Ayurveda Through the Ages: Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha, also known as Indian Ginseng or Indian Gooseberry, has a long and developed history. Ashwagandha's history is inseparable from the history of Ayurveda. Historically, Ashwagandha's root has been described in Ayurveda as a universal health tonic. This member of the nightshade family has been used for at least 6,000 years and has been described as a Rasayana, which means it was considered a vital herb for maintaining a healthy body.

Historically, Ayurveda has used the ashwagandha root for stamina, balance, rejuvenation, cognitive function, stress management, as well as assisting in maintaining normal and healthy reproductive function. In the 1960's, ashwagandha was included in a list of herbs formulated by Russian scientist Dr. Nocholai Lazarev that were all considered to be (his newly-coined term) “adaptogens”. Dr. Lazarev considered adaptogens to be naturally found substances that could nourish the body by maintaining a normal, healthy stress response. Other adaptogens include ginger, ginseng, black pepper, and shatavari.

Today, we know that ashwagandha is packed full of vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, carotene, and vitamin C. We grow ashwagandha on our certified organic farms, and include ashwagandha in many of our products; our ashwagandha single herb powder, ashwagandha single herb capsules, FemPause, StamiMax, SensuMax , and Imunade.