Ashitaba

Ashitaba

Ashitaba is a tender herb grown in Japan. It’s a member of the Angelica family, and goes by the common name “leaves of tomorrow”.  The roots, stems, and leaves are used in traditional herbal medicine, mostly to treat acid reflux disease and stomach problems. Ashitaba contains an abundance of beta carotene, an important antioxidant, as well as fiber and potassium. It also contains vitamins K and E, as well as other B vitamins and trace minerals. Because of its high nutritional value, people take ashitaba supplements in order to improve their overall health.

Benefits of Ashitaba

A large body of high quality research supports the many health benefits of taking ashitaba supplements. Among them are the following:

Improves Body Composition

Taking ashitaba supplements can help you lose significant amount of weight and achieve a lean body. According to a Japanese study conducted in 2012, researchers found that ingestion of ashitaba green juice at a dose of 6.2 grams per day for 8 weeks resulted in significant reduction in body weight, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI) in 9 adult subjects with metabolic syndrome.^[1]

Fights Cancer

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy normally experience hair loss in different body areas and weakening of the immune system, resulting in an increased susceptibility to a wide array of infections. This is because chemotherapeutic drugs destroy all rapidly dividing cells including normal cells of the hair follicles and immune system. Interestingly, results from two laboratory studies found that ashitaba has anti-tumor properties and it was able to suppress the growth of cancer cells by inducing programmed cell death.^[2-3] Also, the results are fascinating because ashitaba was able to kill all malignant cells but it has no toxic effect on normal cells, suggesting that ashitaba supplementation in cancer patients may help reduce adverse side effects caused by chemotherapy.

Fights Depression

According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Applied Pharmacology, ashitaba contains antidepressant substances such as prenylated chalcones, xanthoangelol and 4-hydroxyderricin.^[4] These substances work by inhibiting monoamine oxidase (triggers depression) in the brain.

Protects the Liver

Previous studies reported that the extracts of ashitaba have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can help improve some markers of liver function in habitual alcohol drinkers.^[5] Researchers found that heavy drinkers who took ashitaba supplements experienced significant improvement in liver function tests compared to those who took placebo.    

Fights Infection

Ashitaba shows evidence of strong antibacterial properties. According to a study conducted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan in 1999, xanthoangelol (I) and 4-hydroxyderricin (II) isolated from the root of ashitaba showed strong antibacterial activity against different species of disease-causing bacteria.^[6] Similarly, the Kangweon National University in Korea reported that ashitaba along with other Umbelliferae plants were able to inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria.^[7] In another study published in 2008 in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, researchers found that ashitaba extract was able to inhibit the growth of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterium that is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans.^[8]

References:

1. Ohnogi H, Hayami S, Kudo Y, Enoki T. Efficacy and Safety of Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei) on the Patients and Candidates with Metabolic Syndrome: A Pilot Study. Jpn J. Complement. Alternat. Med. 2012;9(1):49–55.
2. Okuyama T, Takata M, Takayasu J, et al. Anti-tumor-promotion by principles obtained from Angelica keiskei. Planta Med. 1991;57(3):242-6.
3. Nishimura R, Tabata K, Arakawa M, et al. Isobavachalcone, a chalcone constituent of Angelica keiskei, induces apoptosis in neuroblastoma. Biol Pharm Bull. 2007;30(10):1878-83.
4. Kim JH, Son YK, Kim GH, Hwang KH. Xanthoangelol and 4-Hydroxyderricin Are the Major Active Principles of the Inhibitory Activities against Monoamine Oxidases on Angelica keiskei K. Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2013;21(3):234-40.
5. Noh HM, Ahn EM, Yun JM, Cho BL, Paek YJ. Angelica keiskei Koidzumi extracts improve some markers of liver function in habitual alcohol drinkers: a randomized double-blind clinical trial. J Med Food. 2015;18(2):166-72.
6. Available at: http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/130003945577/. Accessed March 25, 2017.
7. Kim CM, Heo MY, Kim HP, Sin KS, Pachaly P. Pharmacological activities of water extracts of Umbelliferae plants. Arch Pharm Res. 1991;14(1):87-92.
8. Available at: http://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,74677e1376d0a2ef,2c29695069ad0f3c.html. Accessed March 25, 2017.