Ashwagandha

Common Name

Indian ginseng; common English and Ayurvedic name: Ashwagandha

Latin Name

Withania somnifera

Active Substances

Alkaloids, Withanolides, and Sitoindosides

Biochemistry

Alkaloids are calming, Withanolides are anti-tumor, and Sitoindosides are anti-stress.

Physiology/Pharmacology

Adaptogen and rejuvenative tonic; hypotensive, antispasmodic, antiarthritic, antiinflammatory. Increased survival time for animals subjected to stress tests, reducing the over-reaction of the adrenals to stress, thus conserving energy and protecting the cerebral cortex, adrenals, hypothalamus, heart and liver.

Indications

Stress, fatigue (temporary and chronic), reactive depression and moodiness, weakness due to disease, and loss of body heat. To restore spiritual, mental and physical vitality and adaptability. Hypoglycemia, upset stomach, respiratory ailments, chronic fatigue syndrome, herpes simplex, or yeast infection, rheumatoid arthritis, and anxiety neurosis. It is a classic Ayurvedic adaptogen, with many parallels to eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng). Externally used for eczema, psoriasis, scabies, surface wounds or ulcers, and venereal diseases.

Directions For Use

300 mg, two times per day, with meals.

Bio-Enhancing Agents

Isolated soy protein and other soy foods, ginger, gymnema sylvestre and momordica charantia (bitter gourd), ginsengs, reishi (ganoderma lucidum)

Toxicity, Cautions & Contraindications

Safe for human and animal use.

Common Use:

Ashwagandha is used instead of ginseng to rejuvenate the nervous system, relieve insomnia, and counteract stress without the drowsy aftereffects of sedatives. It acts as an adaptogen, anti-inflammatory, aphrodesiac, nervine, respiratory stimulant, and gentle tonic. It stimulates deep-tissue cleansing, prevents stress-related gastrointestinal ulcers, increases physical endurance, prevents the depletion of vitamin C, is anti-aging and increases libido and sexual function. It has anti-cancer properties and enhances memory and learning.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is known as winter cherry, Indian ginseng, or "vitalizer", the last name being in reference to its renowned rejuvenative and tonic effects on the nervous system. Ashwagandha has been prescribed for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine and is a prominent herb mentioned in the Indian text "Charaka Samhita" (1000 B.C.). Numerous studies show ashwagandha to be superior to ginseng (Panax ginseng) as an anti-stress adaptogen.

Ashwagandha's diverse applications range from anti-stress and anti-cancer to enhancement of memory and learning. It is used effectively for insomnia but does not act as a sedative. Its rejuvenative and nervine properties provide the kind of energy the body needs to settle and sleep. In this way it helps the body deal with stress, as opposed to masking it with a drug.

In India, ashwagandha is called a rasayana, which means a powerful rejuvenative. According to the Ayurvedic system of medicine, there are seven "tissues" manufactured by the body: reproductive, blood, lymph, bone, muscle, fat, and nerve tissues. In Ayurveda, a 30-day series of enzymatic processes in the body transforms lymph into ojas, which is the body's most specialized tissue. Ojas depletion can be caused by stress, which triggers stress-fighting hormones and free radicals that in turn cause degeneration of the immune and other physiological systems. This stress-induced reaction can open the way for illness and disease because ojas controls immunity, reproduction, and overall health. Ashwagandha is an ojas building herb.

In one double-blind study, over 100 healthy men ranging in age from 50 to 59 took either ashwagandha or a placebo for one year. The group that took ashwagandha showed significant improvement in areas of aging such as graying hair and calcium levels compared to placebo. Up to 70 percent of those using ashwagandha also noticed increased libido and sexual function.

In another double-blind study involving laboratory mice, ashwagandha increased energy and physical endurance, prevented stress-related gastrointestinal ulcers, and stopped the depletion of vitamin C and cortisol when the mice were subjected to stressful conditions.

Ashwagandha contains at least 26 bioactive alkaloids and steroidal lactones called withanolides. The most active withanolide, withaferin A, seems to be responsible for most of ashwagandha's bioactivity. It contains a broad spectrum of therapeutic properties including acting as an adaptogen, anti-inflammatory, aphrodesiac, nervine, respiratory stimulant, sedative and tonic.

In Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha is employed to balance both the musculoskeletal system (Kapha) and nervous system (Vata) simultaneously, while it also increases heat (Pitta). In chronic conditions like arthritis it is common to see Vata-Kapha imbalances, which are usually long-standing and difficult to treat. Joints that are both painful-dry (Vata) and swollen-inflamed (Kapha) are a perfect example of this. Ashwagandha is one of the best herbs to use in these cases because it balances both Vata and Kapha.

The root of the ashwagandha plant is sweet with secondary bitter qualities. Bitter roots constrict and cleanse but do not deeply access the body and rejuvenate it. Ashwagandha can penetrate the body's deep tissues and after they are penetrated its secondary bitter and astringent qualities stimulate a deep-tissue cleansing not possible with an exclusively bitter herb. For optimal results it is best taken in combination with ginger herb for effective digestion and assimilation.*

Traditionally, all parts of the ashwagandha plant were used as medicine, but the root is most commonly used today. A typical dose of ashwagandha is 250 mg. three times daily but varies based on condition.

Scientific References

Grandhi, A., et al.; A comparative pharmacological investigation of Ashwagandha and Ginseng. J. Ethnopharmacol. vol. 44(3): 131-135, Dec. 1994