You’ve probably seen a lot of articles popping up about the health benefits of ashwagandha, but the one question that no one ever answers is: What is ashwagandha? The good news is that ashwagandha is a plant, so it is all natural. The root and berry of ashwagandha are used in Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine). It has now been introduced in the west, and people are clamoring for the health and beauty benefits of this unique plant from India.
Facts About Ashwagandha?
What type of plant is ashwagandha? It is an evergreen shrub. The fruits are a reddish-orange color. The plant got its name from the smell of the root portion. The word ashwa is Sanskrit for horse. While that may not present the most appetizing picture, taking ashwagandha in capsule form eliminates most of the smell and flavor, so most people prefer this to powders.
There are a number of different names for the plant. Because of the berries, some call it Indian winter cherry. Because of the cognitive benefits, many people call it Indian ginseng. This is a very potent herb. If you are taking medications, you should make sure there won’t be any interactions. For example, because ashwagandha can drop blood sugar levels, a diabetic may experience blood sugar going too low if this supplement is taken along with a normal dose of insulin.
What Are the Health Benefits of Ashwagandha?
What are some of the benefits of ashwagandha? Here are some of our favorites:
- Stress reducer – In one study, taking just 300 to 500 mg of ashwagandha per day was able to reduce a person’s cortisol levels by up to 28%. Cortisol is the primary hormone that is released in the body when a person is experiencing stress. While some cortisol is important to handling stressful situations, an overabundance of the hormone can trigger migraines and other health conditions, increase blood sugar levels, slow metabolism, and even affect memory.
- Anti-aging – Ashwagandha root contains antioxidants including polyphenols. These antioxidants play a key role in reducing the signs of aging. Plus, there is even some preliminary research into whether it can help hair produce more melanin. That means less gray hair.
- Blood sugar regulation – Ashwagandha may help the body to regulate blood sugar levels. It’s not a substitute for insulin or a diabetes cure. However, it can help keep your blood sugar highs and lows from being as extreme. Testing has been performed on animals and researchers have had a great deal of success, although at this point, they still don’t understand the reasons for their results. Perhaps it is connected to the reduction in cortisol levels.
- Cognitive boost – Again, this may be related to how it helps fight high cortisol levels which can affect memory and other cognitive functions. This cognitive boost is why many call it Indian ginseng. There are even attempts to use this supplement to restore synapse function in patients with Alzheimer’s. In animals, ashwagandha is able to fight the effects of beta-amyloid plaques that wreak havoc on the memory when they form in the brain.
- Pain reliever – Ashwagandha seems to reduce inflammation levels in the body. Since inflammation causes pain, this can help reduce the effects of conditions such as arthritis. Again, this may be linked to how this supplement combats high cortisol levels because an abundance of cortisol triggers an inflammatory response.
- Cancer – Not only is ashwagandha packed with antioxidants that fight free radicals, but there are also some studies that show it may be able to help cancer patients who are taking chemotherapy to have more energy. This can make the treatment easier to cope with.
- Thyroid health – Ashwagandha can increase the thyroid hormone and lower TSH levels. For a person who has an underactive thyroid, this may be able to correct minor underactivity. Again, if you are on medication for an underactive thyroid, speak with a doctor or pharmacist to determine how supplementing this may affect your condition.
- Mental health – There is also some limited research regarding the benefits of ashwagandha for OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) as well as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). It may also help relieve some of the negative side effects that are associated with antipsychotic medications. Benefits have also been seen among patients suffering from bipolar disorder after 8 weeks of supplementation.
Pure Organic Ashwagandha Root for Stress Relief and More!
Warrior Strong Wellness is proud to offer Pure Organic Ashwagandha for Stress and Anxiety. Every dose contains 1200 mg of ashwagandha along with 10 mg of BioPerine to help you absorb the supplement and receive the maximum benefits. We recommend it for everything from coping with anxiety, stress, and grief to dealing with an underactive thyroid or fatigued adrenals. Our pure and organic supplement promotes stress reduction and calmness, encourages better sleep, and contains the antioxidants your body needs to fight free radicals and the effects of aging.
Along with all of these benefits, your purchase also helps St. Baldricks Foundation, a childhood cancer research foundation. So you get the feel-good benefits of ashwagandha along with the good feeling of helping children.
You can’t avoid all stress. But you can try to keep stress levels under control with. Many people feel rapid benefits and greater benefits that build over the coming weeks. So get your journey to better health and wellness started today with Pure Organic Ashwagandha for Stress and Anxiety.
About The Author
Warrior Strong Wellness
Warrior Strong Wellness provides innovative and high quality transformational supplements and raises awareness and funds to fight childhood cancer by giving a portion of our proceeds to childhood cancer research. In our weekly blogs, we share wisdom about wellness and living a Warrior Strong lifestyle.