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Gangeruki

Grewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori

Gangeruki (Grewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori) is a plant drug, also called Gamgerana, from the Tiliaceae (Malvaceae sensu lato) family. Not listed in WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants; documented in Ayurvedic and Siddha pharmacopoeias; recognized in African traditional medicine systems for iron deficiency management.

Key facts
Botanical nameGrewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori
FamilyTiliaceae (Malvaceae sensu lato) · other entries in this family
OrderMalvales
Pharmacopoeia statusNot listed in WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants; documented in Ayurvedic and Siddha pharmacopoeias; recognized in African traditional medicine systems for iron deficiency management
Taxon identifiersGBIF 7311070 · Wikidata Q3116556 · NCBI Taxonomy 2695409
Names in other languages
Sanskritगाङ्गेरुकी (gāṅgerukī)
Hindiगंगेरन (gaṃgerana)
Tamilஅச்சு

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I Vol II, monograph 20 GĀṄGERU (dried stem bark of Grewia tenax (Forsk.) Aschers & Schwf., syn. Grewia populifolia Vahl), SYNONYMS: Sanskrit Gāṅgeruki, Hindi Gangeran, Tamil: Achchu.; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I Vol II, monograph 20 GĀṄGERU (stem bark of Grewia tenax), Sanskrit: Gāṅgeruki; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I Vol II, monograph 20 GĀṄGERU, Hindi: Gangeran (Urdu: Gangeran; Gujarati and Marathi: Gangeti); ICRAF Agroforestree Database (Orwa et al. 2009) gives Hindi: gangu, kanger, gango, gangerun, achchu. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

8papers on this site for this drug, published 2006 to 2026, 7 with a DOI.

  • 8Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people.true See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishGangeruki
Latin/BotanicalGrewia tenax (Forssk.) Fiori

Key Phytochemical Constituents

How does it work?

  • Betulin and lupenone triterpenes exhibit hepatoprotective effects by reducing the oxidative stress marker MDA and normalizing serum hepatic enzymes (SGOT, SGPT, ALP) in CCl4-induced liver damage models
  • Flavonoids and phytosterols provide antioxidant and radioprotective effects through scavenging of free radicals and upregulation of cellular defense enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase)
  • Fruit extract mediates gut relaxant effects through calcium channel blocking mechanism and modulation of intestinal smooth muscle contractility

Which traditional uses are supported by research?

These summaries come from the source notes, which do not name the studies behind them.

  • Anti-anemia (iron supplementation): a comparative clinical study in women with iron deficiency anemia reported results similar to ferrous gluconate.
  • Atisara (diarrhea): traditionally used in Ayurveda for Atisara. In vivo and ex vivo pharmacodynamic studies have reported antidiarrhoeal and gut-soothing effects.
  • Liver-related conditions: traditionally used for liver-related conditions. Animal studies using carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage models have reported hepatoprotective activity.

What do recent studies show?

Only studies that could be traced to a published paper are listed here. An absence here means we could not identify the source, not that no work exists.

Recent safety updates

  • Acute oral toxicity studies in animal models reported no adverse effects at 5000 mg/kg extract administration
  • Traditionally consumed as food (fruits eaten fresh, dried, or as flour) in Africa and India
  • No significant drug interactions documented; root extract used traditionally for fertility enhancement was found to be orally safe in preclinical evaluation

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (root powder), Kashayam (decoction), Tablet, Capsule, Kwath Ghana (solid extract)

Standard Dosage: 3-6g root powder twice daily; 50-100ml decoction twice daily; 500mg extract capsule twice daily

Optimal Timing: Before meals with warm water for general tonic effect; Kashayam morning and evening

Storage: Airtight containers below 25 deg C, protected from moisture. Mucilaginous root powder is hygroscopic - use moisture-barrier packaging.

Marker Compounds: Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol glycosides), Beta-sitosterol, Mucilage (polysaccharides), Tannins (total tannin content), Friedelin

Synergistic Combinations

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Laboratory and animal studies8

  1. Pratibha, Jain N, Rajoriya K and others. 2026. Biofabrication of Gold Nanoparticles Using Grewia tenax Stem Bark Extract and Assessment of Their Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Anticancer PropertiesApplied biochemistry and biotechnology. PMID 42490011 · doi:10.1007/s12010-026-05849-w
  2. Rahman MTA, Yagi S, Zengin G and others. 2025. Nutraceutical Potential of Oilseeds and By-Products (Cakes) of Three Underutilized Malvaceae Trees Grown in SudanFood science & nutrition. PMID 40051604 · doi:10.1002/fsn3.70080
  3. Rehman NU, Ansari MN, Ahmad W and others. 2022. The Detailed Pharmacodynamics of the Gut Relaxant Effect and GC-MS Analysis of the Grewia tenax Fruit Extract: In Vivo and Ex Vivo ApproachMolecules (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 36558012 · doi:10.3390/molecules27248880
  4. Attique R, Zafar M, Ahmad M and others. 2022. Pollen morphology of selected melliferous plants and its taxonomic implications using microscopyMicroscopy research and technique. PMID 35247018 · doi:10.1002/jemt.24091
  5. Shah A, Rahim S. 2017. Ethnomedicinal uses of plants for the treatment of malaria in Soon Valley, Khushab, PakistanJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 28192202 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2017.02.005
  6. Mohamed Ali MF, Swar MO, Osman AM. 2016. Treatment of iron deficiency anaemia with the natural hematinic CarbaodeimSudanese journal of paediatrics. PMID 27651552
  7. Al-Said MS, Mothana RA, Al-Sohaibani MO and others. 2011. Ameliorative effect of Grewia tenax (Forssk) fiori fruit extract on CCl(4)-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in ratsJournal of food science. PMID 22416728 · doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02381.x
  8. Khemiss F, Ghoul-Mazgar S, Moshtaghie AA and others. 2006. Study of the effect of aqueous extract of Grewia tenax fruit on iron absorption by everted gut sacJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 16169169 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.07.017

Reference lists that include it

Tannins

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.