Ashwagandha
Encyclopedia
Withania somnifera, also known as Ashwagandha, Indian ginseng, Winter cherry, Ajagandha, Kanaje Hindi, Amukkara (Tamil
), Samm Al Ferakh, is a plant in the Solanaceae
or nightshade family.
Withania coagulans (Dunal) (Paneer dodi, Ashutosh booti) is a related species.
It is used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine.
(35–75 cm) with a central stem from which branch extend radially in a star pattern (stellate
) and covered with a dense matte of wooly hairs (tomentose
). The flowers are small and green, while the ripe fruit is orange-red and has milk-coagulating properties. The plant also has long brown tuberous roots that are used for medicinal purposes.
, who was the pioneer of modern scientific research on the plant.
The other is W. somnifera Dunal.
There are 23 species of the Withania genus
that occur in the dry parts of India, North Africa
, Middle East
, and the Mediterranean.
s and steroid
al lactone
s. These include tropine
and cuscohygrine
. The leaves contain the steroidal lactones, withanolide
s, notably withaferin A
, which was the first withanolide to be isolated, and was isolated from W. somnifera.
Withaferin A inhibits notch-1 signaling and downregulates prosurvival pathways, such as Akt
/NF-κB/Bcl-2
, in three colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116, SW-480, and SW-620).
Recent research in mice suggests that withaferin A may have anti-metastatic activity.
means "horse's smell," probably originating from the odor of its root which resembles that of a sweaty horse
.
The species name somnifera means "sleep-inducing" in Latin
.
such as Mandsaur District
of Madhya Pradesh
, Punjab, Sindh
, and Rajasthan
. It is also found in Nepal.
The crop requires a relatively dry season during its growing period. It can tolerate a temperature range of 20°C to 38°C and as low a temperature as 10°C. The plant grows from sea level to an altitude of 1500 meters.
is the most prevalent disease, which is most severe in the plains of Punjab, Haryana
and Himachal Pradesh
. Biodeterioration of its pharmaceutically active components during leaf spot disease has been reported. Oxyrachis tarandus (a Treehopper
/cowbug species) feeds on the apical portions of the stem, making them rough and woody in appearance and brown in colour. The apical leaves are shed off and the plant gradually dies away.
, to coagulate milk in cheese
making.
In Ayurveda, the berries and leaves are locally appplied to tumors and tubercular glands, carbuncles and ulcers.
There has been one case report that Withania somnifera stimulated the thyroid and lead to thyrotoxicosis in the patient.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
), Samm Al Ferakh, is a plant in the Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
or nightshade family.
Withania coagulans (Dunal) (Paneer dodi, Ashutosh booti) is a related species.
It is used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine.
Description
It grows as a short shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
(35–75 cm) with a central stem from which branch extend radially in a star pattern (stellate
Stellate
Stellate, meaning star-shaped, may refer to:* Stellate cell* Stellate ganglion* Stellate reticulum* Stellate veins* Stellate trichomes on plants* Stellate laceration or incisionWound#Open...
) and covered with a dense matte of wooly hairs (tomentose
Tomentose
Tomentose is a term used to describe plant hairs that are flattened and matted, forming a woolly coating known as tomentum. Often the hairs are silver or gray-colored...
). The flowers are small and green, while the ripe fruit is orange-red and has milk-coagulating properties. The plant also has long brown tuberous roots that are used for medicinal purposes.
Sub-species and related species
There are two sub-species of Withania somnifera. W. somnifera Kaul was named after the Indian botanist Kailas Nath KaulKailas Nath Kaul
Professor Kailas Nath Kaul , FLS was an Indian botanist, agronomist, agricultural scientist, horticulturist, herbalist, and naturalist, and a world authority on Arecaceae in the 1950s...
, who was the pioneer of modern scientific research on the plant.
The other is W. somnifera Dunal.
There are 23 species of the Withania genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
that occur in the dry parts of India, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and the Mediterranean.
