Adaptogens are becoming increasingly popular. These potent herbs are claimed to aid with stress management and adaptation. And, well, anything that can assist us in reducing stress gets our attention. We wouldn’t be surprised if many of you share our sentiments.
Ashwagandha in Australia, commonly known as Withania somnifera or Indian ginseng, is one of the most popular adaptogens. Ashwagandha’s root is frequently utilised in Ayurvedic treatment. It comes in a variety of forms, including capsules, powder, tea, and tincture.
What is ashwagandha?
Indian Ginseng, or Ashwagandha, is a plant used in Ayurveda, India’s ancient medicine. Its root has a horsey odour and is claimed to give a horse’s strength and virility. Ashva means “horse” and gandha means “smell” in Sanskrit. The plant’s many parts are used, but the most popular supplemental form is a root extract.
Ashwagandha is classed as an adaptogen, which means it is thought to help the body cope with stress. Although rodent and cell culture studies suggest that ashwagandha benefits have a wide range of practical fuinctionalities, most of these effects have yet to be confirmed in humans.
1. Help Your Body Manage Stress
Adaptogens can boost the body’s resilience to a variety of stresses, including physical, chemical, biological, and psychological ones.
“Adaptogens help create and maintain resilience by bringing the body into balance,” explains Jaclyn Tolentino, DO, a physician at Parsley Health.
Ashwagandha, in particular, can aid in stress management. “Adaptogen and nervine characteristics are two of ashwagandha’s hallmarks,” Heintze notes. By lowering cortisol levels in the body, ashwagandha may assist to lessen and balance stress. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone, and it plays an important part in the “fight or flight” response. When cortisol levels are high, you may notice symptoms such as a faster heart rate and higher blood pressure.
Because many adaptogen studies are tiny and limited in scope, there isn’t a lot of clinical evidence to back up the different claimed health advantages of adaptogens. Adaptogens like ashwagandha, however, have been utilised in traditional medicine for hundreds of years, according to Tolentino.
“When appropriate—if I believe the patient would benefit from introducing adaptogens into their health routine and it is not contraindicated in any manner,” she explains.
2. Have Cognitive Benefits
Are you having problems concentrating lately? Ashwagandha may aid memory, mental clarity, focus, and other cognition-related issues.
“Traditionally, ashwagandha has been used to boost memory and cognitive function, and it may help improve mood,” explains Tolentino. “While there is limited clinical evidence for these advantages, ashwagandha can still be safely incorporated into your wellness routine if it is clinically appropriate for you.”
3. Reduce Inflammation and Pain
Ashwagandha has been shown in studies to reduce inflammation in the body. This is critical because inflammation in the body has a major impact on general health, particularly when it is chronic (read all about how inflammation can affect your health here).
Who should avoid Ashwagandha?
It is advisable to consult your healthcare professional before using ashwagandha if you have any thyroid difficulties.
“Ashwagandha improves thyroid function by boosting the conversion of T4 to T3, the more active type of thyroid hormone, helping some people have a healthy thyroid function. On the other hand, if a person’s thyroid is already borderline overactive, ashwagandha may exacerbate hyperthyroidism.”
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have an autoimmune disorder, you should avoid using ashwagandha. Dr. Lin recommends speaking with your clinician before taking anything in these situations. This is especially important for pregnant women, as ashwagandha might create difficulties.
While these advantages may entice you to try Ashwagandha, you should be aware of certain potential adverse effects. Here are a few that you should be aware of to convince yourself for consuming ashwagandha root supplements.
