Plant
Ashwagandha
Withania somnifera
Also known as: winter cherry, Indian ginseng, Withania somnifera
A small woody perennial native to dry regions of India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa; one of the most-used herbs in Ayurveda and an increasingly-prominent adaptogen in contemporary Western herbalism. The Sanskrit name *ashwagandha* translates approximately as 'smell of horse' — referring both to the root's distinctive aroma and to the traditional belief that consuming the root imparts horse-like strength and stamina. Foundational Ayurvedic use is as a *rasayana* (rejuvenative tonic) supporting strength, recovery, sleep, and stress resilience. Modern pharmacology has documented adaptogenic stress-modulating effects, sleep support, anxiety reduction, testosterone support in men, and exercise-recovery enhancement — with several rigorous clinical trials supporting standard use.
Scientific / medicinal
Withania somnifera is in the Solanaceae (nightshade family). The medicinal portion is the dried root; some Ayurvedic preparations also use the leaf. Active compounds include withanolides (the principal bioactive class — steroidal lactones with adaptogenic and immunomodulatory activity), with withaferin A and withanone the most-studied individual compounds; alkaloids; and various sterols.
Documented pharmacological effects:
- HPA-axis modulation. Ashwagandha extract reduces elevated cortisol in chronically-stressed individuals; multiple randomized controlled trials show ~25–30% cortisol reduction at standard doses (300–600 mg standardized extract).
- Anxiolytic effects. Comparable to baseline pharmaceutical anxiolytics in several head-to-head trials, with substantially better side-effect profile.
- Sleep support. Improves sleep quality and reduces sleep-onset latency; the somnifera species name (Latin: “sleep-bringing”) reflects the historical observation.
- Testosterone support in men. Several clinical trials show modest testosterone elevation in hypogonadal men; effects are smaller in men with normal testosterone.
- Exercise recovery. Documented improvements in muscular recovery, strength, and aerobic capacity in trained populations.
In Ayurveda, ashwagandha is the principal rasayana — a rejuvenative tonic for general strength, recovery, sleep, and longevity. Traditional preparation is as a milk-decoction tonic (root simmered in milk with ghee and honey).
Practical
Common preparation forms: dried powder mixed into milk or warm liquid (traditional); tincture; standardized extract capsules. Standardized-extract products typically contain KSM-66 or Sensoril — the two principal commercial extract types with the most clinical evidence. Standard adult dose: 300–600 mg of standardized extract daily.
Cautions: ashwagandha is in the nightshade family; some people sensitive to nightshades may not tolerate it. The herb stimulates thyroid function; people with hyperthyroidism should use with caution. The herb is in the same plant family as belladonna and is contraindicated during pregnancy.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[astragalus]] · [[nervous-system]] · [[sleep]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
What links here, and how
Inbound connections from across the wiki, grouped by lens and by relationship. These appear automatically — every entity page declares what it links to, and that data populates here on the targets.
Medicinal
shares approach with
- Astragalus comparable adaptogenic herb from a different traditional-medicine system (Ayurveda)
- Holy basil Ayurvedic adaptogen peer; the two are commonly used together for broad-spectrum stress and recovery support
General
shares approach with
- Neem auto-linked via shared tag: ayurveda
3 inbound links · 4 outbound