ashwagandha

A Comparative Study of Wild Ashwagandha & Cultivated Ashwagandha w.s.r.to Rasayan karma
*Dr. Rajeev Kushwah **Dr. Mahesh Dadhich ***Prof. M.C.Sharma
Introduction:
Being an eternal science, 'Ayurveda', the 'science of human life', deals with physical, psychological as well as spiritual well being of an individual. It covers all the spheres of human life. It is not merely a materialistic science, but a philosophical and fateful truth, which our great ancestral sages, through their experience, logic and power of wisdom, had found true and proved it to the truth of time.
Now, the medical community all over the world considers Ayurveda as the last resort for unanswerable question whenever their hands are tied up.
Dravya guna vigyan is truly a natural science that deals with dravyas which play key role in maintainance of health and alleviation of disease in human body. Out of tetrads of therapeutic management of diseases, Bheshaja (Therapuntic Agent) stand next to the physician for successful management of the disease. Dravyaguna vigyan is fundamental, insuperable branch of Ayurveda which deals with study of such dravyas (Bheshajas) & its properties, actions, dose, time of administration and various preparations of these drugs. This science pervades all spheres & specialties of Ayurveda.
In the ancient time we used drug in their natural form after "Harit Kranti "we had found a great change in plant’s production and its result cultivation has come in front,which form is hybrid but we loss their natural qualities, so it is necessary to find out difference between cultivation & wild.
Ashwagandha is one of them which are found in both forms.
Man the super most of all the species is always remaining in the search of one prime goal: the perfect health. Ancient Acharyas and their counter parts in this era tried and still trying their best to keep the man young and virile.
But we know about sharir.
That indicated something is being lost at the end of life beginning from birth and we know mean life span various widely depending on environmental circumstance.
In Samhita period mean life span of human being is 100 yrs. But in present era in India life expectancy for the human 63 yrs.( P.S.M. 2005 ).
As an answer to solve the problems of the healthful longevity including the mental development and resistant against diseases the Rasayan is their. Bhavprakash defind the term Rasayan as the therapy which alleviates vyadhi jara. There are so many Rasayan drug depicit in our Ayurvedic literatures which are responsible to improve immunity and increase life span.Ashwagandha is one of them.
*Ph.D. Scholar NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA JAIPUR
**Associate Prof. GOVT. DHANVANTARI AYURVEDA COLLEGE UJJAIN
*** Director & H.O.D. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AYURVEDA JAIPUR
So the scholar has taken up this topic.
A Comparative Study of Wild Ashwagandha & Cultivated Ashwagandha w.s.r.to Rasayan karma
Reason of chosen the topic:
􀂾 Ashwagandha is the most important plant, not only Ayurvedic litrature as well as modern literature also.
􀂾 Scientist has found characterstics difference between wild & cultivated plant.
The cultivated plants are reported to differ from the wild ones not only in their morphological characters but in their therapeutical action though the alkaloids present are the same in both.In view of there difference , some botanist consider the cultivated plant distinct from the wild one and have given at a new specific name Withania ashwagandha.
Kawl (Atal Schwarting. Econ.Bot. 1961, 15,256Kawl symp.Util.med.PL.Lucknow1957-7.8)
􀂾 Rasayan promote longevity of life. ( Ch.Chi.1/1/7-8 )
Material & Method:
􀂾 Drug = Ashwagandha root powder
􀂾 Dose = 5 gm B.d
􀂾 Vehical = Warm water
􀂾 Drug duration = 45 days
Clinical study:
I have selected 30 patients who are registered in O.P.D. & I.P.D. of Govt.Auto.Dhanvantari Ayurvedic Hospital Ujjain and randomly divided them in three groups. Each group has 10 patients.
Group A: 10 Patient of this group were administered Wild ashwagandha churna 5 gm B.d.
Group B: 10 Patient of this group were administered Cultivated (Mandausar) ashwagandha churna 5 gm B.d.
Group C: 10 Patient of this group were administered Nagauri ashwagandha churna 5 gm B.d.
The following criteria were taken for assement.
Subjective parameter:
Smiriti , Medha , Nidra, Chinta, Utsah , Svaraudarya , Kanti , Bala , Kshudha , Angmard.
Objective parameter:
Serum Immunoglobin ( Ig G ) , CBP, Lipid profile , Weight , Routine urine , Routine stool.
Total % relief on all subjective parameter

Group A Group B Group C
B.T. A.T. % of relief B.T. A.T. % of relief B.T. A.T. % of relief Total smiriti 2.2 1.5 31.82% 2.2 1.4 36.36% 2 1 50% 39.9
medha 2.2 1.5 31.82% 2.1 1.4 33.33% 1.9 1.1 42.11% 35.75
nidhra 0.5 0.1 80% 0.3 0.1 66.67 0.6 0.1 83.33 76.67
chinta 2.3 1.2 47.83% 2 0.7 65% 2.1 1 52.38% .07
utsah 2 8 60% 1.7 0.6 64.71% 1.3 0.6 53.85% 59.52
svaraudarya 1.4 0.9 35.71% 1.4 1.1 21.43% 1.3 1.1 15.39% 24.18
kanti 1.6 0.9 43.75% 1.8 0.8 55.56% 1.4 0.6 57.14% 52.15
bala 1.9 1.1 42.11% 1.4 0.4 71.43% 1.3 0.5 61.54% 58.36
kshudha 1.4 0.3 78.57% 0.7 0 100% 0.9 0.1 88.89% 89.15
angmardha 2.1 1.1 47.62% 1.6 0.8 50 1.6 0.8 50% 52.54
Total % Change in Objective parameter
Investigation
Group A Group B Group C
B.T. A.T. % of change B.T. A.T. % of change B.T. A.T. % of change Total
IgG 11.52 12.38 .44􀁋 11.00 12.12 10.19􀁋 12.82 12.79 0.21􀁌 5.81↑
Hb 12.00 13.05 8 .75􀁋 13.50 13.85 2.59􀁋 13.35 13.90 4.12􀁋 5.15↑
RBC 3.75 4.15 10.67􀁋 4.37 4.25 2.75􀁌 4.22 4.21 0.24􀁌 2.56↑
WBC 70.10 76.50 9.13􀁋 73.20 75.40 3.01􀁋 75.00 78.40 4.50􀁋 5.55↑
Neutrophil 57.30 57.90 1.05􀁋 56.40 57.10 1.24􀁋 56.80 58.10 2.29􀁋 1.53↑
Eosinophil 0.6 0.0 100􀁋 0.3 0.6 100􀁋 0.3 0.6 100􀁌 33.33↑
Basophil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.04↓
Lymphocyte 41.6 41.4 0.48􀁋 41.8 41.4 0.96􀁌 41.9 41.2 1.67􀁌 24.45↓
Monocyte 0.5 0.7 40.00􀁋 1.5 0.8 46.67􀁌 1.2 0.4 66.67􀁌 0
Platelets 2.80 2.84 1.43􀁋 2.96 2.98 0.68􀁋 3.03 3.1 2.13􀁋 1.47↑
E.S.R. 14.4 11.0 23.61􀁌 8.1 7.7 4.94􀁌 9.3 9.0 3.23􀁌 10.60↓
S.Protein 7.17 7.59 5.86􀁋 7.38 7.40 0.27􀁋 6.95 7.65 1.07􀁋 5.4↑
S. Albumin 3.96 4.39 10.86􀁋 3.95 4.12 4.30􀁋 3.68 4.26 15.76􀁌 10.31↑
S. Globulin 3.20 3.20 0 3.48 3.28 5.75􀁌 3.67 3.39 7.63􀁌 4.46↓
S. Cholesterol 186.1 190 2.10􀁋 177.7 187.8 5.68􀁋 188.3 195.4 3.77􀁋 3.85↑
HDL 43 42 2.33􀁌 43.9 42.6 2.96􀁌 41.5 42.5 2.41􀁋 0.96↓
LDL 125.3 128.3 2.39􀁋 116.9 127.3 8.90􀁋 130.2 134.6 3.38􀁋 4.89↑
Triglyceride 86.9 87.1 0.23􀁋 82.6 87.6 6.05􀁋 84.3 89.0 5.58􀁋 3.95↑
Pus Cell (Stool) 2.45 1.8 26.53􀁌 2.5 1.95 22􀁌 1.65 1.5 9.09􀁌 19.21↓
Epethial Cell (Urin) 2.9 1.2 58.62􀁌 3.0 2.3 23.33􀁌 3.0 2.25 25.00􀁌 35.65↓
Pus Cell 2.3 1.65 28.26􀁌 3.0 1.2 60􀁌 1.65 1.65 0 29.42↓
Body Weight 47.8 49.8 4.18􀁋 49.2 50.9 3.46􀁋 55.2 56.8 2.90􀁋 3.51↑
Comparative % relief in subjective parameters
Group A Group B Group C
35% 34% 31%
Conclusion:
It is cleared by above table that IgG increase after treatment up to 5.81 %↑, Hb 5.15%↑, RBC 2.57%↑, WBC 5.56%↑, Neutrophil 1.53%↑, Eosinophil .01%↑, Lymphocytes 1.03↓, Weight 3.59%↑ and all these parameter include in cellular & humoral immunity.
Immunity is only the weapons for the basic struggle of life and denotes the resistance against an organism .The term immune is derived from Latin word immunes which means free from services i.e. Literally it means free from the possibility of acquiring a given infectious disease or resistance to an infections disease.
Ashwagandha (Withania sominifera)
Luxture T lymphocytes↑ Immunoglobulin
Skin↑ B lymphocytes↑ IgG ↑
Neutrophil↑ [molecular immunity]
Macrophages↑
Natural killer cells↑
Eosinophil↑
Mast cell↑
(Cellular Immunity)
Ist line defense IInd line defense IIIrd line defense
Innate Immunity Adopted Immunity
Immunity↑
In that way Ashwagandha [Withania somnifera] increase Ist line defense, IInd line defense, IIIrd line defense immunity. Immunity plays a contributory role to increase life span.
Now this research shows that Ashwagandha plays an important role to increase immunity as well as acts as an anti-oxidant also.
It is cleared by above all graphs that Group C has better results than Group A & B. group c drug is Nagori Ashwagandha . i.e. cultivated .it is proved from this trial that Withania ashwagandha should be taken for rasayan properties.