AHR QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER March 2026 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 2
8SPOTLIGHT9 on Adaptogens
Ashwagandah (Withania somnifera)
Botanical Name: Withania somnifera
Family: Solanaceae
Common Names: Winter cherry, asgandh (Hindi)
Taste/Energy: Bitter, warm, dry
Part Used: Root
Location/Cultivation: Ashwagandha is native to the drier
subtropic regions of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and parts
of Africa. It easily is cultivated as an annual in
temperate climates. It should be planted indoors like
tomatoes and then set out in a garden area, with welldrained soil and full sun, after the danger of frost has
passed. The roots are gathered in the autumn and then
cleaned and dried.
Properties: Adaptogen, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune
amphoteric, antitumor, nervine, antispasmodic, mild astringent,
and diuretic.
Most adaptogens are stimulating; ashwagandha is a bit unusual
in that it is a calming adaptogen. It enhances endocrine
function, especially helping to reregulate the thyroid, testes,
and adrenal glands. Few herbs have a direct effect on thyroid
function, but in animal and human studies, ashwagandha root
was found to stimulate the thyroid, making it useful for
hypothyroidism.
Because of its nervine and adaptogenic functions,
ashwagandha is very effective for anxiety, fatigue, cloudy
thinking, stress-induced insomnia, and neurasthenia (nervous
exhaustion). It has significant benefit for hyper- or hypoimmune
function and has been used clinically (in India) as part of
protocols for cancer (it suppresses tumors and prevents
depletion of white blood cells), chronic fatigue immune
deficiency syndrome, and autoimmune diseases such as
rheumatoid
arthritis
and
polymyositis
(autoimmune
inflammation of voluntary muscles).
Ashwagandha is rich in iron and can be used to treat irondeficient anemia when taken as a powder in milk mixed with
molasses. Women, who are seven to ten times more likely then
men to develop anemia, can benefit from this herb, and it also
relieves some perimenopausal symptoms such as muscle pain
and cloudy
thinking.
Selected Research Studies
Hypoglycemic, Diuretic, and Hypocholesterolemic Effect of
Winter Cherry (Withania somnifera) Root (Andallu and Radhika
2000).
In this small study, six patients with mild non-insulin-dependent
diabetes mellitus and six with elevated cholesterol levels took
powdered ashwagandha root for one month. There were
significant decreases in LDL and VLDL cholesterol, triglyceride,
and blood glucose levels as well as increased urinary output.
