Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera, belongs to the nightshade family. It is native to the drier regions of India, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and northern Africa.
Ashwagandha is a small evergreen perennial with woody stems and a shrub-like appearance. The leaves are silver-green with slightly hairy undersides. The star-shaped flowers are yellow-green and give way to bright scarlet berries that ripen late in the season. The fruits are encased in papery brown husks. Ashwagandha’s roots are cream-colored and exude a strong scent of horse sweat, thus explaining its Hindu name Ashwagandha, which means ‘the essence of the horse’, and describes its ability to infuse your entire being with vitality and strength.
Medicinal Properties:
When taken over time, ashwagandha can benefit your health in many ways.
Ashwagandha has been used extensively in Ayurveda practices for thousands of years and is an integral part of traditional healing practices throughout Africa and the Middle East. It has also become quite popular in modern Western herbal practices, due to its ability to help heal a broad range of conditions.
Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen that helps the body respond to stress, anxiety, and fatigue while creating overall well-being. In contrast to most adaptogens, ashwagandha has a calming and nourishing nature that helps to restore health in weakened states.
As its species name somnifera implies, ashwagandha is an excellent herb for insomnia. It helps restore healthy sleep cycles, replenishes the nervous system, and is best known for its ability to help overcome states of weakness or fatigue due to depletion from stress, anxiety, overwork, poor sleep, or chronic illness.
Ashwagandha helps to balance the adrenals, heart, kidneys, and the nervous system. It can increase white blood cell count and the production of antigens that fight against infections and allergies thus enhancing the actions of the immune system.
Ashwagandha is also excellent for improving brain and neurotransmitter function, which can help treat neurological conditions such as brain fog, migraines, tremors, tics & spasms, restless leg syndrome, chronic nerve pain, and shingles.
Ashwagandha also helps the body produce thyroid hormones which can increase energy and improve metabolism. Ashwagandha has been shown to improve oxygen flow on a cellular level which is very beneficial for those suffering from breathing problems such as COPD and asthma and is recommended for athletes looking to increase their endurance and strength while training.
Ashwagandha is also highly beneficial for depression, anxiety, insomnia, anemia, candida, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmune disorders such as fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Guillain-barre syndrome.
Ashwagandha is also well known for its aphrodisiac and fertility benefits. When taken over time, the root can refresh and balance hormone levels, enhance circulation to the reproductive organs,
improve sperm count and motility, and
increase libido. In one notable pilot study, 25 women given 300mg of high-concentration ashwagandha root extract twice daily for 8 weeks reported significant increases in sexual function, including increased lubrication and orgasms.
Ashwagandha is also extremely helpful in restoring hair loss after birth and due to other stress-related conditions, by helping the adrenals restore hormones needed for proper hair growth, and thus help overcome
alopecia.
In Western herbalism, ashwagandha is used as an herbal adjunct to chemotherapy and radiation for building strength and immune resilience in cancer.
Parts Used:
All aerial parts of Ashwagandha are toxic and should not be used internally. Use only dry roots when making tinctures, capsules, tea (decoction), or fat-based preparations.
Precautions and Contraindications:
Ashwagandha is considered safe for children, adults, and elders, however, it is always important to consult your physician to see if ashwagandha is right for you, especially if you are taking medication.
While ashwagandha is often used as an Ayurvedic pregnancy tonic, there are reports that it can cause miscarriage. For this reason, avoid ashwagandha in pregnancy. Those sensitive or allergic to nightshade family (Solanaceae) plants might have similar reactions to ashwagandha.
Ashwagandha may enhance the effects of barbiturates and is contraindicated with some thyroid medications. Be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before taking herbs while on medication.
How to Grow Ashwagandha:
Ashwagandha is easy to grow in a warm climate. In frost-prone areas, it is best grown in a pot and taken indoors for the winter.
Ashwagandha prefers warm, dry, well-drained soils and tolerates drought. It fares best in average garden soil (no need to pile on the compost) and will grow sizable roots in a single growing season.
Generally speaking, ashwagandha tends to self-seed without becoming invasive. If you are interested in starting plants from seed, you’ll need direct sunlight. Place seeds on the surface of the soil and lightly tamp them in. The soil must be warm for germination to occur, so it’s best to sow seeds in the spring.
Ashwagandha usually prefers full sun, though I have plants that have self-seeded in dappled shade and they seem quite happy there. If you grow lavender (Lavandula spp.) or rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), ashwagandha will likely relish a place in their neighborhood.
Harvesting:
Ashwagandha's roots are traditionally harvested in their second or third year, usually in the fall after the fruit has ripened. Dig out the roots carefully with a fork, being careful to avoid damaging them.
Wash and chop the roots right away, spreading them on screens or loose-weave baskets to dry. Make sure to dry them in a warm, ventilated space out of direct sunlight.
Once dry, the roots can be stored, tinctured, or powdered. Note that the powder will degrade more quickly than the whole, chopped roots. Therefore, you may wish to powder ashwagandha in small batches, as needed.
If you are interested in purchasing seeds, plants, or dried roots, please contact us at Plants Heal, Kfar Monash.
