Ashwagandha is rightly known as the King of herbs in Ayurveda and several research reports have indicated its excellent performance in lowering anxiety and stress levels while boosting performance, strength, enhancing glucose metabolism, and scaling up levels of testosterone at the same time. Ashwagandha or Withania Somnifera is an herb used widely in mainstream Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal practice and its roots come with a distinctive smell, thus lending it the name. Ashva in Sanskrit equates to a horse while Gandha equates to smell. The most common part used in supplements/extracts is the root.
You should always check with your medical practitioner or health expert before starting your Ashwagandha consumption regime. Pregnant women should also consume Ashwagandha with caution. This evergreen shrub grows across the Middle East, India, and several parts of Africa. The orange-red fruit and roots have been used across several hundred years for medicinal reasons. It is also known as the winter cherry and Indian ginseng.
Ashwagandha is rightly known as the King of herbs in Ayurveda and several research reports have indicated its excellent performance in lowering anxiety and stress levels while boosting performance, strength, enhancing glucose metabolism, and scaling up levels of testosterone at the same time.
Major Ashwagandha Benefits
Several studies indicate that Ashwagandha comes with various anti-anxiety benefits while lowering cortisol levels at the same time. It may also help in reducing fatigue levels, insomnia, and depression-related symptoms alike. Power and strength may go up for those doing resistance exercises and aerobics as per reports while it may lower blood pressure, blood glucose, and LDL cholesterol levels. HDL cholesterol levels are also increased slightly by the herb in addition to scaling up testosterone levels and enhancing sperm quality. It is a Rasayana as per traditional Ayurvedic medicine, meaning that it works as an herb that maintains youth, both physically and mentally.
Roots of the herb have been used historically for the treatment of diverse symptoms. Some of the biggest Ashwagandha benefits include treatments for a variety of conditions. They include the following:
- Insomnia
- Arthritis
- Constipation
- Skin Ailments
- Gastrointestinal ailments
- Stress
- Diabetes
- Fevers
- Nervous Breakdowns
- Memory Loss
The herb’s seeds, leaves, and fruit have been used in various ways for carrying out multifarious treatment procedures.
Some other things worth knowing
Ashwagandha is usually safe to consume for most people, although you should always consult your medical practitioner before administering the herb/supplement. 300-500 milligrams (mg) of the root-based extract may be consumed with your meals as per experts since more research is required for evaluating whether higher dosage may lead to greater advantages. If you are consuming the extract together at once, consider having it with your breakfast. Lower dosage to the extent of 50-100 mg may also help in a few scenarios including lowering stress-induced immunosuppression and effects arising from other anxiolytic agents.
You may consume the herb in a powdered form with dosages varying from 450 milligrams (mg) to up to 2 grams (g) as well. It is available in the form of powders, capsules, and liquid extracts alike. The numerous Ashwagandha benefits are now being proven by modern science and medical research. It could indeed be a classic superfood of the current era as claimed by several studies, journals, and associations.
Reference Links:
https://examine.com/supplements/ashwagandha/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318407#how_is_ashwagandha_taken