Asparagus racemosus
Encyclopedia
Asparagus racemosus is a species of asparagus common throughout India
and the Himalayas. It grows one to two metres tall and prefers to take root in gravelly, rocky soils high up in piedmont plains, at 1,300 - 1,400 metres elevation). It was botanically described in 1799.
Due to its multiple uses, the demand for Asparagus racemosus is constantly on the rise. Due to destructive harvesting, combined with habitat destruction, and deforestation, the plant is now considered 'endangered' in its natural habitat.
Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) is recommended in Ayurvedic texts for the prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers, dyspepsia and as a galactogogue. A. racemosus has also been used successfully by some Ayurvedic practitioners for nervous disorders.
Shatawari has different names in the different Indian languages
, such as Shatuli, Vrishya and other terms. In Nepal
it is called Kurilo. The name Shatawari means "curer of a hundred diseases" (shat: "hundred"; vari: "curer").
s (photosynthetic branches) that are uniform and shiny green. In July, it produces minute, white flower
s on short, spiky stem
s, and in September it fruit
s, producing blackish-purple, globular berries
.
with tuberous roots
that measure about one metre in length, tapering at both ends, with roughly a hundred on each plant.
s and in traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda
, Unani
and Siddha
. It is mainly known for its phytoestrogenic properties. In Ayurveda, Asparagus racemosus has been described as a rasayana
herb and has been used extensively as an adaptogen
to increase the non-specific resistance of organisms against a variety of stresses. Besides use in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, the plant also has antioxidant, immunostimulant, anti-dyspepsia and antitussive effects."
The roots are used in Ayurvedic medicine, following a regimen of processing and drying. It is generally used as a uterine tonic, as a galactogogue (to improve breast milk), in hyperacidity, and as a general health tonic.
The reputed adaptogenic effects of Shatavari may be attributed to its concentrations of saponin
s, known as Shatavarins. In Sanskrit
, Shatavari means "she who possesses a hundred husbands."
Antibacterial activity (some)
Antisecretory and antiulcer activity,
Antidepressant activity of Asparagus racemosus in rodent models.
Anti-inflammatory effects
Anti-cancer
Antioxidant,
Antitussive
Enhances memory and protects against amnesia in rodent models.
Antilithiatic
Hepatoprotective effects in mice fed a high-fat diet.
Aphrodisiac .
Teratogenic?
Immunomodulatory (extract), Immunoadjuvant,
Oestrogenic effect
Neuroprotective
Potential to prevent hepatocarcinogenesis
Use in diabetes treatment to reduce blood glucose
alkaloid
with antitumor activity against a variety of cell lines was isolated from the dried roots and subsequently synthesized to allow for the construction of analogs.
Two new steroidal saponins, shatavaroside A and shatavaroside B together with a known saponin, filiasparoside C, were isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus.
Five steroidal saponins, shatavarins VI-X, together with five known saponins, shatavarin I (or asparoside B), shatavarin IV (or asparinin B), shatavarin V, immunoside and schidigerasaponin D5 (or asparanin A), have been isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus.
Isoflavone, 8-methoxy-5,6,4'-trihydroxyisoflavone 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Himalayas. It grows one to two metres tall and prefers to take root in gravelly, rocky soils high up in piedmont plains, at 1,300 - 1,400 metres elevation). It was botanically described in 1799.
Due to its multiple uses, the demand for Asparagus racemosus is constantly on the rise. Due to destructive harvesting, combined with habitat destruction, and deforestation, the plant is now considered 'endangered' in its natural habitat.
Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) is recommended in Ayurvedic texts for the prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers, dyspepsia and as a galactogogue. A. racemosus has also been used successfully by some Ayurvedic practitioners for nervous disorders.
Shatawari has different names in the different Indian languages
Languages of India
The languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-European languages—Indo-Aryan and the Dravidian languages...
, such as Shatuli, Vrishya and other terms. In Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
it is called Kurilo. The name Shatawari means "curer of a hundred diseases" (shat: "hundred"; vari: "curer").
Leaves, flowers and fruits
Satavar has small pine-needle-like phyllocladePhylloclade
Phylloclades are cladodes, i.e., flattened, photosynthetic shoots, which are modified branches. Phylloclades are cladodes that greatly resemble or perform the function of leaves, as in Butcher's broom as well as Asparagus and Phyllanthus species. Phyllocladus, a genus of conifer, is named after...
s (photosynthetic branches) that are uniform and shiny green. In July, it produces minute, white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s on short, spiky stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
s, and in September it fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, producing blackish-purple, globular berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
.
