Starward Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I have been growing Ashwagandha over spring and summer and have started to harvest seeds. With winter coming up I am hoping to harvest the leaves when I trim the plant back. I plan to let it grow for another year to get more sizable roots before harvesting next year. Has anyone any experience with using Ashwagandha Leaf and Fruit? The basic idea is that only the roots are safe, with differing ideas around the fruit and leaves; however, I have been able to dig up academic papers in which they have used the leaves and the fruit. However, there is no information on how they were used/extracted and at what dose. I assume that a simple water extraction would suffice. Any insights would be appreciated. https://ayush.gov.in/images/domains/quality_standards/safetyReportAshwagandha.pdf https://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/34419-ashwagandha-is-toxic/ This post is interesting by coin who makes an interesting point about the pitta and "if you lean toward these tendencies you need to combine with other herbs" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemica Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I've used the leaf, it seems personally friendly enough but caution is still advised. Perhaps the most off-putting bit of the leaf is it's weird flavour, I used to make a glycerite to cover it a bit Some mention of the leaves being used by Indians has been made, in tea "When brewed as a tea, the leaves may help to regulate blood glucose (blood sugar) in the body, increase energy and support mental clarity and attention." It seems to require more cautious dosing, the leaf due to the high levels of withaferin A, one withanolide which is cytotoxic, needs some caution. The leaves possess higher content of active withanolides, withaferin-A and withanone, as compared to the roots [1]. Nootropic and CNS therapeutic properties of the leaf have been claimed [2]. Withaferin-A is a potent leptin sensitiser with additional antidiabetic actions and resulted in a 20-25% reduction of body weight in overweight mice [3]. It improves insulin sensitivity [4]. Anti-neuroinflammatory properties have been ascribed to the leaf [5] along with neuroprotective properties [6] Withaferin-A shows anti-neuroinflammatory [7] anti-Aβ properties [8] and dopamine-restoring [9] properties. Improvement of cognitive dysfunction has been ascribed to Withanone [10] including inhibition of AChE, anti-Aβ, protection against oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects. Many toxicological studies have demonstrated that Ashwagandha, in its reasonable dose, is a non-toxic, safe and edible herb - despite that, there is sometimes movement away from the cytotoxic constituents towards root extracts which may be less effective Fruits of Withania are reported to possess several bioactive compounds as curative agents for various clinical conditions. 82 chemically diverse metabolites consisting of organic acids, fatty acids, aliphatic and aromatic amino acids, polyols, sugars, sterols, tocopherols, phenolic acids and withanamides were found in the fruits of W. somnifera. Withanamides, the primary active constituents in W. somnifera fruit extract exhibited neuroprotective effects. The fruits have relatively strong antiproliferative activity. They may improve antioxidant status and reduce proinflammatory markers. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27936030 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26361721 [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27479085 [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30417321 [5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27550017 [6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25789768 [7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26266054 [8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30356847 [9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30544122 [10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29108796 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starward Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 (edited) Thank you Alchemica 👍 I have a high tolerance for taste so I will start with a simple tea and we will see how it is tolerated. Let me try a cup a tea in the morning and see what happens. I am a diabetic so its effect on weight is very interesting. Edited February 24 by Starward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starward Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 (edited) I picked 9 large leaves and washed them, then added them to a pot containing 1.5 cups of cold tap water. I brought the water to a boil, and then reduced it to a simmer and reduced it to 1 cup of water. The end product looks like oolong tea, has a slightly green grass smell, the taste is not bad, the taste starts like tasting like nothing much but fades to a solid bitter. It leaves the mouth feeling parched almost like the feeling you get from tannins. I will start with one glass a day and see what effect it has on my blood sugar and weight over a month. I am also due for a blood test and will get results for my liver function to see if there are any downsides. PS. my interest in the leaves is my frugality, if I can avoid digging up a plant by harvesting leaves then all the better. The leaves seem to be a more sustainable resource management option. Edited February 25 by Starward 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
withdrawl clinic Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 the products sold in the pharmacies also contain the leaves, so it should be ok. some herbalist sold me chopped up stems of withania as root material, so caution is needed, as some traders are malicious. i did a bio essay on 3 or more products sold in pharmacies and found most of them not very active. some products add vitamin b compounds, which is a stupid idea, because i can't use it at night time (when anxiety peaks) as the vitamin b, doesn't let me sleep. home grown herb, is superior and you avoid using an inferior product as sold by pharmacies. withania seems to like colder climats, the plants grown in europe, i inspected were up to 2m tall. but mine in oz stay small. is it dwarfism produced by heat stress, or are there different strains around? the smell and color of hot water extracted withania, resembles that of poppy, and as that explains it's second latin name somnifera. i believe laudanum doesn't help with anxiety, but withania does. if any of you grow large withania strains please, send me a pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starward Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 (edited) @withdrawl clinic Thanks. With winter coming I thinking of pruning the aerial parts of the plant. Because I fear that the frost will kill most of the plant. Do your plants survive the winter frost? Then drying the aerial parts for tea or doing a tincture in alcohol. Do you think a Ashwagandha tincture is a good idea? My plants are all less then 1/2 meter tall so dwarfs. Edited March 5 by Starward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyzygy Posted March 5 Share Posted March 5 Does it grow from cutting? I tried planting seeds many moons ago, here in Melbourne, and nothing came up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starward Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 (edited) 28 minutes ago, fyzygy said: Does it grow from cutting? I tried planting seeds many moons ago, here in Melbourne, and nothing came up. I have heard that it does grow from cuttings. Honestly the seeds grows like a weed. I grew it a grow tent with high humidity. @fyzygy Happy to send you fresh seeds. Message me. Edited March 5 by Starward 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
withdrawl clinic Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 i don't know how frost sensitive they are, as i always haverested the roots before winter. some potatoe bug, has been eating all the leaves of my plant, so i might harvest the plant soon. if motivated i will plant fresh seeds soon, and see how they take my mild frosts, in sheltered spots. more than 20 years ago, i did a hot water extraction with the root, it was very good. you freeze the decotion, so it doesnt go bad. alcohol, is not such a good solvent for withania says's my instincts. but commercial withania is alcohol extracted... it depends on the polarity... one needs to make trials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
withdrawl clinic Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starward Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 (edited) !@withdrawl clinic thanks - I decided to pull out the smallest ashwagandha to see how developed the root system was. Honestly, it was fairly fine and had very small roots, 2 or 3mm diameter at most. I re-potted it into a bigger pot. I did not feel it was worth harvesting. I am in the process of moving my ashwagandha to a protected location, and I will cover them with plastic to see if I can get them through winter frost - wish I had a polytunnel. I will prune the leaves and dry them for tea, and I will see if the plants will survive the winter and maybe next year I can get a worthwhile harvest. Edited March 14 by Starward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
withdrawl clinic Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 i sowed out some withania seeds yesterday! i like how the forum can act as a motivator, for me to do more in my garden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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