For centuries the sleeping virtues of the berries and roots of ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera ) have been valued. Also known as “bufera”, “Indian ginseng” or “greater nightshade”, it is a nightshade plant commonly used by Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, and which is marketed as a natural remedy for numerous ailments in herbalists. But until now it was unknown which was the active principle of Withania somnifera that induced sleep.
A group of researchers from the University of Tsukuba (Japan), led by Mahesh K. Kaushik and Yoshihiro Urade, set out to find out through experiments with mice . What the scientists did was administer various compounds present in ashwagandha to the animals and then measure the electrical activity of their brains and muscles during sleep .
Thus, they were able to observe that when they took an extract rich in the triethylene glycol (TEG) molecule dissolved in water, the mice experienced longer periods of the phase without rapid eye movement (non-REM) and slight alterations in the so-called REM phase . These effects were consistent with those of human users who use ashwagandha supplements to fall asleep. According to Kaushik and Urade’s team, there is no question that TEG is the compound they were looking for.
The advantage of this plant over conventional sleeping pills is that it has no side effects (as far as is known at least), although the toxicity of TEG remains to be investigated if it were used directly by the pharmaceutical industry.
