ALSUntangled #74: Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha).
Sartaj JhootyPaul BarkhausAndrew BrownJavier Mascias CadavidGregory T CarterJesse CrayleTerry Heiman-PattersonXiaoyan LiElise MallonChristopher J McDermottTasnim MushannenGary PatteeDylan RatnerPaul WicksMartina WiedauRichard BedlackPublished in: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis & frontotemporal degeneration (2024)
ALSUntangled reviews alternative and off-label treatments on behalf of people with ALS (PALS) who ask about them. Here, we review withania somnifera (WS) commonly known as ashwagandha or winter cherry. WS has plausible mechanisms for slowing ALS progression because of its effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis. Preclinical trials demonstrate that WS slows disease progression in multiple different animal models of ALS. Of the five individuals we found who described using WS for their ALS, two individuals reported moderate benefit while none reported experiencing any significant side effects. There is currently one clinical trial using WS to treat PALS; the results are not yet published. There are no serious side effects associated with WS and the associated cost of this treatment is low. Based on the above information, WS appears to us to be a good candidate for future ALS trials.
Keyphrases
- oxidative stress
- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- clinical trial
- cell death
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- healthcare
- systematic review
- stem cells
- signaling pathway
- diabetic rats
- current status
- induced apoptosis
- high intensity
- cell proliferation
- cell cycle arrest
- open label
- social media
- study protocol
- double blind
- meta analyses
- heat shock protein