Method of extraction from withania somnifera and one or more fractions containing pharmacologically active ingredients obtained therefrom

A method for obtaining at least one fraction from a plant material of Withania somnifera (WS), the method comprising:

• soaking the plant material in a mixture of aqueous alcohol and a water-insoluble solvent for 6 hours to 24 hours;
• mincing the plant material present in the mixture;
• filtering the mixture subsequently to obtain a first residue and a first filtrate, the first filtrate having a first aqueous layer and a first non-aqueous layer;
• concentrating the first aqueous layer and the first non-aqueous layer separately to obtain a first dry extract and a second dry extract respectively;
• treating the second dry extract with at least one of a de-pigmenting agent, a de-fatting agent and a detoxifying agent to obtain a first solution;
• and
• filtering the first solution to obtain a second residue and a second filtrate, the second residue being a first fraction of the at least one fraction containing Withaferin A in concentration greater than concentrations of other pharmacologically active ingredients present in the first fraction.