Understanding Herbs - Ashwaganda (Withania Somnifera)

​This ancient plant ally is native to the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia. It can often be found growing in stony and semi-arid regions. It has been cultivated widely for thousands of years and blooms all year round.

The name Ashwaganda comes from the Sanskrit “ashva” meaning horse, and “gandha”, meaning smell, and refers to the odor of the root.

It is an herb traditional to Ayurvedic medicine and has been used for over 4,000 years. It is specific for both men and women in regard to issues with fertility, stress, and general chronic disorders of the nervous system.
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It is classified in Ayurveda as a rasayana, one of a group of elite herbal medicines reputed to promote physical and mental health, to augment resistance of the body against disease and diverse adverse environmental factors, to revitalize and increase longevity.

As with any form of herbal medicine, the below information is not meant to replace medical advice or prescriptions from your MD. All information below is based off of Materia Medica texts and comes from published and historical sources.
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Family: Solanaceae
 
Parts Used: Dried Root and Leaves (for Withaferin A in cancer therapies)
 
Other Common Names: Indian Ginseng, Winter Cherry, Avarada, Turangi-gandha

​Actions:
General Tonic
Rejuvenating                    
Aphrodesiac                      
Astringent                          
Sedative                             
Adaptogenic
Anti-Inflammatory                                         
Immune Modulating      
Anti-Anemic                      
Anti-Depressant
Anxiolytic, possibly due to GABA-mimetic activity
Antioxidant
Nervous System Tonic
Anti-Stress
Anti-Tumor
Oxytocic
Hemopoietic
Cardiopulmonary action
Tonic to the Central Nervous System
Cardiotropic
Cardioprotective
Anticoagulant
 
Chemical Constituents:
Steroidal lactones

• Withanolides A-Y
• Withaferin A
• Withasomniferols A-C

Phytosterols

• Sitoindosides

Alkaloids

• Ashwagandhine
• Ashwagandhinine
• Anahyhyrine
• Cuscohygrine
• Withasomnine
• Withaninine
• Somniferine

What are its Uses?

Head, Ears, Eyes, Nose, and Throat:

• Headache (Traditional)
• Reduces greying of the hair

 
Integumentary System (Skin):

• Psoriasis
• Vitiligo (a condition in which the pigment is lost from areas of the skin, causing whitish patches, often with no clear cause.)
• Topically for swellings
• Topically for Burns
• Topically for Wounds
• Topically for Stings
• Premature aging

 
Mind/Mental Health:

• Cerebral function deficits in the elderly
• Enhance learning
• Memory Retention
• Anti-stress
• Improves strength of mind
• Neurasthenia (an ill-defined medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance)
• Senile dementia
• Anti-depressant
• Improves mental clarity
• Exhaustion
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Anxiety/Over stimulated

 
Nervous System:

• Affinity to the nervous system
• Insomnia
• Nerve pain/Neuralgias
• Nervine tonic
• Convulsions (Traditional)
• Helps regulate and restore the nervous system in its entirety
• Epilepsy
• Multiple sclerosis

 
Respiratory System:

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Colds
• Helps to clear mucous

 
Digestive System:

• Helps stimulate proper digestion
• Protects the liver against histopathological change after exposure to a variety of toxins
• Protects against hepatic lipid peroxidation (where free radicals “steal” electrons from the lipids in liver cell membranes, resulting in cell damage)
• Reduces iron-induced liver toxicity

 
Urinary/Renal System:

• Protects the kidneys against histopathological change after exposure to a variety of toxins
• Protects the bladder from effects of Cytoxin during chemotherapy

 
Endocrine System (Hormones):

• Helps balance serum testosterone levels in men
• Type II Diabetes
• Raises metabolic function and metabolic actions

 
Cardiovascular System:

• Increases hemoglobin and red blood count in healthy adults (elderly males)
• Increases hemoglobin and blood serum iron in children
• Improves stamina in athletes
• Increases neutrophil counts
• Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
• Significantly reduces myocardial injury after heart attack
• Cardioprotective against chemotherapy

 
Circulatory System:

• High cholesterol
• Anemia
• For depressed white blood cell count
• Improves overall circulation

 
Immune/Lymphatic System:

• Immune activator
• Enhances immune function
• Providing fresh energy and vigor for a system worn out by any chronic disease
• To help diminish side effects of radiation treatment in cancer patients
• Tonic for emaciation and debility
• Auto-Immune conditions
• For Cancer Patients during and after chemotherapy
• Protects bone marrow during chemotherapy and with certain anti-cancer drugs
• Inhibits Androgen-negative prostate cancer – In its initial stages of growth, prostate cancer is androgen-sensitive, and because of this it is treated with androgen-suppressive drug therapies or castration. Almost all prostate cancer patients initially respond to hormonal therapy, but the majority gradually develop resistance and move to an androgen-negative prostate cancer, which is much more aggressive and difficult to treat.
• Breast Cancer Inhibition – Withaferin A (a chemical constituent in the plant) can trigger apoptosis and largely inhibit cell migration/invasion by breast cancer cells, even after IL-6-induced activation of signal tranducer and activator of transctiption 3 (STAT3), which plays a key role in many cellular processes, such as cell growth and apoptosis, and is a fundamental activator for the conversion of normal cells to cancerous cells. This gives us cause to view this agent as a therapeutic advantage.
• Immune enhancing against colon cancer
• Prophylactic against cancer (the leaves, being richer in withaferin A, are a better prospect for cancer therapies)

 
Reproductive System:

• Exceptionally efficient herb for treating male impotence and male infertility
• Alleviating to male sexual inadequacy
• As a nutrient and tonic for pregnant women (after 1st trimester)
• To promote lactation (Traditional)
• Improves sperm count and sperm motility
• Enhances fertility in both men and women
• Promotes conception
• For labor (may improve contractions)

