Ashwagandha, Ayurvedic super herb that helps you look younger and live longer – just ask Meghan, Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow
- Ashwagandha is used by athletes to build strength and endurance and aid recovery, and studies suggest it can improve the brain’s memory functions
- Research suggests the root may fight inflammation and tumour growth. It is considered a potent sexual stimulant, and studies show it could help treat Covid-19
Do you want to sleep better, look younger and live longer? Your answer may lie in a wonder herb that’s been used in Indian traditional medicine, or Ayurveda, for thousands of years: Withania somnifera, or ashwagandha.
Also called Indian ginseng or winter cherry, its name is derived from the Sanskrit words ashwa, meaning horse, and gandha, meaning smell, referring both to the unique musky smell of its roots, reminiscent of a stallion, and its ability to give horse-like strength and vitality.
Ashwagandha is a small shrub with yellow flowers, a member of the night shade family. While every part of the plant is useful, it’s the stout, fleshy roots that are sought after as a supplement, either powdered or added to a tincture, and available as powder or in capsules.
“In Ayurveda, ashwagandha was identified as a rasayana thousands of years ago – a herb that improves tissue health and rejuvenates you in the process,” says Sheela Rani Chunkath, retired chief secretary of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and a columnist who writes about Ayurveda.