Defeat Antibiotic Resistance with a Natural Herbal Antibiotic

Ashwagandha may be a natural herbal answer to growing drug resistance of bacteria and fungi. Although indigenous and traditional medicines (e.g., Ayurveda and Unani) have historically valued ashwagandha for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, their use of ashwagandha as an antibacterial agent is a relatively recent and promising development. Results of modern lab studies indicate that the same components of ashwagandha that wield antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and adaptogenic effects (withanolides) also engage in antibacterial activity against a number of common menacing bacterial strains — including against antibiotic-resistant microbes.⁸

Resistance to conventional azole-type drugs has also been reported in human fungal infections, prompting researchers to look for new treatment options. Fungal yeast infections can be particularly dangerous and potentially fatal to people with compromised immune systems, especially since drug-resistant strains are emerging. Promising results from lab studies indicate that ashwagandha also exhibits antifungal qualities that may prove to be an effective herbal treatment option.^{22, 26}

Essential oils from ashwagandha applied to two types of active fungal infections cultured from tuberculosis patients demonstrated moderate inhibition of growth against each fungus, as compared to conventional pharmaceutical drugs miconazole and intraconazole.²⁶ And in the laboratory methanol ashwagandha extracts (with 20 mg/ml concentration levels) inhibited nine different strains of the yeast infection Candida albicans.²²