Withania somnifera
Floral Description:
In Pakistan:
A suffruticose shrub, 60-90 cm tall. Branches ascending. Shoots stellate-tomentose. Leaves 4-13 x 2-9 cm, elliptic-ovate to broadly ovate, acute, cuneate or oblique, entire to repand. Petiole 10-20 mm long. Flowers sessile to subsessile, greenish-yellow, in axillary clusters of 2-5.Calyx 2-2.5 x 2.5-3 mm, up to 2.0 x 14 mm in fruit, stellately hairy, becoming glabrescent and membranous; teeth 1-1.5 mm long, up to 8 mm in fruit, acute. Corolla lobes 2-2.5 mm long, triangular, tomentose to the outside. Anthers subincluded; filaments 1-2.5 mm long. Berry globose, 6-8 mm broad, red. Seeds sub pyriform to reniform, minutely reticulate-foveolate, yellowish-brown.
Distribution: Canary Islands, Mediterranean, Africa, Iraq, S. Iran, Syria, Turkey, Palestine, Arabia, Pakistan and India.
Common throughout in waste places up to 2300 m. The plant parts have alkaloids with sedative properties. The root is used in rheumatism and debility. The leaves are used in fevers; a concoction with roots is useful for ulcers, boils etc. The fruit is diuretic. The poisonous seeds have a mild coagulating effect on milk.
The species is variable as to the texture and the pubescence of leaves.
In China:
Herbs perennial, 30-150 cm tall, pubescent with dendritic hairs. Stems woody proximally, erect or reclining, branched, tomentose. Petiole 1-2 cm; leaf blade ovate, obovate, or oblong, 2.5-12 × 2-7 cm, glabrescent adaxially except along midvein, pubescent abaxially, base cuneate, apex acute. Inflorescences subsessile clusters of 4-6 flowers; peduncle obsolete. Pedicel ca. 5 mm. Calyx campanulate, 3-5 mm, tomentose; lobes deltate, 1-2 mm. Corolla yellowish green, narrowly campanulate, 5-8 mm, tomentose at throat; lobes ovate, spreading or recurving, 2-2.5 mm. Filaments ca. 1.8 mm; anthers yellow, ovoid, ca. 1 mm, minutely apiculate. Style exserted. Fruiting calyx becoming brown and translucent, globose or ovoid, truncate at base, 1-2.2 cm; lobes short, somewhat urceolate. Berry shiny, scarlet, globose, 5-8 mm. Seeds drying pale brown, reniformdiscoid, 2-2.5 × 2 mm.
Activties and Uses:
Poisoning due to seeds. Plant decoction said to increase fertility in women, used for conception. diuretic. Bark for disease of the rectum. Roots abortifacient, sedative, narcotic, general tonic, hypotensive, stimulant, diuretic, used for conception in sterility, gangrenous rectitis, insomnia, cardiac diseases, malaria, venereal diseases, syphilis, ulcers, asthma, urinary troubles, renal calculi; root decoction given to cure spermatorrhea; boiled root infusion used for women’s stomachache; powdered roots in diabetes, gout, rheumatism; fresh root juice tonic, aphrodisiac.
Leaves for wounds, sores, skin diseases; arthritis, swellings, wounds, boils, crushed leaves applied as a poultice to affected areas; paste of leaves and fresh roots applied on tumours, boils, swellings, rheumatism; against malaria, leaves and roots boiled. Fruit soaked in water and the decoction applied to eye diseases.
Rhizome powder mixed with seed powder of Hygrophila schulli and Ionidium suffruticosum mixed with water and taken orally as aphrodisiac. Veterinary medicine, stem bark of Deccania pubescens ground with those of Carissa spinarum, Chloroxylon swietenia and tubers of Withania somnifera given in anthrax.
Withania somnifera shows following activities: Abortifacient, Adaptogen, Alterative, Amebicide, Anabolic, Analgesic, Antiaging, Antianemic, Antiarthritic, Antibacterial, Antiedemic, Antiendotoxin, Antiepileptic, Antifertility, Antiherpetic, Antiinflammatory, Antimitotic, Antioxidant, Antiproliferative, Antipyretic, Antisarcomic, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Antistress, Antitumor, Antiulcerogenic, Antiviral, Aphrodisiac, Bradycardiac, Cerebrotonic, Chemopreventive, CNS-depressan, Contraceptive, Cytotoxic, Deobstruent, Diuretic, Ecbolic, Emmenagogue, Fungicide, GABA nergic, Hematogenic, Hepatoprotective, Hypnotic, Hypotensive, Immunodepressant, Immunomodulator, Immunostimulant, Insecticide, Inteferonigenic, Lactagogue, Lactagogue, Narcotic, Nervine, Pain, Pediculicide, Phagocytotic, Poison, Proteolytic, Respirastimulant, Sedative, Staminagenic, Tonic, Tranquilizer, Vermicide.