 
Musculoskeletal System:

• Affinity with the Musculo-skeletal system
• Countering poor growth in children
• Promotes growth in healthy children
• Strengthening in children
• Joint pain
• Weakness in the knees
• Weakness in the back
• Arthritis
• Rheumatic pains
• Lower back pain
• Helps prevent bone degeneration
• Osteoporosis

 
Specific Diseases/States/Infections/Viruses/Bacteria:

• Convalescence
• Diseases of aging
• General conditions associated with aging
• Wasting diseases
• Wasting in children
• Adjunct therapy for non-insulin dependent diabetes
• Adjunct therapy for high cholesterol
• General tonic for disease prevention
• Fungal infections
• Root extract was found to be effective against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains

Herbal Combinations

• Combines well with Siberian ginseng or Suma for preparing a highly nutritious adaptogenic tonic for the reproductive organs and the nervous system.
  
  
• Combines well with other plant adaptogens to optimize herbal synergy – some combinations such as Eleuthero, Schisandra, or Ganoderma
  
  
• Traditionally combined with pungent or heating herbs such as ginger and long pepper to increase its tonic effects.
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• Combines well with a low dose of Panax ginseng (not in over stimulated individuals).

​Clinical Studies

• A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that milk fortified with ashwaganda (2g/d of herb for 60 days) significantly increased mean corpuscular hemoglobin and serum albumin and tended to increase blood hemoglobin, serum iron, body weight, and strength of grip in children aged 8 to 12 years. The placebo group did not show any significant change or tendency to change.

 

• When tested on 101 healthy male patients aged 50 to 59 years, ashwaganda (3g/day for 1 year) significantly improved hemoglobin, red blood cell counted, seated stature, and hair melanin content. Ashwaganda also caused a decrease in serum cholesterol and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and countered decreased nail calcium. The trial was of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. About 71% of volunteers receiving ashwaganda reported improved sexual performance.

 

• In an uncontrolled trial, ashwaganda (1g/day for 29 days) improved sleep patterns, responsiveness, alertness, state of awareness, and physical capabilities in trainee mountaineers over a 29-day trek, which included over a 5200m (over 17,000 feet) altitude gain.

 

• Ashwaganda (3g/day for 30 days) decreased blood sugar levels from baseline in six patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The hypoglycemic effect was similar to that obtained in the control group treated with glibenclamide.

 

• In a group of six patients with hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), ashwaganda significantly decreased serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol compared with baseline values. Lipid profiles remained largely unchanged in the untreated control group. The mean calorie and fat intakes of the treatment groups were higher than those of the control groups.

 

• Ashwaganda (4 to 9 g/day) was beneficial for patients with acute rheumatoid arthritis (and some cases of nonarticular rheumatism and chronic rheumatoid arthritis with acute exacerbations) in an uncontrolled trial conducted in the late 1960s.

 

• Has shown considerable anti-stress and adaptogenic effects. In a three month clinical trial, 75 normal healthy fertile men (control subjects) were compared with 75 men undergoing infertility screening who received 5g powdered root per day. Results showed that ashwaganda inhibited lipid peroxidation and improved sperm count and motility. Treatment also significantly increased serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone and reduced levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and prolactin – all beneficial effects in infertile men.

Safety Concerns/Contraindications

• Considered safe and effective for use with children, convalescent individuals of all ages and for nourishing the aged.
• Considered safe in lactation and pregnancy.
• No known contraindications.
• No adverse effects expected within recommended doses
• Generally reported as safe.
• Possible contraindicated in pregnancy (empirical) due to potential abortifacient effect (No clinical evidence)
• May potentiate the effects of barbituate drugs due to its sedative properties (speculative/test done on rats)
• Avoid in acute sexual anxiety.
• Avoid eating berries (eaten in India) may cause acute GI pains
• High doses may induce GI pains
• Avoid with tranquilizers or sedatives, may potentiate effect.

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​I hope you've enjoyed this article on the many uses of this incredibly ancient and reliable herbal ally. If you have any questions about this herb or its uses, or would like to contact me about other related herb/health concerns, please feel free to reach out to me directly via email by clicking here.

In health and wellness,
- Petra

References

• Medicinal Herbs Quick Reference Guide – Revision 7 by Julieta Criollo DNM, CHT – Self Published 2017
• Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions Third Edition by Francis Brinker ND – Eclectic Medical Publications Sandy Oregon 2001
• The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine Third Edition – By Michael T. Murray ND and Joseph Pizzorno ND – Atria Publishing, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, New Delhi 2012
• The Male Herbal – Health Care for Men and Boys by James Green – The Crossing Press, Freedom California1995
• Herb Contraindications & Drug Interactions Third Edition by Francis Brinker ND – Eclectic Medical Publications Sandy Oregon 2001
• A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs by Kerry Bone – Churchill Livingstone an Imprint of Elsevier Press – 2000
• Herbs for Health and Healing A Drug Free Guide to Prevention and Cure by Kathi Keville -Rodale Press, Inc. Emmaus, Pennsylvania 1996
• A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions by  Alan R Gaby MD, Steve Austin ND, Forrest Batz PharmD, Eric Yarnell ND, Donald J. Brown ND, and George Constantine RPh,PhD – Prima Health a Division of Prima Publishing 1999
• Potter’s Herbal Cyclopaedia by Elizabeth M. Williamson – Saffron Walden The C.W. Daniel Company Limited 2003
• Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism by Donald R. Yance – Healing Arts Press Rochester, Vermont, Toronto, Canada 2013
• Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy Modern Herbal Medicine by Simon Mills and Kerry Bone – Chuchill Livingston 2000
• https://www.dictionary.com/browse/neurasthenia?s=t