"There is no substance in the world that cannot be a medicine if properly prepared, and there is no substance in the world that cannot be a poison if improperly prepared." -Ayurvedic Proverb
Ashwagandha is an ayurvedic herbal rejuvenative, Rasayan, made from the root of the Withania somnifera also known as winter cherry. The name means horse smell in Sanskrit, as it does smell like a horse. Another interesting association is that is the horse twins, the Ashwins, in ancient Hinduism that are known as the physicians of the gods. As you will see below, this rejuvenative has many health benefits. The 5 I would like to touch on today are:
Stress Reduction
Increased Sex Drive and Fertility
Better Sleep
Lower Blood Sugar
Lower Blood Pressure
1. Stress
Ashwagandha is known as an adaptogen, which is a substance that helps your system return to a state of balance. This helps to combat anxiety and fatigue, helping a person find their natural rest and digest state of being brought on by the parasympathetic nervous system. Due to stress, improper diet, and inadequate exercise and or sleep, we can remain in a heightened state of sympathetic nervous system arousal, which does not allow our natural physical process to proceed in a a healthy manor. We become stuck in a state of ongoing flight or fight mode and can not return to a complete rest. Ashwagandha, much like ginseng, has a toning effect on the nervous system and helps bring on a deeper resting state, significantly lowering stress hormones like cortisol and allowing the production of hormones that regulate us in a resting state.
2. Sex Drive/Fertility
Just as both ashwagandha and ginseng help tone the nervous system, they also both help to increase sex drive. This is why aswagandha is known as the Indian ginseng. It may go without saying that calming the nerves and promoting rest should naturally allow the sex drive to reach its natural state of activity, but we know from clinical studies that it helps to elevate testosterone levels in men, which will also be associated with higher sex drive. The interesting thing is that there is not good evidence to suggest that ashwagandha directly causes testosterone levels to rise but rather helps the individual's system better manage stress level so that a natural amount of testosterone production can be achieved as stress has been shown to lower testosterone. This takes us back to the first benefit, stress reduction.
In addition to raising male testosterone levels, it naturally increases seamen production and fertility, which has been an increasing problem in the world as time goes on. It is said that men today only have about half the sperm that their grandfathers had, due to stress, unhealthy lifestyle and exposure to chemicals. Scientists believe we may be on the cusp of a fertility crisis. With better lifestyle choices and supplements like ashwagandha, we may be able to get through it, but this magic herb is not only good for the males sex drive, it has been shown to not only increase the female sex drive but also frequency of orgasm. Ashwagandha is not just for the guys!
3. Sleep
It should come as no surprise that lowering stress can allow for better sleep, and ashwagandha has been linked to better sleep as well. It is important to relax before you go to sleep, this should be an active effort at being passive, although if you have been wound up all day, it simply may not be possible. Managing stress throughout the day can make relaxing before bedtime much easier. Stopping regularly throughout the day to letting go of pressing thoughts and unnecessary muscle tension will help, and ashwaghandha can assist in reaching deeper levels of relaxation. It is easier to let go and achieve deeper levels of relaxation at the end of the day when you have to some degree held it in check throughout the day, so don't depend solely on a magic pill to help you sleep, ashwagandha is not a knock out pill, but it has been shown to help many people with restful sleep.
4. Blood Sugar
There is some evidence that ashwagandha helps to lower blood sugar. This may be due to it allowing the cells to take up more sugar from the blood. Because of this it is believed to helpful to diabetics. Whether or not you have diabetes, we know that and increasing amount of people throughout the world are at risk for developing it. With all the added sugar and other sweeteners in our diet, along with refined grains, the amount of diabetic and pre-diabetic people in the world continues to climb. Fast food is even to blame for the rise of childhood diabetes in India, so poor populations are not immune. This was once a different story, as in ancient India diabetes was known as the rich man's disease, because only the rich could afford refined grains like white flour and white rice. Now it seems difficult to avoid. So, in addition to avoiding sugar and trying to eat whole grains, ashwagandha may help keep your blood sugar in check.
5. High Blood Pressure
Ashwagandha has been demonstrated to help lower blood pressure, although when taking blood pressure medication it may actually cause the blood pressure to drop too low, so it is a good idea to talk to your doctor when mixing herbal medications with the medications they have you on. Remember, just because it is a natural substance does not mean it may not be harmful, especially in the wrong amount or with the wrong combinations. As it is said in Ayurvedic medicine "There is no substance in the world that cannot be a medicine if properly prepared, and there is no substance in the world that cannot be a poison if improperly prepared."
In the United States the FDA does not regulated supplements. That means that companies selling natural medicine can put all sorts of things in their supplements to dilute it and make more money off less ingredients, in fact sometimes the pill or extract does not contain the active ingredient promised on the label at all, and this is perfectly legal in the U.S. Welcome to capitalism my friend!
If you want to make sure that the pills you are buying have the advertised amount of the ingredient you are seeking, or even a speck of it at all, you need to buy from a company that has third party quality control, or you might just end up with cornstarch. A tried and true Indian company that specializes in ayurvedic pharmaceuticals that I have been buying from ever since I discovered them in India nearly 20 years ago is Himalaya. You can click on the link below to check out their ashwagandha preparations. Pills for easy use and powder too. I put the powder in my coffee along with some milk, cardamom, and ginger. You can also put it in a smoothie.
#ashwagandha #ayurveda #stress #insomnia #sexdrive #testosterone #fertility #bloodsugar #bloodpressure
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