Ashwagandha is an herbal plant that is local to Southeast Asia, especially native to India. It has a couple of uses in cooking; however, is mainly used medicinally, and individuals are liable to find the herbal preparation of Ashwagandha in many countries.
Not every country calls it Ashwagandha so you might need to search for different names as well; Indian ginseng, Withania somnifera, and winter cherry are a few common names of Ashwagandha.
Organic Type
In its organic type, Ashwagandha is normally compared with tomato vegetables; due to the similarity of their appearance, which is not shocking as both vegetations are part of the nightshade family. Indian ginseng fruit looks like wild berries, which are used in cooking. They make an excellent alternative for rennet, which is required to make dairy products.
Uses of winter cherry in food preparation are potentially least common. Preferably, it is best known in the native areas for its medicinal uses in Ayurveda Medicine. The berries, as well as the leaves of the plant, are not used; however, the root is considered effective for hundreds of years in treating a lot of health issues.
Adaptogen
There are a lot of people who encourage others to take Ashwagandha extract as an herbal medicine, due to that fact that ashwagadha is considered an adaptogen, which is a natural medicine that fights stress related problems. Only a few plants are adaptogenic in nature, and Indian ginseng is one of them. What is appropriate for you is totally depends on your symptoms.
[pt_view id=”b2ce7582fv”]Uses, Properties and Other Benefits of Ashwagandha
Aswagandha has many beneficial uses and could help people who suffer from insomnia. As per the anecdotal evidence, Ashwagandha can even treat fertility and enhance sexual potency. The herbal medicine prepared from Ashwagadha tea can cure cough and treat tuberculosis; people who suffer from bronchitis and asthma may also get relief from the benefits of Ashwagandha.
- Analgesic benefits
- Antioxidant in nature
- Anti aging potential
- Cancer-fighting potential (as per a few studies)
Ashwagandha is a popular supplement used in the Ayurvedic medicine to treat and/or prevent various health conditions. This supplement is actually a plant with a Latin name Withania somnifera, but it’s widely known as Ashwagandha which translates to “Smell of Horse“, indicating that it brings power and strength of a horse to the one who consumes it.
Ashwagandha is an Adaptogen used for lowering physical stress, as it improves muscle recruitment and motor neuron control. However, it also provides mental benefits and helps in reducing anxiety level, treating insomnia and it also aids in combat against stress-related depression by reducing cortisol levels.
Even though it’s primarily used for treating stress disorders, Ashwagandha is beneficial to those looking to improve physical performance, increase memory capabilities and recent research have shown that it might be very helpful in treating Alzheimer’s disease and asthma.
What’s more, it reduces LDL cholesterol in all subjects (not just the ones who are metabolically ill), but unfortunately it is not as effective in lowering triglycerides levels as some other Ayurvedic supplements are.
Research on Ashwagandha is ongoing and many studies have already proved amazing benefits of Ashwagandha powder.
– In this study, it was determined that Ashwagandha increases the growth of both damaged and normal nerve cells, showing a great potential in a treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
– Another large study1 has shown that the participants experienced better sleep, reduced fatigue and a higher level of energy. Moreover, their level of cortisol was reduced by 26%, lipid profiles were improved and blood sugar levels stabilized.
– For anti-anxiety and stress reducing purposes, Ashwagandha turned out to be as effective as some antidepressant medications. Using it for five days in a row in an oral form reduced anxiety levels in the same way as some antidepressant medications .2
Like most supplements in ayurvedic medicine, Ashwagandha powder provides great benefits with no or little side effects, especially compared to traditional drugs.
In this video Logan shows how to take Ashwagandha tincture.
- Unpublished study, 2005. NutrGenesis, LLC.
- Bhattacharya SK, Bhattacharya A, Sairam K, Ghosal S. Anxiolytic-antidepressant activity of Withania somnifera glycowithanolides: an experimental study. Phytomedicine. 2000 Dec;7(6):463-9