Ashwagandha herb 

Important parts used

Medicinal properties

Action & use in Ayurveda
Vranam / vrisham / aphrodisiac / bajikaran / rasayan / kas-shwas har / soola har / pandu har / kusth har / tarpan.

Health Benefits

Composition

Preparations
Ghrit / arishta / pak / rasayan / leha.

Remedies for disorders

• Central nervous body system - Ashwagandha herb has powerful adaptogenic properties. Ashwagandha herb helps mind & body adapt better to stress. Ashwagandha herb nourishes nerves & enhances nerve role to maintain calm during stressful conditions. Ashwagandha herb is powerful rasayan & acts as an overall tonic for greater vitality & longevity. Ashwagandha herb nourishes all bodily tissues including joints & nerves. Ashwagandha herb nourishes crucial mind & body connection & psychoneurotic immune response . Root is used for hypnotism to cure alcoholism-induced depression.
• Digestive body system - Leaves are used as antihelmentic.
• Respiratory body system - Ashwagandha herb is mild expectorant & vasoconstrictor. Ashwagandha herb is use in cough cold & dyspnea.
• Skin - leaves are used as paste to cure carbuncles. Root is used as paste to cure obstinate ulcers.
• Genito-urinary body system - Ashwagandha herb has diuretic properties & hence is used in dysuria
• Reproductive body system - Ashwagandha herb enhances virility & has aphrodisiac properties. Ashwagandha herb is used specifically for impotency. Ashwagandha herb is used in spermatorrhea. Females to cure sterility use its decoction. Ashwagandha herb is also used in bleeding per vaginum & leucorrhoea. root extract is used in impairment in libido / sexual performance / vigor / & penile erectile dysrole.
• Ear nose throat - Ashwagandha herb is used as drops into nose to cure deafness.
• Musculoskeletal body system - powdered root is used in emaciation of children / general debility / senile wasting of muscles / loss of muscular energy / rheumatism.
• Eye - Ashwagandha herb enhances eyesight when taken along with Mulethi.
• Immunity body system - Ashwagandha herb is well known for its powerful immune enhancing benefits. Leaves & roots have antibacterial activity against Staph. Aureus

Rejuvenating Effect of Ashwagandha herb
WS purified powder was given 3 g/day for one year to 101 normal healthy male volunteers / age 50-59 years.36 All subjects showed significantly increased hemoglobin & RBC count / & enhancement in hair melanin & seated stature. They also showed decreased SED rate / & 71.4 percent of subjects reported enhancement in sexual performance. In summary / these studies indicate WS might prove useful in younger as well as older populations as general health tonic

Nervous body system Effects

1. Total alkaloid extract of WS roots has been studied for its effects on central nervous body system.37 AG exhibited taming effect & mild depressant effect on central nervous body system in monkeys / cats / dogs / albino rats / & mice. AG had no analgesic activity.
2. Axon or dendrite-predominant outgrowth induced by constituents from Ashwagandha herb -
   Menthol extract of Ashwagandha herb induce dendrite extension in human neuroblastoma cell line. 6 of 18 compounds isolated from menthol extract enhanced neurite outgrowth in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. axons are predominantly extended by withnolide A / & dendrites by withanosides IV & VI.
   - 1715-20)

Ashwagandha herb as an antioxidant

1. Researchers conducted in Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi / India / have revealed chemicals within Ashwagandha herb that are powerful antioxidants. They tested these compounds for their effects on rat brain & found an increase in levels of three natural antioxidants-superoxide dismutase / catalase & glutathione peroxidase. antioxidant effect of active principles of W. somnifera might explain / anti-stress / anti-inflammatory & anti-aging effects produced by them in experimental animals / & in clinical situations."
2. Free radical damage of nervous tissue might contribute to neuronal loss in cerebral ischemia & might be involved in normal aging & neurodegenerative disorders. active principles of Ashwagandha herb / sitoindosides VII-X & withaferin A / have been tested for anti-oxidant activity using major free-radical scavenging enzymes / superoxide dismutase / catalase / & glutathione peroxidase levels in rat brain frontal cortex & striatum. Decreased activity of these enzymes leads to accumulation of toxic oxidative free radicals & resulting degenerative effects. An increase in these enzymes would represent increased antioxidant activity & protective effect on neuronal tissue. Active glycowithanolides of Ashwagandha herb were given once daily for 21 days to groups of six rats. Dose-related increases in all enzymes were observed; increases comparable to those seen with deprenyl administration . This implies that Ashwagandha herb does have an antioxidant effect in brain / which might be responsible for its diverse pharmacological properties.
3. Ashwagandha herb is used in India to treat mental deficits in geriatric patients / including amnesia. Researchers from University of Leipzig in Germany wanted to find out which neurotransmitters were influenced by Ashwagandha herb. After injecting some of chemicals in Ashwagandha herb into rats / they later examined slices of their brain & found an increase in acetylcholine receptor activity. researchers say / "medicine-induced increase in acetylcholine receptor capacity might partly explain cognition-enhancing & memory-improving effects of extracts from Ashwagandha herb observed in animals andhumans."
   research done in 1991 at Department of Pharmacology / University of Texas Health Science Center indicated that extracts of Ashwagandha herb had GABA-like activity. This might account for this herb's anti anxiety effects.
4. To evaluate anti stress effect of Ashwagandha herb / an alcohol extract from defatted seeds of Ashwagandha herb dissolved in normal saline was given to 20-25 g mice in swimming performance test in water at 28º-30ºC.10 Controls were given saline. extracts approximately doubled swimming time when compared to controls alcohol extract of Ashwagandha herb reduced stress-induced increases in blood urea nitrogen levels / blood lactic acid / & adrenal hypertrophy / but did not affect changes in thymus weight & hyperglycemia in rats.7 Ashwagandha herb reversed cold swimming-induced increases in plasma corticosterone / phagocytic index / & avidity index to control levels.

