Ashwagandha, A Powerful Adaptogen

Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera, Family: Solanaceae) is one of the most recognized and studied medicinal plant which holds high repute in traditional Ayurveda and Unani (Indian, Greek, and African) traditional system of medicine for thousands of years.（1）

The name Ashwagandha is from the Sanskrit language and is a combination of the word “ashva”, meaning horse, and “gandha”, meaning smell. The root has a strong aroma that is described as “horse-like."

In Ayurvedic, Indian, and Unani system of medicine, Ashwagandha is also commonly referred to as Asgandh, Winter cherry, or Indian ginseng. The species is widely distributed in the northwestern Indian states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and the Punjab plains extending to the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. (1) 

Ashwagandha contains most of its nutritional content and an active ingredient in its roots, (and sometimes the leaves), which can be prepared, dried powder, crude extract as well as purified metabolites of the plant. It has shown promising therapeutic properties, and is widely used in Indian as an adaptogen, nerve tonic, anti-stress, anxiety, memory enhancer, and against cognitive deficits, insomnia, infectious diseases, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. (2-3) 

Moreover, it is present in World Health Organization (WHO) monographs on the most important medicinal plants and an American Herbal Pharmacopoeia monograph (4) due to its huge demand in both domestic and international markets. 

Ashwagandha has become increasingly popular in the west  and is one of the most popular Adaptogens on the market today. There are many medical supply providers and hospital supplies manufacturers working on it. According to HerbalGram’s 2019 Herb Market Report, the sales of herbal supplements with Ashwagandha topped $10.84 million in the U.S. for 2019, an increase of 45% over the previous data. An additional $13.66 million in sales were reported from the Natural Channel (making the Ashwagandha the number 5 top-seller in this channel). (5)

Being a powerful adaptogen, Ashwagandha promotes balance in the body, which has been often used to combat and reduce stress and thereby enhance general wellbeing.    Ashwagandha is also one of the adaptogenic herbs with significant effects on both psychological and physiological aspects of human functioning and general wellbeing, and the most promising is its effects on stress and stress management.

Stress is a normal and natural reaction to a potentially precarious situation. No matter how hard we try to avoid the stress, it is still a daily part of our lives.  In general, stress can be either acute or chronic. Acute stress imparts transient physiological changes which are reversible conditions if proper treatment is provided on time and homeostasis is attained within a limited period. If chronic stress or long-time persisted stress due to environmental and social reasons can induce irreversible health issues with serious health damages such as hypertension, severe cardiovascular issues, depression, panic attacks, impaired memory and cognition, digestive problems, fatigue syndrome, autoimmune disorders, metabolic syndromes, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), endocrinological issues, and visceral obesity. (3,6-9)

Several human studies have been published in recent years, that stress is associated with altered hormonal secretions of cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine.  Ashwagandha as a potency adaptogen, which not only boost your immunity to illness and disease, but also impart a feeling of general well being and accomplishment. This Adaptogens exert their stress-protective effect by regulating homeostasis via several mechanisms of action associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, and also by controlling key mediators of the stress response, such as heat shock proteins (Hsp70), stress-activated c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK-1), cortisol, and nitric oxide (NO). (3,10-11)

Previous studies have indicated that the biologically active chemical constituents of Ashwagandha include alkaloids (isopelletierine, anaferine, cuseohygrine, anahygrine, etc.), steroidal lactones (withanolides, withaferins) and saponins/alkaloids, flavanol glycosides, glycowithano- lides, steroidal lactones (withanolides), sterols, and phenolics. (12-13)

Pharmacological studies have confirmed that Ashwagandha is one of the most popular Adaptogen due to its multiple pharmacological actions  like anti-stress, neuroprotective, anti-tumor, anti-arthritic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, lower blood sugar levels, boost brain function, boost testosterone and increase fertility in men, increase muscle mass and strength, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, adaptogenic, memory-enhancing, hematopoietic,  sleep-inducing and anxiolytic properties, etc (3,14-16).  Ashwagandhawas also found useful in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzeimer's diseases.(17)

In addition, Ashwagandha can improve  the body's defense against disease by improving the cell-mediated immunity. It also possesses potent antioxidant properties that help protect against cellular damage caused by free radicals.(3)

Considering these facts and special properties, Ashwagandha as a powerful Adaptogen has been gaining traction in the North American market over recent years with consumers embracing its wide-ranging body of health  benefits as above mentioned.

