|
- Latin: Withania somnifera
- Sanskrit: Ashwagandha
- Hindi: Asgandh
- English: Winter Cherry
Parts Used:
Root and leaves. Each part has a different therapeutic value and must be prepared in its own way for maximum benefits. This shrub is common in Mumbai (Bombay) and Western India and occasionally found in Bengal.
Traditional Ayurvedic Uses:
- Ashwagandha has many significant benefits, but is best known for its powerful adaptogenic properties, meaning that it helps mind and body adapt better to stress. It nourishes the nerves and improves nerve function to help you maintain calm during stressful situations.
- It is also good for people who do physical labor or exercise a lot, to help the body adapt to physical stress.
- It is a powerful Rasayana, meaning that it acts as an overall tonic for greater vitality and longevity.
- It nourishes all the bodily tissues (Dhatus), including the joints and nerves.
- It is also a powerful Medhya Rasayana, which means that it enhances all three aspects of mind power (Dhi -- comprehension; Dhriti -- memory; and Smriti -- recollection).
- Ashwagandha nourishes the crucial mind-body connection and psychoneuro immune response (called PNI). It helps coordinate the mind and senses, as well, which is essential for good quality sleep.
- It balances the mind (Prana Vata). This is essential for happiness in the face of mental or emotional stress.
- It increases the quality and quantity of Ojas, the master coordinator between the body and consciousness. It helps pure consciousness slide into the physiology.
- It has a Sothara effect -- which means it helps clear impurities (Ama) from the various channels of the body.
- Ashwagandha enhances virility and has aphrodisiac properties, especially for men.
- It is also well known for its powerful immune enhancing benefits.
- It is considered among the best of all substances for balancing Vata. It also pacifies Kapha at the same time, which is a rare combination.
- As with almost all single all herbs, there is one small caution. Ashwagandha should always be used with other herbs such as licorice to balance out possible heating effects (especially for the heart).
Combinations are Best
The ayurvedic physicians of Maharishi Ayurveda do not recommend the use of single herbs for self-care due to several important reasons.
One of the specialties of ayurveda is the science of herb combining that has been perfected over thousands of years of clinical practice. From this ayurvedic perspective, the study of herbs from scientific research which is based on single ingredient formulas is not very practical. This is because an herb can give a number of different effects depending on the other herbs it is combined with as well as a number of other factors such as dosage, how the herb was processed, etc. If one focuses just on the results of a study based on one ingredient, while it may be interesting, it does not give the full insight into the complete range of effects available from that particular herb. |
