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After neem, turmeric foreign firms patent Ashwagandha

After neem and turmeric, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), another Indian medicinal plant used for years in the Ayurvedic system, has become the target of patents by American and Japanese companies, according to the officials of the Department of Science and Technology.

Seven American and four Japanese companies have filed or have been granted patents on formulations containing Ashwagandha or extracts of the plant according to the patent facilitating cell of the DST.

Fruits, leaves and seeds of the plant have been used for ages and the plant has been used in Ayurveda for many years, as an aphrodisiac, diuretic and for restoring loss of memory, the officials said.

The Japanese patent applications are related to the use of Ashwagandha as skin ointment for cosmetic purposes and for promoting fertility.

Natreon Inc. of the United States has obtained a patent for "an extract obtained from the Ashwagandha plant taken from steep rocks in the Himalayas," officials of the patent facilitating cell said in their report.

The report said another US establishment, the New England Deaconess Hospital, has taken a patent on an Ashwagandha formulation claimed to "alleviate symptoms associated with arthritis".

"One thing which is very obvious from the above study," the report concluded, "is that the Ashwagandha plant is catching the attention of scientists and more and more patents related to Ashwagandha are being filed or granted by different patent offices of the world since 1996".

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