Description
Growing Instructions (in garden or in pots)
Transplant your recently received Ashwagandha plants to a full-sun location in your garden, leaving around 40cm between plants. Ashwagandha prefers fast-draining, dry and sandy soil that has a pH level between 7.5 and 8. Once established, it is known to thrive in poor soils and drought conditions. You can add a little manure or compost, but avoid chemical fertilizers if you’re planning to consume the plant for medicinal purposes.
Keep the soil moist without overdoing it. While it needs water to establish a strong root system, overwatering can kill this plant. Since Ashwagandha thrives in warm climates and prefers temperatures that are between 25-32 degrees celsius, the best indication about when to water the plant may come from a visual inspection of the soil around the plant. Even when temperatures are above 30ºC, Ashawagandha needs watering only once every seven to 10 days or so. Less is more with Ashwagandha.
Medicinal Uses
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is one of the most revered and prized herbs in the Ayurveda pharmacopoeia. It’s known as the premier Ayurvedic rasayana (or rejuvenative) tonic because of its superior ability to nourish the whole body and mind. Maximizing the body’s ability to resist stress, it enables the body to reserve and sustain vital energy throughout the day while promoting sound, restful sleep at night.
Here lies one of the most magnificent benefits of Ashwagandha: as an adaptogen, it is not only among Ayurveda’s top herbs for energy, but also helps calm the mind. What a helpful herbal ally to have in our modern culture of depleted adrenals and perpetual stress!
