Tinospora cordifolia · PhytoNexus

01 Identity and provenance

Accepted binomial: Tinospora cordifolia
Common names: Guduchi
Family (APG IV): Menispermaceae
Part used: Stem
Verification tier: Tier 2 · Verified Clinical columns reviewed and a source is on record.
Reviewer note (2026 audit): DUPLICATE SPECIES - Tinospora cordifolia also appears as entry 98. Database holds 97 unique species, not 100.
Reference not supplied - claim unverified against primary literature.
Duplicate entries: This binomial appears more than once in the source workbook. Entry 98 (verified) Both are retained rather than merged so the original numbering stays traceable.

02 Constituent chemistry

Chemical class	Marker compound	Synthetic analogue in use
Di-terpenoids lactones	Tinosporide, tinosporon, Columbin, furanolactone Stem	Metformin, Diclofenac

The analogue column is what makes the interaction reasoning tractable: where a constituent has a marketed structural counterpart, the counterpart's interaction profile is the starting hypothesis for the plant.

Looking up structures and physicochemical properties from PubChem…

03 Stated application

Reported activity: Anti-diabetic,
Anti-inflammatory
Immuno modulator
Hepatoprotective
Marketed in: Tablets: Dabur patanjali
Capsule: Zandu giloy
Reported adverse effects: Gastro intestinal,allergic reactions, Hypoglycemia , Autoimmune flare

04 Interaction matrix

Source column, verbatim: Anti-diabetic Immunosuppressant Anti-hypertensive hepatotoxic
Normalised onto 4 canonical drug classes below.

Curated from the reviewed source

Drug class	Severity	Mechanism type	Provenance	Expected effect
Immunosuppressants (ciclosporin, tacrolimus, mycophenolate) Transplant	4Contraindicated	PK-CYP3A4/P-gp + PD-antagonistic	curated B	Acute graft rejection with inducers; nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity and hy…	why ▾
Class mechanism. These are narrow-therapeutic-index CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein substrates. Botanical induction collapses trough levels; inhibition causes toxic accumulation. Immunostimulant botanicals separately oppose the therapeutic goal. Expected Acute graft rejection with inducers; nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity and hypertension with inhibitors; autoimmune flare with immunostimulants. Management Treat as contraindicated in transplant recipients. Any exposure requires immediate trough level measurement and transplant team notification. Onset unspecified Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “immunosuppressant” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Antidiabetic drugs (insulin, sulfonylureas, biguanides, GLP-1, SGLT2) Endocrine	3Major	PD-additive	curated B	Symptomatic hypoglycaemia, sweating, tremor, confusion; severe events rep…	why ▾
Class mechanism. Hypoglycaemic botanicals act through insulin secretagogue, insulin-sensitising, alpha-glucosidase-inhibiting or glucose-transport routes. Added to a titrated pharmacological regimen the effects summate rather than plateau. Expected Symptomatic hypoglycaemia, sweating, tremor, confusion; severe events reported with insulin and sulfonylureas. Management Increase self-monitoring frequency for 2 weeks after starting or stopping. Anticipate a downward dose adjustment of insulin or sulfonylurea. Onset rapid Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “anti-diabetic” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Hepatotoxic drugs Organ toxicity	3Major	Organ-toxicity additive	curated B	Transaminase elevation, cholestasis, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, acu…	why ▾
Class mechanism. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids, high-dose anthraquinones, kava constituents and germander-type diterpenes cause hepatocellular or sinusoidal injury that adds to the risk from paracetamol, isoniazid, methotrexate, azoles and statins. Expected Transaminase elevation, cholestasis, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, acute liver failure. Management Baseline and 4-weekly ALT and bilirubin. Stop the botanical at any transaminase rise above three times the upper reference limit. Onset unspecified Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “hepatotoxic” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism
Antihypertensives Cardiovascular	2Moderate	PD-additive	curated B	Orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, syncope and falls; or loss of blood-p…	why ▾
Class mechanism. Vasodilator, diuretic, ACE-inhibitory and calcium-antagonist activity in botanical extracts adds to prescribed blood-pressure lowering. A minority (ephedrine-, glycyrrhizin- and caffeine-bearing) act in the opposite direction and antagonise control. Expected Orthostatic hypotension, dizziness, syncope and falls; or loss of blood-pressure control with pressor botanicals. Management Home BP log for 2 weeks after any change. Warn about postural symptoms; review in the elderly and in those on multiple agents. Onset rapid Evidence B - reviewed clinical column, source pending Matched on “anti-hypertensive” Find evidence for this pair Map this mechanism

05 Hazard register

The audit recorded no hazard beyond the interaction profile. The controlled-vocabulary field reads not assessed, which means the assessment has not been done rather than that it came back clear.

06 Confusable material

These entries could be mistaken for this one in trade, in the herbarium, or in a prescription. Powdered material is often indistinguishable, so the check is macroscopic, microscopic and chromatographic rather than nominal.

Tinospora cordifolia

Giloy

Menispermaceae

Same genus (Tinospora)

07 Mechanism map

Chemistry sorts to the left, pharmacology to the right. Dashed edges are predicted. Drag nodes, scroll to zoom, export at 3× for a figure.

species

chemical class

marker compound

drug class

expected effect

hazard

08 Open literature

Abstract-scoped query built from this binomial, its common names and its marker compounds, run live against Europe PMC, PubMed and OpenAlex, then ranked locally against an evidence hierarchy.

Checking openFDA spontaneous reports…

09 Isomechanistic neighbours

Species whose interaction profile overlaps this one, ranked by shared severity weight rather than by count — a shared contraindication counts for more than a shared minor signal. Practical use: these are the plants you should not stack with this one, because the mechanisms summate.

Species	Family	Shared classes	Jaccard
Echinacea purpurea Echinacea	Asteraceae	3	0.23
Chelidonium majus Greater Celandine	Papaveraceae	3	0.50
Azadirachta indica Neem	Meliaceae	3	0.75
Hydrastis canadensis Goldenseal	Ranunculaceae	3	0.43
Rubia cordifolia Manjistha	Rubiaceae	3	0.25
Ocimum tenuiflorum Tulsi	Lamiaceae	3	0.33

10 References and notes

No citation is on record for this entry. That is itself the finding: the audit flagged it, and it is why the entry does not carry an A evidence grade.

Curator notes

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