Ashwagandha Information-Uses and Benifits

Ashwagandha has a long history in medicine which goes back 4000 years. Its scientific name is Withania Somnifera. It is considered to be a very important drug by Ayurveda which is the Indian traditional medicine system. This herb is used in the treatment of many infectious diseases, tremors and arthritis.

AshwagandhaAshwagandha is a delicate plant which is found India Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It is defined by branched limbs, green leaves, and yellow flowers. It has a stunning appearance and is considered an important herb in Ayuerveda. This herb has a very long history and had been considered to be a holistic herb for the past 4000 years and used in the treatment of various ailments like inflammation, tremors, sexual enhancement, longevity and various infectious diseases.

AshwagandhaAshwagandha is used in Indian food and used to thicken milk. African tribes also use this herb in the treatment of fever and inflammation. It is crushed and mixed with other herbs to for traditional formula know as shilajit. It has the similar properties as ginseng and is used to stimulate the immune system of the body, increase memory, stop inflammation and helps in maintaining health and wellness. It is also known to increase the bone marrow and semen. It is also considered to inhibit the aging process.

AshwagandhaThere are various medical uses of Ashwagandha. It had been used in the treatment of the mental health problems from quite a long time. In a study done 30 patients who were suffering from anxiety disorder were given 40 ml doses twice a day. After 30 days a lot of improvement was seen in the patients. In some patients symptoms of anxiety like panic attacks and paranoia totally disappeared. It has also been used to treat depression, schizophrenia and alcoholism. It is also helpful in increasing memory and learning skills.

AshwagandhaStudies have been conducted in order to prove the effectiveness of Ashwagandha in treating arthritis, tumors and other inflammation. These studies proved that it acts as an anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor agent as the naturally occurring steroidal content is higher than hydrocortisone which is used for treatment of cancer.

You should be careful while taking Ashwangandha as a medicine. Overdose of herbal medicine can be equally lethal and dangerous as any other drug. You should never take it if it is congested, during pregnancy and breastfeeding. You should first consult your doctor if you are taking it for the treatment of cancer or AIDS.

Zingiber Officinalis Information-Uses and benefits

Botanical Name: Zingiber Officinalis
Family Name: Zingiberaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Zingiber
Species: Z. officinale
Popular Names: Adrakam, Race Ginger, Jamiaca Ginger, African Ginger, Black Ginger, Adrak, Root Ginger, Sunth, Sheng Jiang
Parts Utilized: Dried and fresh rhizomes
Habitat: Throughout India and South East Asia.

Portrayal

Zingiber OfficinalisThis is a crawling herb with branching, thick bulbs and upright, muscular stems with 15 to 30 centimeters long spear shaped leaves. The flowers are green-yellow in color with dark purple lip with yellow linings. The fruits of this plant are very much alike to fleshy capsules. This plant grows best in moist, well drained and fertile soil. The areas which are considered best for growing ginger are California, Hawaii, Florida, India, China and tropical areas. In Indian regions, this herb is also known as aadrak in Urdu and Bengali, adrak in Gujarati, allam in telugu, shunti in Kannada, alay in Marathi, aduwa in Nepali and inji in Malayalam and Tamil.

Chemicals which are found in the plant

Zingiber OfficinalisShogaols including 6-shogaol, 8-shogaol, 10-shogaol, (+) – volatile oil including arcurcumene and zingiberene, geranial and neral, arcurcumene and beta-bisabolene, geranial, linalool and neral, beta-phellandrene, D-camphor, mixture of cis- and trans-beta-eudesmol and E)-alpha-farnesene, gingeroils including 6-gingeroil, 8-gingeroil, 10-gingeroil and other various chemicals like zingiberene and bisabolene.

Usages and advantages of Ginger

This herb also helps in curing diarrhea, arthritis, rheumatism, motion sickness, bronchitis, diabetes, other digestive problems and stomach aches.
It has cholesterol reducing and blood thinning properties which reduces the risks of getting heart problems.
This also helps in getting rid of nausea due to morning sickness, chemotherapy and seasickness or during pregnancy.
Ginger with 3 or 4 Tulsi leaves helps in curing cough, cold and congestion.
In West, dried ginger root powder is consumed in capsule form.
Zingiber Officinalis

Chinese make a delicious remedy with ginger to cure cold. They cook some sliced ginger in water with along cola or brown sugar to prepare it.
Burmese make an excellent remedy to prevent flu by adding boiled mixture of a sweetener which is made from juice of palm tree with ginger.
Indian use ginger paste on the temples to cure severe headaches.
Zingiber Officinalis
Cautions to be taken
Ginger is a restricted herb for children under 2 years. Ginger powder can cause nausea, bloating, gas or heartburn so it should be used after consulting your doctor.