Ashwagandha
Family Name : SOLANACEAE
Botanical Name : WITHANIA
SOMNIFERA
Common Name : WITHANIA, WINTER
CHERRY, INDIAN WINTER CHERRY, INDIAN GINSENG, ASHWAGANDHA
Part Used : ROOT, LEAVES
Habitat : Cultivated throughout
drier parts of India.
Uses : It is Tonic, Abortifacient,
Astringent, Deobstruent, Nervine, Aphrodisiac and Sedative. It is official
Indian Pharmacoepeia. It is popularly known as Indian Ginseng. It gives
vitality and vigour and helps in building greater endurance. It has been
used in diseases such as rheumatism, leprosy and arthritis.
All parts of the plant are
used in herbal medicine. In Ayurveda, the fresh roots are sometimes boiled
in milk, prior to drying, in order to leach out undesirable constituents.
The berries are used as a substitute for rennet, to coagulate milk in cheese
making.
Ashwagandha in Sanskrit means
"horse's smell", probably originating from the odor of its root which resembles
that of sweaty horse. The species name somnifera means "sleep-bearing"
in Latin, indicating it was considered a sedative, but it has been also
used for sexual vitality and as an adaptogen. Some herbalists refer to
ashwagandha as Indian ginseng, since it is used in ayurvedic medicine in
a way similar to that ginseng is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
The product called "ashwagandha
oil" is a combination of ashwagandha with almond oil and rose water designed
to be used as a facial toner, therefore should not be consumed.