G.P. Pathak

In indigenous/traditional systems of medicine, the drugs are primarily dispensed as water decoction or ethanolic extract. Fresh plant parts, juice or crude powder are a rarity rather than a rule.  Total Phenolic content in the extracts measured as gallic equivalent in Ashwagandha (methanolic)  43.77 ± 1.7, aqueous = 42.52 ± 0.8, activity of Trolox by ABTS method IC50 value 428.38 ± 1.90 µg /ml, Total Antioxidant activity by ABTS method in Ashwagandha (methanolic) IC50 Value is 28.353 ± 0.269 mg/ml in  aqueous 32.547 ± 0.532 mg/ml , Free radical scavenging capacity by DPPH in Ashwagandha (methanolic) IC50 Value 2.9  ± 0.09 mg/ml  in aqueous 3.27 ± 0.05 mg/ml. The medicinal plant examined in this study has long been used in Indian traditional medicine, Ayurveda as well as many other traditional drug practices of the rest of the world. Withania somnifera, known as ‘Ashwagandha’, has been an important herb in the Ayurvedic and indigenous medical systems for centuries in India.