Withania

somnifera
Compiled by:- Submitted to:-
Nisha Dr. A.P. Singh
Sharma
 Indian
Ginseng
Description:
Common name: Ashwagandha
Family: Solanaceae
Synonyms: Physalis somnifera
Range: Australia, E. Asia, Africa
Habitat: Open places, disturbed
areas etc. An undershrub in
stony places.
Chemical composition:-

Pharmacological activity of ashwandha is due to two main withanoloids (withaferin A

and withanolide D). Leaves contain -withaferin A

Roots contain starch, glycosides, amino acids , withancil etc

Guna: Laghu, Snigdha

Rasa - Tikta, katu, madhra

Vipaka: Madhura

Veerya: Ushna

Karma (Action) -Normalises Kapha and Vata. Ashwagandha reduces inflammation,

pain and stress. It purifies blood and reduces blood pressure. Increases digestion.
Helps in asthma and cough. It acts as best Vajikara and reduces inflammation of
uterus. Helps to boost body energy level and immunity. Rejuvenates whole body and
increases body energy level. An Excellent rasayana

Therapeutics: W. somnifera is used in the treatment of depression, hypertension,

general debility, oligozoospermia, stress, premature ejaculation and leucorrhoea. In
asthma, ash of W. somnifera is given with honey and vegetable oil.

Parts used: Root and leaves.

Ayurveda texts describe medicinal
properties of ashwagandha as
follows
1. "Kando vajikaraha smritaha"- The roots of
ashwagandha act as Vajikara or aphrodesiac. Hence it
helps in erectile dysfunction, prevents premature
ejaculation and increases quality and quantity of
semen.
 
2. "Ashwagandha anila shleshma shwitra shotha
kshayaapaha". Ashwagandha helps in conditions like
inflammation, vitiligo, and in general weakness. It also
helps to alleviate vata and kapha dosha. Thus
ashwagandha is beneficial in diseases arising from
vitiation of vata and kapha.
 
Medicinal uses

Disclaimer Abortifacient;
Adaptogen; Antibiotic;
Aphrodisiac; Astringent;
Deobstruent;
Diuretic; Narcotic; Sedative;
Tonic. Ashwagandha is one of
the most widespread
All parts of the plant are used in herbal medicine. In Ayurveda, the fresh roots are

sometimes boiled in milk, prior to drying, in order to leach out undesirable

constituents.

The berries are used as a substitute for rennet, to coagulate milk in cheese making

Ashwagandha in Sanskrit means "horse's smell", probably originating from the odor
of its

root which somewhat resembles that of a sweaty horse. The species name
somnifera

means "sleep-bearing" in Latin, indicating it was considered a sedative, but it has

been

also used for sexual vitality and as an adaptogen. Some herbalists refer to
ashwagandha

as Indian ginseng, since it is used in ayurvedic medicine in a similar way that

ginseng is

used in traditional Chinese medicine. The product called "ashwagandha oil" is a

combination of ashwagandha with almond oil and rose water designed to be used as
a
Published
articles on
ashwagandha. 9: Misra L, Lal P, Chaurasia ND, Sangwan RS, Sinha S, Tuli R.
Selective reactivity of 2-mercaptoethanol with 5beta,6beta-epoxide in steroids from Withania
somnifera.
Steroids. 2008 Mar;73(3):245-51. Epub 2007 Oct 24.
PMID: 18061225

About 258 articles 10: Misra L, Mishra P, Pandey A, Sangwan RS, Sangwan NS, Tuli R.
Withanolides from Withania somnifera roots.

are indexed by
Phytochemistry. 2008 Feb;69(4):1000-4. Epub 2007 Dec 3.
PMID: 18061221
 
11: Nair V, Arjuman A, Gopalakrishna HN, Nandini M.
Effect of Withania somnifera root extract on haloperidol-induced catalepsy in albino mice.

pubmed. Latest 20
Phytother Res. 2008 Feb;22(2):243-6.
PMID: 17886228
 
12: Hamza A, Amin A, Daoud S.
The protective effect of a purified extract of Withania somnifera against doxorubicin-induced

articles are
cardiac toxicity in rats.
Cell Biol Toxicol. 2008 Jan;24(1):63-73. Epub 2007 May 23.
PMID: 17520333
 
13: Malik F, Kumar A, Bhushan S, Khan S, Bhatia A, Suri KA, Qazi GN, Singh J.

mentioned below. 
Reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial dysfunction in the apoptotic cell death
of human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells by a dietary compound withaferin A with concomitant
protection by N-acetyl cysteine.
Apoptosis. 2007 Nov;12(11):2115-33.
PMID: 17874299
 

1: Kulkarni SK, Dhir A. 14: Nair V, Arjuman A, Dorababu P, Gopalakrishna HN, Chakradhar Rao U, Mohan L.
Effect of NR-ANX-C (a polyherbal formulation) on haloperidol induced catalepsy in albino
mice.
Indian J Med Res. 2007 Nov;126(5):480-4.

Withania somnifera: An Indian PMID: 18160755

 
15: Hu JY, Saedler H.
ginseng. Evolution of the inflated calyx syndrome in Solanaceae.
Mol Biol Evol. 2007 Nov;24(11):2443-53. Epub 2007 Sep 6.
PMID: 17827172