Withania somnifera, a herb used in Ayurveda since ancient times, is commonly found in the Himalayan belt. Withania somnifera is reported to be useful in fever, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, and cancers. Its leaves are found to be effective against swelling, chest pain, sores, and ulcers. Withania possesses antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, anti-bacterial, antimicrobial, anti-fungal, anti-tumor, adaptogenic, and memory-enhancing properties. Among the bioactive compounds present in Withania, Withaferin A is the most important and well-explored compound having anti-cancer activity among several other activities. Many studies have reported the anti-inflammatory action of Withania somnifera and isolated Withaferin A. In this chapter, we have summarized the antiinflammatory activities exhibited by this multifaceted medicinal plant.

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Tinospora cordifolia (TC, Giloy, Guduchi, or Amrita) is a valuable medicinal herb in the Indian System of Medicine (ISM), Chinese, and other traditional systems of medicine. TC contains a broad array of therapeutic phytoconstituents like alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, terpenoids, aliphatic compounds, diterpene lactones, phenolics, and flavonoids. TC is hailed for its therapeutic use with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, cardiac disease, anti-arthritis, and anti-microbial properties. TC induces immunomodulatory effects through the induction of macrophage activation, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, lymphocyte proliferation, and also secretion of interleukins. The present chapter highlights the biological properties, therapeutic use, and immunomodulatory pathways of Tinospora cordifolia.