1.Archana R / Namasivayam A. Antistressor effect of Ashwagandha herb. J Ethnopharmacol1999; 6 4 - 91-93
2.Dadkar VN / Ranadive NU / Dhar HL. Evaluation of antistress activity of Ashwagandha herb . Ind J Clin Biochem 1987 / 2 - 101-108.

Ashwagandha herb in hypothyroidism
Recent research has examined its effect on those suffering from low thyroid hormone levels. Cold hands & feet / poor tolerance to cold / sluggish bowel role & even subnormal body temperature often mark this condition / called hypothyroidism. One animal research with male mice showed orally delivered extracts of Ashwagandha herb to increase both thyroxin / more abundant thyroid hormone / & T3 / its more potent counterpart; similar research in female mice showed an increase in thyroxin only.

Nutrition & exercise biochemist Anthony Almada / M.S. / has collaborated on more than 45 university-based studies & is founder & chief scientific officer of IMAGINutrition.

Anti tumor Properties of Ashwagandha herb
To investigate its use in treating various forms of cancer / anti tumor & radio sensitizing effects of Ashwagandha herb have been studied. In one research / Ashwagandha herb was evaluated for its anti-tumor effect in urethane-induced lung adenomas in adult male albino mice.11 Simultaneous administration of & urethane reduced tumor incidence significantly . histological appearance of lungs of animals protected by Ashwagandha herb was similar to those observed in lungs of control animals. No pathological evidence of any neoplastic change was observed in brain / stomach / kidneys / heart / spleen / or testes of any treated or control animals. In addition to providing protection from carcinogenic effects / Ashwagandha herb treatment also reversed adverse effects of urethane on total leukocyte count / lymphocyte count / body weight / & mortality.

1. Devi PU / Sharada AC / Solomon FE / et al. In vivo growth inhibitory effect of Ashwagandha herb on transherbable mouse tumour / Sarcoma 180. Indian J Exp Biol. 1992; 30 - 169-172

Anti-inflammatory Properties of Ashwagandha herb
effectiveness of Ashwagandha herb in variety of rheumatologic conditions might be due in part to its anti-inflammatory properties / which have been studied by several authors. In research by Anbalagan et al / 3 powdered root of Ashwagandha herb was given orally one hour before induction of inflammation by injection of Freund's complete adjuvant in rats & continued daily for three days; phenylbutazone was given as positive control. Ashwagandha herb was found to cause considerable reduction in inflammation. On monitoring Acute phase reactants of blood by crossed immuno-electrophoresis changes were seen in concentration of many serum proteins in Ashwagandha herb group. a2-glycoprotein found only in inflamed rat serum was decreased to undetectable levels in Ashwagandha herb group

1.Anbalagan K / Sadique J. Influence of an Indian medicine on acute-phase reactants in inflammation. Indian J Exp Biol 1981; 19 - 245-249
2.Anbalagan K / Sadique J. Role of prostaglandins in acute phase proteins in inflammation. Biochem Med 1984; 31 - 236-245

Immunomodulatory Properties of Ashwagandha herb
Root extract of WS was tested for immunomodulatory effects in three myelo-suppression models in mice - cyclophosphamide / azathioprin / or prednisolone.32 Significant increases in hemoglobin concentration / red blood cell count / white blood cell count / platelet count / & body weight were observed in WS-treated mice compared to untreated control mice. authors also reported significant increases in hemolytic antibody responses toward human erythrocytes / which indicated immuno stimulatory activity.

Haemopoeitic Effect of Ashwagandha herb
Administration of WS extract was found to significantly reduce leucopoenia induced by cyclophosphamide treatment in Swiss albino mice. major activity of WS might be stimulation of stem cell proliferation. These studies indicated WS reduced CTX-induced toxicity & might prove useful in cancer chemotherapy