Ashwagandha

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Ashwaganda

Do not use in combination with barbiturates as it may intensify their effect.
Do not use in pregnancy.

Indigenous to India / Himalayas.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withania_somnifera

Withania somnifera, also known as Ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, Winter cherry, Ajagandha, Kanaje Hindi, Amukkara (Tamil), Samm Al Ferakh, is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family. Withania coagulans(Dunal) (Paneer dodi, Ashutosh booti) is a related species.

It is used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine.

Description

It grows as a short shrub (35–75 cm) with a central stem from which branch extend radially in a star pattern (stellate) and covered with a dense matte of wooly hairs (tomentose). The flowers are small and green, while the ripe fruit is orange-red and has milk-coagulating properties. The plant also has long brown tuberous roots that are used for medicinal purposes.[2]

Sub-species and related species

There are two sub-species of Withania somnifera. W. somnifera Kaul was named after the Indian botanist Kailas Nath Kaul, who was the pioneer of modern scientific research on the plant.[3] The other is W. somnifera Dunal.

There are 23 species of the Withania genus that occur in the dry parts of India, North Africa, Middle East, and the Mediterranean.[2]

Active constituents

Withaferin A

The main active constituents are alkaloids and steroidal lactones. These include tropine and cuscohygrine. The leaves contain the steroidal lactones, withanolides, notably withaferin A, which was the first withanolide to be isolated, and was isolated from W. somnifera.

Withaferin A inhibits notch-1 signaling and downregulates prosurvival pathways, such as Akt/NF-κB/Bcl-2, in three colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116, SW-480, and SW-620).[4] Recent research in mice suggests that withaferin A may have anti-metastatic activity.[5]

Etymology

Ashwagandha in Sanskrit means "horse's smell," probably originating from the odor of its root which resembles that of a sweaty horse.

The species name somnifera means "sleep-inducing" in Latin.

Cultivation

It is cultivated in many of the drier regions of India such as Mandsaur District of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Sindh, and Rajasthan.[2] It is also found in Nepal.

Climatic conditions for growth

It is grown as late rainy season (kharif) crop. Semi-tropical areas receiving 500 to 750 mm rainfall are suitable for its cultivation as a rainfed crop. If one or two winter rains are received, the root development improves.

The crop requires a relatively dry season during its growing period. It can tolerate a temperature range of 20°C to 38°C and as low a temperature as 10°C. The plant grows from sea level to an altitude of 1500 meters.

Pathology

W. somnifera is prone to several pests and diseases. Leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria alternata is the most prevalent disease, which is most severe in the plains of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Biodeterioration of its pharmaceutically active components during leaf spot disease has been reported.[6] Oxyrachis tarandus (a Treehopper/cowbug species) feeds on the apical portions of the stem, making them rough and woody in appearance and brown in colour. The apical leaves are shed off and the plant gradually dies away.[7]

Culinary use

The berries can be used as a substitute for rennet, to coagulate milk in cheese making.[2]

Claimed medicinal uses

In Ayurveda, the roots of W. somnifera are used to prepare the herbal remedy Ashwagandha. It is claimed that Ashwaganda has been traditionally used to treat various symptoms and conditions, although there are few scientific studies of the health benefits of the compound.[2][8][9][10][11][12]

In Ayurveda, the berries and leaves are locally applied to tumors and tubercular glands, carbuncles and ulcers.[2]

Side effects

In at least two published clinical trials of W. somnifera, the side effects were not significantly different from those experienced by placebo treated individuals.[11] [13] There has been one case report that Withania somnifera stimulated the thyroid and lead to thyrotoxicosis in the patient.[14][citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Withania Somnifera (L.) Dunal". Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory. Retrieved 2011-10-29.

