Properties: Bitter, sour, hot and sweet

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Lung, Heart, Spleen

1. Calms Shen
   Insomnia, anxiety, stress disorders
2. Tonifies Qi and Wei Qi
   Builds immunity and strength, aids recovery.
3. Tonifies Lung Qi
   Colds, coughs, heavy feeling in the chest, tuberculosis.
4. Tonifies Spleen
   Poor appetite, diarrhoea
   Poor memory, mental confusion
5. Tonifies Jing
   Impotence, male infertility

Suggested Daily Dosage: 3-9g per day in decoction.

Cautions: Caution in hot disorders due to it heating properties. Although traditionally used in pregnancy to strengthen the uterus and health of the mothers its spasmolytic activity of the uterus has led some western phytotherapists to restrict its use during pregnancy.

Interactions:

• Barbiturates and benzodiazepines:
• May potentiate the sedative effects.
• Should be stopped before surgery due to potential to increase sedative effects of anaesthesia (University of Texas at El Paso, accessed 2021).

• Withaferin A
  Steroidal lactone with potent inhibition of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) giving cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-angiogenesis, anti-metastasis and anti-carcinogenic properties.

Notes:

This is the Indian herb Ashwagandha that is not traditionally used in TCM. Its actions have been taken from White Rabbit Institute of Healing with additional cautions from Pole (2006) Ayurvedic Medicine.

Its most common Chinese name, which translates to "South African Inebriating Eggplant" seems peculiar when it is native to India, but actually grows in both India and Africa, showing recognition of its wide geographical habitat.