Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha as a Versatile and Beneficial Herbal Remedy in Various Roles

Ashwagandha or Withania somnifera is a valuable adaptogenic and rejuvenative herb. WS is additionally useful in several other way.

WS exerts anti-inflammatory activity, antiviral activity, antibacterial activity. It is found promising in curing side effects of fungicide. It relieves CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity. Intestinal absorption is restored. Anti-ulcer activity is also found in this medicinal herb.

Anti-inflammatory Activity In Ashwagandha:

Five plants (Myrtus communis, Apium graveolens, Matricaria chamomilla, Withania somnifera and Achillea santolina) grown in Iraq were assessed for their anti-inflammatory activity on intact rats by measuring the suppression of carrageenan-induced paw edema produced by 1/10 of the intraperitoneal LD50 doses for the respective 80% ethanol extracts.

 Acetylsalicylic acid was used as the standard drug. Results showed that the plants possessed varying degrees of anti-inflammatory activity and were classified in the following descending order of activity: W. somnifera > A. graveolens > A. santolina > M. chamomilla > M. communis.

Al-Hindawi MK, Al-Deen IH, Nabi MH, Ismail MA.

Biological Research Centre, Scientific Research Council, Jadiriyah, Baghdad, Iraq.

Anti-Viral Activity Of Ashwagandha In HIV Infection:

The polyherbal drug Immu was tested at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India for its clinical efficacy and safety in 36 HIV infected persons.

This study was concluded with favorable effect of Aswagandha containing herbal formulation in HIV infected patients. The results showed significant symptomatic improvement and decreased viral load. There was increase in mean CD4 helper cells (the type of white blood corpuscle responsible for AIDS). Therefore herbal formulation showed potential role as co-therapeutic agent and warrants further investigation.

Antibacterial Activity Of Ashwagandha:

Researchers evaluated alcoholic and aqueous extract of Ashwagandha against experimental murine salmonellosis. It was found to possess strong anti-bacterial activity against a range of bacteria including Salmonella typhimurium. WS didn't induce the lysis of erythrocytes like Chloramphenicol. Treated animals revealed better survival rate and lesser bacterial load in vital organs. (Phytomedicine 2005, March, 12(3), 229-35)

Another study also found potent antibacterial activity against S. typhimurium and E. coli. in withania somnifera. Additionally it exerted synergistic effect with Isoniazid and Rifampicin. (Fitoterapia, 2004 June 75(3-4):385-8)

Ashwagandha Curing The Side Effects Of Fungicide:

Phytomedicine 2000 published a study that reported use of Withanolides in curing the side effects of anti-fungal drug carbendazim. Carbendazim affects renal tubules and hepatocytes advesely.

Treatment of carbendazim-treated rats with the powder of tuberous root of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) for 48 days resulted in complete cure of these organs. The results indicate that Withania somnifera would be an effective curative for carbendazim-induced histopathological changes in the liver and kidney.

Akbarsha MA, Vijendrakumar S, Kadalmani B, Girija R, Faridha A.

Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, India.

CCL4 Induced Hepatotoxicity & WS:

Protective effect of Withaferin-'A' against CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity has been assessed and the compound at 10 mg/kg dose was found to possess significant protective effect. A comparison of this protective effect with that of hydrocortisone showed it to be as effective as hydrocortisone dose per dose.

Sudhir S, Budhiraja RD.

Department of Pharmacology, Medical College, Rohtak.

Ashwagandha Affecting Intestinal Absorption:

In a study published in Clinical Experimental Pharmacological Physiology, oral administration of WS extract was found to exert same effects as anti-inflammatory drug oxyphenbutazone when given prior to formalin injection in test animals.

The herbal extract or oxyphenbutazone restored the resorption of glucose from jejunum while formalin injection alone reduced this absorption of glucose.

The same effect was noticed in the absorption of leucine. The results indicates that WS extract possess anti-inflammatory activity on intestinal mucosa also.

Withanolide Affecting Gastric Mucosal Offensive & Defensive Factors:

Withafastuosin E (WE), a withanolide of Datura fastuosa, has been reported to possess anti-stress activity and augment prostaglandins. The present investigation has been undertaken to evaluate the anti-ulcer activity and its mechanism in various models of experimentally induced ulcers in rats.

 WE (20 mg/kg, po) reduced the incidence of ulcer and ulcer index significantly in rats. The drug also decreased volume of gastric secretion, acid and peptic output, though it did not affect mucin secretion or mucosal glycoprotein content in terms of total carbohydrate:protein ratio or gastric cell shedding (in terms of gastric juice DNA content) or cell replication (in terms of microgram DNA/mg of protein).

The results suggest significant anti-ulcer activity of WE which may be due to its effect on decreasing the offensive acid-pepsin factors.

Maiti RN, Manickam M, Ray AB, Goel RK.

Department of Pharmacology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

(Click Image) Ashwagandha

Use Ashwagandha For:

1. Anxiety, Depression, Panic Disorder.
2. As Antioxidant & Free Radical Scavenger.
3. As Body building Aid.
4. For Weakness, Fatigue, Herbal Rejuvenation, Aphrodisiac.
5. As Nervine tonic, calming and antistress agent and adaptogenic herb.
6. Visit Ashwagandha related pages on Holistic-Herbalist to get more information.
7. Take one vegiacap twice or thrice a day. Eahc vegicap contains Ashwagandha (5:1) 500 mg i.e. equivalent to 2.5 gm of crude WS.

Buying Information:

We recommend the interested visitors to get Ashwagandha supplements from this place.This is a good store, with reputable quality and one of the most reasonable price. Get a pack of 60 Vegicaps.

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