• Uses At a Glance
• Ashwaganda as Revitaliser
• Ashwaganda as Antioxidant
• Ashwaganda as Immunomodulator
• Ashwaganda for Anxiety
• Ashwaganda for Memory
• Ashwaganda for Inflammatory Diseases

Ashwagandha's roots have long been in use for hiccup, cough, dropsy, rheumatism, and female disorders, and as a sedative in cases of senile debility. Leaves used as a febrifuge and applied to lesions, painful swellings, and sore eyes. Tender shoots used as a vegetable, also used as fodder for goats, but suspected of  poisoning stock. The plant is astringent, bitter, acid, thermogenic, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, ophthalmic, cardio tonic, anthelmintic, duretic, aphrodisiac, sudorific, febrifuse and trichogenous, and is useful in vitiated conditions of kapha and vata, inbflammation, elephantiasis, otalgia, cephalalgia, wounds, ulcers, nyctalopia, dysopia, hepatoslenomegaly, colic, dyspepsia,  helminthiasis, strangury, anaemia, seminal weakness, fever, baldness and greyness of hair. The plant is very specific for viral hepatitis. They are useful in leucoderma, constipation, insomnia, tissue-building and nervous breakdown, dropsy, leucoderma, rheumatism and cough.

Ashwagandha Revitalizing activity is the driving factor of its increasing demand. Ashwagandha improves oxygen uptake. Increased oxygen heightens cognitive functioning normally. Brain uses most of the body’s oxygen intake. Therefore, use of Ashwagandha helps improve concentration, increase alertness, enhance perpetual abilities and fight brain fatigue.

Antioxidant activity of principles of Withania Somnifera was demonstrated in rat brain. Concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured. Results were comparable with effects induced by deprenyl, an agent with well-documented antioxidant activity.

Administration of an extract from the powdered root of the plant Withania Somnifera enhanced the levels of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in normal Balb/c mice. These results indicate the immunopotentiating activity of Withania Somnifera as seen from the enhancement of cytokine production and stem cell proliferation and its differentiation.

The herb is an adaptogen and rejuvenative drug. It enhances survival under stress in the patients of anxiety neurosis and prevents gastric ulceration induced chemically or be stress. It produces a state of non-specifically increased resistance (SNIR) in the organism. It has been also found effective in lessening the morbidity and morass in patients suffering with skin disease. The antistress activity of Withania Somnifera (WS) containing active principle Glycowithanolides (WSG) was shown in chronic footshock stress induced changes in rat brain frontal cortex and striatum. WSG tended to normalize the augmented superoxide dismutase and lipid peroxidation activities and enhanced the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase.

Disorders of cognition and memory deficits are  wide spread, generally occurring in people between 50-60 years of age. Ashwagandha has been investigated for its effect on the nervous system. The combined active principle of Withania somnifera consisting of equimolar amounts of sitoindosides (VII-X) and Withaferin-A have shown to augment learning and memory retention. The study in model of Alzhemer’s disease (presenile disease causing memory and  personality disorder) confirm the memory facilitating effect of Withania somnifera (and its active principles) validating the use of the plant in Ayurveda as Medha Rasayan in treatment of cognitive function deficits including those associated with ageing.

Ashwagandha, powdered roots investigated for anti-inflammation has exhibited anti-inflammatory actions against acute inflammation and other inflammatory condition (active principle-Withaferin-A). The herb prevents bony degenerative changes in arthritic conditions, suggesting its wide spectrum of pharmacological activities in inflammatory diseases affected by alteration of serum proteins.