What is "asparagus racemosus"

Asparagus \As*par"a*gus\ ([a^]s*p[a^]r"[.a]*g[u^]s), n. [L., fr. Gr. 'aspa`ragos, 'asfa`ragos; cf. sparga^n to swell with sap or juice, and Zend [,c]paregha prong, sprout, Pers. asparag, Lith. spurgas sprout, Skr. sphurj to swell. Perh. the Greek borrowed from the Persian. Cf. Sparrowgrass.]

1. (Bot.) A genus of perennial plants belonging to the natural order Liliace[ae], and having erect much branched stems, and very slender branchlets which are sometimes mistaken for leaves. Asparagus racemosus is a shrubby climbing plant with fragrant flowers. Specifically: The Asparagus officinalis, a species cultivated in gardens.

2. The young and tender shoots of Asparagus officinalis, which form a valuable and well-known article of food.

   Note: This word was formerly pronounced sparrowgrass; but this pronunciation is now confined exclusively to uneducated people.

   Asparagus beetle (Zo["o]l.), a small beetle ( Crioceris asparagi) injurious to asparagus.

Asparagus racemosus (satavar, shatavari, or shatamull) is a species of asparagus common throughout Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and the Himalayas. It grows one to two metres tall and prefers to take root in gravelly, rocky soils high up in piedmont plains, at 1,300–1,400 metres elevation. It was botanically described in 1799. Because of its multiple uses, the demand for Asparagus racemosus is constantly on the rise. Because of destructive harvesting, combined with habitat destruction, and deforestation, the plant is now considered "endangered" in its natural habitat.

Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) is recommended in Ayurvedic texts for the prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers and dyspepsia, and as a galactogogue. A. racemosus has also been used by some Ayurvedic practitioners for nervous disorders.

A few recent reports demonstrated some additional beneficial effects of this herb including antihepatotoxic, immunomodulatory, immunoadjuvant and antilithiatic effects.

Shatawari has different names in the different Indian languages, such as shatuli, vrishya and other terms. In Nepal it is called kurilo. The name "shatawari" means "curer of a hundred diseases" (shatum: "hundred"; vari: "curer").