Ashwagandha plant Withania somniferum: Morphology and economic botany notes

 Economic Botany- Morphology of Ashwagandha Plant

Botanical Name: Withania somniferum

Family: Solanaceae

Common Name: Ashwagandha

Importance :

Main active constituents are ‘somniferum’ and withananine’. This is used as a tonic in geriatrics, being efficacious in relieving hand and limb tremors of elderly persons. It is considered as an aphrodisiac and rejuvenator and given for all kinds of weaknesses and is supposed to promote strength and vigour. Several preparations related to nervous systems contain the drug of this plant. Roots yield important drugs useful in all types of skin lesions, paralytic conditions, ulcers, in reducing pus formation and in rheumatic pain inflammation of joints.

The raw material used in medicine is the root, and the name “Ashwagandha” is derived from the word “ashwa”, meaning horse. 

It is believed that after consuming the root, one gains powers similar to that of a horse. The second part of the name “gandha,” means fragrance and refers to the characteristic smell of the fresh root of the plant.

Morphology of Plant

It is a small, woody shrub in the Solanaceae family that grows about two feet in height. Withania somnifera is an erect, evergreen (green in whole year), branching, short shrub. The plant is usually clothed with minutely stellate tomentum.

ROOTS: 

The roots of Ashwagandha are  fleshy  when  dry,  they  are  straight,  cylindrical, tapering down, gradually unbranched of about 10-17.5cm long and 6-12milimeter diameter in thick. The main roots are brownish outer and creamy interior and bear fiber  similar  secondary  roots  having  acrid  taste  and  biter. Roots  are stout,  fleshy and  whitish  brown  in colour.

STEM:

The stems of Withania are brownish dark colour and erect, sometimes leaves are absent or less on lower part of stem.

Leaves are simple, petiolate with the leaf blade varying in shape from elliptic-ovate to broadly ovate,  entire  along margins, acute to obtuse at  apex, oblique at base. Leaves on vegetative shoot are alternate and large and those on floral branches are opposite, arranged somewhat laterally in pairs of one small leaf and one large leaf.

Infloroscence is cymose bearing in the axil of large and small leaves as cymose cluster of 4-25 inconspicuous pale green with monoceous flowers.

Seeds are normally many, discoid, reniform and yellow.

It produces flowers indeterminately round the year with a peak of flowering between March and July or throughout the year. Berries start maturing in June-july.

Uses: