Ashwagandha is known as India's most potent hot plant, used equally by men and women as adoptogenic, claimed to be the “best of the best"

Ashwangandha (Withania somnifera)

Did you know that Ashwagandha is known as India's most potent hot plant, used equally by men and women as adoptogenic, claimed to be the “best of the best”? 

Ashwangandha, with the scientific name Withania somnifera, a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, is also known as Indian Ginseng. poison gooseberry, or winter cherry. It has been an herb that's been an important part of Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times. Ashwangandha, a Sanskrit compound word of 'ashva' meaning "horse" and 'gandha' meaning "smell", literally meaning "smells like a horse," as its roots smells so which may refer more to its essence than its actual smell. In Latin, it is called 'somnifera' meaning "sleep-inducing".

The Ashwagandha plant is a shrub with yellow-green flowers and orange-red berries, native to India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, It is cultivated in many of the drier regions of India. It is a perennial evergreen shrub growing 1 to 2 m high, with the whole body covered with star shaped hairs, blooming with small, light green or pale yellow and bell-shaped flowers, and yielding orange-red coloured fruits. It is propagated from seed in the early spring, or from greenwood cuttings in the later spring. Its leaves and roots are most often used medicinally. In a cultivated plant its roots are pale white, cylindrical and starchy. A popular cultivated variety is attributed to the town of Nagaur in Rajasthan and is thus known by the name 'Ashgandh Nagari' 

The plant, particularly its root powder, has been used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine. It is said to have property of removing obstruction in any system of human body.

According to Indian Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia, Ashwagandha is considered a 'rasayana' (a Sanskrit word meaning “path of essence") herb, which means it may promote youth and longevity while alleviating suffering. Its a broad but fitting description, as this herb has a wide range of beneficial properties, including being apoptogenic, which means it helps you manage stress. It is believed to be quite helpful to the elderly by providing energy and relieving pain, inflammation, and nervous debility.

A 2017 study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements suggests that Ashwagandha's traditional root extract could improve memory and cognitive functions. Its documented uses as an Ayurveda medicine could be sighted to include its use as a hypnotic for treating alcoholism (along with leaf); treatment for brain fog, colds and chills, childhood emaciation, emphysematous dysphonia (difficult speech caused by emphysema, with leaf), fever, glandular swelling, impotence or seminal debility.

Ashwagandharishta is the most important tonic in the Ayurvedic tradition of healing of India. Also, the American Herbal Pharmacopeia, in one of its monograph, focuses on " adoptogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioactive, and immunomodulatory activity and its ability to reduce cortisol levels under stress."

- Narasipur Char