Anti-Cancer activity of Ashwagandha

Introduction
Ashwagandha is an erect growing, branching shrub with a normal height of 1.4 to 1.5 meters. This plant grows well in dry and sub-tropical regions. Ashwagandha is a hardy and drought tolerant plant.

Health Benefits of Ashvagandha

Anti-Cancer activity of Ashwagandha
Introduction
Ashwagandha is an erect growing, branching shrub with a normal height of 1.4 to 1.5 meters. This plant grows well in dry and sub-tropical regions. Ashwagandha is a hardy and drought tolerant plant.

Health Benefits of Ashvagandha

1. It is a natural antioxidant.
2. It helps to reduce level of stress and tension.
3. It improves energy level.
4. It may help in weight loss when used in combination with other weight loss enhancing supplements in stress related weight gain. When a person is stressed, more Cortisolhormone is produced by the adrenal glands. Cortisol stimulates glucose production and triggers a hunger response in the brain. Ashwagandha can naturally lower cortisol levels up to 26%. It also helps to lose weight by reducing swelling in the body and improving hemoglobin level.
5. It is a tonicthat nourishes the whole body. In weakness, low body weight, emaciation, deficient haemoglobin, anemia, post convalescent weakness and such other condition, its use gives good result.
6. It is useful for any imbalance in the musclesas it reduces inflammation and strengthens muscles. It is a specific Rasayana for Mamsa Dhatu and an anabolic muscle builder. As it benefits all muscle tissue it is used as a heart Tonic, uterine Tonic, and lung tonic.
7. It improves body immunity and strengthen body defense system. This makes this herb suitable for treating Auto-immune conditions such as neutropenia, rheumatoid and osteo arthritis, cancer and chronic connective tissue disorders.
8. It gives good results in nerves related conditions such as Multiple sclerosis, Neurosis, insomnia, anxiety, and stress.

 Ayurvedic therapeutic uses of Ashwagandha roots:

1. Rasayana or rejuvenative tonic
2. Relieves general debility, especially during convalescence or old age
3. Promotes sound sleep
4. Balances aggravated Vata (nervine Tonic, sedative) and improves memory
5. Ashwagandha root powder is a good rejuvenating tonic for reproductive system, especially for males. It is also known as Indian Ginseng. It improves sperm motility. It is also useful in oligospermia (increasing sperm count), poor sexual performance and helps to reduce infertility. Ashwagandha improves sexual potency and sperm production.

DOSAGE

1. Ashwagandha is taken with milk due to its Pitta reducing property. Moreover, milk also improves a nourishing effect of Ashwagandha.
2. Ashwagandha Powder is taken in a dose of 3-6 grams, depending on health condition, constitution, digestion, environment and many other factors.

Medicinal Use Of Ashwagandha

1. Weight loss:
   Take three Ashwagandha leaves thrice a day with water for 3 to 7 days. Then give gap of 15 days and again do the same.
2. White Discharge:
   Mix equal amount of misri and Ashwagandha churna and take one spoon of this twice a day.
3. Rheumatism:
   Mix 3gm Ashwagandha with 3gm ghee and 1gm misri and take twice a day.
4. Joint pain:
   Take 1 tbsp Ashwagandha churna mix in glass of milk an drink.
5. Sexual Debility:
   Mix equal quantities of ashwagandha and jaggery. Take this 3 hrsbefore a meal with milk.
6. Thyroid:
   For treating thyroid take 200-1200 mg Ashwagandha powder with tea.
7. Inflammation:
   Take ashwagandha leaves and castor plant leaves, warm and apply at swelling.

 

Health benefits of Ashwagandha tea

1.  Gives relief in stress, tension, depression
2.  Improves energy level of the body, learning
3.  Rejuvenating
4.  Antioxidant
5.  Anti-cancerous
6.  Who should not drink Ashwagandha tea
7.  Pregnant women
8.  Persons suffering from high blood pressure.

How Is Cancer Caused?

