Key Ashwagandha Benefits You Should Know About

by Mind RefitFeb 2, 2019Nootropics0 comments

A gooseberry plant is a wonder to observe – those tiny little fruits encased in their own pretty casings speak of magic.

In the case of Ashwagandha, or poison gooseberry, we are talking about a plant that is so magical in its treatment of a wide range of ailments that it’s known as the king of Ayurvedic herbs.

In Sanskrit ashwagandha means “the smell of a horse,” referring to the rejuvenating qualities of the herb – its potential to let you experience the vigor and strength of a horse.

The herb is also known as Withania Somnifera, Indian Ginseng, Winter Cherry, Dunal, and Solanaceae.

There’s a lot to say about ashwagandha, but I’d like to keep this article as short as possible and focus on the numerous benefits this nootropic herb has to offer

A One-Stop Miracle Tonic for Thousands of Years

The Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine can be traced back to 6000 BC. For most of that time, Ayurvedic doctors used Ashwagandha as a medicinal tonic.

When you hear of tonic, the first thing that you may think about is a liquid given to a sick child to recover their health. Ashwagandha is used for that and much more as well.

The list of ailments it helps for is mind-blowing! Ashwagandha has through the ages, been used as a nerve tonic, an aphrodisiac, to increase stamina and endurance, to aid mental health, for rheumatism, constipation, insomnia, nervous breakdown, thyroid, inflammation of the joints, arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension.

It is said to help with boils, pimples, colic, worms and piles. It can be locally applied for carbuncles, ulcers and painful swellings. It is also famous for its wound-healing properties. Do you think it sounds too good to be true? Perhaps… But there are a lot of people who have actually gotten results from using it.

Ashwagandha is best known for its ability to abate anxiety. It is categorized as an adaptogen – that is, a substance that helps your body handle stressors.

It may also help with diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s by improving brain functions like memory, attention and concentration. In case you’re wondering, there’s plenty of scientific research to back up this claim for those of you who would love to know the science behind it.

Ashwagandha Benefits Supported by Science

While ashwagandha has been used for centuries in India, it is not well-known in modern medicine. Recently, scientists began to study the herb due to increased popularity. The result of their research can now tell us what the herb is capable of.

1. Anxiety

Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries as a remedy for anxiety. Due to its chemical properties, scientists have now learned of its potency in treating anxiety.

In an experiment, scientists found a notable drop in the anxiety levels of people who were treated with ashwagandha. They also recorded a minor improvement in feelings of wellbeing as the feelings of anxiety subsides.

Such studies support the use of ashwagandha as a nootropic for its antianxiety effect in the body.

2. Depression

Depression is a very common condition in our time and conventional treatments have not been very effective.

Ashwagandha has a mild anti-depressive effect. Because of this, in an experiment, volunteers who were diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (mixed anxiety and depression) felt their depression and anxiety symptoms lift after six weeks of supplementation.

3. Effective for Stress

Multiple robust scientific studies have proven that ashwagandha is a real mainstay for those of us struggling with stress.

Stress is a problem that causes you to perform poorly. It generally makes you feel uncomfortable and unhappy.

Ashwagandha is highly effective in reducing cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that is released in the body, in response to stress. Due to its effect in reducing cortisol levels, ashwagandha can help to combat stress when taken.

4. Improve Physical Strength

One of the interesting properties of ashwagandha is its ability to improve speed and muscle strength. It’s a great choice for athletes or fitness enthusiasts.

A study in India treated 40 elite cyclists with Ashwagandha and found that it improved their performance significantly.

Ashwagandha helps to improve weakness in your body, increase your speed and make your lower leg muscles stronger and bigger.

It can also improve the coordination between your brain and your muscles, allowing for faster response and smooth communication between them.

5. Reduces Bad Cholesterol

It is a known fact that high cholesterol levels (Low-Density Lipoprotein) in the blood can increase your risk of heart disease.

In an experiment, researchers found a noticeable drop in total cholesterol levels, after treatment with water extract of the ashwagandha roots. Interestingly, cholesterol levels dropped for all subjects regardless of whether they had high cholesterol levels or not.

6. Reduces High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke in the world. It kills around 7.5 million people worldwide every year.

There are a couple of things that can cause high blood pressure, these include genetics, high cholesterol and stress.

Due to the effectiveness of ashwagandha against stress and high cholesterol levels, it is no surprise to see that it can also help to combat high blood pressure. By reducing stress and preventing cholesterol levels from going high, ashwagandha helps to reduce the risk of hypertension.

7. Helpful in Cancer Treatment

One of the side effects of chemotherapy is prolonged fatigue. Ashwagandha can fight cancer-related fatigue and improve the quality of life of patients. However, this is a recent development and more research is necessary to confirm it.

Scientists say that by reducing stress and fatigue ashwagandha can ease the pain of chemotherapy.

Researchers from India in 2007, reported that Ashwagandha shows signs of inhibiting and reducing tumor growth and could actually help in the treatment of cancer.

8. Can Help with Male Infertility

Stress is a factor which affects fertility, and as we’ve already established, ashwagandha has a sort of “stress-fighting” effect. As a result, reduced stress level can lead to improved fertility in men.

One study involved 150 men, half of them infertile. After treatment with ashwagandha, the infertile men showed increased sperm count and sperm concentration.

Treatment with root powder of Ashwagandha decreased and improved the overall semen quality.

In another study, testosterone concentrations were also increased as a result of the administration of ashwagandha.

9. Reduce Blood Sugar Levels

Several studies have found that ashwagandha can reduce blood sugar levels, but only by about 4.7%.

Interestingly, the herb has the ability to reduce blood sugar levels in both healthy people and diabetics.

Remember the cortisol reducing effect of ashwagandha? Yeah, that’s the exact reason it has this effect on sugar levels. High cortisol level is associated with increased sugar levels in the bloodstream. With the reduction of cortisol through the consumption of ashwagandha, sugar levels can also be reduced.

Anecdotal Benefits of Ashwagandha

There has been a lot of reports from people who have tried this nootropic. Many of them have confirmed that they experienced at least one of the following benefits, even though it has no scientific backing.

Weight

A lot of people say they use the herb to lose weight. Others say it doesn’t really work. Scientific research has found that overweight people who suffer from anxiety lose weight while they are being treated for their anxiety.

It’s not sure if people who are not anxious will also lose weight with ashwagandha.

Hair

Many people use ashwagandha as a hair tonic and to prevent hair loss. There is no scientific proof that the herb prevents hair loss, but since ashwagandha is a stress releaser and hair loss often happens as a result of stress, it might actually be true.

Ashwagandha is said to be effective in treating scalp dandruff, scalp psoriasis, and itchiness.

Skin

Users of Ashwagandha claim that it has antiaging properties, helping you to look young longer. Although there is no robust scientific research on this claim, since stress is one of the factors that speed up aging, there might just be some evidence undiscovered by scientists yet.

Studies have found that Ashwagandha may have a depigmentation action that can make marks on the skin appear lighter, but the research is not conclusive.

Ashwagandha is one of the most common nootropics there is on the internet. With its numerous benefits, it is no surprise to see why. It is also one of those nootropics that comes in the form of a herb. A lot of people have used it and have experienced the “ashwagandha benefits”, while some are just learning about its amazing benefits.

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