Asparagus racemosus or satavar, shatavari, or shatamull/shotomul (Bangladeshi) as it might also be known is used in Ayurvedic medicine for a number of health reasons. In the local dialect, Shatavari literally means 100 cures, although a more fruity translation is “she who possesses a hundred husbands”. The plant has been used traditionally for hundreds to thousands of years as a general female reproductive tonic and hormonal balancer by Ayurvedic healers. It is a member of the lily family Liliaceae and is related to the culinary asparagus.
It is also widely used to treat numerous conditions such as gastric ulcers, dyspepsia, to stimulate the immune system and hormones, and to reduce the impact of lung disorders (Goyal et al., 2003). A few recent suggest additional beneficial effects of this herb including anti-hepatotoxic, immunomodulatory (Rege et al., 1989), immunoadjuvant and anti-lithiatic effects (Alok et al., 2013). It also acts as a galactagogue which means it promotes breastmilk flow.
References
Alok, S., Jain, S. K., Verma, A., Kumar, M., Mahor, A., & Sabharwal, M. (2013) Plant profile, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari): A review. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Disease. 3 (3) pp. 242–251. doi:10.1016/S2222-1808(13)60049-3. ISSN 2222-1808. PMC 4027291
Bopana, N. et al. (2007) Asparagus racemosus—ethnopharmacological evaluation and conservation needs. J. Ethnopharmacol.; 110(1) Mar 1 pp. 1-15.
Goyal, R.K., Singh, J., Lal, H. (2003) Asparagus racemosus—an update. Indian J. Med. Sci. 57 pp. 408
Rege, N. N., Nazareth, H. M., Isaac, A. A., Karandikar, S. M., Dahanukar, S. A. (1989) Immunotherapeutic modulation of intraperitoneal adhesions by Asparagus racemosus. J. Postgrad. Med. [serial online] 1989 [cited 2015 Jun 24];35:199-203. See: http://www.jpgmonline.com/text.asp?1989/35/4/199/5684
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