Active constituents
The main active constituents are alkaloidAlkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
s and steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
al lactone
Lactone
In chemistry, a lactone is a cyclic ester which can be seen as the condensation product of an alcohol group -OH and a carboxylic acid group -COOH in the same molecule...
s. These include tropine
Tropine
Tropine is a derivative of tropane containing a hydroxyl group at third carbon. It is also called 3-tropanol.Benzatropine and etybenzatropine are derivatives of tropine. It is also a building block of atropine, a cholinergic drug prototypical of the muscarinic antagonist class.-External Links:*...
and cuscohygrine
Cuscohygrine
Cuscohygrine is a pyrrolidine alkaloid found in coca. It can be extracted from plants of the family Solanaceae as well, including Atropa belladonna , Datura inoxia and Datura stramonium...
. The leaves contain the steroidal lactones, withanolide
Withanolide
Withanolides are a group of at least 300 naturally occurring chemical compounds. They occur as secondary metabolites primarily in genera of the Nightshade family, for example in the tomatillo. Structurally, withanolides consist of a steroid backbone bound to a lactone or one of its derivatives;...
s, notably withaferin A
Withaferin A
Withaferin A is a chemical compound which was the first member of the withanolides to be discovered. It was first isolated from Winter cherry ....
, which was the first withanolide to be isolated, and was isolated from W. somnifera.
Withaferin A inhibits notch-1 signaling and downregulates prosurvival pathways, such as Akt
AKT
Akt, also known as Protein Kinase B , is a serine/threonine protein kinase that plays a key role in multiple cellular processes such as glucose metabolism, cell proliferation, apoptosis, transcription and cell migration.-Family members:...
/NF-κB/Bcl-2
Bcl-2
Bcl-2 is the founding member of the Bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulator proteins encoded by the BCL2 gene. Bcl-2 derives its name from B-cell lymphoma 2, as it is the second member of a range of proteins initially described in chromosomal translocations involving chromosomes 14 and 18 in...
, in three colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116, SW-480, and SW-620).
Recent research in mice suggests that withaferin A may have anti-metastatic activity.
Etymology
Ashwagandha in SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
means "horse's smell," probably originating from the odor of its root which resembles that of a sweaty horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
.
The species name somnifera means "sleep-inducing" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
.
Cultivation
It is cultivated in many of the drier regions of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
such as Mandsaur District
Mandsaur District
Mandsaur District is a District of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Mandsaur is the administrative headquarters of the district.-Origin of name:...
of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, Punjab, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, and Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. It is also found in Nepal.
Climatic conditions for growth
It is grown as late rainy season (kharif) crop. Semi-tropical areas receiving 500 to 750 mm rainfall are suitable for its cultivation as a rainfed crop. If one or two winter rains are received, the root development improves.The crop requires a relatively dry season during its growing period. It can tolerate a temperature range of 20°C to 38°C and as low a temperature as 10°C. The plant grows from sea level to an altitude of 1500 meters.
Pathology
W. somnifera is prone to several pests and diseases. Leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria alternataAlternaria alternata
Alternaria alternata has been recorded causing leaf spot and other diseases on over 380 host species. It is opportunistic pathogen on numerous hosts causing leaf spots, rots and blights on many plant parts...
is the most prevalent disease, which is most severe in the plains of Punjab, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
. Biodeterioration of its pharmaceutically active components during leaf spot disease has been reported. Oxyrachis tarandus (a Treehopper
Treehopper
Treehoppers and thorn bugs are members of the family Membracidae, a group of insects related to the cicadas and the leafhoppers. There are about 3,200 known species of treehoppers in over 600 genera...
/cowbug species) feeds on the apical portions of the stem, making them rough and woody in appearance and brown in colour. The apical leaves are shed off and the plant gradually dies away.
Culinary use
The berries can be used as a substitute for rennetRennet
Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including a proteolytic enzyme that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids and liquid...
, to coagulate milk in cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
making.
Claimed medicinal uses
In Ayurveda, the roots of W. somnifera are used to prepare the herbal remedy Ashwagandha. It is claimed that Ashwaganda has been traditionally used to treat various symptoms and conditions, although there are few scientific studies of the health benefits of the compound.In Ayurveda, the berries and leaves are locally appplied to tumors and tubercular glands, carbuncles and ulcers.
Side effects
In at least two published clinical trials of W. somnifera, the side effects were not significantly different from those experienced by placebo treated individuals.There has been one case report that Withania somnifera stimulated the thyroid and lead to thyrotoxicosis in the patient.