Withania somnifera
| Withania somnifera | |
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| File:WithaniaFruit.jpg | |
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W. somnifera
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| Withania somnifera |
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Withania somnifera, known commonly as ashwagandha,[2] Indian ginseng,[3] poison gooseberry,[3] or winter cherry,[2] is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family. Several other species in the genus Withania are morphologically similar.[4] It is used as a herb in Ayurvedic medicine.
Contents
Description
This species is a short, tender perennial shrub growing 35–75 cm (14–30 in) tall. Tomentose branches extend radially from a central stem. Leaves are dull green, elliptic, usually up to 10–12 cm long. The flowers are small, green and bell-shaped. The ripe fruit is orange-red.
Etymology
The species name somnifera means "sleep-inducing" in Latin.[5]
Cultivation
Withania somnifera is cultivated in many of the drier regions of India, such as Mandsaur District of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.[6] It is also found in Nepal, China[7] and Yemen.[8]
Pathology
Withania somnifera is prone to several pests and diseases. Leaf spot disease caused by Alternaria alternata is the most prevalent disease, which is most severe in the plains of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Biodeterioration of its pharmaceutically active components during leaf spot disease has been reported.[9] The Choanephora cucurbitarum causes a stem and leaf rot of Withania somnifera.[10] A treehopper feeds on the apical portions of the stem, making them rough and woody in appearance and brown in colour. The apical leaves are shed and the plant gradually dies.[11] The carmine red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) is the most prevalent pest of the plant in India.[12]
Culinary use
The berries can be used as a substitute for rennet in cheesemaking.[6]
Biochemistry
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The main chemical constituents are alkaloids and steroidal lactones. These include tropine and cuscohygrine. The leaves contain the steroidal lactones, withanolides, notably withaferin A, which was the first to be isolated from the plant.[citation needed] Tropine is a derivative of tropane containing a hydroxyl group at third carbon. It is also called 3-tropanol. Benzatropine and etybenzatropine are derivatives of tropine. It is also a building block of atropine, an anticholinergic drug prototypical of the muscarinic antagonist class. Cuscohygrine is a pyrrolidine alkaloid found in coca. It can also be extracted from plants of the family Solanaceae as well, including Atropa belladonna (deadly nightshade), Datura inoxia and Datura stramonium (jimson weed). Cuscohygrine usually comes with other, more potent alkaloids like atropine or cocaine. Cuscohygrine (along with the related metabolite hygrine) was first isolated by Carl Liebermann in 1889 as an alkaloid accompanying cocaine in coca leaves (also known as Cusco-leaves). Cuscohygrine is an oil that can be distilled without decomposition only in vacuum. It is soluble in water. It also forms a crystalline trihydrate, which melts at 40–41 °C. There are also the alkaloids ashwagandhine, ashwaganidhine, and somniferine, all of which have been identified exclusively in the ashwagandha plant itself.
Traditional medicinal uses
The plant's long, brown, tuberous roots are used in traditional medicine.[6][7] In Ayurveda, the berries and leaves are applied externally to tumors, tubercular glands, carbuncles, and ulcers.[6] The roots are used to prepare the herbal remedy ashwagandha. In Yemen, where it is known as ubab,[13] the dried leaves are ground to a powder from which a paste is made and used in the treatment of burns and wounds.[14]
See also
- Bacopa monnieri (brahmi)[15]
References
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- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Hugh Scott & Kenneth Mason, Western Arabia and the Red Sea, Naval Intelligence Division: London 1946, p. 597 ISBN 0-7103-1034-X.
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External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
