Withania somnifera

Withania somnifera ( popularly known as Ashwagandha) - Solanaceae, is a subtropical undershrub commonly used in Indian traditional medicines for more than 3000 years and has been categorized as Rasayana in Ayurveda, which is reported to elevate defense system against diseases, arrest aging, revitalize the body, increase resistance against adverse environmental conditions to create a sense of mental well-being.

 The photos are: a branch, berries at different stages of maturity. 

Reference 

Surendra Parihar

Ex.Professor and Head.

Deptt. of Seed , Science and Technology.

Indian Agricultural Research Institute,

Pusa, 

New Delhi, 

India 110012

Ashwagandha – Uses & Benefits of Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha

 

Botanical Name(s): Withania Somnifera

Kingdom: Plantae

Subkingdom: Tracheobionta

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Subclass: Asteridae

Order: Solanales

Family: Solanaceae

Subfamily: Asteroideae

Genus: Withania

Species: W. somnifera

Popular Name(s): Withania, Winter Cherry, Indian Winter Cherry, Indian Ginseng, Ashgand, Achuvagandi Ashgandh, Ajagandha, Kanaje Hindi, Samm Al Ferakh

Parts Used: Roots, leaves

Habitat: Cultivated throughout drier parts of India

Description

Also known as Indian ginseng or Indian winter cherry, ashwagandha is used in Indian traditional systems of medicine, namely Ayurveda and Unani. It is a stout shrub that reaches a height of about 170 cm (5 to 6 ft). The erect branched shrub is berry-like in shape and size and bears greenish or lurid yellow flowers and red fruits. The plant is grown in various parts of India like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. It is also cultivated in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Plant Chemicals

(+)- withanine, somniferine, somnine, somniferinine, withananine, anhydrine, methanol, hexane, diethyl ether, alkaloid (0.13-0.31%), choline, tropanol, pseudotopanol, cuscokygrene, 3-tigioyloxytropana, isopelletierine, withaferin-A, starch, glycosides, dulcitol, withancil, aspartic acid, glycine, tyrosine, alanine, glutamic acid, cysteine.

Uses & Benefits of Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is beneficial in stress related disorders, like arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, general debility, etc.

It works as a rasayan that helps in preventing early aging and rejuvenates the whole body.

The herb is considered as an adaptogen that stimulates the immune system and improves the memory.

Ashwagandha increases the white blood cell count and prepares the body to produce antigens against different infections and allergies.

Since it has excellent healing properties, it is greatly effective in healing wounds and injuries.

Due to its good penetrating powers, the herb promotes calmness and mental satisfaction.

Ashwagandha helps in increasing the number and quality of sperms.

It revitalizes the body and decreases untimely fatigue that is caused due to weak body strength, which results from accumulation of negative energies in the body.

Due to presence of vata-suppressant properties, ashwagandha relieves stress and helps in nurturing nervous system.

It provides nourishment to the brain for better functioning and greater ability to work.

Since the herb is a powerful aphrodisiac, it assists in enhancing sexual powers and promotes long-lasting endurance.

Ashwagandha seeds are used to thicken milk in India.

It helps in improving mental ability and mental concentration, gaining retaining power and increasing the production of bone marrow.

The herb works as a powerful immune booster that helps in fighting any foreign invasion in the body.

Since ashwagandha possesses the properties that suppress kapha, the plant gives good results in leucorrhoea.

It is used as a liver tonic and anti-inflammatory agent that treats asthma, ulcers, insomnia and senile dementia.

Incorporation of the herb in the diet prevents or decreases the growth of tumors in humans.

The use of ashwagandha is significant in anxiety, cognitive and neurological disorders, inflammation and Parkinson’s disease.

- Sri Eswaran

Withania somnifera - Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera - Ashwagandha

Did you know that the Withania somnifera - Ashwagandha, a herb which is a versatile ayurvedic medicine, a tonic used to rejuvenate the body and increase longevity?

The Withania plant commonly known as Ashwagandha, a herb in the Indian Ayurvedic medicine is a genus of the Solanaceae or nightshade family of flowering plants distributed in the subtropical regions from the Mediterranean to India an South East Asia. The plant is also known as Indian ginseng, poison gooseberry, or winter cherry. The plant 's various parts have been used to treat a variety of ailments that affect human health. It has antioxidant, abortifacient, diueretic, antibiotic, aphrodisiac, deobstruent, dioretic, sedative, antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, hemopoietic, and nureroprotective properties.

The Latin species name 'somnifera' means "sleep-inducing". The Indian name name "ashwagandha" is a combination of the Sanskrit words 'ashva', meaning horse, and 'gandha', meaning smell, reflecting that the root has a strong horse-like odor. In Indian vernacular language it is known by several names such as Angara beru ಅಂಗಾರ ಬೇರು, Ashwagandha ಅಶ್ವಗಂಧ n Kannada,; Asgandh in Hindi; Amukkuram, Pevetti in Malyalam; Amukkuram, in Tamil; Ashwagandha in Telugu; Askanda, Ashwagandha in Marathi; and Aksand, Asvagandha in Gujarati.