Roots
It has an adventitious root systemAdventitious
Adventitious has various meanings in various disciplines and in general usage.Adventitious is from the Latin root advenire, meaning "to come or be superadded" and in correct English the meanings tend to have connections to accidental or casual occurrence...
with tuberous roots
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
that measure about one metre in length, tapering at both ends, with roughly a hundred on each plant.
Uses
Asparagus racemosus is an important medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical India. Its medicinal usage has been reported in the Indian and British PharmacopoeiaBritish Pharmacopoeia
The British Pharmacopoeia is an annual published collection of quality standards for UK medicinal substances. It is used by individuals and organizations involved in pharmaceutical research, development, manufacture and testing....
s and in traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
, Unani
Unani
Unani-tibb or Unani Medicine also spelled Yunani Medicine means "Greek Medicine", and is a form of traditional medicine widely practiced in South Asia...
and Siddha
Siddha
A Siddha सिद्ध in Sanskrit means "one who is accomplished" and refers to perfected masters who, according to Hindu belief, have transcended the ahamkara , have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies into a different kind of body dominated by...
. It is mainly known for its phytoestrogenic properties. In Ayurveda, Asparagus racemosus has been described as a rasayana
Rasayana
Rasayan, a Sanskrit word , is used to describe chemistry and alchemy, and chemistry is generally called Rasayan Shastra in Sanskrit, Nepali, Marathi, Hindi, Kannada and several other languages.Ancient rasayan texts center around the use of prepared forms of mercury or cinnabar , as do...
herb and has been used extensively as an adaptogen
Adaptogen
An adaptogen is a herbal product claimed to increase resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue. The term is used mainly by herbalists who also refer to adaptogens as rejuvenating herbs, qi tonics, rasayanas, or restoratives...
to increase the non-specific resistance of organisms against a variety of stresses. Besides use in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, the plant also has antioxidant, immunostimulant, anti-dyspepsia and antitussive effects."
The roots are used in Ayurvedic medicine, following a regimen of processing and drying. It is generally used as a uterine tonic, as a galactogogue (to improve breast milk), in hyperacidity, and as a general health tonic.
The reputed adaptogenic effects of Shatavari may be attributed to its concentrations of saponin
Saponin
Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species...
s, known as Shatavarins. In Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Shatavari means "she who possesses a hundred husbands."
Pharmacological Research
Asparagus racemosus has been shown to mitigate the discomfort due to Amlapitta (Acid dyspepsia with or without ulcer) on 109 cases in a clinical Study at Central Research Institute for Ayurveda, New-Delhi.Antibacterial activity (some)
Antisecretory and antiulcer activity,
Antidepressant activity of Asparagus racemosus in rodent models.
Anti-inflammatory effects
Anti-cancer
Antioxidant,
Antitussive
Enhances memory and protects against amnesia in rodent models.
Antilithiatic
Hepatoprotective effects in mice fed a high-fat diet.
Aphrodisiac .
Teratogenic?
Immunomodulatory (extract), Immunoadjuvant,
Oestrogenic effect
Neuroprotective
Potential to prevent hepatocarcinogenesis
Use in diabetes treatment to reduce blood glucose
Constituents
Asparagamine A, a polycyclicPolycyclic
Polycyclic may refer to:* Polycyclic compound, in organic chemistry, a cyclic compound with more than one hydrocarbon loop or ring structures* Polycyclic group, in mathematics, a solvable group that satisfies the maximal condition on subgroups...
alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
with antitumor activity against a variety of cell lines was isolated from the dried roots and subsequently synthesized to allow for the construction of analogs.
Two new steroidal saponins, shatavaroside A and shatavaroside B together with a known saponin, filiasparoside C, were isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus.
Five steroidal saponins, shatavarins VI-X, together with five known saponins, shatavarin I (or asparoside B), shatavarin IV (or asparinin B), shatavarin V, immunoside and schidigerasaponin D5 (or asparanin A), have been isolated from the roots of Asparagus racemosus.
Isoflavone, 8-methoxy-5,6,4'-trihydroxyisoflavone 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside
External links
- Max Bust Herbs
- Nice picture of A. racemosus flowers from "Flowers of India" website
- Ibiblio.org link
- USDA GRIN Contains a detailed monograph on Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/331-shatavari
- Coffee made with shatavari
- How to make a decoction with Shatavari
- Structure of Asparagamine A (I), a Novel Polycyclic Alkaloid from Asparagus racemosus
