Composition for preventing or treating sleep disorders, containing enzyme-treated ashwagandha extract as active ingredient

Abstract

The present invention relates to a composition for preventing sleep disorders or insomnia, containing an enzyme-treated Ashwagandha extract as an active ingredient, and specifically, since it was confirmed that in an animal model and a sleep disorder animal model, which were administered an enzyme-treated Ashwagandha extract, sleep latency and awake time during sleep were decreased, sleep time, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep time and δ-waves were increased, and as a result, sleep activity was improved, the enzyme-treated Ashwagandha extract can be used as an active ingredient of a composition for preventing or treating sleep disorders or insomnia.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating sleep disorders or insomnia, containing an Ashwagandha hot water extract treated with α-amylase and β-amylase, which are amylolytic enzymes, as an active ingredient. 
     
     
         2 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the Ashwagandha hot water extract is an extract of one or more parts selected from the group consisting of flower, branch, stem, leaf, fruit, shoot, rhizome, and root parts of Ashwagandha. 
     
     
         3 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the α-amylase and β-amylase are comprised at a weight ratio of 1:10 to 10:1. 
     
     
         4 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the Ashwagandha hot water extract is treated with the amylolytic enzymes in an amount of 0.5 to 4 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the Ashwagandha hot water extract. 
     
     
         5 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the Ashwagandha hot water extract treated with the amylolytic enzymes, α-amylase and β-amylase, is prepared through the following steps:
 a) adding purified water to the Ashwagandha hot water extract, adjusting a pH, and then treating and reacting the Ashwagandha hot water extract with an enzyme; and 
 b) inactivating the enzyme by heating the Ashwagandha hot water extract of Step a). 
 
     
     
         6 . The pharmaceutical composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition decreases sleep latency and awake time during sleep and increases sleep time, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep time and δ-waves. 
     
     
         7 . A health food composition for preventing or alleviating sleep disorders or insomnia, containing an Ashwagandha hot water extract treated with α-amylase and β-amylase, which are amylolytic enzymes, as an active ingredient. 
     
     
         8 . A food composition for preventing or alleviating sleep disorders or insomnia, containing an Ashwagandha hot water extract treated with α-amylase and β-amylase, which are amylolytic enzymes, as an active ingredient.