The Ayurvedic herb and the history of its use.
Shatavari is known as the “ Queen of herbs” in Ayurveda, and for all the right reasons. It was considered to be a great rejuvenating tonic for women. It has been used in Indian culture for thousands of years as an Aphrodisiac and a powerful Rasayana. It was known to promote strength and youthfulness. Shatavari is an adaptogenic herb known to regulate the hormones produced by the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands.
Shatavari, or Asparagus Racemosus, is a species of asparagus commonly found throughout the Himalayas.
The Ayurvedic herb and its relevance today
Shatavari has been found to increase the production of prolactin, a hormone that is important for breastfeeding. Women also use Shatavari to treat conditions related to hormone imbalance in cases like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which has grown rather drastically over the years. It also helps slow down the symptoms of menopause.
As people have started Ayurvedic roots over modern medicines, Shatavari has grown quite popular, especially amongst the female population. It is highly used by women approaching menopause or already dealing with it.
More is being learned about the benefits Shatavari may provide through the application of modern research to examinations of traditional practices. Western science has also begun to approach the use of remedies such as Shatavari where researchers have pursued a variety of trials in recent years regarding the effectiveness of Shatavari for arthritis and inflammation, among other conditions.
The Ayurvedic herb and clinical studies
- Shatavari also appears to have galactagogue activity; in a placebo-controlled study that administered 60 mg/kg/d Shatavari root powder to breastfeeding mothers for 30 days, systemic prolactin concentrations were increased (three-fold), and Shatavari promoted infant weight gain.
- One study showed that Shatavari (500 mg·d−1 root extract; fresh weight equivalent not stated) enhanced strength gains in young men following eight weeks of bench press training.
References:
- Gupta M., Shaw B. A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial for Evaluation of Galactogogue Activity of Asparagus racemosus Willd. Iran. J. Pharm. Res. IJPR. 2011;10:167–172.
- Anders J.P.V., Keller J.L., Smith C.M., Hill E.C., Housh T.J., Schmidt R.J., Johnson G.O. The Effects of Asparagus racemosus Supplementation Plus 8 Weeks of Resistance Training on Muscular Strength and Endurance. J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2020;5:4. doi: 10.3390/jfmk5010004.