Currently, one of the most nutritious, potent and sought after adaptogens on the market is called KSM-66 in the U.S., which is a self affirmed GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) ingredient, qualified by a reputed panel of toxicologists. 

In the U.S., Ashwagandha is permitted for use as a dietary supplement. United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has developed dietary supplement quality standards monographs for “Ashwagandha Root,” “Powdered Ashwagandha Root,” and for “Powdered Ashwagandha Root Extract.” These USP monographs are acceptable for use as dietary supplement component specifications and quality control testing to verify conformance to specification before use in a product. (18)

In Canada, Health Canada has approved KSM-66 for a broad range of compelling functional claims based on KSM-66’s impressive set of clinical studies, which have been published in respected peer-reviewed journals. Under Health Canada’s Natural Product Number (NPN) 80047973, a few of the end-product claims that formulators can make using KSM-66 at the clinically-relevant dosage are: 

[1] Helps increase resistance to stress/anxiety in individuals with a history of chronic stress, thereby improving their overall quality of life;

[2] Athletic support or workout/ exercise supplement; and 

[3] Helps promote healthy testosterone production in males. 

[4] Helps support physical aspects of sexual health in women. 

Regarding safety concerns, Ashwagandha is generally considered safe when taken by mouth short-term. The long-term safety of Ashwagandha is not fully known. For stress, Ashwagandha root extract 300 mg twice daily after food for 60 days per manufacturer recommended dosage. But study reports the good safety profile of daily Ashwagandha supplementation up to 1,250 mg. (19)

Thus, based on the above data, the traditional use of Ashwagandha has an  historic and scientific basis. Large scale clinical studies are needed to prove the clinical efficacy of this adaptogenic herb, specially in stress related diseases, neuronal disorders and aspects of human functioning and general wellbeing. 

References

1. Indian Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 2002. Indian Drug Manufacturer’s Association. 467-478;

2. J. Ethnopharmacol, 2020 Jun 28;256:112769.);

3. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Medv.8(5 Suppl); 2011;

4. Molecules 2009, 14(7), 2373-2393;

5. https://www.herbalgram.org/resources/herbalgram;

6. J Med Stud Res. 2018;1:1;

7. Hormones (Athens), Oct-Dec 2008;7(4):287-93;

8. Psychiatry Res, 2021 Jun;300:113898;

9. Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). 2018 Jan-Dec; 2;

10. Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief; 2007, p. 53.;

11. Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism 2010 22(2);

12. Phytochemistry, 2010, Vol. 71, No. 10, pp. 1085–1094;

13. Fitoterapia, 2009, Vol. 80, No. 8, pp. 496–505;

14. Introduction to Ethnobiology. 2016. pp 151-161;

15. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2011;8:208–213;

16. Biol Pharm Bull. 2014;37:892–897;

17. J Clin Psychiatry,2013 Nov;74(11):1076-83;

18. United States Pharmacopeia, 36th Revision (USP 36). Rockville,   MD: United States Pharmacopeial Convention. 2013;1336-1341;

19. www.herbalgram.org

About the Author

Lin Zhang, M.D., senior director of a health care industry company in the United States. With the experience in clinical medicine, biotechnology, health industry and other fields, he is responsible for the research and development of plant medicine, functional food and health products. He was a clinician and worked for the National Cancer Institute, FDA and the National Cancer Center of Japan for many years.