Whithania somnifera, Ashwaganda (root)

Whithania somnifera

A major plant in Ayurveda, Ashwaganda "which has the smell of a horse" relates the energizing virtues and sexual vitality of a horse! In short, it is Indian Ginseng which is even recommended for pregnant women because it helps stabilize the fetus.

For this traditional medicine, these roots have virtues on general fatigue, nervous exhaustion, insomnia and memory loss, aging problems, sexual weakness, overwork, rheumatism, anemia, sterility, skin conditions, convalescence, inflammation of the lymph nodes...

1400 studies since the 1990s.

Studies :

-Neurodegenerative diseases (1,2)

-Memory, cognitive function (3, 7)

-menopause (4)

-Improved sleep (5.7)

-Improved recovery after intense physical effort (6, 7)

-Schizophrenia, chronic stress, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, (7)

-Male and female infertility (7)

-Rheumatoid arthritis (7)

-Growth promoter in children (7)

-Type 2 diabetes (7)

-Chemopreventative (7, 8)

1. Kuboyama T, Tohda C, Komatsu K. Effects of Ashwagandha (roots of Withania somnifera) on neurodegenerative diseases . Biol Pharm Bull. 2014;37(6):892-7. doi: 10.1248/bpb.b14-00022. PMID: 24882401.

2. Paul S, Chakraborty S, Anand U, Dey S, Nandy S, Ghorai M, Saha SC, Patil MT, Kandimalla R, Proćków J, Dey A. Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal (Ashwagandha): A comprehensive review on ethnopharmacology, pharmacotherapeutics, biomedicinal and toxicological aspects. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Nov;143:112175. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112175. Epub 2021 Sep 27. PMID: 34649336.

3. Choudhary D, Bhattacharyya S, Bose S. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) Root Extract in Improving Memory and Cognitive Functions . J Diet Suppl. 2017 Nov 2;14(6):599-612. doi:10.1080/19390211.2017.1284970. Epub 2017 Feb 21. PMID: 28471731.

4. Gopal S, Ajgaonkar A, Kanchi P, Kaundinya A, Thakare V, Chauhan S, Langade D. Effect of an ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) root extract on climacteric symptoms in women during perimenopause: A randomized, double-blind, placebo- controlled study. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2021 Dec;47(12):4414-4425. doi:10.1111/jog.15030. Epub 2021 Sep 22. PMID: 34553463.

5. Deshpande A, Irani N, Balkrishnan R, Benny IR. A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep quality in healthy adults. Sleep Med. 2020 Aug;72:28-36. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.03.012. Epub 2020 Mar 21. PMID: 32540634.

6. Tiwari S, Gupta SK, Pathak AK. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera dunal.) root extract in improving cardiorespiratory endurance and recovery in healthy athletic adults . J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 May 23;272:113929. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.113929. Epub 2021 Feb 15. PMID: 33600918.

7. Tandon N, Yadav SS. Safety and clinical effectiveness of Withania Somnifera (Linn.) Dunal root in human foods. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020 Jun 12;255:112768. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.112768. Epub 2020 Mar 19. PMID: 32201301.

8. Palliyaguru DL, Singh SV, Kensler TW. Withania somnifera: From prevention to treatment of cancer. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 Jun;60(6):1342-53. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201500756. Epub 2016 Jan 29. PMID: 26718910; PMCID: PMC4899165.