FAMILY :: SOLANACEAE
$200 (small plant)
$100 (20 fresh seeds – available March – August)
ASHVAGANDHA, INDIAN GINSENG: Since before 1000 BC this plant has been used in Ayurvedic medicine. Traditionally, the root is considered a tonic for the elderly, relieving tremors and promoting vigor. It is also used as an aphrodisiac and is the drug of choice of Ayurvedic physicians in the treatment of rheumatic pain and joint inflammation. It is popularly used as a sedative. The leaves are used to reduce skin inflammations. The small red fruit (encased in a paper sheath like tomatillos) is used as a dye.
The species name “somnifera” means “sleep-inducing” in Latin. The name “ashwagandha” is a combination of the Sanskrit words ‘ashva,’ meaning horse, and ‘gandha,’ meaning smell, reflecting that the root has a horse-like odor
This 2-3′ tall plant is relatively hardy (to the mid-20ºs f.) and is relatively easy to grow in Vallarta in well-drained, sandy, rich soil in full sun. Allow soil to dry out between waterings. Dormant/semi-dormant in winter.
— Herbal Monographs, University of Texas at El Paso
Ashwagandha has been used in India’s Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani-Tibb systems of medicine for thousands of years, mainly as an adaptogen (helps to adapt to stressful situations), as well as to increase libido in both men an d women, improve sperm quality, stimulate growth in children, and to calm the nerves. The plant has also been used for the treatment of debility, emaciation, impotence, and premature ageing. Research undertaken to elucidate its pharmacological actions has shown that the plant possesses antitumor and adaptogenic actions similar to those found in Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng-Araliaceae). For this reason, Ashwagandha is also known in commerce as “Indian ginseng”, although the two species are botanically unrelated (Villaescusa-Castillo and Martín-Lopez, 2016; Khare, 2016, 2007; Bone and Mills, 2013).Modern research has found that the root extracts have GABA- like activity. Villaescusa-Castillo and Martín-Lopez (2016) mention a study undertaken with rats, aimed at determining Ashwagandha’s usefulness as an anxiolytic (to decrease anxiety), as well as an antidepressant, showed that the root’s bioactive compounds possess am anxiolytic effect comparable to lorazepam. With regard to its antidepressant effects, the same study demonstrated that Ashwagandha can have antidepressant effects similar to those shown by imipramine. This research could justify using products made form Ashwagandha root as mood stabilizers, as well as for the treatment of depression and anxiety.
Ashwagandha root may also improve learning and memory (Bone and Mills, 2013). Although more research is needed to ascertain its clinical effects in humans, its active ingredients may have a role in the treatment of certain cancers, microbial infection, immune-modulation, and neurodegenerative disorders (Dar et al., 2015).The main phytochemical constituents are withanolides – which are triterpene lactones – withaferin A, alkaloids, steroidal lactones, tropine, and cuscohygrine. Some 40 withanolides, 12 alkaloids, and numerous sitoindosides have been isolated. Withanolides are structurally similar to the ginsenosides of Panax ginseng, leading to a common name for W. somnifera, “Indian ginseng”
- Villaescusa-Castillo L, Martín-López T. Fitoterapia para el insomnio, la ansiedad y el nerviosismo. Capítulo 13. En: Castillo-Garcia E. and Martínez-Solís I. (Editoras).
Manual de Fitoterapia 2da ed. Barcelona: Elsevier España; 2016; p. 204- Bone K, Mills S. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy 2nd Ed.
London: Churchill Livingstone; 2013; pp. 949-961.- Dar PA, Singh LR, Kamal MA, Dar TA. Unique Medicinal Properties of Withania Somnifera: Phytochemical Constituents and Protein Component. Curr Pharm Des. 2015 Nov 24. [Epub ahead of print]