In the world of botanical medicine there are many wonderful plants that have marvelous effects on the body. For me, one of the most amazing herbs is ashwagandha, (Withania somnifera). Also called winter cherry or Indian ginseng, aswagandha is an herb from the Ayurvedic system of medicine.
Native to the drier subtropical regions of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Africa, the ashwagandha’s root is the part of the plant that is most valued medicinally. The fresh root is applied as a poultice for skin ulcers and swellings, but it is often dried and used whole or crushed into a powder. Traditionally healers employ ashwagandha to treat a variety of illness such as rheumatism, asthma, nervous exhaustion, impaired cognitive function, infertility, gastric ulcers and premature ageing. Due to its high iron content, ashwagandha is also beneficial for anemia. Some of the herb’s properties include anti-inflammatory, adaptogen, antioxidant, immune amphoteric and nervine. However, I have prescribed the herb most often for its adaptogen quality
As the term implies, an herb’s adaptogen action helps the body adapt to stress, promoting normal physiological functioning and restoring metabolic balance. Herbalists note that it aids “the building of ‘adaptive energy’ to keep the body balanced when affected by multiple stressors or harmful influences.”* In other words, the adaptogenic herbs are trying to conserve energy used by the cells during stress, and also restore the cellular energy that has been depleted from a prolonged stress response. Most of these herbs exhibit both stimulating and normalizing actions on the body, thus maintaining homeostasis.
Although the active constituents of ashwagandha have been identified as alkaloids, steroidal lactones (withanolides) and saponins, my preference is to work with the whole root of the plant. Two animal studies demonstrated ashwagandha’s countering effects on elevations of blood sugar, lactic acid, urea, creatinine, glucose intolerance, corticosteroid levels, immunosuppresion and mental depression when rats were subjected to cold and immobilization stress and random foot-shock. Another rat study showed protection against stress-induced stomach ulcers with pretreatment of oral ashwagandha. Clinical trials have exhibited restorative effects such as increasing body weight (when needed), increasing hemoglobin, red cell count and serum albumin.
More recent research has focused on other aspects of ashwagandha’s properties. Its antioxidant effect has been studied in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, protection for drug-related kidney toxicity and improvement of physiological abnormalities in Parkinsons’s disease. Further, research has shown evidence for ashwagandha’s immunomodulating and antitumour activity.
Not only has my experience with ashwagandha been professional but also personal. For me, ashwagandha works on the core of the nervous system, quieting the internal chaos and smoothing the currents of stress that reverberate through the body. By itself or acting synergistically with other herbs, ashwagandha restores a sense of balance.
Sherry LaBeck, ND
*Adaptogens Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief, David Winston and Steven Maimes. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT; 2007.
Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy Modern Herbal Medicine, Simon Mills and Kerry Bone. Churchill Livingstone, Harcourt Publishers Limited, United Kingdom; 2000.
Clinical Applications of Ayurvedic and Chinese Herbs Monographs for the Western Herbal Practitioner, Kerry Bone. Phytotherapy Press, Queensland, Australia; 1996.
Dadkar, VN et al: Ind J Clin Biochem 2 101 (1987).
Ghosal s, Lah J, Srivastava R et al. Phytother Res 1989; 3 (5): 201-206.
Native to the drier subtropical regions of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Africa, the ashwagandha’s root is the part of the plant that is most valued medicinally. The fresh root is applied as a poultice for skin ulcers and swellings, but it is often dried and used whole or crushed into a powder. Traditionally healers employ ashwagandha to treat a variety of illness such as rheumatism, asthma, nervous exhaustion, impaired cognitive function, infertility, gastric ulcers and premature ageing. Due to its high iron content, ashwagandha is also beneficial for anemia. Some of the herb’s properties include anti-inflammatory, adaptogen, antioxidant, immune amphoteric and nervine. However, I have prescribed the herb most often for its adaptogen quality
As the term implies, an herb’s adaptogen action helps the body adapt to stress, promoting normal physiological functioning and restoring metabolic balance. Herbalists note that it aids “the building of ‘adaptive energy’ to keep the body balanced when affected by multiple stressors or harmful influences.”* In other words, the adaptogenic herbs are trying to conserve energy used by the cells during stress, and also restore the cellular energy that has been depleted from a prolonged stress response. Most of these herbs exhibit both stimulating and normalizing actions on the body, thus maintaining homeostasis.
Although the active constituents of ashwagandha have been identified as alkaloids, steroidal lactones (withanolides) and saponins, my preference is to work with the whole root of the plant. Two animal studies demonstrated ashwagandha’s countering effects on elevations of blood sugar, lactic acid, urea, creatinine, glucose intolerance, corticosteroid levels, immunosuppresion and mental depression when rats were subjected to cold and immobilization stress and random foot-shock. Another rat study showed protection against stress-induced stomach ulcers with pretreatment of oral ashwagandha. Clinical trials have exhibited restorative effects such as increasing body weight (when needed), increasing hemoglobin, red cell count and serum albumin.
More recent research has focused on other aspects of ashwagandha’s properties. Its antioxidant effect has been studied in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, protection for drug-related kidney toxicity and improvement of physiological abnormalities in Parkinsons’s disease. Further, research has shown evidence for ashwagandha’s immunomodulating and antitumour activity.
Not only has my experience with ashwagandha been professional but also personal. For me, ashwagandha works on the core of the nervous system, quieting the internal chaos and smoothing the currents of stress that reverberate through the body. By itself or acting synergistically with other herbs, ashwagandha restores a sense of balance.
Sherry LaBeck, ND
*Adaptogens Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief, David Winston and Steven Maimes. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT; 2007.
Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy Modern Herbal Medicine, Simon Mills and Kerry Bone. Churchill Livingstone, Harcourt Publishers Limited, United Kingdom; 2000.
Clinical Applications of Ayurvedic and Chinese Herbs Monographs for the Western Herbal Practitioner, Kerry Bone. Phytotherapy Press, Queensland, Australia; 1996.
Dadkar, VN et al: Ind J Clin Biochem 2 101 (1987).
Ghosal s, Lah J, Srivastava R et al. Phytother Res 1989; 3 (5): 201-206.
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