Routed in ancient medicine, Ashwagandha is known to aid in managing several health concerns due to its Vata-balancing properties. While it might be tricky to pronounce, Ashwagandha is one of the most essential herbs in Ayurveda and is turning the eyeballs of health experts worldwide.
This non-toxic herb has been around us for thousands of years and is mainly used to alleviate stress, increase energy levels, and improve sleep patterns and concentration. If you have recently dipped your toes into the world of ancient herbs and are wondering about the benefits of Ashwagandha, this guide should interest you. Here are 8 potential advantages of adding this non-toxic Ayurvedic herb to your routine.
8 Health Benefits of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha, commonly known as Indian Ginseng and Winter Cherry, is a small shrub native to India and Southeast Asia. Keep scrolling to discover the 8 potential benefits of this ancient herb.
1. May support athletic performance
Ashwagandha is known to boost oxygen use during exercise, thus benefiting athletic performance. Optimal oxygen consumption is mandatory for athletes and non-athletes, as it may reduce mortality risk.
Additionally, this herb may help increase muscle strength and mass. It is also helpful in a significant reduction in body fat percentage and post-workout damage.
2. Soothes stress and anxiety
This herb is perhaps best known for soothing stress and anxious thoughts, thus promoting your overall mental health. It has stress-relieving properties that may help reduce anxiety levels while keeping evil thoughts and stress-related symptoms at bay.
Ashwagandha may also reduce the activity of HPA (a system in your body to regulate stress response), thus helping control stress mediators, including Hsp70, cortisol, and stress-activated c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase.
3. Boosts brain function and memory
The health benefits of Ashwagandha aren’t limited to alleviating stress and improving muscle strength. It is also beneficial for boosting brain function and memory. This herb helps promote antioxidant activity that protects nerve cells from harmful free radicals.
It may help improve cognition, memory, and the ability to perform motor responses. Ashwagandha also helps increase attention spans and task performance.
4. May boost testosterone and fertility in men
Ashwagandha is widely known for having reproductive benefits for males. It helps improve fertility and testosterone levels, thus helping improve sperm quality by rebalancing reproductive hormone levels.
In addition, this herb is traditionally used to improve sexual performance and libido in both men and women. It has been recognized for its fertility-boosting properties and shifts hormone production to anabolic hormones, including Testosterone and DHEA.
5. Lowers inflammation and boosts immunity
Another health benefit of adding Ashwagandha to your daily routine is that the herb helps lower inflammation and boosts immunity. It is packed with potent antioxidants that protect cells against damage caused by free radicals.
Consuming this non-toxic herb regularly may help boost infection-fighting immune cells. Ashwagandha also contains compounds like WA that may help reduce inflammation in the body. This compound targets inflammatory pathways, including signal molecules, and helps lower inflammatory proteins.
6. Helps reduce blood sugar levels
In addition to boosting immunity and alleviating stress, this Ayurvedic herb may benefit people with diabetes or high blood sugar levels. It promotes the reduction of blood sugar, insulin, blood lipids, and oxidative stress markers in the body and may help stimulate your cells to take in glucose from your bloodstream.
However, limited evidence and research are currently available to support Ashwagandha’s benefit in lowering blood sugar levels, and more well-designed studies are still required.
7. May help improve sleep patterns
Many people consume Ashwagandha to promote restful sleep, as this herb is well-known for improving sleep patterns and helping deal with sleep issues. It significantly improves sleep quality and mental alertness upon waking.
Adding this herb to your routine may especially help people with insomnia. It helps people asleep faster and induces peaceful sleep, thus offering them better sleep quality.
8. Helps relieve adrenal fatigue
Ashwagandha may help relieve adrenal function and help overcome adrenal fatigue. Adrenals are endocrine glands that release hormones, specifically cortisol, and adrenaline, in response to stress.
If these glands are overburdened due to emotional or mental stress, they trigger a condition called adrenal fatigue. Taking Ashwagandha on a regular basis helps calm your adrenals and promotes them to function correctly.
How to take Ashwagandha?
Now that you are well acquainted with the health benefits of Ashwagandha, it’s to find out how to use or consume this herb to get the best out of it. The most popular form of the herb is the root extract in capsules and powder forms.
You can add Ashwagandha to your life in multiple ways, such as mixing the powder with smoothies or beverages or applying it directly to the skin. However, the best and easiest way is to consume Ashwagandha tablets.
But when purchasing these supplements, make sure they are standardized for human consumption. Prefer buying vegan options, like Instant Veda Ashwagandha Capsules. It contains pure Ashwagandha extract and helps boosts energy and rejuvenate the body.
Summing Up
Ashwagandha is an ancient medicinal herb with multiple health benefits. It is best known for stabilizing the body’s response to stressful conditions and boosting fertility and T-levels in males. But while this herb is possibly safe, it’s still advised to speak with a healthcare professional about the dosage before adding it to your routine.