Phytochemicals:
(-)-Anaferine, (-)-beta-Sitosterol, 17-Hydroxy withaferin A, 2,3-Dihydrowithaferin A, 27-Hydroxywithanone, 3-O-beta-D-Glucopyranosyl sitosterol, 5-Aminopentanal, 6,8-Dihydroxykaempferol 3-rutinoside, Ashwagandhanolide, Cadaverine, Calystegin B2, Calystegine C1, Coagulin Q, Cuscohygrine, delta1-Piperideine, Lycium substance B, N-Methylpelletierine, Pelletierine, Physagulin D, Pseudotropine, Quercetin 3-rutinoside-7-glucoside, Stigmasterol, Stigmasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, Tropine, Tropinone, Withacoagin, Withaferin A, Withaferin D, Withanamide A, Withanamide B, Withanamide C, Withanamide D, Withanamide E, Withanamide F, Withanamide G, Withanamide H, Withanamide I, Withanolide A, Withanone, Withanoside II, Withanoside III, Withanoside IV, Withanoside IX, Withanoside V, Withanoside VI, Withanoside VIII, Withanoside X, Withanoside XI, Withasomnine, Withastramonolide.
Common Names:
in English: clustered winter cherry, clustered withania, Indian ginseng, Kansu withania, poisonous gooseberry, winter cherry
in Arabic: abeb, babu, bellehu, ben nour, bousidan, ebab, faraorao, ferkai, foqqish, foulet el-kalb, lahu, morgan, sekran, semm el-far, semm el-firakh, sharma, simm frakh, terroumt
in China: shui qie
in India: acaiyu, achkan, acupam, acurakenti, acuvacceti, acuvakantai, acuvakantam, acuvakanti, acuvakenti, acuvakkilanku, acuvam, acuvan, acuvapalam, ahan, ain-ul-ghurab, amangara gida, amangura, amikkira-gadday, ammangura, amukkanankilanku, amukkira, amukkirakkilangu, amukkiran, amukkura, amukkurak-kizhangu, amukkuram, amukran-kizhangu, angaara gadde gida, angara, angara baeru, angura gedde, anukeere, asgand, asganda, asgandh, asgandha, asgandhi, ashgandh, ashgandha, ashvagandha (ashva, horse; gandha, smell), ashvagandhi, ashwagandha, asuntho, asvagandha, aswagandha, atittikam, atitarikam, baiseyabara gida, balada, balaja, banakwain, chirpotan, fuqqaysh, ghodasan, haya, hayagandha, hayapriya, hiremaddina baeru, hiremaddinagida, hiremaddu, hirimaddina, hirimaddina-gadday, hirregadday, kaknaje-hindi, kala, kambuka, kamrupini, karappantalai, kiriccevi, kiremallinagida, kirimaddana, kudure, kushthagandha, kushthagandhini, manmatha shakthi, matarika, matarikacceti, matalinkam, matanalinkacceti, matanalinkam, matappurallamniram, mohini gida, palashaparni, pevette, pevetti, piratakam, pivari, priyakari, pulivendram, punir, punya, pushtida, pushtipavira, rajgandha, rashbhari, sarvgandha, sogade-beru, sogadeberu, tanupara, tanuka, tukhme hayat, turagagandha, turagi, turangagandha, turki, vacikantam, vacikenta, vajigandha, vajigandhika, vajikari, vajini, varada, varahakarni, varahapatri, varakakarni, valliayai, varucu, vataghni, vippuruti nayakan, vippurutinayakam, viremaddinagaddi, virpurtinayakam, virpuruti
in Pakistan: kakink, rasbhari
in Tibetan: a sa gandhi, a-sho gandha dman-pa, a swa gandhi, ba-dzi-ga-ndha
in Burundi: umusendabazimu
in Congo: itunda, urubuho
in Ethiopia: agol, gizawa, gizewa, hunzo
in Kenya: akakagh, emotoe, lekuru, murumbae, murumbawe, mwanzo, olesayet, olesayiet
in Mauritius: poc-poc
in Nigeria: karama-auta
in Rwanda: umuhire
in Somalia: ab-ab
in Southern Africa: bitterappelliefie, geneesblaar, geneesblaarbossie, meidjieblaar, spanjoolbossie, stuipbossie, vernietbossie, vuilsiektebossie; bofepha (Sotho); ubuvuma, ubuvimba (Xhosa); umuvimba (Zulu); vimhepe (Swati); mokukwane (Setswana)
in Tanzania: mgeda, mtemua shimba, muile, mukunguu, muwogolo, ol asajet, oledwarai, olesayet, tesaye, xaxardu, xoxorik’o
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