Phytoactive.net - ethnobotanical, entheogen, & psychoactive herb forum

Withania somnifera, otherwise known as Indian Ginseng, is held very dear to the heart of practitioners of Ayurveda, which is the oldest known system of medicine on Earth.  Ashwagandha is sometimes referred to as the 'King of Ayurveda'.

Belonging to the mysterious & powerful Nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), Ashwagandha is typically found and cultivated in India, and is often used by those with overworked and tense lives.  The roots are currently being applied in Ayurvedic medicine to treat hypertension, and stress related ailments, while it has been traditionally used to help the body deal with chronic fatigue, impotency, memory loss, neurological problems and anxiety.  As an adaptogen, this herb has actions as a motivational stimulant, aphrodisiac, cognitive enhancer, & calmness-producing agent.

• Ashwagandha's potent ability to reduce anxiety & improve mood may be in part due to its GABA mimicking effects. 
  http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/1660034/reload=0;jsessionid=9Ujjkg3YR5UiIgeaHbwd.2

• Ashwagandha has been shown to posses immense anti-oxidant activity and recent research has shown that it can protect the body from the structural changes induced by morphine use & subsequent withdrawal. 
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874197000640

• Ashwagandha has also been shown to increase acetylcholine receptor activity while upregulating the affinity of the Muscaranic Acetylcholine receptors 1 & 2, and this may explain it's positive effects on cognition, memory, & mood, while strengthening the para-sympathetic nervous system, also known as the 'rest & digest' response. 
  http://shareayurveda.com/pdf/Ashwagandha.pdf

• Ashwagandha has been shown to stimulate the thyroid gland, increasing serum levels of thyroid hormones 3,3′,5-triiodothyronine (T3) and tetraiodothyronine (T4). 
  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-7158.1998.tb06923.x/abstract

• Ashwagandha has been shown to bestow profound mood enhancing, anxiety reducing, & resolve strengthening effects. 
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711300800306

• Ashwagandha is mentioned in the Kama Sutra as an herb to be used for heightening the sexual experience and can help extend the duration of the act of love making, likely due to it's dualistic energizing and relaxing qualities.

• Ashwagandha is a great daily supplement, the effects building and maintaining over time.  Ashwagandha has been used for over 3,000 years and the vast amount of evidence of it's benefits speaks for itself.  It comes highly recommended in times of severe strife and stress and is a vital ally for lessening anxiety without decreasing energy levels.

Ashwagandha is strong enough to be used in capsules or chewed directly, and also makes an effective unfiltered powdered tea.  Average doses range from 1 to 4 grams (1-2 teaspoons).  Taste is sweet & starchy with an affinity for chocolate.  Ayurvedically prepared Ashwagandha has been detoxified & can be consumed in larger dosages.  The effects begin to change quite dramatically above 4 grams, becoming quite the meditative aid.