Expanding local herbal traditions Linden-based farmer Claire Richards cultivates ashwagandha

Going beyond what’s commonly cultivated among Guyana’s herbal growers, Linden-based farmer Claire Richards has taken a bold leap into uncharted territory – planting ashwagandha seeds, a rare and ambitious venture scarcely ever attempted in the country. With her hands deep in the soil, Richards continues to redefine what’s possible for local agriculture, nurturing innovation right from her backyard.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), a medicinal herb widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, is not commonly cultivated in Guyana – for various reasons. The plant thrives in dry, subtropical climates with well-drained, sandy or loamy soils, conditions that differ significantly from Guyana’s general environment.
Adding to the challenge is the lack of agricultural research on the herb. With no official studies or pilot projects conducted by local agricultural bodies or agencies, farmers have little data to guide successful growth and harvesting methods.
There’s also low public awareness and demand. ashwagandha is not a traditional Caribbean or South American herb, and because it’s primarily known for its use in Indian and Ayurvedic medicine, few local consumers are familiar with its benefits.
However, in India, ashwagandha is extensively grown as a medicinal plant in the northwestern region of Madhya Pradesh, cultivated on more than 5000 hectares of land. Other major ashwagandha-producing states include Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

Inspiration leads to innovation
Speaking to this publication in a recent interview, Richards shared the inspiration behind her decision to grow exotic herbs.
“The vision to plant these herbs came from the fact that many of them are a regular part of my diet,” she explained. “I don’t usually use milk, so I make a lot of herbal teas instead. I prefer using herbs that are different – the ones you don’t easily find. For example, exotic herbs like mullein, ashwagandha, and blue vervain. There are also many herbs we can grow right here in Guyana, but people often don’t even know their uses. Still, it’s the uncommon, exotic ones that interest me most – that’s what I want to grow.”
Richards shared that she was thrilled to finally acquire the seeds needed to begin cultivation.
“I think the journey really started once I got the seeds,” she recalled joyfully.
“I already have some here, and I even sent a few to test if they could grow successfully from seed in Guyana. As far as I know, it’s not a plant native to this country, so what I’m doing isn’t something that’s usually done here.”
She also spoke about how she personally incorporates ashwagandha into her daily routine, explaining that she often uses the powder as a natural health booster.
It serves a similar purpose to traditional local remedies used to strengthen the body, and she’s now experimenting to see whether Guyana’s climate – which she noted bears similarities to parts of Africa and India – can successfully support its growth.
However, Richards noted that finding the right soil to grow the crop was one of her biggest challenges.
She explained that the land in her area is mostly sandy, which makes it difficult for many plants to thrive. Using a special soil mixed with manure, however, made a noticeable difference in the plant’s growth.
She also discovered that keeping the crop under shade helped protect it from the harsh sunlight, which can be especially intense in Linden.
Richards said the soil was sourced from along the Linden Highway, which she noted is somewhat similar to the soil found in India, where ashwagandha is commonly cultivated.
She added that the plant takes a specific period to grow.
“It’s basically less than a month to start sprouting, and full maturity takes about six months, and then you can start harvesting the leaves.”
Richards emphasised the importance of proper processing and preservation methods.
“It’s very important to dry and powder the stems and leaves because that form is more accessible and lasts longer. Usually, we just pick the bush, wash it, and put it in the pot. But when you dry it, you’re preserving it so you can have it longer.”
Her next goal is to package and sell her products to the public.
“So, the next process is packaging it now – to sell it to the public,” she said. “I’d tell anyone who’s never heard about this product that ashwagandha is very good as a blood booster. It’s a bittersweet herb – like the old people would say, ‘Sweet broom is nice, sweet broom is good,’ but when you taste it, it’s bitter. It’s the same with ashwagandha. It’s bitter, but it’s good for your blood. You just have to balance the bitter with a bit of sweet.”
Richards shared that in just a few months, consumers can expect to see her ashwagandha-based products on the market.
“Probably within the next month or two, because ashwagandha is ready for harvesting right now. Then it’ll go through the drying and packaging process.”
Richards spoke proudly about her garden, which hosts a wide variety of plants and ongoing projects. She explained that some crops, particularly fragile vegetables and cash crops, are grown under a shade house, while others are planted in direct sunlight. Currently, she is focusing on sorrel, which she uses to produce sorrel jam – her newest product – as well as dried sorrel, sorrel tea bags, and sorrel fruit mixes.
She laughed as she added that they find creative ways to use the sorrel in different products. Everything is dried and packaged so customers can easily grab a portion to make tea or other drinks.

Research
According to the National Institutes of Health (nih.gov), research suggests that ashwagandha extracts may lower stress, anxiety, and cortisol levels.
A task force created by the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry and the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments provisionally recommends specific daily doses of ashwagandha root extract for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder, but they also note that they cannot provide a stronger recommendation without more data.
Meanwhile, research is limited, but the results from a few clinical trials suggest that ashwagandha extracts may help with sleep. Taking ashwagandha extract may improve several aspects of sleep, including sleep quality, sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and sleep latency. These benefits tend to be more pronounced among people with insomnia.
Ashwagandha appears to be well tolerated during short-term use, but the long-term safety of ashwagandha is not known. In addition, ashwagandha may not be safe for certain people, it noted.