10 Amazing Health Benefits of Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is one of the most powerful herbs that has been used in Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times. The scientific name of ashwagandha is Withania somnifera and has been apart of the Ayurveda traditional system of medicine since 6000BC. Ashwagandha has been used as a tonic, narcotic, astringent, diuretic, stimulant and thermogenic in Ayurveda since then.

The ashwagandha plant is a small shrub with yellow flowers and it is native to India and North Africa. Its name comes from Sanskrit; ashwa means “horse” and gadha means, “smell”, simply referring to “smell like a horse”. Ashwagandha is commonly known as “Indian Ginseng” or “Indian winter cherry”.

Ashwagandha belongs to a class of herbs known as “Vitalisers” or “Adaptogens”. Adaptogens are used in many unrelated illnesses because they cause adaptive reactions too diseases and appear to produce a state of nonspecific increased resistance to adverse effects of chemical, physical and biological compounds.

Withania somnifera contains different biologically active constituents including alkaloids (anaferine, anahygrine, isopelletierine and cuseohygrine), saponins and steroidal lactones (withaferins and withanolides).Ashwagandha is typically used as a general tonic to help your body to cope up with every day’s stress and anti-stress agents present in it are acylsterylglucosides and sitoindosides.

Typically, roots and leaves of ashwagandha plant are used to treat a variety of conditions but sometimes, seeds and fruits are also used. Ashwagandha is a multi-functional herb that is used for anxiety and other health conditions.

• Its use as a mood stabiliser has been well established backed up by science and data. It not only reduces the symptoms of stress but also relieves different anxiety conditions.
• It also reduces levels of cortisol in your body. Cortisol is a hormone released by adrenal glands in response to stress and sometimes referred to as “stress hormone”.
• It helps reducing blood sugar level in both diabetics and healthy individuals by improving insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity.
• It also helps your body to fight against cancer by promoting the death of cancerous cells. It is believed that ashwagandha produces “reactive oxygen species” that are toxic only to cancerous cells.
• Ashwagandha supplements also help in lowering blood cholesterol. High blood cholesterol can lead to serious heart diseases, so using ashwagandha can keep you away from potential cardiac problems associated with high cholesterol levels in the body.
• Using ashwagandha can reduce the side effects associated with antipsychotics. Antipsychotics can cause sugar and fat levels to increase in the blood leading to potential side effects. While these side effects can be minimised using ashwagandha as it reduces levels of sugar and fat in your body.
• Its consumption can reduce inflammation in the body by increasing the activity of natural killer cells and decreasing the activity of inflammation markers. That is why people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis use it to relieve their inflammatory symptoms.
• Ashwagandha can boost testosterone in your body and can increase fertility in men by improving sperm quality.
• It improves your brain function and memory. It possesses antioxidant properties that keep our nerve cells protected from harmful free radicals.
• Moreover, it has multiple health benefits in different conditions including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Parkinson’s disease.

Ashwagandha is safe to use when taken in prescribed doses. Selection of appropriate dose depends on different factors like age, health or other associated health conditions. Toxic doses can cause side effects like diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach disturbances. Do not use ashwagandha if you are a pregnant or breastfeeding mother.

Ashwagandha is a herb that can support you with multiple health benefits. Taking it in doses prescribed by your healthcare professional may improve your overall health and quality of life.

Here at Vita Health we carry a range of Ashwagandha supplements at affordable prices where we help take the cost out of healthy living. We carry top brands including Radiance, Solgar NZ and Good Health. We deliver internationally, so you can get Ashwagandha in New Zealand, and even overseas! 

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