Ashwagandha is a herb that has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine as a rejuvenating tonic for thousands of years. The name “ashwagandha powder” means “smell of a horse” — a reference to the animal-like odour of the root and the virility and vigour that the herb is thought to impart.
Ashwagandha is a shrub with red berries that emerge from papery husks in the fall. In English, it is often called “winter cherry.” But traditionally, the long, tuberous roots are picked in the winter, dried, and ground into a powder that is used as medicine. Ashwagandha powder is used in herbal medicine, but many supplements now use ashwagandha extract, which is more concentrated.
Ashwagandha has also been called “Indian ginseng” because its purpose and role in Ayurveda are similar to those of ginseng in traditional Chinese medicine. Keep on reading to know its benefits for your mind and body….
What Are Adaptogens?
Ashwagandha belongs to a unique class of healing herbs called adaptogens. Adaptogenic herbs are good for your mind and body because they help you deal positively with stress. They help the body deal with physical and mental stressors better, improving performance, conserving energy, and resisting damage under stressful conditions.
Stress comes in different forms, such as physical or mental exertion, not getting enough sleep or food, being in a harsh environment, and mental pressures. These problems can set off the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, making it use its energy to prepare for survival.
The stress response sets the body to deal with an immediate threat. The body is not built to sustain this condition over time. Chronic stress can develop from ongoing stress. Let’s discuss how the Ashwagandha root powder helps your body to function properly.
How Ashwagandha Helps in Reducing Stress
1. Beneficial For Stress Relief:
Cortisol is commonly assessed as a physiological stress indicator because it is the “stress hormone” generated by the adrenal gland as part of the body’s stress response. Chronic stress is connected to continuously high amounts of cortisol in the blood, which can lead to issues with the immune system, the brain, the reproductive system, hormones, and the heart.
Clinical studies have demonstrated that ashwagandha powder can lower cortisol levels by as much as 27.9% to 30.5%.
2. Beneficial For Brain Functioning:
The prefrontal cortex, the executive part of the brain responsible for learning, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and focus, experiences decreased activity due to stress. The function and structure of the brain can eventually be harmed by excessive stress, which also raises the risk of developing neurological or mental problems.
Ashwagandha, a nootropic herb, has long been utilised to improve brain function and cognitive health. According to research, Ashwagandha powder can reduce mental stress, enhance normal brain functioning, and may even assist in safeguarding long-term brain health by reducing the stress response.
3. Beneficial For Fertility And Sexual:
Long-term stress causes hormonal changes in the HPA axis, frequently reducing sex drive and fertility. These effects can be mitigated by ashwagandha’s ability to lower stress and support hormonal balance. Research shows that ashwagandha have been used in traditional medicine for sexual and reproductive health.
Traditional ashwagandha advantages for males include increased virility, and there is growing evidence to support this. Ashwagandha increases testosterone while lowering oxidative and psychological stress and improving sperm quality, count, and motility in infertile men.
4. Beneficial For Heart Health:
Stress has an immediate negative effect on the cardiovascular system, dilating blood vessels, increasing blood pressure, and increasing blood pressure. When stress is prolonged, these effects start to harm your body and can raise the chance of developing heart health issues.
Stress is associated with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and endothelial dysfunction, an issue with how well the blood vessel lining controls vascular tone (contraction and dilation). These reversible diseases are early warning signs of more serious cardiovascular problems.
Ashwagandha has been found to have strong anti-stress effects on people’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that Ashwagandha root powder can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It has also been demonstrated to improve endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes considerably and to lower diastolic blood pressure in those with stress-oriented hypertension.