for its anti-periodic, anti-spasmodic, anti-microbial, anti-osteoporotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-allergic, and anti-diabetic properties.[3]

Tinospora Activates Vitagenes

Vitagenes are genes that help our cells during times of stress. They enhance the cell’s ability to counteract stressful conditions, known as cellular stress response.

Cellular stress response requires the activation of pro-survival pathways and the production of molecules with anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, or pro-apoptotic activities, according to research done in 2009.[4]

Neuro-Enhancing Effects: A Learning and Memory Enhancer

In Ayurvedic medicine, Tinospora cordifolia is classed as a “medhya rasayana,” which means a learning and memory enhancer. It’s also used for vertigo.[5] Additionally, tinospora is often used in combination with other agents in Ayurvedic formulations which I have found it to be most effective.

The rationale behind this is based on the Ayurveda process of “shodhan-vidhi,” which means a substance is used to help the actions of other substances in a combination.
This synergistic effect of tinospora is well documented in scientific literature.[6]

Studies have shown that herbal formulations have the properties that can improve memory and function. These formulas work as brain tonics to ease symptoms of senility and dementia.[7]

Tinospora’s Neuroprotective Effects Include:

• Enhancing cognitive function, especially focus and memory
• Elevating mood and helping with stress
• Encouraging healthy cerebral blood flow and oxygenating the brain
• Supporting the brain’s healthy inflammatory response
• Supporting proper cholinesterase activity
• Detoxifying neurotoxins

Tinospora also exerts protective effects against neuronal degeneration. While we don’t completely understand its role in cholinergic mechanisms, scientists have pointed out that it has known neuroprotective effects against Alzheimer’s disease as well.[8]

Help With ADHD, Memory

Tinospora has also been found to be effective in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).[9]  In one 21-day randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, an aqueous root extract of tinospora helped improve verbal learning and memory.[10]

Help With Sleep

Sleep deprivation can ruin your life. But present-day lifestyle choices including late nights at work can make it very hard to sleep well. As anyone who’s ever had a bad night knows, sleep problems can cause a broad spectrum of neurobehavioral complications. In a recent animal study, tinospora extract pre-treatment ameliorated these neurobehavioral problems, appearing to have a beneficial effect on synaptic plasticity, inflammation, cell survival, and apoptosis pathways. Indeed, the current data suggest that tinospora extract may be effective in the management of acute sleep-deprivation-associated impairments in learning and memory functions and neuromuscular coordination.[11]

Anti-Depressive Effects

But that’s not all. The extract also has potent anti-depressant effects. It appears to raise both dopamine and serotonin levels.[12]^{,[13],[14],[15]}

Cardiovascular Benefits

In addition, tinospora appears to improve cardiac risk factors, including by lowering triglyceride levels and suppressing inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in subjects with hypertriglyceridemia.[16]

Tinospora possesses cardio-protective effects in calcium chloride-induced cardiac arrhythmia in animals. Tinospora can normalize atrial and ventricular fibrillation in animals. It appears that the herb may be beneficial in atrial and ventricular fibrillation and flutter and may be indicated in ventricular tachyarrhythmia.[17]

Could Tinospora Help Combat Covid-19?

Tinospora might also be useful against COVID-19. [18]  A study from 2021 found that this herb is effective in reducing the human cytokine storm, which is what makes COVID so deadly for some people.[19]

In Combination With Other Botanicals

In supporting brain health as well as for cardiovascular support and as a general health tonic, I use a special tinospora powder extract in combination with several other botanicals. These include: Bacopa monnieri, (learn more here), Ginkgo biloba, gotu kola (Centella asiatica), saffron (Crocus sativus) Salvia miltiorrhiza, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Huperzine A (extracted from Huperzia serrata), vinpocetine, as well as the neuroprotective nutrients Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Phosphatidylserine.

Combining tinospora with other synergistic brain tonic herbs allows hundreds to thousands of active compounds to bathe the cells and molecules throughout the body. Complex formulas no longer act like the single herb but help the body in an entirely new way.

This is the way that herbs work together when combined in appropriate formulations, like an orchestra playing together to create a harmonious whole that no single musician could achieve on their own.

As a jazz musician and an herbalist with an interest in network pharmacology, this is a perfect analogy for me. This is the way that herbs work together when combined in appropriate formulations.

Higher levels of cohesion contribute to better individual performances, as well as better group performances.[20] Just as there is synergy in the best of bands, there is synergy in the best of herbal adaptogenic formulas.

About the Author:

Donald R. Yance is the founder of the Mederi Center. A Clinical Master Herbalist and Certified Nutritionist, Donnie is renowned for his extraordinary knowledge and deep understanding of the healing properties of plants and nutrition, as well as of epigenetics, laboratory medicine, oncologic pathology, and molecular oncology. He is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild, National Association of Nutrition Professionals,

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References:

[2] Saha S, Ghosh S. Tinospora cordifolia: One plant, many roles. Anc Sci Life. 2012 Apr;31(4):151-9. doi: 10.4103/0257-7941.107344. PMID: 23661861; PMCID: PMC3644751.