  2. ^ abcdef Mirjalili, M. H.; Moyano, E.; Bonfill, M.; Cusido, R. M.; Palazón, J. (2009). "Steroidal Lactones from Withania somnifera, an Ancient Plant for Novel Medicine". Molecules14 (7): 2373–2393. doi:10.3390/molecules14072373. PMID 19633611. edit

  3. ^ Kaul K. N. (1956). "The origin, distribution and cultivation of Ashwagandha, the so called Withania somnifera of Indian literature". Symposium on the utilisation of Indian Medicinal Plants, Lucknow (New Delhi: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research): 7–8.

  4. ^ Koduru, S.; Kumar, R.; Srinivasan, S.; Evers, M. B.; Damodaran, C. (2010). "Notch-1 inhibition by Withaferin-A: A therapeutic target against colon carcinogenesis". Molecular Cancer Therapeutics9 (1): 202–210. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-09-0771. PMC 3041017. PMID 20053782. edit

  5. ^ Thaiparambil, J. T.; Bender, L.; Ganesh, T.; Kline, E.; Patel, P.; Liu, Y.; Tighiouart, M.; Vertino, P. M. et al. (2011). "Withaferin a inhibits breast cancer invasion and metastasis at sub-cytotoxic doses by inducing vimentin disassembly and serine 56 phosphorylation". International Journal of Cancer129 (11): 2744–2755. doi:10.1002/ijc.25938. PMID 21538350. edit

  6. ^ Pati, P. K.; Sharma, M.; Salar, R. K.; Sharma, A.; Gupta, A. P.; Singh, B. (2009). "Studies on leaf spot disease of Withania somnifera and its impact on secondary metabolites". Indian Journal of Microbiology48 (4): 432. doi:10.1007/s12088-008-0053-y. edit

  7. ^ Sharma A, Pati PK (2011). "First report of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, as a New Host of Cowbug (Oxyrachis tarandus, Fab.) In Plains of Punjab, Northern India" (pdf). World Applied Sciences Journal14 (9): 1344–1346. ISSN 1818-4952.

  8. ^ Scartezzini, P.; Speroni, E. (2000). "Review on some plants of Indian traditional medicine with antioxidant activity". Journal of ethnopharmacology71 (1–2): 23–43. PMID 10904144. edit

  9. ^ Ven Murthy, M. R.; Ranjekar, P. K.; Ramassamy, C.; Deshpande, M. (2010). "Scientific basis for the use of Indian ayurvedic medicinal plants in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders: Ashwagandha". Central nervous system agents in medicinal chemistry10 (3): 238–246. PMID 20528765. edit

  10. ^ Ahmad, M. K.; Mahdi, A. A.; Shukla, K. K.; Islam, N.; Rajender, S.; Madhukar, D.; Shankhwar, S. N.; Ahmad, S. (2010). "Withania somnifera improves semen quality by regulating reproductive hormone levels and oxidative stress in seminal plasma of infertile males". Fertility and Sterility94 (3): 989–996. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2009.04.046. PMID 19501822. edit

  11. ^ ab Cooley, K.; Szczurko, O.; Perri, D.; Mills, E. J.; Bernhardt, B.; Zhou, Q.; Seely, D. (2009). Gagnier, Joel. ed. "Naturopathic Care for Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial ISRCTN78958974". PLoS ONE4 (8): e6628. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006628. PMC 2729375. PMID 19718255. edit

  12. ^ "Ashwagandha". About Herbs. New York: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

  13. ^ Chopra, A.; Lavin, P.; Patwardhan, B.; Chitre, D. (2004). "A 32-Week Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Evaluation of RA-11, an Ayurvedic Drug, on Osteoarthritis of the Knees". JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology10 (5): 236–245. doi:10.1097/01.rhu.0000138087.47382.6d. PMID 17043520. edit

  14. ^ Van Der Hooft, C. S.; Hoekstra, A.; Winter, A.; De Smet, P. A.; Stricker, B. H. (2005). "Thyrotoxicosis following the use of ashwagandha". Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde149 (47): 2637–2638. PMID 16355578. edit