What is ASHWAGANDHA?
Ashwagandha, known by the scientific name
Withania somnifera, belongs to the Solanaceae (nightshade) family of plants
that includes tomatoes, bell and chili peppers, and tobacco. This family of
plants is made up of herbs, vines, shrubs, trees, weeds, and ornamentals.
Ashwagandha is a short perennial shrub that
can grow 30 inches tall, with branches reaching 5 inches long. The branches
produce small flowers throughout the year. These flowers open in a bell shape
and sprout small orange-red marble size fruits. The greenish yellow leaves are
described as having a normal and average shape, meaning it may be more
difficult to identify in the wild.
Supplements and herbal mixtures use the
fruit, root structure, and leaves. Ashwagandha is native to India, but due to
increasing demand farmers now cultivate it in places like the Middle East,
Africa, and North America. It is drought resistant and prefers to grow at
higher altitudes but can be found at almost any elevation.
Ashwagandha has been part of herbal and
ayurvedic medicine for centuries. Historically, it's been used for a variety of
conditions including arthritis, anxiety and stress, sleeplessness and even
obsessive-compulsive disorder. One study found it was superior to a placebo for
OCD, and, when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, one small study found that it
may modestly improve symptoms when combined with other treatments. Still, the
effectiveness of ashwagandha alone for RA is unclear.
Today, ashwagandha is best known for its
adaptogenic properties, meaning its purported ability to help the body cope
with internal stressors like sleeplessness, fatigue or anxiety, as well as
everyday environmental triggers like the sound of your alarm clock on Monday
morning.
The strongest scientific evidence points to
ashwagandha's effectiveness in stress relief. One 2012 study including 64
adults with chronic stress found that taking two capsules of ashwagandha root a
day for 60 days helped decrease how stressed the participants felt by 44
percent and reduced the stress hormone cortisol by about 28 percent. Other
stressed folks who got a placebo only reduced their perceived stress by 5.5
percent and their cortisol levels by about 8 percent.
There's even research suggesting ashwagandha
may help prevent stress-related weight gain. Though studies are not conclusive,
ashwagandha is also being studied for a potential positive role in reducing
anxiety. It's also believed to possibly help improve brain function, decrease
inflammation and even help with infertility and sexual dysfunction. Keep your
eyes open for ongoing research on how ashwagandha might impact bipolar
disorder, blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes and other conditions.
Ashwagandha is also known by many other names: Ajagandha, Ayurvedic Ginseng,
Indian Ginseng, Ghoda Asoda, Hayahvaya, Winter Cherry, Vajigandha.
Benefits:
- Helps in coping with Stress and Anxiety as Ashwagandha is very effective in reducing the Cortisol (stress hormone) levels.
- Supports in reducing inflammation.
- Contains antioxidant properties that promote thyroid health by stimulating thyroid activity.
- Helpful for women to restore sexual desire, including relief from reduced libido, dryness, reduced arousal, pain, and problems related to achieving orgasm due to neurovascular, hormonal, or psychogenic manifestations.
- Very effective in easy management of menopausal syndromes.
- Proven to improve the sex drive and hormone production, reduce stress, increase sperm count, and semen quality in men.
- Widely used by Gym goers as it is proven to be very effective in increasing muscle mass and strength and reducing fat.
- Helps increase testosterone levels, while also improving sexual function and body composition.
- Protects against oxidative stress, DNA damage, and glutamate excitotoxicity.
- Induces good quality sleep without any kind of side effects created like some sleep drugs.
- May reduce blood sugar levels through its effects on insulin secretion and sensitivity.
- Helps induce apoptosis, which is the programmed death of cancer cells and impedes the growth of new cancer cells in several ways.
- Promotes the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside cancer cells, disrupting their function and may also cause cancer cells to become less resistant to apoptosis.
- Very effective in reducing depression faster.
- Regular consumption reduces the risk of heart disease by decreasing cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- Helps in improving brain function, memory, reaction times and the ability to perform tasks.
- It is commonly used in emaciation of children, when given with milk, it is the best tonic for children.
- Extensively used for debility from old age, rheumatism, vitiated conditions of vata, leukoderma, constipation, insomnia, nervous breakdown, goiter etc.
- Excellent supplement to remove body weakness and achieve great strength for hard work and have great mood all the time.
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