Winter Cherry may help in heart disease

The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), India’s biggest medical research institution, has conducted a study on the remarkable benefits of Winter Cherry in preventing heart attacks in rats.

Winter Cherry or Withania somnifera has been known to Ayurveda for centuries for its effectiveness in arthritis and respiratory and nervous disorders. The heart protective properties of the herb, which came to be known only recently, are now the subject of the study.

The AIIMS study, having completed its first stage of pre-clinical animal investigations, demonstrates that the Winter Cherry has strengthening effect on heart muscles. The herb is effective in preventing heart attacks and boosting the endurance of heart muscles.

The herb extract has been demonstrated to reduced necrosis. Necrosis is the death of living cells and tissues during a heart attack. The herb is also effective in reducing the release of the chemical agents from the necrotic cells which damage other cells.

In the study, heart failure was induced in the rats after they were put on a monthly dose of the herb. The animals which were fed the herb extract survived longer than those who were not. The rats fed on the herb extract had intact heart muscles while the others suffered damage.

A couple of years back I had a rich crop of Winter Cherry growing at my farm. The roots of the herb are commonly used as a tonic to improve general health, for which it was grown. A number of local doctors, I was told by my manager, visited the farm to collect their raw material for heart patients. I came to know that although Ayurveda does not specifically prescribe the herb for heart patients, the doctors of traditional medicine knew its additional usage through practice.

The AIIMS researchers are preparing to take their investigations to the first human trial very soon.

This is good news for those with heart conditions.

Add comment October 4th, 2006 Written By: lalitgambhir