[3] Soham Saha and Shyamasree Ghosh, Tinospora cordifolia: One plant, many roles Anc Sci Life. 2012 Apr-Jun;31(4):151-159.

[4] Calabrese V, Cornelius C, Mancuso C, Barone E, Calafato S, Bates T, Rizzarelli E, Kostova AT, Vitagenes, dietary antioxidants and neuroprotection in neurodegenerative diseases, Front Biosci. 2009 Jan 1;14:376-97.

[5] Singh SS, Pandey SC, Shrivastava S, Gupta VS and Palio B. 2003. Chemistry and medical properties of Gulvel. Indian J Pharmacol 35;83-99.

[6] Gupta YK, Briyal S, Gulati A. 2010. Therapeutic potential of herbal drugs in cerebral ischaemia. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 54:2;99-122.

[7] Palpu P, Rao CV, Kishore K, Gupta YK, Kartik R, Govindrajan R. 2008. Herbal formulation as memory enhancer in Alzheimer condition. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. United States Patent 7429397.

[8] Palpu P, Rao CV, Kishore K, Gupta YK, Kartik R, Govindrajan R. 2008. Herbal formulation as memory enhancer in Alzheimer condition. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. United States Patent 7429397.

[9] Burton D. 2009. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Natural and herbal treatments. Research papers. Ohlone Herbal Center 2009. Accessed 7 June 2011

[10] Ayurvedic medicine. 2011. Tinospora cordifolia. AMSAR. Accessed 31 May <http://www.amsar.com/Ayurvedicmedicine/av-memvita1.htm>.

[11] Bajaj P, Singh H, Kalotra S, Kaur G. Butanol Extract of Tinospora cordifolia Alleviates Acute Sleep Deprivation-Induced Impairments in Cognitive Functions and Neuromuscular Coordination in Middle-Aged Female Rats. Neuromolecular Med. 2022 Jun;24(2):202-214. doi: 10.1007/s12017-021-08683-x. Epub 2021 Aug 19. PMID: 34410631.

[12] Kadir MF, Hossan MS, Rahmatullah M. 2009. Medicinal plants of the Garo tribe inhabiting the Madhupur forest region of Bangladesh. Am-Eurasian J Sustain Agric 3:2;165-71.

[13] Singh SS, Pandey SC, Shrivastava S, Gupta VS and Palio B. 2003. Chemistry and medical properties of Gulvel. Indian J Pharmacol 35;83-99.

[14] Sarma, DNK, Khosa RL, Chansauria JPN, Ray AK. 1995a. Effect of Gulvel on brain neurotransmitters in stressed rats. Fitoteratia 66:5;421.

[15] Dhingra D, Sharma A. A review on antidepressant plants. 2006. Nat Prod Rad 5:2;144-52.

[16] Shirolkar A, Yadav A, Mandal TK, Dabur R. Intervention of Ayurvedic drug Tinospora cordifolia attenuates the metabolic alterations in hypertriglyceridemia: a pilot clinical trial. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2020 Oct 16;19(2):1367-1379. doi: 10.1007/s40200-020-00657-3. PMID: 33520840; PMCID: PMC7843799.

[17] Ashish Kumar Sharma,^a,* Kunal Kishore,^a Divya Sharma,^a B.P Srinivasan,^b Shyam Sunder Agarwal, Ashok Sharma, Santosh Kumar Singh,^a Samir Gaur,^a and Vijay Singh Jatav, Cardioprotective activity of alcoholic extract of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers in calcium chloride-induced cardiac arrhythmia in rats, J Biomed Res. 2011 Jul;25(4):280-286, J Biomed Res. 2011 Jul; 25(4): 280–286. doi: 10.1016/S1674-8301(11)60038-9

[18] Manne M, Goudar G, Varikasuvu SR, Khetagoudar MC, Kanipakam H, Natarajan P, Ummiti MD, Yenagi VA, Chinthakindi S, Dharani P, Thota DSS, Patil S, Patil V. Cordifolioside: potent inhibitor against M^pro of SARS-CoV-2 and immunomodulatory through human TGF-β and TNF-α. 3 Biotech. 2021 Mar;11(3):136. doi: 10.1007/s13205-021-02685-z. Epub 2021 Feb 22. PMID: 33643762; PMCID: PMC7898013.

[19] Manne M, Goudar G, Varikasuvu SR, Khetagoudar MC, Kanipakam H, Natarajan P, Ummiti MD, Yenagi VA, Chinthakindi S, Dharani P, Thota DSS, Patil S, Patil V. Cordifolioside: potent inhibitor against M^pro of SARS-CoV-2 and immunomodulatory through human TGF-β and TNF-α. 3 Biotech. 2021 Mar;11(3):136. doi: 10.1007/s13205-021-02685-z. Epub 2021 Feb 22. PMID: 33643762; PMCID: PMC7898013.

[20] Carron, A. V., Colman, M. M., Wheeler, J., and Stevens, D. 2002. Cohesion and performance in sport: a meta-analysis. J. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 24:168–88. doi: 10.1123/jsep.24.2.168