Living Touch

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), also known as Winter cherry and Indian ginseng, is a plant which has been used medicinally since ancient times. It belongs to the nightshade family and grows mainly in India and Africa. Ashwagandha is Sanskrit and means „horse’s smell“. The name refers to the odor of its root that smells a bit like a sweaty horse. In Ayurvedic Medicine it is used for a wide number of conditions, similar to how Ginseng is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, in fact, some of its constituents resemble the active constituents in Ginseng, both in their action and appearance, which is why Ashwagandha is also referred to as „Indian ginseng“.

Ashwagandha Constituents

The active constituents in Ashwagandha are saponins, pyrazol alkaloids, steroidal lactones, and withanolides. It is the withanolides that resemble the active constituents in Ginseng, the ginsenoides. They have been widely researched and found to stimulate the activation of immune system cells, to inhibit inflammation, and to improve memory. Researchers from India have found some of the constituents in Ashwagandha to be powerful antioxidants, such as dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. These are believed to be responsible for the anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and cognition-facilitating properties of Ashwagandha. Scientists in Texas found that extracts of Ashwagandha had gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) like activity which is thought to account for the anti-anxiety effect in Ashwagandha. In India, Ashwagandha is used to treat mental deficits in elderly patients, as it is known to have cognition-enhancing and memory-improving effects.

Ashwagandha Products and Dosage

Recommended dosages are 3 – 6 grams a day of the dried root, taken either in capsule or tea form. To make tea, 3 – 6 grams of Ashwagandha root are boiled for 15 minutes. 3 cups of tea may be drunk daily. Ashwagandha is also available in capsule, tablet, powder, tincture, ready tea, and extract form and, for external application, as cream and ointment. There are no significant side effects known, and even children can safely use it. There are also no known drug interactions with Ashwagandha.