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January 12, 2006

Ashwagandha: a valuable plant used in Indian medicine

YIELD DATA: About 30-40 tonnes of dry roots and 50-75 kg of seeds
can be harvested from a hectare.
M.J. PRABU
The roots of ashwagandha are used to treat nervous disorders
ASHWAGANDHA (WITHANIA somnifera) is also known as Indian
ginseng. The roots of the plant have been traditionally used in
Indian medicines such as ayurveda and unani.Ashwagandha is
called winter cherry in English, Asgandh in Hindi,
Ammukirankazangu in Tamil, Amangura in Kannada and
Asvagandhi in Telugu and Trittavu in Malayalam.The estimated
production of Aswagandha roots in India is more than 1,500 tonnes
 and the annual requirement is about 7,000 tonnes necessitating the

increase in its cultivation and higher production.

Areas under cultivation
The crop is abundantly cultivated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The
plant is hardy even in drought conditions and resistant to major
pests and infestations. It can be cultivated both as a rainfed and
irrigated crop.The plant is found to grow well in sandy loam or
light red soils, which have a good facility for draining water.
Seed requirement
About 5 kg of seeds are required for sowing in one hectare. Seeds
are sown on raised nursery beds, prepared by thoroughly mixing
farmyard manure and sand.Before sowing, the seeds must be
treated with thirum or dithane M45 at the rate of 3 gm for every
kilo of seed to control wilt and seed borne diseases. A nutrient dose
of 10-20 tonnes of farmyard manure, 15 kg of urea and 15 kg of
phosphorus are applied to the field and ploughed into furrows.The
seeds germinate in 5-7 days. About 35 days later, the seedlings are
transplanted in the main field 40 x 30 cm apart on the furrows.
Light irrigation is done immediately after transplantation, and
once in 10 days.
Mite attack
Though the crop is resistant to major pests and diseases, in some
cases insects or mite infestations are noticed. Farmers are advised
to spray pest repellents such as roger or nuvan 3 per cent diluted in
one litre of water three times a week to control this infestation.
Organic practices
The crop responds well to organic practices and regular spray of
panchakavya (fermented mixture of cow dung, cow urine, milk,
curd and ghee) helps to increase plant growth and root formation.
The crop is harvested 150-180 days after sowing. The berries are
hand plucked, dried and crushed for their seeds. The plant is
 
manually pulled out from the field beds. The roots should be cut
and washed thoroughly and dried in the shade for a couple of days.
From an hectare, 30-40 tonnes of dry roots and 50-75 kg of seeds
can be harvested.For details on cultivation packages and marketing
details some of the following institutes can be contacted: - National
Medicinal Plants Board, Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health
& Family Welfare, Government of India, Chandralok Building, 36,
Janpath New Delhi - 110001, Phone: 011 - 23319255, email:
nmpbindia1@indiatimes.com - Central Institute of Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants, P.O. - CIMAP, Near Kukrail Picnic Spot, Lucknow -
226 015, Indiaphone: 0522-2359623 E-mail: director@cimap.res.in -
Medicinal Plants Unit, Horticultural College and Research Institute,
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore: 641 003,
phone: 0422-5511365, email: herbs@tnau.ac.in - Aromatic and
Medicinal Plants Research Station, Odakkali, Asamanoor post-
683549, Ernakulam district, phone: 0484-2658221, email:
amprs@satyam.net.in - Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra, University of
Agricultural Science, Bangalore-560065, phone: 080-55315598,
email: vasunuthan@rediffmail.com - Central Institute of Medicinal
and Aromatic plants, Allalasandra, GKVK post, Bangalore- 560 065,
phone: 080-28460563. - National Research Centre for Medicinal and
Aromatic plants, Boriavi-387 310, Anand, Gujarat, Phone: 0268-
2578602, or 0268-2578644, email: nrcmap@wilnetonline.net -
College of Agriculture, Medicinal and Aromatic plants division,
Mandsaur-458001, Madhya Pradesh., Phone: 07422- 242289.
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