ROLE OF ASHWAGANDHA ON HEMATOLOGICAL, BIOCHEMICAL, SEMINAL PARAMETERS AND ON SERUM DHEAS IN PSYCHOGENIC ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION PATIENTS

Abstract

Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera Dunal) has been known for its capability to improve endurance against stress, general resistance a gainst infections, to slow down the ageing process, improvement of male sexual health and useful in disorders such as psychogenic impotence and unexplai ned infertility. T he roots of which have been used as anti - stress agent, aphrodisiac and male sexual sti mulant. Erectile dysfunction has been defined as the persistent inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse . The clinical study on Ashwagandha in Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction (PED) earlier reported negative results and concluded that, Ashwagandha didn’t provide relief in PED on various scales . The present article deals with the laboratory findings of this clinical study sample; to evaluate the efficacy of Ashwagandha on various hematological, bio che mical, seminal parameters and on serum DHEA - S (which were in normal range) in PED patients . Blood samples were collected and assayed for serum concentrations of DHEA - S, RBS, TC, TG, HDL, total protein, SGOT, SGPT , Hemoglobin, total RBC count, TLC and DLC. Semen samples were collected and measured on parameters like, liquefaction time, volume, motility and count. Patients found to have any abnormalities in the reports of above parameters were excluded from the study (to rule out organic pathology) . All of th ese investigations were done two times, before and after the treatment. Paired and unpaired‘t’ test were used for statistical analysis. Ashwagandha didn’t improve various hematological, biochemical, seminal parameters and serum DHEA - S which were already in normal range in the patients of psychogenic erectile dysfunction. The results were consistent with that of the clinical study which was also reported negative results earlier.