A medicinal plant that has been used in Indian households for generations has revealed a surprising new chapter in Maharashtra. Scientists have recorded four species of the climber Tinospora, popularly known as Guduchi or Amrita, in the state for the first time. The discovery, made in Bhandara district, expands Maharashtra’s botanical records and underline the rich but still unexplored plant diversity of Vidarbha’s forests. The findings have been published in the Journal of the Indian Botanical Society.

 

The four species: Tinospora baenzigeri, Tinospora merrilliana, Tinospora neocaledonica and Tinospora smilacina: were documented after nearly five years of field surveys conducted across forests and villages in Bhandara district by researchers Dr Jagannath Gadpayle (S N Mor College, Tumsar, Bhandara), Prof Dr Subhash Somkuwar (Dept of Botany, Dr Ambedkar College, Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur), Dr Shakun Mishra (Khandwa), and Prof Dr Alka Chaturvedi (Nagpur). At first glance, the discovery appears to be an addition of four names to a botanical checklist. Scientists, however, say it has wider implications. Guduchi is among the most commercially important medicinal plants used by the Ayurvedic industry.

 

Demand for Guduchi-based formulations has increased in recent years as herbal medicines and preventive healthcare have gained wider acceptance. But many Tinospora species resemble one another so closely that they are often confused during collection. “Accurate identification, therefore, is no longer merely a taxonomic exercise but the first step towards ensuring the quality, efficacy and safety of herbal medicines,” the researchers argued. The research also highlights an aspect of Maharashtra’s biodiversity that often goes unnoticed. Botanical surveys in the state date back well over a century and its flora is considered among the best documented in the country. Yet, forests in eastern Maharashtra continue to produce species that have escaped scientific records. Bhandara, better known for its lakes, paddy cultivation and forest landscape, has now come under spotlight as a district contributing to the understanding of the State’s medicinal plant diversity. 

 

 

Tinospora, popularly known as Guduchi, is among India’s most celebrated medicinal plant genera. For centuries, it has occupied a prominent position in traditional Indian medicine and is extensively described in classical Ayurvedic literature. Referred to as Amrita in Ayurveda and described in classical texts such as the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, it continues to be widely used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy.