What is Ashwagandha?
It's a plant of Solanaceae family, a.k.a Winter Cherry or Indian Ginseng. The botanical name is Withania somnifera. It's cultivated in drier regions of India, Nepal and China.
The name somnifera means "sleep-inducing" in Latin. The name, ashwagandha, is a combination of the Sanskrit words ashva, meaning horse, and gandha, meaning smell, reflecting that the root has a strong horse-like odor.
Ashwagandha Properties
Ashwagandha is most known calming adoptogen in Ayurveda. Especially, its roots are having exceptional values.
The beneficial constituents in Ashwagandha root powder are Withanolides and other Alkaloids. Withanolides are structurally similar to ginsenosides of Panax Ginseng.