The Flu season has not yet come to an end. The viruses are currently at their best, hopping from one infected person to another. At a stressful time like this, you need a herb that will do everything from calming down to helping you win the war against viruses. Dont forget to stock this wonderful herb and use it regularly*.
What makes this herb special?
As an Immunomodulator: It will help condition the Immune system so that it can withstand any threat.
As an Adaptogen: It will help us adapt to the stress. Physical, Environmental and all the variants nature can throw at you.
As a nutraceutical: It will help provide the necessary nutrition to strengthen the body.
As a Rejuvenative herb, it will help maintain youth and vitality. By the way, this is one of the essential herbs in the Rasayana toolkit and is used by Ayurvedic Vaidyas in Kayakalpa (Antiaging treatment)
As a Nootropic: It will help improve brain function and memory. It also has anti-depressant and calming properties which should help you maintain your cool especially during a stressful period such as the one that the epidemic has created.
And most importantly- As an antiviral- It is going to help you fight the dreaded Influenza virus.
Scientific Name: Withnia somnifera | English: Indian Ginseng| Sanskrit: Ashwagandha | Hindi, Marathi: Ashwagandha | Bengali: Asbagandha| Tamil: Amukkara| Telugu: Penneru| Kannada: Asvagandhi | Malayalam: Amukkura|
Disclaimer: For the untrained eye, many plants appear similar. Do not attempt to harvest and use herbs until and unless you are familiar with herb identification and usage.
If you want to use any of the herbs mentioned on these blogs, please do so under the guidance of a doctor or a holistic practitioner. You can also write to us at feedback@prehealing.com for usage information specific to your issue.
* Ashwagandha is a safe herb to use, however it is recommended that you take herbs and supplements after consulting with a holistic medical practitioner so that they can help you arrive at the correct dosage to suit your needs and constitution.
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Research:
Cai Z, Zhang G, Tang B, Liu Y, Fu X, Zhang X. Promising Anti-influenza Properties of Active Constituent of Withania somnifera Ayurvedic Herb in Targeting Neuraminidase of H1N1 Influenza: Computational Study. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2015 Jul;72(3):727-39. doi: 10.1007/s12013-015-0524-9. PubMed PMID: 25627548.
Palliyaguru, Dushani L et al. “Withania somnifera: From prevention to treatment of cancer.” Molecular nutrition & food research vol. 60,6 (2016): 1342-53. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201500756
Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya S. Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12:43. Published 2015 Nov 25. doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9
Yenisetti SC, Manjunath MJ, Muralidhara C. Neuropharmacological Properties of Withania somnifera - Indian Ginseng: An Overview on Experimental Evidence with Emphasis on Clinical Trials and Patents. Recent Pat CNS Drug Discov. 2016;10(2):204-215. Review. PubMed PMID: 27316579.
Pratte MA, Nanavati KB, Young V, Morley CP. An alternative treatment for anxiety: a systematic review of human trial results reported for the Ayurvedic herb ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). J Altern Complement Med. 2014;20(12):901–908. doi:10.1089/acm.2014.0177