Ashwagandha (Nagori)

Biological Source

Asvagandha consists of dried mature roots of Withania somnifera Dunal. (Family - Solanaceae), a perennial shrub, found in waste land, cultivated field and open grounds throughout India, widely cultivated in certain areas of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan , roots collected in winter, washed and cut into short pieces.

Synonyms

Sanskrit :- Hayagandha, Vajigandha

Assam :- Ashvagandha

Bengali :- Ashvagandha

English :- -----------

Gujrati :- Asgandha

Hindi :- Asgandh

Kannada :- Angarberu, Hiremaddina - gida

Kashmiri :- Asagandh

Malayalam :- Amukkuram

Marathi :- Asagandha, Askagandha

Oriya :- Aswagandha

Punjabi :- Asgandh

Tamil :- Amukkaramkizangu

Telugu :- Pennerugadda

Urdu :- Asgand

Description

A) Macroscopic

Roots straight, unbranched, thickness varying with age. roots bear fibre-like secondary roots, outer surface buff to grey-yellow with longitudinal wrinkles, crown consists of 2-6 remains of stem base, stem bases variously thickened, nodes prominent only on the side from where petiole arises, cylindrical, green with longitudinal wrinkles, fracture, short and uneven, odour, characteristic, taste, bitter and acrid.

B) Microscopic

Transverse section of root shows cork exfoliated or crushed, when present isodiamatric and non-lignified, cork cambium of 2-4 diffused rows of cells, secondary cortex about twenty layers of compact parenchymatous cells, phloem consists of sieve tubes, companion cells, phloem parenchyma, cambium 4-5 rows of tangentially elongated cells, secondary xylem hard forming a closed vascular ring separated by multiseriate medullary rays, a few xylem parenchyma

Identity, Purity And Strength

Foreign matter :- Not more than 2 per cent,

Total Ash :- Not more than 7 per cent,

Acid-insoluble ash :- Not more than 1 per cent,

Alcohol (25 per cent) soluble extractive :- Not less than 15 per cent,

Active Constituents

Alkaloids and withanolides

Properties and Action

Rasa :- Tikta, Kasaya

Guna :- Laghu

Virya :- Usna

Vipaka :- Madhura

Karma :- Rasayana, Vatakaphapaha, Balya, Vajikarana

Important Formulations

Asvagandhadyarista, Asvagandhadi Leha,

Balasvagandha Laksadi Taila

Therapeutic Uses

Sotha, Ksaya, Daurbalya, Vataroga, Klaibya

Dose

3-6 g of the drug in powder form