West Himalayan Asparagus: An Important Medicinal Plant with Sacred Value

Plants are associated with human life in innumerable ways. They provide us with oxygen to breathe in for life, food for survival, medicines for curing ailments and are parts of our many rituals, traditions, and divination. One such sacred plant with immense medicinal value is West Himalayan Asparagus, which is worshiped during marriages in its native range. Botanically known as Asparagus adscendens, it belongs to the family Asparagaceae (previously Liliaceae).

NAMES IN INDIA
Hindi: Shweta musali, Safed musli, Dholi moosli, Shatawari, Shatamuli, Shatavar, Sahasrapal, Ujli musali; Sanskrit: Shweta musali, Durnamari, Mahavrsa, Musali; H.P.: Sanspayee; Sanspai, Sansarpayee; Urdu: Musli safed, Musli siyah, Satawar, Shaqaq-ul-misri; Malayalam: Shedeveli, Shada veli, Tannirvittagam; Marathi: Pandaari musalee, Safed musli; Tamil: Naranka pattirakam, Tannirvittang; Telgu: Sallog dooda, Sallogadda

DISTRIBUTION

The West Himalayan Asparagus is native to Northwest Himalaya and Northern India up to 1300 m above the mean sea level. It mostly occurs in the sub-tropical and sub-temperate areas in India and Pakistan.

MORPHOLOGY

The West Himalayan Asparagus is an erect or sub-erect spiny sub-shrub with tuberous roots. The young branches are ash grey to white in colour. The spines are about 8-12 mm long and woody. Some stems are modified into 1.0-2.5 cm long, flattened or round, thread-like structures known as cladodes which also perform photosynthesis in the absence of leaves (leaves are reduced to scale-like structures). The cladodes are arranged in fascicles of 5-20 each. The flowers, which bloom in October-November, are white and borne in 4-6 cm long racemes. Fruit is a green to dark red-coloured berry which measures 4-5 mm in diameter.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS

The presence of β-sitosterol, β-D-glucoside, spirostanol glycosides (asparanin C and asparanin D), and furostanol glycosides (asparoside C and asparoside D) have been reported to be from the tuberous roots of West Himalayan Asparagus.

SACRED VALUE

The plants of West Himalayan Asparagus are worshiped during the marriages in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand by the maternal uncle (Mama). It has a scientific co-relation to the presence of phytoestrogen, like female sex hormone 'Estrogen', in its tuberous roots. The traditional healers in this region use its roots to enhance fertility in cattle.

MEDICINAL USES

1. GENERAL TONIC: The roots are generally prescribed as tonic for debility in Ayurveda and Unani systems of medicine. It is considered to improve the general state of health and ameliorates the stress-related symptoms. It is also an ingredient in Ayurvedic preparation Geriforte.
2. SUPPORTS LACTATION: The root powder is considered to increase milk production in lactating mothers by increasing the production of prolactin.
3. USEFUL IN DIARRHOEA: It is considered to be useful in diarrhoea, dysentery and associated general weakness.
4. REMEDY FOR LEUCORRHEA: The roots are boiled in milk and used to treat chronic leucorrhea.
5. HORMONE BALANCING: As the asparagus roots contain phytoestrogen which mimic estrogen, they are used to treat conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and infertility.
6. GOOD FOR MEMORY: The root powder of Asparagus is considered as a nerve tonic, and a remedy for memory impairment. A recent study on animal models has shown it to improve memory, and reduced AChE, and oxidative stress markers in the cortex and hippocampus regions.
7. ANTI-MICROBIAL PROPERTIES: Anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of its tuberous roots have been reported in recent scientific reports.
8. REDUCE SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE: A recent study has shown that preparations containing Asparagus reduce hot flashes in women.
9. TREATMENT OF ULCERS: Asparagus root powder is considered useful for treating gastric ulcers.
10. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY: A root extract of Asparagus is reported to inhibit the production of proinflammatory cytokines, IL1β and TNFα, and production of NO in LPS-stimulated mouse macrophage cells.
11. ANT-FILARIASIS PROPERTIES: Alcoholic root extract of Asparagus is reported to inhibit motility of filarial parasite Setaria cervi and caused death of the parasite.

REFERENCES

• Akbar, S. 2020. Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants: A Comprehensive Review of Their Traditional Medical Uses and Scientific Justifications. Springer Nature, Switzerland.
• Chauhan, N.S. 1999. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi.
• Pahwa, P. and Goel, R.K. 2016. Asparagus adscendens root extract enhances cognition and protects against scopolamine induced amnesia: an in-silico and in-vivo studies. Chem Biol Interact. 260:208–18.
• Singh, R., Khan, N.U. and Singhal, K.C. 1997. Potential antifilarial activity of roots of Asparagus adscendens Roxb, against Setaria cervi in vitro. Indian J Exp Biol. 35:168–72.
• Thakur, A. 2012. Study of Ethnobiological Aspects of the Life of Nomadic and Pastoral Gujjars of Himachal Pradesh, India. A Final Project Report submitted to UGC, New Delhi.