Cancer is a hyperproliferative disorder that involves transformation of healthy cells or benign tumors to malignant ones, dysregulation of normal cell death processes (apoptosis), proliferation by unrestricted cell division, invasion of other cells, creation of new blood vessels to support the growth of cancer cells (angiogenesis) and spread of cancer from one organ or part of the body to another not directly connected with it (metastasis).

How Does Ashwagandha Act Against Cancer?

Ashwagandha has been found to be effective in cancer treatment in multiple ways:

1. It reduces tumor cell proliferation while increasing overall survival time
2. It has been shown to enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy while potentially mitigating undesirable side effects.
3. It also reduces the side effects of chemotherapeutic agentswithout interfering with the tumor-reducing actions of the drugs.
4. These effects have been demonstrated in vitro on human cancer cell lines, and in vivo on animal subjects, but human trials have been limited.
5. Lactones collectively referred to as withanolides. Withaferin A (WA) appears most active against cancer among structurally divergent withanolides isolated from the root or leaf of Ashwagandha.

ASHWAGANDHA ACTS AS A RADIOSENSITIZER (A DRUG THAT MAKES TUMOR CELLS MORE SENSITIVE TO RADIATION THERAPY) AND AS A CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENT (TOXIC TO CELLS WITH HIGH PROLIFERATION RATES).

The alcoholic extract of the dried roots of the plant as well as the active component withaferin A isolated from the extract showed significant (sensitizer enhancement ratio of 1.5) antitumor and radio sensitizing effects in experimental tumors in vivo, without any noticeable systemic toxicity (at a nontoxic concentration of approximately 2 micro meter.

 

Ashwagandha Action Against Different Types Of Cancer

Ashwagandha is an important candidate for the therapeutic treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, as it’s constituents are able to reconstruct neuronal networks and synapses, regenerate axons and dendrites and improve memory deficits.
Glioblastoma is the most common and difficult malignant brain tumor to treat. Despite the use of different treatment strategies, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, most patients die within a year of diagnosis. Differentiation therapy (treating malignant cells so that they stop dividing and resume the process of maturation) is an attractive alternative therapeutic approach 
Ashwagandha and its components have the potential to induce senescence-like growth arrest and differentiation in glioma cells. Ashwagandha extract and its constituents therefore, offer a differentiation-based milder and effective glioma therapy.7

Breast Cancer

An open-label prospective non-randomized comparative trial was conducted on 100 patients with breast cancer in all stages undergoing either a combination of chemotherapy with oral Withania somnifera or chemotherapy alone. Patients who consumed Ashwagandha experienced lower fatigue as compared to those who did not.

Prostate Cancer

Ashwagandha modulates several functionally important classes of genes and molecular signalling mechanisms, which are associated with immune response, inflammation, signal transduction, cell signaling, transcriptional regulation, apoptosis and cell cycle regulation. This makes it an effective chemopreventive agent relevant to prostate cancer progression.

Renal Cancer

Ashwagandha has been found to induce cell death in Caki human renal cells by down-regulating the STAT3 signalling pathway, inhibiting JAK2 phosphorylation and suppressing the expression of harmful proteins.

Skin Cancer

A study was conducted on Swiss Albino mice with induced skin cancer. Treatment with Ashwagandha root extract resulted in a significant decrease in incidence and average number of skin lesions; biochemical parameters were also returned to near normal. The researchers inferred that the antioxidant/free radical-scavenging constituents and the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of Ashwagandha extract might be responsible for its chemopreventive action.

Conclusion

It has been suggested that Ashwagandha is able to control cancer, as well as help reduce adverse effects of other cancer treatment approaches such as radio and chemotherapy, because of its unique combination of beneficial effects that work on multiple cancer-causative factors.12 Ayurveda has always extolled Ashwagandha’s virtues as a wonder herb that improves the body’s immunity and vitality. With backing from age-old traditional medicine as well as modern research, Ashwagandha presents itself as a herb that holds great promise for integrative cancer care.