There are many species of this plant, including asparagus officinalis which has asparagosides. Asparagus racemosus is a member of the same family as the common asparagus. in Ayurvedic medicine it is commonly known as Shatavari. This supplement has been getting a lot of attention lately for its possible role in reducing hangover symptoms or prevent liver damage from excess alcohol use. I am waiting for actual human studies to determine whether this product helps for these conditions.

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Supplement Facts:
Serving Size 1 capsule
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) 200 mg
     Rhizome Extract - Standardized to a 10 to 1 extract

Recommendations: One asparagus capsule in the morning and lunch or as recommended by your doctor.


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Which is better for you, asparagus capsules or the real thing cooked?
    It depends which health condition is being treated. They both have benefits. It is not practical to eat asparagus shoots everyday so the capsules can provide easy benefits by simply swallowing pills. One could at times take a capsule and other times eat the vegetable.

Historical uses
Asparagus racemosus is recommended in Ayurvedic texts for prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers, dyspepsia and as a galactogogue - for the production of breast milk in nursing mothers. It has also been used successfully by some Ayurvedic practitioners for nervous disorders, inflammation, liver diseases and certain infectious diseases.

Studies and research
I find few studies published in the western medical literature regarding the use of root extract of Asparagus racemosus in humans. Rare reports are available demonstrating beneficial effects of alcoholic and water extracts of the root of Asparagus racemosus in some clinical conditions and experimentally induced diseases, e.g. galactogogue effect, antihepatotoxic and immune modulating activities.

Hangover treatment or prevention?
Asparagus leaves could help in the treatment of an alcohol hangover and also protect the liver from the toxic results of alcohol. Liver damage is always a concern for people who drink heavily. Korean researchers report that asparagus leaves protect the liver from a number of toxic substances. The extract should be taken prior to an evening of drinking because if it is taken after the liver damage would already have been done. The study was conducted by researchers at the Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in South Korea.

Antioxidant
Experimental excitotoxicity provokes oxidative damage in mice brain and attenuation by extract of Asparagus racemosus.
J Neural Transm. 2004.
We designed this study to investigate the potential of extract of Asparagus racemosus against kainic acid (KA)-induced hippocampal and striatal neuronal damage. Extract of AR displayed potent reductant of Fe(3+). The excitotoxic lesion in brain was produced by intra-hippocampal and intra-striatal injections of kainic acid to ketamine and xylazine anesthetized mice. The results showed impairment of hippocampus and striatal regions of brain after KA injection marked by an increase in lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl content and decline in glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) content. The Asparagus racemosus extract supplemented mice displayed an improvement in GPx activity and GSH content and reduction in membranal lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl.

Blood pressure
Does asparagus extract or fresh vegetable effect high blood pressure?
   I have not seen any such studies in humans.

Diuretic
West Indian Med J. 2010.
Acute toxicity and diuretic studies of the roots of Asparagus racemosus Willd in rats. Department of Pharmacology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Asparagus racemosus has been used as diuretic in Ayurveda but has not been validated by a suitable experimental model. The study was carried out with an aqueous extract of the roots of Asparagus racemosus utilizing three doses viz 800 mg/kg, 1600 mg/kg and 3200 mg/kg for its diuretic activity in comparison with standard drug (furosemide) and control (normal saline) rats after doing acute toxicity study. Acute toxicity study showed no fatality even with the highest dose. Asparagus racemosus showed diuretic activity at a 3200 mg/kg dose without acute toxicity.

Immune enhancement
Immunoadjuvant potential of Asparagus racemosus aqueous extract in experimental system.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2004.
The immunoadjuvant potential of Asparagus racemosus Family aqueous root extract was evaluated in experimental animals immunized with diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP) vaccine. Immune stimulation was evaluated using serological and hematological parameters. Reduced mortality accompanied with overall improved health status was observed in treated animals after intra-cerebral challenge of B. pertussis indicating development of protective immune response. Present study indicates applications of test material as potential immunoadjuvant that also offers direct therapeutic benefits resulting in less morbidity and mortality.

Ulcer treatment
Antisecretory and antiulcer activity of Asparagus racemosus Willd. ( Shatavari ) against indomethacin plus phyloric ligation-induced gastric ulcer in rats.
J Herb Pharmacother. 2006. Department of Zoology, University College of Science, MLS University, Udaipur, India.
Drs Bhatnagar and Sisodia studied the antisecretory and antiulcer activity of Asparagus racemosus Willd. ( Shatavari methanolic extract) and its action against indomethacin (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) plus pyloric ligation (PL)-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Treatment with Asparagus racemosus crude extract (100 mg/kg/day orally) for fifteen days significantly reduced ulcer index when compared with control group. Asparagus racemosus was found to be an effective antiulcerogenic agent, whose activity can well be compared with that of ranitidine hydrochloride. The results of this study suggest that Asparagus racemosus causes an inhibitory effect on release of gastric hydrochloric acid and protects gastric mucosal damage.

Asparagus racemosus on mammary gland and genital organs
Effect of Asparagus racemosus rhizome ( Shatavari) on mammary gland and genital organs of pregnant rat.
Phytother Res. 2005; Pandey SK, Sahay A, Pandey RS. Department of Anatomy, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Asparagus racemosus Willd (family Liliaceae) is commonly known as Shatavari. The alcoholic extract of its rhizome was administered orally to adult pregnant female albino rats at a dose of 30 mg/100 g body weight, daily for 15 days (days 1-15 of gestation). The macroscopic findings revealed a prominence of the mammary glands, a dilated vaginal opening and a transversely situated uterine horn in the treated group of animals. Our results suggest an estrogenic effect of Shatavari on the female mammary gland and genital organs.

Asparagus gobicus
Nor-lignans and steroidal saponins from Asparagus gobicus.
Planta Med. 2004.
From the roots of Asparagus gobicus, four new nor-lignans, 3'-methoxynyasin, iso-agatharesinol, gobicusins A, B and one new steroidal saponin, 3-O-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl(1-4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-(25S)-5beta-spirostan-3beta-ol (11) were isolated, together with twelve known compounds. The structures of the new compounds were established by spectroscopic methods including 2D-NMR techniques (1H-1H COSY, HMBC, HMQC) and chemical transformations. Nyasol (5) and 11 exhibited remarkable in vitro cytotoxic activity against cultured HO-8910 (human ovarian carcinoma) and Bel-7402 (human hepatoma) cells with IC50 vales of 30.6 and 29.4 microM, 5.2 and 5.2 microM, respectively.

Asparagus cochinchinensis chemicals
Bioactive constituents from Asparagus cochinchinensis.
J Nat Prod. 2004.
Bioassay-directed fractionation of the dried roots of Asparagus cochinchinensis led to the isolation of a new spirostanol saponin, asparacoside, two new C-27 spirosteroids, asparacosins A and B, a new acetylenic derivative, 3' '-methoxyasparenydiol, and a new polyphenol, 3'-hydroxy-4'-methoxy-4'-dehydroxynyasol, as well as five known phenolic compounds, asparenydiol, nyasol, 3' '-methoxynyasol, and trans-coniferyl alcohol.

Combining with other supplements
Can an asparagus supplement be taken the same day as mangosteen or lipoic acid supplements?
   I don't see why not.

How is it available?
Asparagus Root Extract 4%~10 Asparagoside is sold by raw material ingredient suppliers.

Emails
I am a student at a university in San Antonio, TX as well as a regular consumer of your asparagus extract (200 mg, 10:1 Pure). I use it when I consume alcohol in reasonable quantities to help me reduce the alcohol-induced damage to my body. I find your product to be superior to a lot of extracts that I have tried.