The plant is a short, tender shrub growing with Tomentose branches which extend radially from a central stem. Leaves are dull green, elliptic shaped flowers are small, green and bell-shaped. The ripe fruit is orange-red. It is cultivated in many of the drier regions of India and in sub-tropical regions. It is grown in different soil conditions but prefers dry stony soil with sun to partial shade. It is cultivated from seed in the early spring, or from greenwood cuttings in the later spring.

Withania somnifera's main phytochemical constituents are withanolides – which are triterpene lactones – withaferin A, alkaloids, steroidal lactones, tropine, and cuscohygrine. The Ashwagandha plant, particularly its root powder, has been used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine of Ayurveda, and Unani

 

Apart from its use as an exceptional nerve tonic to improve nerve function to maintain calm during stressful condition, and as a dietary supplement, its chemo-preventive properties is said to make it a potentially useful adjunct for patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy.

- Narasipur Char

Withania somnifera, commonly known as “Ashwagandha or Indian ginseng”, is used in emaciation of children (when given with milk, it is the best tonic for children), stress management, debility from old age, rheumatism, constipation, insomnia, nervous breakdown, goiter and best immunity booster.

Withania somnifera, commonly known as “Ashwagandha or Indian ginseng”, is an Ayurvedic herb known worldwide for its numerous beneficial health activities since ancient times. The root smells like horse (“Ashwa”), that is why it is called Ashwagandha (on consuming it gives the power of a horse).

Botanical Name: Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

Common Name: Ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, winter cherry

Family: Solanaceae

Habit: Perennial sub shrub

Habitat: Cultivated throughout India

Parts used: Roots, leaves

Medicinal uses: It is commonly used in emaciation of children (when given with milk, it is the best tonic for children), stress management, debility from old age, rheumatism, constipation, insomnia, nervous breakdown, goiter and best immunity booster. 

Propagation: Through seed

Bio active compounds: Withaferin-A, Withanolides A–Y

Climatic conditions for growth: Withania somnifera is grown as late rainy-season (Kharif) crop. Semitropical areas receiving 500 to 750 mm rainfall are suitable for its cultivation as a rain fed crop. If one or two winter rains are received, then root development improves. The crop requires a relatively dry season during its growing period. It can tolerate a temperature range of 20 to 38°C and as low a temperature as 10°C. The plant grows from sea level to an altitude of 1500 meters.

Withania somnifera Hindi -Asgandh /Ashwagandha, Bengali -Asbagandha, Gujarati -Aksand /Asvagandha, Assamese -Asbagandha, Marathi -Ashwagandha, Oriya -Ashwagandha, Urdu -Asgand /Asgand nagori, Sanskrit -Ashvagandha /Rajgandha /Ashvakandika, Kannada -Angara beru /Sogade beru /Panneru, Malayalam -Amukkuram /Pevetti, Tamil -Amukkira, Telugu -Aswagandha, Popular -Ashwagandha /Indian ginseng /Poison gooseberry /Winter Cherry

Withania somnifera (Hindi -Asgandh /Ashwagandha, Bengali -Asbagandha, Gujarati -Aksand /Asvagandha, Assamese -Asbagandha, Marathi -Ashwagandha, Oriya -Ashwagandha, Urdu -Asgand /Asgand nagori, Sanskrit -Ashvagandha /Rajgandha /Ashvakandika, Kannada -Angara beru /Sogade beru /Panneru, Malayalam -Amukkuram /Pevetti, Tamil -Amukkira, Telugu -Aswagandha, Popular -Ashwagandha /Indian ginseng /Poison gooseberry /Winter Cherry) Solanaceae. Syn -Physalis somnifera, W. kansuensis. It is a short woody shrub of 2 feet tall. Flowers are small, greenish and fruits are red small berries. Leaves are simple, ovate, 10 cm long. It is native to the Indian Subcontinent that grows naturally in India, Afghanistan Pakistan, Spain parts of the Middle East and Africa. Within India, it is distributed in the sub-Himalayan tracts upto an altitude of 1000 m. It has antioxidant, antibacterial, anti inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, diuretic, antitumor, rejuvenating, aphrodisiac, antifungal, galactagogue, antiepileptic, anabolic, anticonvulsant,immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, nervine tonic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anti-aging, wound healing ,sedative and antitoxic activities. Mainly root powder is used for medicinal purposes. Leaf or root paste is used to treat painful swellings. It is a powerful gift of Nature to human life. It has been a vital herb in the Ayurveda and indigenous medicinal system for over 3000 years. It is a revitalizing herb that maintains proper nourishment of tissues, particularly muscles and bones. It is used in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, tuberculosis, tumors, asthma, bronchitis, leucoderma, backache, menstrual disorders, hiccups, chronic liver diseases, pain and swellings, one sided paralysis (hemiplegia), arthritis, sexual diseases like low sperm count, premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, parkinson disease, neurological disorders, etc. The main phytoconstituents are withanolides, alkaloids, glycosides, chlorogenic acid, amino acids, tannins, flavonoids, volatile oil, steroids. The shoots contain crude protein, scopoletin, Ca and P. 

– Mukherjee Bk