Thursday, March 18, 2010

Shatavari, The Queen of herbs, an absolute must for any woman!

I'm so lucky to have come across again, at this stage in my life, the Indian, Ayurvedic herb, Shatavari[asparagus racemosus(pronounced sha-tar-vari)]. In Sanskrit it means "she who possesses a hundred husbands"!
I only started taking a teaspoon of the organic, Indian grown, powdered herb, 3 times a day a few months ago, when Kaya my second born was 3 months old. I was feeling quite exhausted from breastfeeding and keeping up my usual level of activity.
Almost immediately I noticed, not only an increase in my energy levels but that my energy level became more consistent. It's something I've always had trouble with and it's not a commodity you can be short of with two children under 3 demanding all of your attention!

I was recommended to mix the organic powder with some organic, ground ginger then add it to hot milk(it can be any milk ie normal cow's, soya, rice, oat, goat's etc) or even just water. Also, depending on your Dosha(see next post for defintion) you can then add extra herbs such as cinnamon, cloves, even a touch of nutmeg. It makes a delicious, soothing and grounding drink which I positively look forward to three times a day. The grounding benefits being of great importance to my Vata tendencies(see next post).

I first came across it in Mysore, Karnataka, Southern India in 2004 and even took some back home to England for my sister who had just given birth. So yes, a shame maybe that I didn't remember about it before becoming pregnant in the summer of 2006 but thank the Indian gods that I remembered it now.

Shatavari is actually considered to be the most helpful herb for women as it overall helps in balancing the female hormonal system. The main herbal rejuvenative for women Shatavari totally nourishes and cleanses the blood and the female reproductive organs causing it to be very effective in enhancing her fertility. It nourishes the womb and ovum and almost prepares the female organs for pregnancy and prevents threatened miscarriage. It also improves super lactation. Shatavari contains the phyto-estrogens, the precursors of estrogen and is really very useful for women who suffer from low natural estrogen levels as a result of menopause, hysterectomies or oophorectomies.

Benefits of Shatavari
• Shatavari is exceedingly effective in improving fertility. It tones and nourishes female reproductive organs and greatly regulates ovulation
• Shatavari normalizes hormonal secretion
• Shatavari treats PMS symptoms just by relieving pain and controlling blood loss.
• Shatavari aids in proper lactation for nursing mothers
• Shatavari relieves the menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes. By producing estrogens it overly makes up for low estrogen levels in women who are in menopausal or have had hysterectomies or oophorectomies
• Shatavari is highly beneficial in amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, leucorrhea and other pelvic inflammatory diseases.
• Shatavari increases the white blood count and almost stimulates macrophages which helps to combat candida.
Indications for taking Shatavari
Shatavari helps in treating for these disorder
• Infertility
• Irregularities in ovulation
• PMS symptoms such as those excessive bleeding, cramps, pain, bloating
• Menopausal and other post menopausal symptoms
• Reduced breast milk secretion in the nursing women
• Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, Leucorrhea and pelvic inflammatory diseases
• Decrease in the libido


Shatavari Facts:
Botanical Name : ASPARAGUS RACEMOSUS 
Family Name : LILIACEAE 
Common Name : ASPARAGUS, WILD ASPARAGUS, ASPARAGUS ROOT, SHATAVARI 

Shatavari is in its a climbing plant which grows in low forests all through India . It is mostly the roots of the plant that are used for medicinal purposes. The roots are in nature bitter, sweet, emollient, cooling, nervine, tonic, constipating, opthalimic, anobyne, aphrodisiac. They are in character useful in nervous disorders, dyspepsia, and tumours, scalding of urine, throat infections, tuberclosis, cough bronchitis and for general debility. 

Shatavari increases the white blood count and stimulates greatly macrophages which helps to combat their candida. Shatavari also contains various bioflavinoids, and essential vitamin B components, and the essential elements of calcium and zinc
Shatavari in Ayurveda:
Shatavari has been mentioned in Ayurvedic texts like the Charak Samhita and Susruta Samhita, and Astanga Samgraha. Pandit Hem Raj Sharma and in the Kashyap Samhita, has evidently stated that shatavari promotes maternal health and noted its meticulous use as a galactagogue (enhances breast milk secretion in lactating mothers). Shatavari actually literally means "having a 100 spouses" and ayurvedic texts accurately claim that shatavari strengthens a woman to the point where she is being capable of producing thousands of healthy ova. 

Ayurveda has called Shatavari the Queen of herbs and is the primary herb recommended for female health. Among the three Ayurveda Doshas of 'Vata', 'Pitta' and 'Kapha' , Shatavari efficiently helps in balancing 'Pitta Dosha'. Shatavari's rasas are sweet "madhura" and also in nature bitter "tikta". It is a natural coolant.
Shatavari Research and Clinical Studies
Shatavari nourishes the overall female reproductive organs and prepares them for conception. It also prevents some miscarriages and is useful as a post partum tonic. A clinical study also performed in the Dept. of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Ayurveda Hospital, Nepal on The Effect of Shatavari in to Threatened Abortion and High Risk Pregnancy, showed a 90% of the mothers had successful, healthy pregnancies and deliveries when using the herb shatavari
In a study published in J.Post Grand Med, by Reg.N.N. et. al 1993, Shatavari was greatly shown to stimulate macrophages and thereby combat candida. Macrophages are immunity cells that greatly help to destroy harmful organisms and cancer cells.

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