Considered one of the most potent herbs utilized in the traditional and botanically based system of health promotion called Ayurveda, Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera, is known by a number of names, including Winter Cherry and Indian Ginseng. Known for its adaptogenic properties, Ashwagandha is one of the most popularly known of a group herbs called Adaptogens which are used for resiliency building support for the body in the face of stress.
This fast-growing cousin of the tomato can be grown in temperate regions such as ours as long as we get the seeds started early, typically late February or early March. We plant the young plants into the field in late May and harvest in late October. We first dry the roots and process them as is done traditionally into powder but we also devote some of it into making tincture for ease of administration.
Our recipe ratio is 1 part dried, ground root to 5 parts menstrua, resulting in approximately 200 mg/mL of plant material.