Crucial health benefits of Ashwagandha

Recent scientific research is rediscovering how effective the Indian medical systems like Ayurveda were in using simple substances easily available at home to create powerful healing solutions. Even as the country has adopted western medical systems, Indians have continued to use these solutions as alternative medicines and home remedies. Withania somnifera is one of the most commonly used herbs for this purpose. The herb is called ‘Ashvagandha and is believed to possess several excellent health benefits.

The name ‘Ashwagandha’ is an amalgamation of two words – Ashva (meaning horse) and Gandha (meaning fragrance), thus it means the ‘small of the horse’. The name refers to the herb’s potent scent and its capability of giving one horse-like strength. It is also known as Winter Cherry or Indian ginseng Let’s explore the various benefits of this magical herb:

Let us get started:

1. Might enhance physical performance

The first and one of the most important health benefits of Ashwagandha is that it can be a great way of increasing performance. It is known to increase strength by increasing the body’s ability to use oxygen. That was, in fact, its key use under the Ayurvedic system. Recent scientific research has upheld the belief that Ashwagandha can increase performance during intensive physical exercise and might even hold with muscle development.

2. May libido and fertility in men

Ashwagandha can also help with improvising the sexual hormonal balance in men – especially with testosterone production. The hormonal readjustment has brought visible improvement in sperm concentration, sperm volume, and sperm mobility among men that had low sperm count. All that in turn leads to increased fertility among men – something that has been enumerated as one of the chief benefits of Ashwagandha in Ayurveda.

3. May help improve sleep

An important health benefit of Ashwagandha is that it can help improve the speed quality. The function may relate to the fact that consuming ashwagandha can help one exercise better; thus letting one physically tire enough to get good sleep. The better quality of sleep also made people more active and alert when awake. The best of this particular benefit was available to those who needed it most – people with insomnia.

4. Might help in reducing stress and anxiety

Another important benefit of consuming Ashwagandha is that it is a great adaptogenic – that is, it can be a great way of reducing stress and anxiety. Those two are often outcomes of bad lifestyles and choices and are accompanied by other health issues such as sleeping problems, hair fall, dandruff, hypertension, etc. perhaps best known for their ability to reduce stress. It’s classified as an adaptogen, a substance that helps the body cope with stress. This benefit may go hand-in-hand with the benefit relating to better sleep.

4. May curb symptoms of some mental health conditions

This benefit is related to the previous health benefit of Ashwagandha. Depression is one of the killers in modern society. It is often the biggest cause of death (in form of suicide). Fortunately, Ashwagandha seems to air people toward feeling lesser depression. Scientific research has shown that people with serious mental medical conditions like schizophrenia or even bipolar disorder have lower levels of depression on regular consumption of depression. However, all such research is in the preliminary stages and inconclusive.

6. Might help people with diabetes

Though evidence is limited on this subject, there are reasons to believe that ashwagandha might also lead to the better breakdown of sugar from the blood by the cells of the body. That is particularly so if the person is also doing some intense exercise, as the increased use of oxygen will help reduce the glucose and insulin. The preliminary research already supports its benefits for people with diabetes but more research needs to be undertaken.

6. May fight inflammation

Another magical benefit of Ashwagandha is that it can reduce inflammation by reducing the levels of inflammatory proteins. That can help make certain medical conditions far more bearable. However, this particular health benefit of Ashwagandha is still to be backed up by scientific research.

7. Repair memory and brain function

One of the most important benefits of Ashwagandha is for people with impaired cognitive functions (like attention or reaction time) or memory issues. The populations where the advantage of using Ashwagandha has been recorded include older people with wild memory or cognitive problems and people with schizophrenia.

8. May help lose weight

The last benefit of Ashwagandha to make to this list relates to people trying to lose weight. Ashwagandha’s ability to consume glucose from the blood can help people burn calories much faster and thus can help them lose weight.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

There are several questions people ask that relate to Ashwagandha and its health benefits. The following are some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) on this subject:

Question: What are some of the side effects, if any, of Ashwagandha?

Answer: Ashwagandha is generally considered safe for everyone but some people have faced some digestive issues like upper gastrointestinal discomfort, drowsiness, diarrhea, etc. In all such cases, an adjustment of dosage is recommended. Moreover, it seems,s to affect the thyroid.

Question: What are some of the precautions one must take while eating guava?

Answer: While Ashwagandha is generally considered safe for everyone, the following precautionary notes must be kept in mind while eating it:

• People with pre-existing health conditions, on medication, or sensitive health should consult a doctor before making any changes to their diet. The same applies to pregnant or breastfeeding women. That doubly applies to people with sensitive hormonal issues and people with a thyroid issues.
• It is important to consume Ashwagandha moderately and for a long period – before one can notice its benefits. One can start with 250 micrograms – if it proves safe, one can try scaling up or maintaining at that level only.
• The above information is for general purposes only and may not apply to the specific case of the reader.

If the reader has any other questions, they should feel free to ask them in the comments below.

The Bottom Line

One can easily wrap up the above discussion by concluding that Ashwagandha is truly a magical herb that can provide several valuable health benefits.