Ashwagandha's Evidence

Ashwagandha (also known as Indian ginseng or winter cherry) is another common herb that is used commonly as an Ayurvedic remedy. The woody plant native to India and Africa has the scientific name of Withania somnifera. Somnifera means "sleep inducing" in Latin. Ashwagandha, on the other hand, means "smell of horse" in Sanskrit, which suggests it is a rather foul-smelling herb!😒 Another explanation for the name, however, is that it imparts the strength and energy of a horse, thereby earning the unique moniker.

Ashwagandha plant with fruit

While ashwagandha is a well-known plant in India, its reputation is only now reaching western medicine, but it is fast gaining popularity as a sleep aid and anxiety reliever for alternative medicine seekers. I have seen ashwagandha bottles stocked on Costco shelves and featured in television infomercials in recent years, much to my amusement. Ashwagandha is considered a natural adaptogen, which helps the body manage stress.

Ashwagandha capsules

But as with other ancient medicine remedies, experiential evidence is not sufficient to make it popular in western society; scientific evidence is a must for people to take it seriously. And now there is that evidence coming in!

Research has proven that ashwagandha reduces levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress, by as much as 30%. Phytochemical study on ashwagandha has detected various chemical constituents such as flavonoids, withanolides, phenolic acids, alkaloids, saponins, and tannins. The withanolides exhibit anti-aging, immunomodulatory, and adaptogenic activities. Some lab studies, although limited in nature, have suggested it can also slow the growth of tumors and cancer cells; more work is underway in this area.

Sources:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-ashwagandha/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19633611/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32783987/

https://blog.priceplow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/withania_review.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573577/

Comments

Rx Symbol

Have you ever wondered why medicines are denoted with an ℞ or Rx symbol? There are actually many theories about its origin but the most common one is that the symbol for prescriptions originated from the "Eye of Horus", which was an ancient Egyptian symbol associated with healing powers. According to Egyptian mythology, Horus lost his eye in battle but his mom used her powers to restore his eye, hence it became a symbol of healing. Eye of Horus In the 2 nd century, Greek physician Galen adapted this symbol to impress his patients. Galen’s influence on medicine was so strong that even the symbol was borrowed through the centuries and it eventually evolved into the modern symbol Rx (the eye of Horus kinda looks like an Rx). Other theories place its origin in Latin and Roman times. One theory is that Rx was used as an abbreviation of the Latin word recipere , meaning “to prepare,” which physicians wrote on medical prescriptions. Yet another theory points to the similarity of...

Hippocrates: Father of Medicine

Another important person in Greek medicine is Hippocrates. Hippocrates is considered the father of modern medicine who continues to influence medicine more than 2000 years later. Although he is as revered as Asclepius, they have very different origins. While Asclepius is a mythological character, considered to be descended from God, Hippocrates is very much a historical figure, whose origin and life is recorded in history. Hippocrates lived from 460 to 375 BCE during the Classical Greece period and practiced medicine in Greece. His contribution to western medicine is rivaled by none other, and his collection of works covers almost every aspect of disease and medicine including infection, hygiene, epidemiology and the human immune system. Bust of Hippocrates Also, unlike Asclepius, Hippocrates practiced medicine as a science, not as divine magic. He was one of the first to separate religion from medicine, and sought to match treatment with symptoms. His observations in the ...

Origin of the Word "Cancer"

In my previous post, I explored the history of cancer. Since we know it existed in ancient times, it follows that so did its name. In fact, the name "cancer" was coined by none other than the great Hippocrates (well, not the exact name but the root of the name). Hippocrates in fact, used two terms, carcinoma and carcinos, to describe ulcerous and non-ulcerous tumors respectively. He named the tumors after Carcinus (or Karkinos), a giant crab in Greek mythology that was sent by the Goddess Hera to help Hydra fight against Hercules. As to why Hippocrates chose to name the tumor after a crab is not quite clear but there are several theories: - The hardness of a malignant tumor reminded him of the hard shell of a crab. - The pain induced by a malignant tumor is similar to a sharp pinch of a crab's claw. - The tenacity of cancer is similar to the determination with which a crab bites and grabs on to a person....

History of Medicine

Search This Blog